Vote in the 2008 CreLo Best of the Bay Awards

Now is your chance to vote for all that is right (and wrong) with Tampa Bay as the polls are open in the 2008 Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Awards Reader's Poll.

There's around 100 categories that you can let your voices be heard on as to the best of Tampa Bay when it comes to where to eat, drink, party, play, live, love and loathe. You have to vote in at least 26 categories for your ballot to count. Should be pretty easy to get that many in, even if you're not a socialite. Best Beach? Check. Best Soul Food? It's all there.

Now of course we're putting this over here on Culture Shock for a reason - we want your votes! So see some recommendations below as some ways you can show your love for all that goes on at TBPAC!

Best Theater Troupe: Jobsite Theater (TBPAC's resident theater company that performs in the Shimberg Playhouse
Best Actor/Actress: Ok, so no way we can single a guy and gal out here. Even if we could, we don't want to live with that wrath. So this is what we'll say - did you see a show in the Jaeb Theater or Shimberg Playhouse in 2008? Odds are they were local, and they'd love for you to vote for them. Can't remember their name? Dig out that program! Did you lose it? Ask me in the comments, maybe I can help you remember.
Best Live Concert Venue: Again, your call - maybe you're a fan of the super-intimate shows in out Club Jaeb Series - where every seat is perfect and you can practically reach out and touch the notes. Maybe Ferguson Hall is more your speed - where Idina Menzel plays later this month. Or, perhaps you just can't get enough of our acoustically-perfect opera house Morsani Hall.
Best Kept Secret: Again with the choices! Is there a part of TBPAC that you just can't believe doesn't get more attention? Maybe it's the locally-produced spectacles put on by Opera Tampa, the offerings of the Patel Conservatory, the cutting-edge work of Jobsite Theater or the soulful singer-songwriters of the Club Jaeb Series. Seems like we have a lot of secrets!
Most Underrated Thing in Tampa Bay: For our organizational size, operating budget, footprint in Downtown's landscape, world-class programming and outstanding attendance - you think every show we'd have would simply be bursting at the seams full of people. We're in no way saying we're the little guy, but you can certainly make the argument we're, as a whole, an underrated part of life in Tampa Bay.
Best Place to Volunteer: TBPAC. 'Nuff said.

Now it's your turn to put your votes where you think they belong. Enjoy!

Best of the Bay at TBPAC!

There was a lot at TBPAC that ended up being chosen as Best of the Bay by Creative Loafing. Take a look!

Best Artistic Director: Judith Lisi

Best Theater Company: Jobsite Theater (TBPAC's resident theater company, Shimberg Playhouse. Also a finalist for the Reader's Poll award, the winner of which will be announced at the awards ceremony on 9/24. Jobsite has now been named Best Theater Company in '04, '06 and '07.)
Best Actor: Steve Garland (The Pillowman, Jobsite Theater)
Best Actress: Ami Sallee Corley (Woman in Mind, Jobsite Theater)
Best Costume Designer: Katrina Stevenson (Jobsite Theater)

Best Play: Frozen (Stageworks in the Shimberg Playhouse)
Best Director: Anna Brennen, Stageworks (The Sisters Rosensweig and Frozen in the Shimberg Playhouse)
Best Set Designer: R. T. Williams, Stageworks (The Sisters Rosensweig, The Mystery of Irma Vep in the Shimberg Playhouse)

Between the body of work contributed by both Jobsite Theater and Stageworks, our very own Shimberg Playhouse had the work of seven Best of the Bay Award winners!

Other Reader's Poll finalists include Ryan McCarthy, Larry Buzzeo and Richard Coppinger for Best Actor; Ami Sallee Corley and Eileen Koteles for Best Actress and Patel Conservatory Instructor and Jobsite Theater performer "ranney" as Best Local Comedian

CONGRATS TO ALL!

(Disclosure: I am also the producing artistic director of Jobsite Theater, but am genuinely exceedingly proud of all that TBPAC has to offer, expecially the most mightiest of mites in the building in our own beloved Shimberg Playhouse.)

Don't forget TBPAC in your Best of the Bay voting!

