LPTW Invites Global Audience To Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Program

In the fourth iteration of its prestigious Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Program (GCITA), The League of Professional Theatre Women, one of the foremost United States organizations promoting women in the arts, invites a global audience to attend transformative conversations with women theatre artists at the forefront of social reform as the world confronts an array of crises unparalleled in the modern era. The week-long virtual presentation will take place February 16-22 at 1:00pm EST with a 24-hour Countdown beginning on February 15 at 1:00pm EST on the LPTW's YouTube Channel. Attendance is FREE and open to all. For reservations please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/o/league-of-professional-theatre-women-32300412167.

"The League of Professional Theatre Women's Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award Program is a wonderful example of the way theatre can truly create bridges between cultures, ideas, and artists. I am proud to support this vital program that promotes women's artistic contributions around the globe." - Daryl Roth, Multi-Tony Award Winning Broadway Producer

27 women artists will be recognized and honored for their outstanding artistic contribution and social justice work through the arts. As the world suffers through the trifecta of a global pandemic. social injustice and economic distress, these women are employing multiple creative disciplines to uplift other women and marginalized communities. They are using theatre to amplify the urgent call to eliminate oppression and inequality across the globe- a cry that does not bear a single national identity and which is as essential in a democracy as in a totalitarian regime. In a time of global strife, we cannot overestimate the power of one artist meeting another on the world stage, and what that meeting can bring to the human family in the form of understanding, infinite possibility, and creative joy. Through it all, these women have held as their beacon the achievement of artistic excellence and their work has been critically acclaimed in their home countries and internationally.

These worldwide honorees walk in the footsteps of the two champions of the arts, Rosamond Gilder and Martha Coigney, who passionately devoted their lives to building bridges and crossing borders to send artists into countries on five continents. Martha's story is chronicled in Theatre Diplomacy During the Cold War: The Story of Martha Wadsworth Coigney and the International Theatre Institute, as Told by Her Friends and Family by William Wadsworth and Jim O'Quinn.

G/C Awards Ceremony host Tamara Tunie has starred for 18 seasons as Medical Examiner Dr. Melinda Warner in Wolf Films/Universal Media Studio's top-rated series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Other notable credits include playing Jessica Griffin on "As the World Turns," starring with Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar on Broadway, and as a producer on the Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening.

Tony-nominated and multi-award winning actress, Kathleen Chalfant, (Angels in America; WIT; "House of Cards") joins the award program committee as an advisor. Chalfant continues to advocate for civil rights and social justice via "theater as a platform for social change."

Teresa Eyring, Executive Director and CEO of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), joins the awards ceremony as a Keynote Speaker. Throughout her career, Eyring has promoted a global approach to theatre, recognizing the interconnectedness of artists and artistry across all borders. She has been a special guest of and delegation leader for numerous international theatre festivals; taught arts leadership workshops in countries like Russia, Sudan, Chile, and Colombia; and currently serves as an Executive Council member and Vice Chair for the Americas of the International Theatre Institute. At TCG, she also collaborated to bring about Global Connections, an Andrew W. Mellon supported program that partners individual artists with their peers worldwide.

Thanks to new technology and the wizardry of GCITA Line Producer and Technical Director, Federica Lippi, international audiences now have a front row seat to meet these exceptional artists and learn about the techniques that have succeeded in making a difference and strategies for reaching long-term goals for significant change.

This award program partners with Martin E. Segal Theatre Center/CUNY, Lebanese American University, Italian Cultural Institute, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo at NYU, and New York University/Brademas Center and is sponsored by Showtime.

The League of Professional Theatre Women has been leading the gender parity conversation in professional theatre for over 35 years. Since its founding in 1978, the League's membership has grown to over 500 members: theatre artists and practitioners of all backgrounds, working across multiple disciplines in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors. To promote visibility and increase opportunities for women in our industry, LPTW spearheads: public programming; advocacy projects; and media and publications that celebrate industry luminaries, the legacy of historic visionaries, and raise awareness of and nurture women+ voices. The League continues to shine a spotlight on gender parity, part of its commitment to creating a culture of EDIA: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access, both in the theatre world and the world at large. To find out more about how you can support its endeavors, please visit www.theatrewomen.org.

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