Close to 200 members of the Santa Barbara theater community came together to celebrate their fellow artists and aficionados at the Santa Barbara Independent Indy Awards held on Monday May 20, at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club. The Indy Awards first began in 1991 under the direction of the Arts Editor at that time, Michael Smith. He developed the awards as a way to officially honor and directly support the theater community of Santa Barbara.
The Indy Awards have grown over the past 33 years, developing a prestige to the point where it’s now unusual to see a local theater playbill that doesn’t have some sort of Indy Award winner cited in at least one thespian’s bio. From high school musical singers to set designers, directors, actors, producers, and more, this was a joyous way to celebrate the work that goes into everything we see throughout the year on area stages. For more on the Indy Awards, read our May 30 cover story.
