Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards
The First of its Kind International Award!
Saturday, June 1 at Unscripted New York Theatre & Film Festival
Unscripted New York Improvised Theatre & Film Festival is proud to announce the First Ever Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards (SHITFAs – affectionately known as the SHITTYS). Unscripted New York celebrates artists who work without a script and who create their art and tell their stories entirely in the moment. This year, Unscripted New York introduces the SHITFAs to celebrate artists who excel and promote the acceptance of improvisational theater & film and bring a higher respect and awareness to the art form and the artists involved. Read more.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2013 SHITFA AWARD WINNERS
Dynamic Duo
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Excellence in Musical Performance
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Ensemble Performance
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Innovative Excellence
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Emerging Artist – US
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Emerging Artist – International
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Behind the SHITFAs – Why & How
Why the SHITFAs
We looked around and saw no national awards out there celebrating improvisational actors in theater and film. A few local companies recognized their own, but no one went beyond that to recognize and celebrate artists performing at the highest level, and taking improvised theatre and film to new places of collaboration and storytelling.
As practicing improvisational artists, we know how difficult it is to create full characters AND dialogue on the spot, AND make the story up as you go, AND collaborate with everyone in that space, AND stay in the moment with every fiber of your being. It’s an incredibly challenging art form. We thought: NO awards for outstanding improvisational actors? How Shitty is that? And thus, the SHITTYs were born.
How the SHITFAs are chosen
The Unscripted New York festival staff selects The Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards in a highly organic and collaborative process. We talk over who really knocks us on our ass and figure out how to celebrate and recognize them. This year, with so many outstanding improvised shows and films, we had to think beyond excellence and quality – they are all wonderful shows – and look at who is most innovative, creative, original and collaborative as differentiators to find our winners.
Our goal is to celebrate artists who excel and promote the acceptance of improvisational theater & film and bring a higher respect and awareness to the art form and the artists involved. We’re confident this year’s SHITFA winners are models of excellence in their commitment to the craft of improvised theatre and film, and we’re honored to have them as participants in the festival.
We looked around and saw no national awards out there celebrating improvisational actors in theater and film. A few local companies recognized their own, but no one went beyond that to recognize and celebrate artists performing at the highest level, and taking improvised theatre and film to new places of collaboration and storytelling.
As practicing improvisational artists, we know how difficult it is to create full characters AND dialogue on the spot, AND make the story up as you go, AND collaborate with everyone in that space, AND stay in the moment with every fiber of your being. It’s an incredibly challenging art form. We thought: NO awards for outstanding improvisational actors? How Shitty is that? And thus, the SHITTYs were born.
How the SHITFAs are chosen
The Unscripted New York festival staff selects The Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards in a highly organic and collaborative process. We talk over who really knocks us on our ass and figure out how to celebrate and recognize them. This year, with so many outstanding improvised shows and films, we had to think beyond excellence and quality – they are all wonderful shows – and look at who is most innovative, creative, original and collaborative as differentiators to find our winners.
Our goal is to celebrate artists who excel and promote the acceptance of improvisational theater & film and bring a higher respect and awareness to the art form and the artists involved. We’re confident this year’s SHITFA winners are models of excellence in their commitment to the craft of improvised theatre and film, and we’re honored to have them as participants in the festival.
THE UNSCRIPTED PLAYERS / SHITFA SHOW
Saturday, June 1 – 9:30 pm
The Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards (SHITFAs – affectionately known as the SHITTYS). Unscripted New York celebrates artists who work without a script and who create their art and tell their stories entirely in the moment. The celebratory Awards Show will feature The Unscripted Players, a collaboration of faculty, staff and selected participants from the festival roster, who will come together for the first time ever to perform unscripted one acts. This year, we honor outstanding improv performers in six SHITFA categories: Dynamic Duo, Emerging Artist (US & Int’l); Innovative Excellence; Ensemble Performance; Excellence in Musical Performance.
The Unscripted Players: (in alphabetical order)
Mandy May Cheetham (SHITFA Winner: Emerging Artist – Int’l)
Dion Flynn (SHITFA Winner: Dynamic Duo)
Amey Goerlich (SHITFA Winner: Innovative Excellence, Upton Abbey)
Rachel Hamilton (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Ben Hauck (SHITFA Winner: Emerging Artist – US)
Matt Kaplan (Unscripted Festival Coordinator)
Heather Smith Lutkin (Unscripted Co-Producer)
Jordan T. Maxwell (SHITFA Winner: Ensemble Performance)
Mike Norris (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Jonathan Pitts (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Elizabeth Quinn (Unscripted Co-Producer)
Nate Starkey (SHITFA Winner: Dynamic Duo)
The Supreme Honorary Improvised Theater & Film Awards (SHITFAs – affectionately known as the SHITTYS). Unscripted New York celebrates artists who work without a script and who create their art and tell their stories entirely in the moment. The celebratory Awards Show will feature The Unscripted Players, a collaboration of faculty, staff and selected participants from the festival roster, who will come together for the first time ever to perform unscripted one acts. This year, we honor outstanding improv performers in six SHITFA categories: Dynamic Duo, Emerging Artist (US & Int’l); Innovative Excellence; Ensemble Performance; Excellence in Musical Performance.
The Unscripted Players: (in alphabetical order)
Mandy May Cheetham (SHITFA Winner: Emerging Artist – Int’l)
Dion Flynn (SHITFA Winner: Dynamic Duo)
Amey Goerlich (SHITFA Winner: Innovative Excellence, Upton Abbey)
Rachel Hamilton (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Ben Hauck (SHITFA Winner: Emerging Artist – US)
Matt Kaplan (Unscripted Festival Coordinator)
Heather Smith Lutkin (Unscripted Co-Producer)
Jordan T. Maxwell (SHITFA Winner: Ensemble Performance)
Mike Norris (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Jonathan Pitts (Unscripted Workshop Leader)
Elizabeth Quinn (Unscripted Co-Producer)
Nate Starkey (SHITFA Winner: Dynamic Duo)
