Judges' Information

• Director's Sheet
  • General Rules
  • Performance Nomination Rules
  • Youth Performance Nomination Rules
  • Tech Nomination Rules
  
  
• Judges' Choice

The Director's Sheet

Prior to the opening of a production, the Director's Sheet will be mailed to the director or producer of the production. The form must be filled out by the director or producer and returned to the Judges' Liaison by the date indicated on the form.

If the Director's Sheet is not returned in a timely manner, the production will be eligible for Judges' Choice awards only.

General Rules for the Director's Sheet

If a category is not filled out correctly per the instructions below and as appropriate to the category in question, that category will be deleted from the ballot.

1. For the show you are directing, please fill out any applicable categories that you wish to be considered for an award. Ignore the rest.
   
   

   HOWEVER

2. In order for a show to be considered for the Best Show award, it must be judged in at least four (4) performance categories (unless the total cast is less than four) and four (4) technical categories.
   
   
3. Please look at the end of the form where directors are asked for statements. Directors are invited to comment on the first issue if they would like to do so. The second and third subjects are to be elaborated on only if a director wishes to nominate a paid participant (see rule #4, below) or wants more than one person to win awards in a tech category besides set (see rule #3 in tech nomination rules).
   
   
4. To nominate a paid participant in any aspect of a production, the director must submit a written statement at the end of the form that defends why the individual should be allowed to both receive payment and be eligible for a Wings Award. The statement must explain what that individual has contributed to the show over and above his or her job description/requirements for which he/she is already being remunerated. The arguments will be read and decided upon on a case-by-case basis by no less than five members of the steering committee and acceptance or rejection will be decided by a majority of those five.
   
   

Performance Nomination Rules

1. In order to make the judges' job a little easier, do not nominate more than eight (8) people total in the performing categories. Examples: one in male lead, four in female lead, and three in female support; or four in male lead, four in female lead, and none in male or female support.
   
   
2. Please list both the performer and character name. Ballots that only list one or the other will be returned immediately and must be resubmitted within 24 hours. For the "dance" categories, the piece for which the performer is being nominated must also be indicated.
   
   
3. Since an individual may not win two awards for the same performance, do not nominate someone in the same performance in more than one category.
   
   
4. In performing categories, only individuals may be nominated. The exception is the Ensemble award, which by definition means more than one individual.
   
   
5. There is no age restriction in the "adult" performance categories (see Youth Nomination Rules below). It may, however, be advantageous to the performer to compete in the "youth" category if he or she is eligible to do so.
   
   

The performing categories include:

• Best Lead Actor in a Non-Singing Role
• Best Lead Actress in a Non-Singing Role
• Best Lead Actor in a Singing Role
• Best Lead Actress in a Singing Role
• Best Supporting Actor in a Non-Singing Role
• Best Supporting Actress in a Non-Singing Role
• Best Supporting Actor in a Singing Role
• Best Supporting Actress in a Singing Role
• Best Male Dance Performance, Extended Piece
• Best Female Dance Performance, Extended Piece
• Best Male Dance Performance, Short Piece
• Best Female Dance Performance, Short Piece
• Ensemble

Please note the following:

1. The male/female designation refers to the gender of the actor in the role, regardless of the gender of the role.
   
   
2. Nominations for singing and/or non-singing roles may be made for musicals; only nominations for non-singing roles may be made for non-musicals.
   
   
3. The differentiation between "lead" and "supporting" and "extended" and "short" is left to the discretion of the director or producer.
   
   
4. An ensemble is any small group within the cast (maybe crew) that does a single thing in front of the audience, such as the carolers in A Christmas Carol. An entire cast could be considered an ensemble. But then, since an individual cannot win two awards for the same thing, members of the cast could not be nominated individually. An ensemble award is a single award that will be given to the producing organization, rather than individually to the ensemble's participants.
   
   

Youth Nomination Rules

Tech Nomination Rules

1. The "performance" categories include singing and non-singing roles and dance in any production, musical or non-musical.
   
   
2. The "youth" category follows the same rule as the regular "Youth" category, namely that the nominee must be under 16 at the time of the first performance. (This may be difficult for a judge to determine.)
   
   
3. The "tech" category covers any non-performance facets of the production (see "Tech Nomination Rules" above).
   
   
4. The controversial "wildard" category is a free-for-all. It can be used to nominate performance, tech, directing, or just about anything else that was noteworthy about the production. In the recent past, nominees in this category included recognition for original works (script or music), lobby displays, and even a dog.