5. A cost of $25 to $125 is too much to watch people give acceptance speeches and local theaters get free advertising for upcoming shows.
4. Art cannot be quantified or measured, so all awards ceremonies (including the Tonys, Oscars and Emmys) are suspect. Yet, the aforementioned awards shows are a bit more scientific in that they require all members to see every show within their given "academy." The Iveys do not require all voters to even see a major fraction of Twin Cities theater, and voters are not chosen by rigid, high standards.
3. The Ivey Awards give a false impression of the Twin Cities theater community, a community that is supposedly close and supportive, when in reality it is as cut-throat and selfish as the U.S. Congress.
2. The Ivey Awards outwardly encourage teens to attend (offering $8 tickets to students), while at the same time outwardly encouraging adults to publicly get drunk at pre- and post-show parties. Call me old-fashioned, but I think adults should still be thinking about being good role models for kids.
1. I have rehearsal that night.
ADAM ARNOLD, ST. PAUL
The writer is a theater director. The 2011 Ivey Awards are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis.
