The process for the 2013 RTCC Awards began in earnest a few weeks ago and the nominees will be announced very soon. In the meantime, I wanted to make available in a public forum the guiding by-laws of the RTCC as well as some administrative information. (I would post this info to the RTCC website but it is currently down and its restoration may take several weeks.)
What follows are the rules that guided our operations this year. They are essentially the rules we have followed since the group began but, in response to many questions and concerns, we decided to formalize them this year.
One thing that is NOT formalized but that the RTCC has always abided by is that we are always looking to improve our processes and our organization in order to make the big event we have held in October for the past 5 years as successful as possible. So we are always open to input, with this one big caveat: We are a very loosely affiliated group of part-time and freelance journalists who are not compensated directly for anything we do as part of the RTCC so flexibility in our operations and procedures have been and will continue to be essential to maintaining our existence.
Okay. Here then are the details:
Rules regarding productions for award consideration
For recognition as part of its annual awards, the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle will consider a theater production that meets the following criteria:
> The production is, as best as can be determined, a “professional” production, that is, all actors, directors and designers who work on the production are paid.
> The production has scheduled performances over at least two weekends on a stage located in the Richmond area.
The “Richmond area” is defined as including the city of Richmond, the city’s immediately adjacent counties and nearby cities such as Ashland, Hanover, Colonial Heights and Petersburg. Productions that run less than two weekends are considered theater “events” and will be considered for separate recognition at the discretion of the RTCC membership.
A production will be considered to be either a “play” or a “musical.” “Plays with musical performances” will generally be regarded as musicals, though final category determination will be by the vote of the RTCC membership. Listing of a professional musical director is a necessary, though not determining, factor in designating a production a “musical.”
A production that is considered to be exclusively targeted at school or youth audiences will be considered a “children’s show” and will be considered for separate recognition at the discretion of the RTCC members. A “family-friendly” show that encompasses school or youth audiences but does not seem exclusively targeted at children will be considered for general awards if it meets the criteria listed above.
Rules regarding membership
Members of the RTCC must have reviews appearing in print for an established for-profit media outlet or as broadcast for a radio, television or Internet media venture. Print reviews must have been subjected to an editor’s purview.
New members are generally accepted as provisional members, that is, they can participate in discussions related to the nomination and selection of award recipients but they cannot vote. After participation as a provisional member through one voting cycle, they can then participate as full members the following season.
For a member to vote on potential nominees or award recipients as part of the annual awards process, a member needs to have seen at least one-half of the productions that are under consideration for awards in the current season. For the 2012-13 season, the minimum number of productions required was 25. For the 2013-14 season and beyond, the proportion of productions required will rise to two-thirds.
Special Restriction
Voting member John Porter appeared in one production under consideration for the 2012-2013 season (“A Child’s Christmas in Wales”) and his voice was used in another (“The Sunshine Boys”). It was decided by the rest of the RTCC membership that he would be restricted from voting in any category that had nominees in consideration from either of these productions.
