Outfest 2015 to Honor HEDWIG's John Cameron Mitchell

BroadwayWorld can't think of a more deserving stage maven! Variety writes that Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator and star and 2015 Special Tony Award winner John Cameron Mitchell is this year's Outfest Achievement Award recipient.

Mitchell will be honored at Outfest 2015 "in recognition of a body of work that has made a significant contribution to LGBT film and media." The presentation will take place before the festival's opening night screening of TIG on July 9 in Los Angeles.

"What an honor to get an award that went to folks that were my queer forebears, formerly heroes and later friends: Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, Christine Vachon and Ian McKellen," Mitchell said in a statement. "As Harry Hay told us, queer people contribute to the world by their unique way of seeing the world, through a prism of fluid gender, which challenges the world to integrate male and female energies into a single harmonious human energy that transcends labels. Outfest celebrates that way of seeing."

Interim Executive Director of Outfest Christopher Racster said, "John Cameron Mitchell's iconic creation of 'Hedwig' almost two decades ago was a groundbreaking piece exploring transgender lives. Ever since then, John has been able to push boundaries on stage and screen, and by doing so leaving an indelible mark on the LGBT community and mainstream audiences alike. We can't think of a more deserving recipient of this year's Achievement Award, and hope that John will continue to inspire us to get our wig out of the box."

HEDWIG is now in its second year on Broadway and is headed to the West End soon. With book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, directed by Michael Mayer, the production has received rave reviews and is winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, as well as Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. The Grammy nominated Original Broadway Cast album for HEDWIG is available from Atlantic Records.

HEDWIG has inspired a generation of young theatre writers and audiences. It was originally produced by David Binder off off Broadway at Westbeth and then, under the direction of Peter Askin, ran over two years at the Jane Street Theatre beginning in February 1998. The musical won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and both John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask won Obies in 2001. It won a 1998 New York Magazine Award and Entertainment Weekly's "Soundtrack of the Year" Award. Time Magazine named HEDWIG the Top Musical of 1998.

The film of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, directed by John Cameron Mitchell, won the Audience Award and Best Director Awards at Sundance. Mitchell won the Best New Director from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and the LA Critics Society. Stage productions have played for many years in Japan and in 2008, Korea hosted a popular televised reality show about the search for a new star to play Hedwig.

Outfest is the leading organization showcasing, nurturing and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film images and artistry. For 33 years Outfest has led the charge, spotlighting emerging talent, creating community between filmmakers and audiences and offering a world-class forum for stories that reflect and often transform LGBTQ lives. Outfest is also the only nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that the extensive but threatened LGBT film heritage is preserved.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus