NEW YORK CITY: Parity Productions, a theatre company and advocacy organization, has announced that the 2020 Annual Parity Commission winners will be announced as part of the annual Awards Ceremony & Celebration. The event will be held virtually on Oct. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and tickets will be available on a sliding scale.

Parity Productions, which ensures that at least 50 percent of the creative roles on their productions are filled by women, trans, and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) artists, awards two commissions each year, one to a woman (cis or trans) and one to a TGNC playwright, both of whom have demonstrated a dedication to playwriting and whose work is in line with Parity’s mission. The selected playwrights each receive $2,500 and developmental support for their play, including a reading with the Parity team, a public reading, and an option for Parity to produce the commissioned work. The organization also offers free advocacy programs to empower a shift toward gender parity across the theatre field.

“COVID-19 has rocked our industry,” said Parity Productions founder and artistic director Ludovica Villar-Hauser in a statement. “Our production of Mirrors closed prematurely in March. Since the shutdown, we’ve worked hard to pivot all our development and advocacy work online. We’ve held two developmental readings of our commission-winning scripts online so far this summer. I’m incredibly proud to have been able to continue creating and paying artists during this time, and I look forward to celebrating that achievement at our Awards Ceremony & Celebration, along with announcing our 2020 Commission winners.”

In addition to announcing the winners of the 2020 Annual Parity Commission, the Oct. 7 event will honor Ashley Garrett with the Parity Champion Award, Marcia Pendleton with the Parity in Motion Award, and Isabella Schiller with the Outstanding Service to Parity Award. The show will also feature musical performances by Nandi Kayyy.