Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered and attended the first 711 Theatre Project! There were 147 in attendance on Saturday evening and 115 on Sunday afternoon, for a total of 262 in attendance! This has been a wonderful experience (now we can get some sleep).

We’ve already begun talking about plans for 2008 to be bigger, better and more innovative! If you have any comments or suggestion on how we can make next year even more enjoyable - please email us at info@711theatre.com.

Before you read the recipients of the awards - we could tell it was a difficult choice each night for the audience (based upon their vote tallies) and the judges (based upon listening to their deliberations). As an example - single digit counts separated the top two plays each night for the Audience Choice (Sunday’s top two were separated by only 3 votes).

Saturday’s Awards Recipients:

Judges Awards
Best Playwright: Tom Deiker, 8th Row Productions, Andy Warhol Doesn’t Hang Here Any More
Best Individual Performance: T. Scott Steel, Kappa Psi (William Penn University), A Dog Breeders Guide to Cutting Corners
Best Ensemble Performance: Kappa Psi (WPU), A Dog Breeders Guide to Cutting Corners
Judges Choice for Best Show of Evening: Kappa Psi (WPU), A Dog Breeders Guide to Cutting Corners

“One to Watch” Award: Gillum Kyker, B&S.com, Brother to Brother

Audience Award
Audience Choice: 8th Row Productions, Andy Warhol Doesn’t Hang Here Any More

Sunday’s Awards Recipients:

Judges Awards
Best Playwright: Larry Enos, Theatre 125, Wolf in the Fold
Best Individual Performance: Patty Uy-Westlund, Rabid Dog Theatre, Eileen Vs. Creditor
Best Ensemble Performance: Comedy Co-Operative, Martha’s Secret
Judges Choice for Best Show of Evening: Comedy Co-Operative, Martha’s Secret

“One to Watch” Award: Waukee Productions, A Ditz, a Witch, and a Tax Collector

Audience Award
Audience Choice: Comedy Co-Operative, Martha’s Secret

2007 Best of Show

Comedy Co-Operative, Martha’s Secret

Congratulations to the first 711 Theatre Project Award Recipients - see you next year!

The “One to Watch” Award was added by the judges who felt that these individuals showed strong talent and skills in their plays and were worthy of mention for everyone to keep an eye on in the future.

Thank you to our judges: Deb Copeland of Copeland Creative Talent, Amedeo Rossi of the Fourth Street Theatre, and Sam Tuomi of the 48 Hour Film Project.

We will be placing some photos from the performances on the web site in the coming days as well as ripping video into YouTube and putting together a DVD of all the performances. Also, depending upon the length of time of the top plays of the weekend - we will be putting the top 4-6 on DVD to be shown at the Iowa Fringe Festival, July 19-22.

Thanks go out to everyone who was involved in the inaugural 711 Theatre Project. Plans are underway for 2008 - and we want your input. Please, help us produce an even more successful follow-up to this year by giving us your feedback about this year.

Thanks, 711 Theatre Project Committee

We received this in our email and Jack was gracious in allowing us to post it here:

“Congratulations for the 711 festival. Great fun to watch and to watch the troupes obviously having fun. Good to see many new faces brought to DM theatre. Even the judges were a surprise. I don’t know Deb, but had considered Amedeo and Sam as possibilities but discounted them because I have never seen Sam at the theatre and only once seen Amedeo–good to have new people involved.

Excellent job–as usual–Thatcher. I don’t know how you and Amy do it all. Thanks to you and the others involved in the 711 project.”

Jack Balcombe

In Michael Morain’s recent Des Moines Register blog entry “Rosie O’Donnell … and fiddling“, Michael ends his blogging talking about his experience at Saturday night’s performance and his favorite show of that evening.