2015 Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award Recipient Announced

The Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award (LMJH Award) was inaugurated in 2008 and recognizes the important work of theatre, dance and opera administrators. Recipients of the LMJH Award have at least 10 years of demonstrated commitment to the performing arts, in addition to having made an impact on the industry in Toronto. The award is named after Leonard McHardy and John Harvey, the celebrated former owners of Toronto's Theatrebooks, which they co-founded in 1975. Until its closure in July of 2014, it stood as one of the longest surviving independent bookstores in the country.

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced today that this year's recipient is arts worker Sue Edworthy. Ms Edworthy has worked in the non-profit performing arts for over fifteen years. Her passion for the performing arts has led her to stints as a director, stage manager, event coordinator and arts administrator in theatre, dance and opera organizations in and around Toronto, including Luminato, Opera Atelier, Theatre Passe Muraille and Artscape.

Currently a part-time instructor at Ryerson Theatre School, the Chang School and Humber College, Ms. Edworthy founded Sue Edworthy Arts Planning in 2011, and is in demand as a social media, marketing, PR, producing and strategic planning consultant for the Toronto independent arts community. Her staff consists of one part-time member, specifically chosen as an up-and-coming arts administrator who is expected to move on to a larger organization with the knowledge they gain after a year.

Ms. Edworthy's spare time is devoted to the arts community as well. She is a former board member of TAPA, was the Social Media Chair/Steering Committee member for Artsvote 2010 (and was co-chair of that organization for 2014), and was Vice-President of the Toronto Fringe Festival for two years of a seven-year stint on the board. She is the recipient of a 2010 Harold Award and the CharPR Prize for best publicity, single show for 2012 and 2013.

In addition to her work in the arts community, Ms. Edworthy has proven herself a tireless advocate for arts and culture in municipal and federal politics - in her work for Artsvote outlined above, she has proven time and again her clear stance that arts and culture are a vital part of Toronto and healthy city living. She consistently makes her passion and dedication to this cause clear with councillor meetings, numerous deputations before City Council and her presence at events, including Arts Day at the City for five years as well as Arts Day at the Hill in Ottawa.

The previous winners of the LMJH Award are Meredith Potter, Paul Templin, Leslie Lester, Ghislain Caron, Natasha Parsons, Naomi Campbell and Jim Lefrancois. The LMJH Award is administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). Candidates for the LMJH Award are nominated by TAPA members and then reviewed by a committee. The LMJH Selection Committee is Sandy Tulloch (Chair), Ghislain Caron, Derrick Chua, Leonard McHardy and John Harvey. The award winner receives a plaque and a cheque for $1,000 through the generous sponsorship of Elizabeth Comper.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). In addition to the Doras, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: T.O. TIX - Toronto's Official One Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square and online at www.totix.ca; Toronto's Official Theatre Guide; hipTIX, offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29; citySPECIAL; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca and www.totix.ca.

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