Local theater companies forming community spirit

There’s talent galore in this valley. One needn’t spend hundreds of dollars to see it, either. All you need to do is high-tail it to one of the more than 150 theatrical productions presented during the course of a year. And, if you need further proof of that, the new theater awards should do it.

It was a packed house on July 14, when master of ceremonies Jim Sorhe began handing the envelopes over to presenters at the inaugural Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards gala. There isn’t enough column space for me to mention this year’s winners, but if you missed the function and are curious enough you can log on to the website (www.lasvegasvalleys.com) for the full list.

It’s been about 22 years since the community recognized the efforts of local theater performances, and it’s about time someone stepped up to fill the gaping hole the (now defunct) Allied Arts Council left. Kudos to Executive Director Jacob Coakley, whose idea for this fledgling organization goes well beyond promotion and marketing. “I want to build an infrastructure to help connect and support theater companies, artists and audiences — not only in Las Vegas, but across the nation; to make things happen,” Coakley says. “There’s so much Las Vegas has to offer.”

Other major cities across the country have similar programs, such as Theatre Bay Area in San Francisco, United Performing Arts Foundation in Milwaukee, which raised almost $12 million last year to support its local community, and the LA Stage Alliance and Ovation Awards in Los Angeles. All are nationally recognized programs. But it takes time, hard work, cooperation and buy-in to build that kind of powerhouse credibility.

Coakley has already established some street cred. Not only have the theater companies signed on, but Myron Martin, president and CEO of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, was on hand to give out the Audience Favorite and Best Production awards and prefaced the announcements with, “I have to tell you how impressed I am, not just with the talent exhibited (in the performances) tonight, but with how you support one another.”

Toward the end of the gala, producer-director Troy Heard put it most succinctly: “It really is a theater community tonight.”

It’s always individuals coming together that make or break efforts like this. You, the patrons, can certainly help, and it’s free and easy. If you’re looking for a show to see, throughout the season you’ll find a continuing list of “Valley Recommended” plays in production listed on the website.

This is a “seal of approval, if you will,” says Coakley, your insurance that what you’ll see is a quality show. When you go, be sure to mention that fact to theater staff.

Plans to add a full calendar of events will soon enhance the website, making it an invaluable tool for patrons.

Although the new season has begun for awarding purposes (awards reviewing runs from June 1 to May 31), if you care to get even more involved, you can sign up to become an awards adjudicator. It will require a commitment, but you’ll get to enjoy a lot of theater along the way.

Paul Atreides is one of the theater critics at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His column appears on the first Thursday of the month.