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.
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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.
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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.