Rules and Eligibility
The Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Arts Awards ("The Cloris Awards"),
celebrate excellence in theatre in greater Des Moines. The annual awards program brings together the theatre community and enhances the visibility of local theatre companies and their productions.
Eligibility
Any production may be eligible for a Cloris Award if it:
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Opens between Aug. 1 and July 31.
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Offers at least three public performances. Theatre companies are encouraged to publicly announce their performances (or notify the judges) at least two months in advance to allow the judges enough time to arrange their attendance schedules.
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Is locally produced in central Iowa, within the communities that participate with Bravo Greater Des Moines.
To be eligible, a production can be:
a) a published play or musical held by a licensing house, with the local company holding the license;
b) a work in the public domain; or
c) an original play or musical that features an original script, music and/or lyrics and is covered under a valid copyright or produced with the permission of the original creators or their representatives.
Revues, cabarets, dance concerts and improvisational works do not qualify.
Productions that are produced by a school or other academic institution are not eligible.
Exceptions to all of these criteria are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Participation in the Cloris Awards program is optional, and companies can opt out simply by notifying the judges.
Scoring
The Cloris Awards season runs from August 1 through July 31. The total number of shows are evenly assigned to our team of volunteer Cloris Awards judges.
A minimum of six judges attend each show.
After the show, each judge submits a ballot, evaluating every billed element of the performance.
We review the following categories on a scale of
0-10: character mechanics, development, scenic design, costume & makeup design, lighting design, choreography, music direction, direction of a play, direction of a musical, orchestra, rising star nomination, and overall show rating.
After all ballots are in, they are reviewed by the Executive Director. Our standard adjudication policy is to score every theatre based on the median consensus. Category nominations are based on the highest scores.
