| Ovation Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in Southern California theatre |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1989 |
| Website | ovationawards |
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre,[1] established in 1989.[2] They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winners are selected by a voting committee of Los Angeles area theater professionals who are selected through an application process every year.[3] The Ovation Awards ceremony has been held at different theatres throughout the Los Angeles area, including the Ahmanson Theatre and the Orpheum Theatre.[4] Hosts for the ceremonies have included Nathan Lane,[5] Lily Tomlin,[6] and Neil Patrick Harris.[7]
During the 2021 Ovation Awards ceremony, actress Jully Lee's first name was mispronounced and she was misidentified with a photograph of a different Asian American actress. In response, several participating theatre companies revoked their membership in the LA Stage Alliance, citing the organization's disenfranchisement of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) as well as people of color (BIPOC) from the Los Angeles theatre community.[8]
