Distinguished Achievement and Special Honors (DASH)

Distinguished Achievement and Special Honors (DASH)

The 2012 Annual EMACT Gala and DASH Awards

Commemorate the best and most memorable moments in local community theatre at EMACT's annual Distinguished Awards and Special Honors (DASH) Gala.

Saturday, August 25, 2012
Reception starting at 6:00 PM
Awards presentation ceremony at 7:30 PM

Carey Hall
1605 Mass Ave.
Lexington, MA 02420

Click here for more detailed information.

 

What is DASH?

DASH is a year-end awards program sponsored by EMACT as a way of recognizing outstanding performance and production values as displayed by its member groups during the course of the theater season. EMACT member groups who wish to participate in the DASH program submit their shows for consideration to a panel of experienced theater consultants who view each participating production and score them in a number of performance and design categories based on a standard scoring criteria. Scores are tabulated at season's end with the top six scores in each category receiving a DASH Award Nomination and the top score receiving the DASH Award at the annual EMACT DASH Gala.

 

Who is eligible to participate in DASH?

In order to participate in the DASH program, a production must meet the following criteria:

  • The producing group must be a dues paying member of EMACT in good standing.
  • The production must have completed its originally scheduled performance run during the course of the DASH season, which runs from July 1st through June 30th.
  • A completed DASH Application and entry fee must be submitted to the EMACT VP of Services within 30 days of the production's opening performance.
  • Individual members of the Actor's Equity Union or other professional unions associated with their respective area of a production are ineligible for individual DASH recognition. Presence of a union member in a cast or production team does not automatically disqualify the entire production.
  • Design elements which are rented or otherwise professionally rendered are not eligible for individual DASH recognition within their category, although their score will count towards the overall production score.

 

How much is the entry fee?

For groups within a 30 mile radius of Boston, the entry fee is $35 per production. For groups 30 miles or more outside of Boston, the fee is $45 per production. This fee is primarily used to reimburse the respective DASH Consultants for travel and time expenses.

 

Do all participating productions receive awards and nominations?

Participation in the DASH program does NOT guarantee receipt of any nominations or awards. The program was designed to recognize the most outstanding achievement amongst all participating productions over the course of the entire season. Due consideration is given to each production viewed, with elements such as the physical and technical limitations of a given theater space and/or obvious budgetary restrictions being weighed accordingly. There is no delineation made between "large" and "small" theaters in terms of how nominations and awards are distributed.

 

Do participating productions receive any feedback from the Consultants?

The DASH program is strictly awards based and as a result no written or verbal feedback will be given by the attending DASH Consultants. For groups wishing to receive such feedback, theEMACT ETC (Educational Theater Consultation)program is recommended.

 

How does the program work?

Upon acceptance of an application, the VP of Services will assign two DASH Consultants to a production. The Consultants will then coordinate with the producing company which performance they wish to attend. The producing company will provide each attending Consultant two complimentary tickets for the performance of their choice.

Having viewed a regularly scheduled performance of the production (viewing rehearsals or special command performances for DASH purposes is not permitted), each Consultant will complete and submit a DASH Ballot. Completed ballots will be compared and tabulated by the VP of Services, with each ballot counting 50% towards a production's overall score. In the event that only one Consultant is able to attend a production, their score will count for a full 100%.

At the completion of the DASH Season, the VP of Services will compile and compare all scores to determine the top six individual scores in each designated category which will comprise the list of DASH Award nominees. These nominees will be announced publicly at least one month prior to the EMACT DASH Gala. The top individual score in each category will then be presented with a DASH Award at the Gala, which is to be held in late August/early September of each year. Please note that in categories where the producing company has declined to indicate a specific designer, instead crediting the production element to "cast", "crew", or leaving it otherwise uncredited, the group forfeits any award or nomination in that category, although the element's score will still count towards the overall production score.

What are the award categories?

Productions will be broken into two divisions: Musicals and Plays. Separate nominees/awards will be issued for each category in each division.

Technical
Best Set Design/Construction
Best Set Dressing
Best Lighting Design
Best Sound Design
Best Costume Design
Best Hair & Make-up Design
Best Props Management
Best Stage Management

Performance
Best Choreography (Musical division only)
Best Music Direction (Musical division only)
Best Ensemble
Best Director
Best Production

Individual Performance
Best Featured Ensemble
Best Youth Actor (17 years old or younger)
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Lead Actor
Best Lead Actress

For the category of "Best Production", the combined score of all technical categories will count as 43% of the total score while the combined score of all performance categories will count as 57%. This weighted scoring is intended to balance the inequity in the number of categories in each area (technical vs performance) as well as to give slightly more weight to performance elements.

Individual Performance scores do not count towards a production's overall score. Individual actors are scored at the consultants discretion based on what they feel are outstanding performances worthy of individual recognition. Consultants are not required to recognize any individual performances within a production if they feel none merit award consideration. In the instance where one visiting consultant chooses to score an individual performance while the second does not, the second consultant will be asked to provide a score for said individual. If a second score is not provided, a median score of 39 (Musical) or 33 (Play) will be attributed as the second score.

 

Who are the Consultants?

The DASH Consultant Team is made up of experienced theater veterans, many of whom have extensive theatrical training and/or professional experience. Generally they are active members of current EMACT members groups who continue to contribute their many talents to the local theater scene. As a result, Consultants are eligible to receive nominations and awards in a season for which they have submitted ballots. They are however forbidden from balloting on shows for which they had a direct involvement and every effort is made to avoid having them consult on productions involving companies or individuals with whom they have significant connection and/or history. Consultants are hand chosen by the VP of Services and are subject to approval by the EMACT Board of Directors.

 

DASH Forms and Resources

 

DASH Award History

View DASH Nominees and Winners           

 

Still have unanswered questions? Contact the EMACT VP of Services at: dash@emact.org.