BAYSIDE, N.Y.: Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) has announced the recipients of its grants and awards for the 2017-18 season. These awards were given at the 33rd Annual Conference in Toronto earlier this month.
The 2018 Elliott Hayes Award for outstanding achievement in dramaturgy was awarded to Magda Romanska, who launched and edits the Theatre Times, a worldwide news platform connecting theatremakers and theatregoers. Named for the former dramaturg and literary manager at the Stratford Festival, the Elliot Hayes Award honors excellence in dramaturgical work for a specific project over the past two years. Romanska receives $1,000 in recognition of her achievements.
Kaite O’Reilly and Ness Roque were given honorable mentions for the Elliott Hayes Award. O’Reilly was recognized for her work on “And Suddenly I Disappear…” Alternative Dramaturgies informed by a d/Deaf and Disability Perspective, a series of international and intercultural monologues about diversity and difference, incorporating several languages and methods of accessibility. Roque was recognized for her work on Gobyerno (Government), a participatory performance workshop using both theatre and cinema to invite audiences to discuss and create their ideal government and communities.
The 2018 Dramaturgy Driven Grant was awarded to Kate Langsdorf, for proposing “The Context” – A Podcast for the Dramaturgy of Everything Awesome. This will be the first podcast dedicated to exploring dramaturgical practices. This grant gives dramaturgs $1,000 to support dramaturgy-focused projects started by dramaturgs.
LMDA has also announced the opening of the 2018-19 grants and awards cycle’s application period. The LMDA Residency Grant’s application cycle runs from now to Aug. 15, and the grant will give the winner $1,500 to support an early-career artist or dramaturg who will assist a mentor dramaturg in a professional setting. The 2019 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy will be accepting applications from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1.
In addition, LMDA annually gives $7,000 directly to individual dramaturgs in support of their creative projects.
Founded in 1985, LMDA is a volunteer membership organization that supports literary managers and dramaturgs.
