BERKELEY, CALIF.: Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas announced the recipients of its 2017 dramaturgy awards at the organization’s national conference, held in Berkeley, Calif., last month.
Dr. Nandita Dinesh is the recipient of the 2017 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy for her project “Information for/from Outsiders: Chronicles from Kashmir.” Dinesh’s work on the project began in 2013 as part of her doctoral work investigating the use of theatre practice as a method to engage victims and perpetrators in conflicts in the Kashmir Valley. Dinesh and the Ensemble Kashmir Theater Akademi are currently working on a 24-hour production, which will be performed for an audience of non-Kashmiris. Denish will receive $1,000 as part of the award.
Runners-up for the prize included Nanako Nakajima, for her work on From Archivists to Users: The Dramaturgy of the DAB Project, and Hanna Slättne for her work on Reassembled, Slightly Askew.
The 2017 Dramaturgy Driven Grant was awarded to Amy Jensen for her proposal Dramaturging Reading Aloud. The award, with a $1,000 prize, is given annually to support a dramaturg’s project with a dramaturgy focus. Jensen’s project will explore the benefit of adults reading aloud to children. The project will include workshops and videos in both Spanish and English, designed to coach adults in vocal performance skills, conveying emotion while reading, and asking comprehensive questions.
Runners-up for the award include Tyler Crumrine for A Guide to Contemporary Poets’ Theatre, and Megan Johnson for Dramaturging Accessibility: a training lab for dramaturgs on creating accessible spaces and practices.
