Monkey Baa's THE PEASANT PRINCE Awarded 'Tour of the Year' at the Drover Awards

Monkey Baa Theatre Company have been honoured with the Tour of the Year Award for their original play, The Peasant Prince, at the 2017 APACA (Australian Performing Arts Centres Association) Drover Awards in Sydney overnight.

Selected by the APACA Executive Management Committee, the Tour of the Year is awarded for overall excellence in touring, recognising the quality of the production, the marketing campaign and the people making it happen. The award acknowledges the company's commitment to form strong partnerships and to work collaboratively to develop audiences and enrich the cultural lives of all Australians.

The Peasant Prince adapted by Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry, based on the book Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin, and directed by Tim McGarry, is a beautiful production based on the true story of a 10 year old peasant boys journey from impoverished rural China to the international dance scene, drawing on his courage, resilience and unwavering hope.

"Thank you so much for APACA and the venues for this Drovers Award in recognition of The Peasant Prince. This is an enormous honour for the company and well-deserved recognition of Arts On Tour," said Monkey Baa Creative Director Tim McGarry. "Monkey Baa creates and curates great Australian stories with young people at the heart of everything we do and The Peasant Prince was nothing short of a labour of love and respect for the life and work of Li Cunxin."

The Peasant Prince toured to 38 venues in NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, SA and WA, delivering 97 performances and 133 workshops to 35,000 young people.

Established in 1997 by Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry, Monkey Baa has become Australia's widest-reaching arts touring company; working with schools, artists and children's organisations across remote, regional, rural and metropolitan Australia and the USA.