WINNER of the 2010 Gaff Dress Challenge IS…

Have I kept you in suspense enough about the winner of the 2010 Gaff Dress Challenge, sponsored by BMI Supply and JimOnLight.com?

This was a ridiculously amazing challenge.  When we first started this challenge between Daphne Mir (we like to call her Gaffne) and everyone’s favorite Amanda Lynne Ballard, I half expected there to be one good dress and one awesome dress, but I had no idea who would do what.  What ended up happening is that two intelligent, beautiful, amazing people brought two beautiful, sophisticated, amazing dresses to USITT 2010 and rocked our socks off, and rocked them hard.

After three days of trying to decide if it was possible to decide a winner, we unanimously decided that there was no way to actually decide a winner between these two wonderful acts of gaff dress brilliance.  Both Daphne and Amanda Lynne made such beautiful works that were so durable and creative that I declare them both the winner!

I approached the ladies about this decision, and they were both so thrilled about both being declared winner that they helped me come up with ways to distribute the prizes accordingly so that they made the highest benefit overall.  What we’ve decided is that the prize of the SeaChanger ColorBug will go to CalArts on behalf of Daphne, and the people who have emailed with monetary donations will go to a worthwhile charity that Amanda Lynne has chosen – The Famous People Players, the internationally reknowned blacklight theatre that works with developmentally disabled people.  Can you think of a better way to honor the Gaff Dress Challenge winners than THIS?!  So selfless!

I made a video for the challenge – one of the most fun times of USITT was having an impromptu photoshoot with Miss Daphne and Miss Amanda Lynne.  It was all my pleasure.  Check it out:

Gaff Dress Challenge 2010, Sponsored by BMI Supply and JimOnLight.com from Jim Hutchison on Vimeo.

Some images:

Daphne, Amanda Lynne, thank you for being so awesome.