"The Collaborator Party" Smashes Previous Attendance Records in Its Fourth Sold-Out Year

	Collaborator Party. Standing: Jason O'Neal, Lindsay Jones, Len Denio, Joanna Lynne Staub, Patrick Calhoun, Cristopher Bain, Laura Brauner. Front: John Gromada, Jane Shaw, Evan Cook. Photo: Jeffery Lee/On The Spot Image

Today, The Collaborator Party, headed by theatrical sound designers Lindsay Jones and John Gromada, announced that their event was a complete sell-out for the fourth year in a row. The Collaborator Party is the official Tony night party for the entire theatre community. The main party was held June 10, 2018 at Houston Hall (222 W. Houston St. in New York City) from 7:00 - 11:00pm, with additional parties held simultaneously in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and southern Indiana.

Jones and Gromada were joined by a new panel of co-hosts selected from theatrical fields that are frequently overlooked by award ceremonies. They are: Rick Sordelet (fight director), Caite Hevner (projection designer), Jay Duckworth (props designer), Amanda Spooner (stage manager), Rona Siddiqui (music director), Jeff Harris (production manager, The Public Theater), Carol Fishman (general manager, Playwrights Horizons), Nikiya Mathis (hair designer), Jared Mezzocchi (projection designer), Barbara Cohig (scenic artist), and Cheryl Mintz (production stage manager, McCarter Theatre).

"We made a real determination this year to reach out and try to include as many people who are a part of the theatrical process as possible," said Gromada. "Everyone works so hard to make great theatre happen, and we felt strongly that we wanted them all to be part of the event that celebrates collaboration in theatre."

The event had a record-breaking turnout in all cities, and in some cases, attendance was more than double of any previous year.

"I'm absolutely convinced that our co-hosts are responsible for the incredible spike in attendance this year," said Jones. "They were incredible in helping us find new people that we could include, and for being willing to create videos about themselves to show how much they love their jobs and the collaboration that is a part of them. I am so inspired by their commitment and we are so grateful for their involvement."

The entire event was sponsored by USITT, with additional partnership from Stage Managers Association of the United States, and Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA). Sponsors of the giveaways this year included McCarter Theatre and USITT.

Social media for this year's event was also particularly active, with a custom geofilter built just for the party on Snapchat, as double digit increases in engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media management for the event was by Winged Pup Productions.

More information on the event can be found at the URL below.