The Iveys celebrate 10 years

Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Bonnie Morris and Michael Robbins, Illusion Theater co-artistic directors.

When will anyone ever see so many people dressed for An Occasion in downtown Minneapolis? Some (struggling artists that they may be) could be attired in vintage Goodwill, but the Iveys are clearly The Night to dress up, go downtown and enjoy the once-a-year camaraderie of the whole Twin Cities theater community. It’s a love fest (I’ve said it before), and it’s a great night.

Each year the Iveys celebrate a certain theater practitioner (actors, costumers, playwrights, etc.), but this year we paused to recognize its run of 10 years. With 189 awards and 180 theaters in the mix, that’s something to feel good about, then go have another bar concoction created for this evening that’s as satisfying and complex as theater itself.

It was appropriate to surprise the Ivey’s founder, Scott Mayer, who keeps a relatively low profile, with special recognition for his “extraordinary vision.” Mayer was characteristically self-effacing in his short speech, emphasizing that he just likes “to see all of you on stage.”

There are a couple of awards given every year, voted on by the 65 participating theaters’ artistic directors. I’ve never guessed the Emerging Artist Award before; but this year, I felt fairly certain it would be Tyler Michaels. A run in Cabaret as the Emcee (Latte Da’s Cabaret also won an Ivey) “Freddie” in the Guthrie’s summer run of My Fair Lady, and the Chanhassen’s Fiddler on the Roof, he had charmed a sizable number of people in a few short months with his broad smile, wiry frame and made-for-musicals persona.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to two people with one vision. Michael Robbins and Bonnie Morris took their show on the road back in the 70’s and soon built themselves a theater home that’s housed that vision for 40 years. Illusion Theater has commissioned or developed more than 350 original mainstage plays, viewed by more than one millions people and staged by more than 40 theaters across the U.S. Their partnership shows no signs of winding down. Robbins ended his comments with “here’s to 40 more years!”

Sally Wingert was the other star of the show. Using the word “other” in conjunction with any appearance by Wingert seems incongruous. Not only does she rise to any challenge, she even inspired a first with a “season award” for her performances in four productions: “Rose,” produced by the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company, Latte Da’s “Cabaret,” Dark & Stormy Productions’ “The Receptionist,” and the Guthrie’s “Tribes.” A unique award for “intellect and emotional intensity” recognized her performance in “Rose.”

It was a little harder to engage with the retrospective approach of this year’s show, but it makes sense to pause and appreciate a milestone when they come. It would be interesting to know how many in the audience knew this theater community 10 years ago. There were many who did, I’m certain; there were many who did not, too. And that just speaks to how vibrant theater in the Twin Cities is, with lots of young people finding their audiences, and many (young and not so young) moving from someplace else to find their place in the larger theater picture here.

Hosts Christina Baldwin and Randy Reyes were charming and improvised with ease. The show was a little looser with a little less of an “arc”, but, still, it’s an event with its heart in the right place.