Ovation Voters Will Have to Dot Their i’s

“More than anything, we want it to be fair.�

Theatre LA President Barbara Beckley was discussing the organization’s upcoming Ovation awards, the new competitive program for theater productions in “greater Los Angeles.�

“With the Oscars and the Tonys, you always hear that people are voting on shows they haven’t seen,� said Beckley. She wants to make sure no one says that about the Ovations.

Each theater or producer belonging to Theatre LA--and there are presently 115 active members--will designate one Ovation voter who will promise to see at least 25 shows at other member theaters during the year beginning Sept. 1. The voters are supposed to be working theater professionals, and their selection is subject to Theatre LA approval.

While attending eligible shows (for free), each voter will receive a blank scoring sheet. Within 48 hours, the voter is expected to grade all the categories for which the show is eligible, and then send the completed form to the accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick.

After the year is over, a computer will tally five nominees in each category, based on these report cards. The final round of voting in each category will be limited only to those voters who have seen all five nominees. Because the computer will already know who saw which show, an honor system won’t be required.

There will be a total of 24 awards in 18 categories. In each of six production and design categories (play, musical, lighting, set, costumes and sound), two awards will be presented--one for productions in sub-100-seat theaters, another for productions in larger spaces. “Production and technical awards are very often a function of the budget,� explained Beckley.

But the size of the theater won’t be considered in the other 12 categories: new play or musical; director/play; director/musical; choreography; leading actor/play; leading actress/play; leading actor/musical; leading actress/musical; featured actor/play; featured actress/play; featured actor/musical; and featured actress/musical.

Only productions registered with Actors’ Equity and running at least 12 performances will be eligible. And of course, the producer has to belong to Theatre LA.

Probably the most prominent theater in the area that doesn’t belong is South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, which frequently takes home many of the hitherto most prestigious theater awards, those passed out by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. South Coast spokesman Cris Gross said Theatre LA has “made overtures� to us, and “we would like to belong,� but so far it hasn’t seemed a “necessity,� considering budget cutbacks. (Members of Theatre LA are charged annual fees equal to 1/1,000th of their gross receipts, with a minimum fee of $180 and a maximum of $800.)

The competitive Ovations “certainly will encourage� South Coast to join Theatre LA, said Gross. But he also observed that it might be difficult to get enough voters to drive to Orange County, in the absence of a direct “mandate to see Orange County shows.�

Ovation organizers are aware that distances may deter some voters from seeing some shows, responded Beckley, and “we will continually remind� voters of why they should see outlying shows.

Another prominent non-member is the Nederlander Organization, which runs three of the largest theaters--the Pantages, the Wilshire and the Henry Fonda. Nederlander West President Stan Seiden said he didn’t recall ever being contacted about Theatre LA membership, but “I don’t see why we wouldn’t join.�

Because of concerns that voters might be tempted to focus on the larger theaters at the expense of the smaller, a mandate for the voters to see sub-100-seat productions has been built in: At least 80% of the shows seen by each voter must be in smaller spaces, or else that individual can’t participate in the final round of voting.

In order to guard against any irregularities, each theater will receive monthly reports of who has turned in scoring sheets on its shows, and each voter will receive reports of scoring sheets turned in under his or her name. But theaters also will have the list of eligible voters, so aggressive campaigns to get those voters into the theaters can be expected.

The first awards will be announced at a ceremony in October, 1994, probably at a member theater, accompanied by excerpts or other entertainment from some of the nominees. Yes, Beckley hopes that someone will want to televise it live.

SHEER LONGEVITY: The longest-running non-musical play in American theater history, “Shear Madness,� will finally arrive in the L.A. area in a Veronica Chambers production, opening at the Improv in Santa Monica on Oct. 22.

“Shear Madness� has played continuously in Boston since Jan. 29, 1980, racking up 5,635 performances there. Productions are also underway right now in Chicago (4,452 performances so far), Washington, Kansas City, St. Paul, Austin, Tel Aviv and Madrid. Set in a unisex beauty salon, the play is a mystery-comedy that incorporates audience interaction and up-to-date topical references.

It will occupy the first floor of the Improv, using a 350-seat cabaret-style seating configuration. The Improv’s comedy acts will move up one floor, to a 190-seat cabaret. “We bit off more than we could chew in taking all this space,� said Improv co-owner Budd Friedman. He hopes “Shear Madness� lasts at least 13 years.

Obviously, so does producer Chambers, who recently co-produced “Forever Plaid� at the Canon. The play “draws an audience who normally wouldn’t go to the theater,� she said. “It’s low comedy. It’s not anything that Gordon Davidson would do.