attends the 61st Annual Obie Awards at Webster Hall on May 23, 2016 in New York City.
When some of the country’s finest actors took to a popular red carpet last week, they found themselves standing in front of and often gushing over an impressive floral design.
An annual awards show for off-Broadway performances, the Obies are jointly presented and administered with the American Theatre Wing.
Several years ago, Jeremiah Hernandez, development and events coordinator for the American Theatre Wing, was “trying to solve how to connect two step and repeats without the use of tape.”
“I thought of the idea of using a floral wall,” he explained.
From there, Hernandez turned to Ivie Joy of Ivie Joy Floral Arts + Events, the theater’s official florist and a seasoned pro who has created designs for the Tony Awards.
“Her vision for flowers was on point with the Obies: bohemian, downtown, carefree but not careless,” he said. “The rest is history.”
The most recent wall — adorned with roses, peonies, lush foliage and golden accents — was a showstopper, Hernandez said, adding that many of the night’s guests (including the cast of the hit Broadway show “Hamilton”) stopped to admire the flowers, rather than simply posing in front of them.
The reaction of Judith Jamison, former artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was “priceless” and representative, he said.
“She said, ‘My God, it’s beautiful!”
Check out additional photos on Instagram.
