Mission

The Patté Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization,
was established with the express purpose of promoting, supporting
and advocating for live theater in the San Diego community.
In connection with these goals, The Patté Foundation coordinate
s and hosts the annual Patté Awards for Theater Excellence,
and maintains a Scholarship Program for
Promising Young Theatermakers within San Diego.

The Main Event

The 13^th Annual Patté Awards for Theater Excellence

Description: The Patté Awards is a community event, a gala evening that celebrates the broad diversity of San Diego's live theater. Food, music and entertainment from local theater productions highlight this festive evening that has become a beloved, highly anticipated and annually sold-out San Diego tradition. These awards are uniquely local: they're strictly for San Diegans making theater for San Diego.

The Patté Awards highlight the best productions, performers and designers in the San Diego community, and through them, The Patté Foundation ensures that San Diego continues to recognize and appreciate the creativity of its theater artists.

San Diego is the nation's Number One exporter of shows to Broadway. It is the fifth largest theater market in the country, with nearly 100 local theater companies. Annually, local theater is a $250 million industry, with two million theater tickets sold in San Diego each year.

One of the highlights of the Awards event is the Patté Scholarship for a Promising Young Theatermaker. This award, which was initiated 2008, is presented in honor of Dr. Floyd Gaffney, the father of African American theater in San Diego, a beloved mentor, director and UC San Diego professor who passed away in 2007.

The Patté Scholarship is designed to help develop future theater artists and encourage their continued contribution to the theater community. It is made available to under-served students in grades 9-12 who are active in a youth theater program (in any capacity: as actor, director, designer, stage manager, etc.). After being recommended for their talent and promise by their teacher/director, they apply by writing short essays about the significance of theater and the arts. The responses are judged by a committee of theater professionals. At least one winning response and two Honorable Mention essays are selected. Winners are provided with a certificate, cash award and tickets to local theater productions, to be used throughout the year.

The Patté Awards event is televised annually on Channel 4 San Diego; the 11^th annual Patté Awards broadcast received an EMMY Award nomination.

“There is little in the way of monetary compensation to remind us that what we do is work worth honoring. The Patté Awards event is always an exciting time to reflect on the year and all the amazing work that was produced here in San Diego. And when you get to accept an award, you feel like a million bucks".
Jenner Eve Thorn, Actor/director
Moxie Theatre
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