RTCC Members (as of July 28, 2013)
Tony Farrell, Richmond Times-Dispatch: provisional member
Rich Griset, Style Weekly: voting member (& RTCC event chair)
Liz Jewett, Richmond.com: non-voting member
Bruce Levy, Show Biz Radio: provisional member
Julinda Lewis, Richmond Times-Dispatch: voting member
Jen Maciulewicz, GayRVA: voting member
Matt Miller, Richmond Times-Dispatch / GayRVA: non-voting member
John Porter, WCVE: voting member (with restrictions)
David Timberline, Style Weekly: voting member
Joan Tupponce, One Woman's View: non-voting member
Productions considered as part of the 2012-13 season
Production, Company
The Marvelous Wonderettes, Swift Creek Mill
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Virginia Rep
Regrets Only, RTP
A Bright New Boise, Firehouse Theatre Project
King John, Richmond Shakespeare
Night Blooms, Virginia Rep
The Fox on the Fairway, CAT
The Pillowman, Cadence Theatre, in partnership with VA Rep
Howard Crabtree's Whoop-Dee-Doo!, RTP
The Producers, Virginia Rep
Death of a Salesman, Firehouse Theatre Project
Irving Berlin's I Love a Piano, Swift Creek Mill
Closer Than Ever, Virginia Rep
A Child's Christmas in Wales, Richmond Shakespeare
Our Town, Sycamore Rouge
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Henley Street
The 13th of Paris, CAT
The Magic Flute, Virginia Rep
Before It Hits Home, RTP / Sycamore Rouge
The Sunshine Boys, Swift Creek Mill
Cotton Patch Gospel, Virginia Rep
Faith Healer, Henley Street
Hay Fever, Virginia Rep
Sons of the Prophet, Cadence Theatre, in partnership with VA Rep
Any Given Monday, Firehouse Theatre Project
The Busy World is Hushed, RTP
Breast in Show, Carol Piersol, in partnership with VA Rep
The Tempest, Richmond Shakespeare
Over the Tavern, HATTheatre
Riding the Bull, TheatreLAB
And Then There Were None, CAT
Julius Caesar, Henley Street
Honky-Tonk Angels, Swift Creek Mill
The Pride, RTP
Time Stands Still, Firehouse Theatre Project
Red, Virginia Rep
Next to Normal, Cadence Theatre, in partnership with VA Rep
The Glass Menagerie, Sycamore Rouge
La Cage Aux Folles, RTP
Play On, CAT
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Henley Street
Gidion’s Knot, Carol Piersol, in partnership with HATTheatre
A Comedy of Errors, Richmond Shakespeare
Twelfth Night, Sycamore Rouge
The Music Man, Virginia Rep
Pop! Who Shot Andy Warhol?, Firehouse Theatre Project
Steel Magnolias, Virginia Rep
Othello, Richmond Shakespeare
bare: a pop opera, Richmond Triangle Players
7 comments:
Wow!
It is difficult to find words to describe the pride I feel in seeing how RTCC has grown since we started it 5 years ago. Thanks, Dave for posting this. It made my day.
I still love following the Richmond Theatre scene and having the opportunity to promote plays (sometimes) on Culture Connections for WNRN makes me feel like I am still a part of it in a small way.
Best of luck for a smashing event in October. I will do my best to make it this year.
Mary
Hi Dave! I was sorry to see Busytown didn't make the list of shows being considered in the Children's category. It played to sold out houses at The Children's Theatre of Virginia/Willow Lawn and I believe Julinda saw it twice! I was wondering if there were certain restrictions/rules of which I am not aware?
Thanks,
Jan Guarino
Hi Jan,
We don't have a Children's category. As we've laid it out in our rules: "A production that is considered to be exclusively targeted at school or youth audiences will be considered a “children’s show” and will be considered for separate recognition at the discretion of the RTCC members." This is a bit of a change from previous years where most of the VA Rep "children's" shows could be considered the same as the shows targeted mostly at adults. That was not fair because other companies (e.g., Swift Creek Mill) also stage children's shows, most of which are not part of the critical rotation for most local reviewers.
However, the by-laws also state that "...[a] “family-friendly” show that encompasses school or youth audiences but does not seem exclusively targeted at children will be considered for general awards." So a show like next year's production of "The Miracle Worker" at the Mill may be considered for general awards.
The only "family-friendly" show we chose to include for consideration for general awards this past season was "The Magic Flute." While we could have under the rules, we did not choose to do any special recognition of any children's shows this year. I hope that explains things OK.
So in the upcoming season, will a show such as "Shrek - The Musical" which is on the VA Rep Children's season not be considered for recognition, despite the fact that it's a major Broadway musical with a huge cast, top-level production value, and meant for audiences of all ages? That's just one example I can think of.
Brian, please see the rules where it says: A “family-friendly” show that encompasses school or youth audiences but does not seem exclusively targeted at children will be considered for general awards
Thanks, Dave T. Is it true that October 20 is the date of the 2013 RTCC Awards?
Do we have an "official" date that the nominations will be announced so that we can be on the lookout?
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