Samuel French Awards Will Honor THE SECRET GARDEN, Doug Wright, & Antoinette Nwandu; Christine Ebersole, Sierra Boggess, & Amber Iman to Perform

The world's leading theatrical publishing and licensing company, Samuel French, announced today that The Secret Garden (writing team Lucy Simon & Marsha Norman), Doug Wright, and Antoinette Nwandu will be honored at the third annual Samuel French Awards. A special acknowledgement will also go to Heidi Ettinger, originating producer and Tony Award-winning set designer of The Secret Garden. Created to recognize the great work and unparalleled passion of theatre artists, as well as applaud their significant contributions to the industry, the Samuel French Awards will be presented in a private ceremony on Monday, October 29, 2018.

This year's event will include performances by Christine Ebersole (War Paint, Grey Gardens), Sierra Boggess (School of Rock, The Phantom of the Opera) and Amber Iman (Shuffle Along..., Hamilton national tour), accompanied by Rob Berman (Encores!, The Secret Garden).

"In our nearly 190 years, Samuel French has maintained the tradition of celebrating artists and their work," said Nathan Collins, President of Samuel French. "We are proud to continue the Samuel French Awards for a third year by featuring a passionate slate of playwrights, composers, lyricists and advocates. Their work, both onstage and off, has certainly impacted and changed lives across the country and we are delighted to recognize their talents and roles in our community."

The Secret Garden will be presented with the Award for Sustained Excellence in American Theatre, which is bestowed upon a Samuel French title or author whose body of work has been successfully produced across the nation, at both amateur and professional levels.

Moisés Kaufman, founder of Tectonic Theater Project, will present Wright with the Award for Impact & Activism in the Theatre Community for his work as President of the Dramatists Guild. This Award is given to an individual or creative team who has significantly impacted the theatre community over the past year through their activism.

Adrienne Campbell-Holt, founder of Colt Coeur, will present Nwandu with the Next Step Award, which supports a playwright, composer, or lyricist working toward the next level of their career. Honorees have demonstrated a strong energy and talent in their career thus far. The Award offers support for a current or unfinished project with a monetary prize.

In addition to physical awards presented to all recipients, honorees of the Award for Sustained Excellence in American Theatre and the Award for Impact & Activism each select a theater or program to which Samuel French makes a donation on their behalf. The Secret Garden team has selected director Jenn Thompson and Goodspeed Musicals, and Wright has chosen the Dramatists Guild Legal Defense Fund. Previous Samuel French Award honorees include Ken Ludwig, Dominique Morisseau, Chris Miller & Nathan Tysen, Sarah Ruhl, Keith Josef Adkins, and Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond.