NEW YORK CITY: The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) has named Hanane Hajj Ali as the recipient of the 2020 Gilder/Coigney Award. The award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize, will be presented on October 20, 2020 via HowlRound in association with the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center/CUNY.
In addition to the cash prize, Ali will be featured in a series of special events showcasing her work. She will also have artistic and professional networking opportunities with New York theatres and artists.
The LPTW Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award was established in 2011 in honor of Rosamond Gilder and Martha Coigney. Presented every three years, this award acknowledges the exceptional work of theatre women around the world and aims to make a difference in the life and career of an international woman theatre artist as she has made in the lives of her audiences and her culture. The finalists included Iman Aoun (Palestine), Mallika Sarabhai (India), and Maya Zbib (Lebanon). Mihaela Drăgan (Romania) will receive a special certificate of achievement.
Ali, of Lebanon, was selected from a pool of 27 nominees from 18 different countries. Throughout her 40-year career, Ali has written, performed and directed acclaimed Arabic-language productions and also facilitated and supported hundreds of colleagues, students and communities in Lebanon and throughout the entire Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Jogging, her most recent solo piece, is a “partly autobiographical and taboo-breaking performance that tackles the Bermuda triangle of religion, sex, and politics” which has toured throughout the MENA region and Europe.
