The hosts of the 2012 Artie Awards: Amy Jakiel, Lisa Ludwig, and Anthony Chase.

Another Artie Awards has come and gone. This year we topped $7,000 in funds raised for Benedict House, which provides services for individuals in our community living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Many thanks to the theaters that participated in the Red Ribbon campaign and to the more than 500 attendees!

Congratulations to the winners, of course, but also to the nominees. With approximately 100 productions eligible last year, to receive an Artie nomination is both an honor and a minor statistical miracle.

Thanks to the ever witty, professional, tireless, and reliable Michael Hake, who is the Rock of Gibraltar as our musical director (and most dependable proofreader).

Thanks to Lisa Ludwig and Amy Jakiel, who performed the exhausting task of co-hosting with grace, humor, glamour, and unflappability.

Thanks to the Town Ballroom for their hospitality and to their staff for endless patience and helpfulness.

As always, jazz singer Peggy Farrell was a smash, in her 22nd Artie Award appearance, once again this year with Mike T. Jones.

Thanks to performers from ALT, ART, Kavinoky Theatre, and MusicalFare for adding musical effervescence and panache to the night.

Thanks to Hadley Exhibits for those snazzy giant Arties that bumped the look of the show up several notches.

Thanks to Mother Nature Florists for carnations given to the nominees.

Thanks to Jimmy Taglis and TTNY for providing smashing wardrobe for Lisa Ludwig, who looked sensational in every gown, and (as always) made Jimmy Janowski’s Best Dressed list.

Thanks to Jimmy Janowski for working the Red Carpet and for his engaging summary of this year’s fashions.

Thanks to Erin and Christi of Wildcard Productions for ingeniousness in adding stage elements and costume display, and helping as we gear up towards the 25th year of the event.

Thanks to Doug Weyand, who is always a huge help in collecting photographs of the nominees for the slide presentations, and who provided dozens of refinements of the show—including the inspiration for the puppet opening.

Thanks to Norm Sham, who provided behind-the-scenes support and on-the-spot good humor and cheer to keep the show moving and on time. His total knowledge of the show was invaluable.

Thanks to Adam Kreutinger and Maria Droz for the creation and operation of the “Anthony Chase” puppet who opened the show and for performing the opening.

Thanks to Katharine Cornell winner Carolyn Baeumler who, upon hearing she was to be honored, encumbered the time and expense to make her way in from New York City to accept in person.

Thanks to Anthony DiPasquale of Artvoice, whose computer expertise helps make the show click along seamlessly.

Thanks to Fred Pascolini and Nick Malczewsky, who came in on the afternoon of the Arties to work total lighting magic, making presenters and performers look gorgeous and making the Artie glass shimmer and shine.

Thanks to the litany of Artie presenters, who contributed good humor, conviviality, and charm to help make a fabulous evening.

And finally, thanks to the Artie committee, who devotedly ventured out to see nearly 100 shows each over the past calendar year; to Tom Dooney, who took on the massive task of organizing what we all had seen into usable rosters of eligible artists; and to Deb Ellis and the Artvoice staff for handling millions of the producing details.

The evening was a triumph, and we’re already working on Artie Awards 2013.

In case you've missed any of our Arties coverage: view the full list of Nominees, see the 2012 Artie Award Winners here, view Jimmy Janowski's 22nd Annual Artie Awards Best-dressed List, browse Andrea Brough's photo gallery from the awards ceremony, and watch clips of performances on Artvoice TV's Theater channel.