If you were ‘split’ on how you wanted the Helen Hayes Awards to look in the future-then you will be pleased to hear that there are now ‘Helen’ and ‘Hayes’ nominations leading to winning the ‘Helen Hayes Award.’ And there are a potential of 47 awards to be given out at the 2014 Helen Hayes Awards ceremony. The new ‘system’ will be effective January 1, 2014.
The ‘Helen’ Productions are those than have less than 51% or under Equity actors in their cast. The ‘Hayes’ Productions have 51% or more Equity actors in their cast.
You can read about the new ‘Helen’ and ‘Hayes on the theatreWashington website.
We want to know what you think, so please leave your comments in the comment box below.
I thought it was common knowledge that separate but equal doesn’t exist? This mentality is only going to put an unfortunate dividing line in the theater community. What’s gonna end up happening is the Helen awards are going to be the symbol of productions that are inherently not as well made as those constituting the Hayes awards. It’s gonna make those part of the Helen awards look like a joke. Essentially this reconstruction will lessen the importance of rewarding great art in non equity theaters. What was wrong with having everyone together? What happened to the notion that great art can come form anywhere? Why shouldn’t a local dinner theater with amazing non equity actors and musicians be put in the same category as actors of the same caliber who happen to be in equity? Seriously, not only will this divide the community, it will degrade the integrity of the Helen Hayes Awards.
I’m not a theater insider. I just go and support and honestly this has zero impact on me. Whether a theater or an actor has an HHA nom or award does not impact whether I will go.
It’s an award by theater people for theater people.
Good Theater exists at equity and non equity venues. To think otherwise you cheapen the art, and have a skewed view of theater. I think It may be that some of the equity theaters are threatened by their non equity sisters, and shame on the Helen Hayes Awards for not standing up for good theater regardless of its venue.
I was speechless last night at the announcement and I am still speechless today……
I think it’s important to recognize that the way it’s been developed, there are Helen productions and Hayes productions – not theatres. If a smaller theatre thinks it’s important to go head to head with Arena Stage, the specifications outline exactly what you have to do to ensure you’re in that judging pool. A theatre might have one show per season in the Hayes category and the rest Helen… or vice versa. And everyone, both Helen and Hayes, is nominated for a Helen Hayes Award and receives a Helen Hayes Award–there are no “big awards” and “small awards” whatsoever.
Professional theatre provides a living wage, healthcare, and retirement for it’s employees. Trust me even the best paid performers in town aren’t getting rich by performing at arena, and studio. If those needs aren’t being met, you a doing hobby theatre, potentially very high quality, artistically fufilling hobby theatre, but it’s not professional. It’s a good start to seperate those two things. Now, let’s see consideration for organized labor backstage in the equation and we will have a true delineation between the Helens and Hayes.