Siminovitch Prize in Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Siminovitch Prize in Theatre (formally, the Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre; commonly, the Siminovitch Prize) is given to recognize achievement in Canadian
theatre
; specifically, professional directors, playwrights and designers in three-year cycles. Established in 2001, the award named after Elinore & Louis ("Lou") Siminovitch
.
.
The prize is awarded annually to a director, playwright, or a designer, rotating through each of these theatre professions in a three-year cycle. It is one of the few theatre awards that includes designers. Winners are selected by a jury made up of prominent theatre professionals and awarded CAD$100,000, making it the largest prize of its kind in Canada. Anyone may nominate a qualified candidate for the prize; the jury may also nominate qualified candidates. Individuals who may be nominated must be a professional director, playwright, or designer who, in the preceding 10 years, has made a significant creative contribution to no fewer than two (in the case of playwrights) or three (in the case of directors and designers) noteworthy theatre projects in Canada.
A condition of the award is that one quarter of the prize (CAD$25,000) must be awarded to a "protégé" selected by the winner. The protégé may be an individual or organization (such as a theatre or educational facility) involved in professional direction, playwriting, or design in Canadian theatre. The winner may choose to grant the amount to a single protégé or divide it between two eligible protégés.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
; specifically, professional directors, playwrights and designers in three-year cycles. Established in 2001, the award named after Elinore & Louis ("Lou") Siminovitch
Louis Siminovitch
Louis Siminovitch, CC is a Canadian molecular biologist. He was a pioneer in human genetics, researcher into the genetic basis of muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis, and helped establish Ontario programs exploring genetic roots of cancer.Born in Montreal, Quebec to parents who had emigrated...
.
The prize
The Siminovitch Prize was established in 2001 to honour Elinore Siminovitch, a playwright, and her husband Lou Siminovitch, a scientist. The purpose of the prize is to celebrate "the marriage between the arts and the sciences". Twelve individuals and six organizations founded the prize; primary amongst them is the prize's largest financial sponsor, the BMO Financial GroupBank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
.
The prize is awarded annually to a director, playwright, or a designer, rotating through each of these theatre professions in a three-year cycle. It is one of the few theatre awards that includes designers. Winners are selected by a jury made up of prominent theatre professionals and awarded CAD$100,000, making it the largest prize of its kind in Canada. Anyone may nominate a qualified candidate for the prize; the jury may also nominate qualified candidates. Individuals who may be nominated must be a professional director, playwright, or designer who, in the preceding 10 years, has made a significant creative contribution to no fewer than two (in the case of playwrights) or three (in the case of directors and designers) noteworthy theatre projects in Canada.
A condition of the award is that one quarter of the prize (CAD$25,000) must be awarded to a "protégé" selected by the winner. The protégé may be an individual or organization (such as a theatre or educational facility) involved in professional direction, playwriting, or design in Canadian theatre. The winner may choose to grant the amount to a single protégé or divide it between two eligible protégés.
Recipients
The recipients of the Siminovitch Prize since its inception are:- 2001 (director) Daniel BrooksDaniel BrooksDaniel Brooks is a Canadian theatre director, actor and playwright. He was born in Toronto, Ontario.A highly regarded theatre maker in Toronto's "alternative" theatre scene, Daniel Brooks has a reputation for creating and directing cutting edge productions which combine fiercely intellectual...
of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... - 2002 (playwright) Carole Fréchette of MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
- 2003 (designer) Louise Campeau of Montreal
- 2004 (director) Jillian Keiley of St. John'sSt. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
- 2005 (playwright) John MightonJohn MightonJohn Mighton, OC is a Canadian author and mathematician. He is the founder of JUMP , a charitable organization that works to educate students in mathematics. He is the author of The Myth of Ability and The End of Ignorance...
of Toronto - 2006 (designer) Dany Lyne of Toronto
- 2007 (director) Brigitte HaentjensBrigitte HaentjensBrigitte Haentjens is a Canadian theatre director and president of her own company, Sybillines, which she founded in 1997.-Biography:Born in France, she studied theatre in Paris before moving to Ontario in Canada at the age of 25.-Career:...
of Montreal - 2008 (playwright) Daniel MacIvorDaniel MacIvorDaniel MacIvor is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director and film director. He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and educated at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and then at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario....
of Toronto - 2009 (designer) Ronnie BurkettRonnie BurkettRonnie Burkett is a Canadian puppeteer, best known for his original theatrical plays for adults, performed with marionettes...
of CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Toronto - 2010 (director) Kim Collier of VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
- 2011 (playwright) Joan MacLeod of VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...