NEW YORK CITY: Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (TYA/USA) has announced the recipients of the 2018 National TYA/USA Awards. The awards will be presented as part of the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices Festival on April 28.

Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas and Kim Peter Kovac​ will receive the Harold Oaks Award for Sustained Excellence in TYA; Drew Petersen​ will receive the TYA Artistic Innovation Award; and Cry Havoc Theater Company will receive the TYA Community Impact Award.

“We are thrilled to honor these incredible leaders in the national TYA field,” said executive director Jonathan Shmidt Chapman in a statement. “This is the first significant expansion of the National TYA/USA Awards, and I can’t think of a more dynamic group of recipients. Deirdre Kelly Lavrakas and Kim Peter Kovac have made a lasting and significant impact on the international landscape of the field through their extensive work championing the voices of playwrights, their commitment to new work, and their development of the highest quality theatre for young people. Drew Petersen is at the vanguard of artistry in TYA, pushing and reimagining the genre forward with his boundary-breaking work. And Cry Havoc Theater Company is providing meaningful experiences for teens across Dallas, providing them a timely and important platform to investigate the issues that matter the most to them. We are so grateful for their contributions to the field, and proud to shine a spotlight on their work.”

The winners were selected by a committee of peers from nominations made by TYA/USA members.