Clips from the 6th annual Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards show!
"Hi Everybody!
Thank you, everyone for making the space in your lives to come together and celebrate an outstanding season of Vegas Theatre along with an incredible year of artistic work across the wide spectrum of Vegas Culture.
Artists are addicted to discovery and embrace the unknown to explore its possibilities. They know the secret art holds to our human survival of the unknown - it's not done by fighting against it, but by working with it. The secret is to take a little chance on sharing what you have to offer when someone asks a question and then respecting the offerings of others when you have a few quandries of your own. There's a reason why we call it the Golden Rule; because when artists have nothing, speak different languages, and are reaching out from their isolation no matter where on Earth, it is the treasure that sustains their connection to each other and their ability to collaborate and overcome on the spot.
Even in solitude, the artist instinctively works with the environment as their partner in a relationship of “offer and accept.” That same spirit is alive and well in Las Vegas, and it offers the hope that has written our American story. Every July that we wake up in the Mojave is a defiance of the impossible, and the result of countless shared visions put into action.
When people ask, "Are there really arts in Vegas?" I reply "We wouldn't be Vegas, Baby without the arts!" The Arts are the water we swim in here in our desert oasis. Creativity has been our lifeblood from the beginning. We see people's dreams as goals, not fantasies and our support of arts brings rewards to all of us. Educators like Athena Garrison introduce theatre to help kids form a resilient foundation. UNLV recruits artists to advance to a top tier institution. Developers rely on our cultural industry to attract investment. Trade shows are built by stagehands and designers, I know many, like me, are here in this room. Public servants like Joe O’Neill, and many of you here tonight, employ skilled creatives to communicate with constituents, foster safe neighborhoods, and demonstrate diplomacy. Therapists prescribe artistic activities to heal our loved ones.
Our theatres are an essential component of our public square. They require dozens of individuals with years of training, and weeks of commitment to collaboratively create stories like the ones we celebrate tonight. 365 days a year, local artists from every background who are often strangers at first agree to come together in an empty space and innovate with a common purpose: making the mystery of life more livable for the rest of us by solving problems, creating opportunities, and strengthening our communities. These days there is often a palpable sense of discouragement in the air but I have hope, and it is not unfounded because you are my evidence. You are all visionaries who employ your imagination to see beyond obstacles and are willing to work together to make dreams big and small a reality. Tonight is just another piece of proof to add to the Eat More Art Vegas collection.
We are called Eat More Art Vegas because we are what we eat, and we Las Vegans eat arts for breakfast. You dear locals are Vegas Arts and that means Vegas Is Vegas Arts. Our Eat More Art table always has room for one more chair and with your help, we remain committed to partnering in ways that will make the meal as nourishing and exquisite as possible. Let this be the year where we lead the way forward by replacing fear with curiosity and collaboration. Because when we do that the unknown becomes the place where anything is possible.
Thank you and remember #EatMoreArt!"
- Address by EAT MORE ART! Vegas Executive Director, Sarah O'Connell at the 6th Annual Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards show, 15 July 2019. #VegasIsVegasArts
Check out these clips captured by Patrick Gonzales.
"Opening Number" - Poor Richard's Players: Anthony Barnaby, Benjamin Loewy, Max Lardent
"So What" from Cabaret - Majestic Repertory Theatre: Gail Romero with Andrew Tyler on keyboard.
"The Dark I Know Well" from Spring Awakening - Majestic Repertory Theatre: Tatum Rajsky and Lauren Tauber with Andre Tyler on keyboard.
"You Gotta Die Sometime" from Falsettos - Las Vegas Little Theatre: Keith Dotson with Toby McEvoy on keyboard.
Aria from Gianni Schicchi - Vegas City Opera: Richard Hodges with Dean Balan on keyboard.
"She Loves Me" from She Loves Me - Hynes-Sight Entertainment: Alex Cheney with Toby McEvoy on keyboard.
"I Hate Musicals" from Ruthless! the Musical - Las Vegas Little Theatre: Andee Gibbs with Susan Easter on keyboard.
"Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance - Vegas City Opera: Stephen Rinck and company with Dean Balan on keyboard.
"Watch What Happens" from Newsies - Signature Productions: Narée Asherian with Jonathan Tuala on keyboard.
Clark County Poet Laureate Emeritus Vogue Robinson.
#VegasIsVegasArts #EatMoreArt @EatMoreArtVegas EatMoreArtVegas.com
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