Now you can just call me a double-shill. After my shameless campaigning a few weeks back for TBPAC's resident theater company, Jobsite Theater, and their performers - I'm now going to hit you with a few other ways you can help vote TBPAC the Best of the Bay in different ways.

Best Concert Venue:

• Jaeb Theater - anyone who's been to any of the Club Jaeb shows in this intimate, acoustically perfect 268-seat venue best know for cabaret shows can tell you this is the best place to see some of the nation's best and brightest as well as upcoming singer-songwriters.
• Ferguson Hall - This 1,042 seat hall may be often overlooked for her big sister, but there's no denying that it's a great venue to hear live music. Be it the Florida Orchestra in front of the well-engineered stage shell or the elaborate setting that Erasure had earlier this month, you're bound to have a have a great seats and hear every note.
  
• Carol Morsani Hall - talk about acoustic perfection, this 2,600 seat hall was specifically designed for Grand Opera. You're not likely to find a better true concert hall in the region. Morsani is also the 4th most-attended venue of its size in the whole world!

Best concert of the past 12 months

• I'm not even sure as to where I should begin on this one. We've had so many!!! You could take your pick of any of this season's Club Jaeb shows - or choose from Earth, Wind & Fire, Godsmack, Bright Eyes, The 5 Browns, Four Bitchin' Babes, Altan, Julio Iglesias, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, String Cheese Incident, Nick Lachey, India.Arie, Deborah Voigt, Ba Cissoko, Kathy Mattea, CeCe Winans, Gipsy Kings, Gilberto Gil, Ladysmith Black Mambazo - and I'm positive I've missed some. Leave me a comment with any I've overlooked!

Best place to to take out of town guests

I'll admit I've always thought about this award going to an area (Ybor, a beach) rather than a specific place, but thinking on it there is no reason TBPAC should not be a consideration here. When you look at the sheer volume of truly world-class entertainment that comes through this building on a daily basis, and especially when you look at some of the truly incredible shows coming next year (most of which as still unannounced as of now), this place is really something to show off. It'll be the only place in Florida to see the mega-hit Jersey Boys, we have Radio City Christmas Spectacular and The Lion King coming back, opera diva Kiri Te Kanawa and so much more.

So what are you waiting for - get to voting!

Vote in Creative Loafing's 2007 Best of the Bay Awards!

Creative Loafing, Tampa's hip and funny alternative weekly is now taking ballots for their 2007 Best of the Bay Awards.

The categories cover just about everything you could imagine in this great area of ours. You might notice that the first three categories are Best Theater Troupe, Best Actor and Best Actress. Well, I'm absolutely shameless enough to do my best to twist your arm and beg for votes for Jobsite Theater, TBPAC's resident theater company. At least I'm being up front about the shilling, right? And after all, you're grown-ups and can make up your own minds. I'm clearly not trying to trick anyone. Just maybe nudge a little firmly ...

So, that said, please consider voting for Jobsite Theater as Best Theater Troupe. Best Actor and Best Actress gets a little hairier, it's certainly not so clear cut as just saying "Vote Jobsite!" You could consider almost any of the four lead men from The Pillowman, the trio of performers from This is How it Goes, any number of the cast of The March of the Kitefliers or Woman in Mind. Steve Garland, Matt Lunsford, Ryan McCarthy, Paul Potenza - all these men surely warrant some consideration. So does Ami Sallee Corley for her performance in Woman in Mind.

Jobsite was lucky enough to take home a stack of these things last year: Best Theater Company, Best Play, Best Actor and Best Artistic Direction.

Or maybe you have thoughts all your own. It doesn't really matter, so long as you get out and vote!

A few other things to note: CreLo really hopes you decide to think about true local businesses over chains (like no Taco Bell for Best Mexican!) and you must vote in at least 35 categories for your ballot to be counted. And no ballot stuffing! They're smarter than you think!

(Here comes the big-ol' disclaimer: as editor of this blog it should probably be pointed out that I am also the producing artistic director of Jobsite, and I am working HARD at getting people to vote for Jobsite over just about every medium I have available to me. It's ok though, the paper is all for this sort of behavior. Now let's hope my boss is.)