The news is out! The BOSTON THEATER CRITICS ASSOCIATION of which I am proud to be President has officially announced that our season-end extravaganza known as The Elliot Norton Awards honoring the best of greater Boston theater is back LIVE and IN PERSON after three years! The Boston Globe ran the story today– READ IT HERE!

More info on our guest of honor, nominations, and where and how to buy tickets is still to be announced– so stay tuned! But in the meantime, here’s our full official release with all the news including our 40th Anniversary celebration featuring new initiatives like genderless awards. Read on…

 

 

 

The Boston Theater Critics Association Presents The 40th Anniversary Elliot Norton Awards Ceremony Set for Monday, May 8 at 7 pm at the Huntington Theatre

 New Initiatives Announced: Genderless Awards, Expanded Design Categories, Critics’ Pick Seal of Approval, and a Nominating Committee for Next Season 

The Elliot Norton Awards will return live on stage, following three years of disruption due to the pandemic! The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA) announced today that the 40th Anniversary Elliot Norton Awards will be held on Monday, May 8, 2023 at 7 PM, at the Huntington Theatre in Boston.

The BTCA also announced a number of new initiatives regarding its awards and policies.

  • Gender will no longer be a factor in the acting categories.
  • Design categories have been expanded.
  • The Boston Theater Critics Association will begin issuing a “Critics’ Pick” seal of approval to theater companies to signify the BTCA’s recommendation of the production. Upon issuance, the seal will be available immediately and may be used on the company’s websites and materials.
  • The Boston Theater Critics Association will assemble a diverse committee of nominators who are passionate and knowledgeable about theater to serve on a new nominating committee for the Elliot Norton Awards. Beginning next season (April 1, 2023 –March 31, 2024), the nominating committee will vote on nominations in all categories. Anyone interested in applying for the committee can apply here.

Further announcements, including the Guest of Honor, the recipients of the Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence, and the nominees will be forthcoming.

Joyce Kulhawik, president of the Boston Theater Critics Association, stated, “We are thrilled to be back in the house together to celebrate the 40th ANNIVERSARY of highlighting this outstanding theater community! This is a night not only to commune with each other, but also to showcase how important theater is to the cultural life of Greater Boston.  Like all live performance, theater suffered a cruel blow during the pandemic. But during that time, the BTCA got busy. Last fall, we voted to end gendered categories! We also created a “Critics’ Pick” seal of approval which companies may use to take advantage of positive early critical reaction while shows are still on stage! And we remain committed to widening the lens through which we view the work, by inviting input from a diverse nominating committee of knowledgeable, critical thinkers. We also continue to seek out members of the global majority to expand the makeup of the core group of critics who comprise The Boston Theater Critics Association.”

The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually by the Boston Theater Critics Association (Don Aucoin, Jared Bowen, Terry Byrne, Carolyn Clay, Christopher Ehlers, Iris Fanger, Nancy Grossman, Joyce Kulhawik, Bob Nesti, Ed Siegel, and Jacquinn Sinclair) to honor the outstanding productions, directors, designers, and performers whose work audiences have seen on greater Boston stages throughout the season.

This year marks the first live ceremony since 2019. Virtual ceremonies were held in 2020 and 2022, because of the Covid19 pandemic. No awards were presented in 2021, due to the suspension of live performances.

The Elliot Norton Awards are named for the eminent Boston theater critic Elliot Norton, who remained an active supporter of drama, both locally and nationally, until his death in 2003 at the age of 100. The Boston theater community carries on his legacy and can be proud of its remarkable growth at a time in our nation’s history when the arts are struggling to survive.

Special and honored guests at the awards in past years comprise a Who’s Who of distinguished artists whose work has appeared on Boston’s stages, including: Al Pacino, Chita Rivera, Olympia Dukakis, Faye Dunaway, August Wilson, Melinda Lopez, Randy Rainbow, Cherry Jones, Lea DeLaria, Tommy Tune, Edward Albee, Brian Dennehy, Julie Harris, Sir Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, and Jason Robards Jr.

Details will follow on tickets for the 40th Anniversary Elliot Norton Awards on May 8. For further information, visit ElliotNortonawards.com.