Yes, they are an internet-based popularity contest and a data-gathering operation, and none of that is particularly surprising. Every seasoned theater professional knows they are not a substitute for rigorous artistic evaluation. All of that can be true at the same time.

 

What is also true is that these awards matter in very practical and tangible ways for small, rural theaters. They are meaningful for marketing materials, grant applications, and sponsorship conversations, especially when those conversations are happening with people who do not live and breathe theater. Those are often the very people who control funding decisions, and to them, a recognizable award functions as a clear signal of legitimacy, even if the system behind it is imperfect.

 

That’s why it’s frustrating when people position themselves as being “above” these awards, when votes are split within the same theater due to internal factions, or when support is withheld or publicly critiqued on social media. Those choices may feel principled, or even inconsequential, but they can have real downstream effects on organizations that are already operating with limited visibility, limited resources, and very little margin for error.

 

It’s also difficult to watch — and I’ve seen it in many cities — large, well-funded theaters, particularly those with substantial public support, use (shall we say) strategic technical maneuvers to secure wins in a system that was never designed to be equitable in the first place. It becomes especially problematic when small organizations (you know, the ones who actually need funding most) are competing alongside institutions with far greater reach, staffing, and funding.

 

None of this is an argument that the BroadwayWorld Awards are perfect or beyond critique. It’s an argument for perspective, and for understanding that tools function differently depending on who is using them and what they are being used for.

 

For some theaters, these awards are optional and largely symbolic. For others, they are one of the few external signals that help open doors, attract attention, and establish credibility outside of their own insular theater circles. When we dismiss them outright, undermine them from within our own communities, or publicly scoff at them, we are often not punching up. We are making survival harder for the organizations that already have the least leverage.

 

I am not asking anyone to love the BroadwayWorld Awards. I am asking for a little more care, a little more unity, and a little more awareness of who it is that benefits and who it is that is harmed when we opt out, split votes, or publicly distance ourselves from a tool that, however flawed, still carries real weight for the small, rural theater in the United States.

 

Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s basic infrastructure.

 

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Now locals, please go vote for the Favorite Local Theater award (whatsoever yours might be) at:

 

BroadwayWorld San Antonio: https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-antonio/awards/

 

BroadwayWorld Austin: https://www.broadwayworld.com/austin/awards/