Date Announced For 2020 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Awards

The International Committee of The League of Professional Theatre Women (Mary Hodges and Shellen Lubin, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been championing women in the professional theatre for over three decades, is pleased to announce the 2020 Gilder/Coigney Award will be presented on October 20, 2020 via HowlRound in association with the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center/CUNY. A 24-hour countdown begins on October 19th at 1:00PM/EST.

The co-chairs of the 2020 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award are Joan D. Firestone (Past President of LPTW) and Frances McGarry (Past LPTW Board Member). This year's ceremony will be executive produced by Carol Dorn, whose credits include directing The Writers Lab with NYWIFT - a program supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman - and readings for NATAS at HBO. She's currently in the developing stages of opening a film studio in Danbury, CT. www.carolmdorn.com. Federica Lippi will serve as Technical Director for the virtual production.

The LPTW Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award was established in 2011 in honor of Rosamond Gilder and Martha Coigney, two legendary theatre women whose work on the international stage proved that theatre knows no international boundaries. Presented every three years, this Award acknowledges the exceptional work of theatre women around the world and aims to make a difference in the life and career of an international woman theatre artist as she has made in the lives of her audiences and her culture. Odile Gakire Katese from Rwanda was the inaugural recipient of the G/C Award in 2011. Patricia Ariza from Colombia received the award in 2014 and Adelheid Roosen from the Netherlands was honored in 2017.

Hanane Hajj Ali of Lebanon has been chosen to receive the 2020 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award. Throughout her 40-year career, she has written, performed and directed acclaimed Arabic-language productions and also facilitated and supported hundreds of colleagues, students and communities in Lebanon and throughout the entire Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Jogging, her most recent solo piece, is a "partly autobiographical and taboo-breaking performance that tackles the Bermuda triangle of Religion, Sex, and Politics" which has toured throughout the MENA region and Europe.

The G/C Award includes a $1000 cash prize, a series of special events showcasing the winner's work, and artistic and professional networking opportunities with local theatres and artists. 27 women from 18 countries were nominated on the basis of work demonstrating artistic excellence that also supports women's work and issues and that inspires and educates across cultures. Awardee Hanane Hajj Ali was chosen from a group of four finalists that also included: Iman Aoun (Palestine), Mallika Sarabhai (India), and Maya Zbib (Lebanon). Mihaela Drăgan (Romania) will receive a special certificate of achievement. (add Laura's special Honorary Award)

The other nominees are: Jaspreet Saund (Canada), Sarah Berger (England), Faynia Williams (England), Katy Lipson (England), Lucy Kerbel (England), Beate Seidel (Germany), Avra Sidiropoulou (Greece), Andrea Tompa (Hungary), Kalpana Gagdekar (India), Deirdre Kinahan (Ireland), Edna Mazya (Israel), Burbuqe Berisha (Kosovo), Illire Vinca (Kosovo), Zana Hoxha Krasniqi (Kosovo), Sherry Lara Alingod (Philippines), Jung-Soon Shim (Republic of Korea), Lupe Gehrenbeck (Venezuela), Jill Greenhaigh (Wales), Hope Azeda (Rwanda), Dijana Milosevic (Serbia), Grace Gachocha (Tanzania), and Jalila Baccar (Tunisia).

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