Nominations for the Gina Wilkinson Prize, named in honour of Canadian actor, playwright and director Gina Wilkinson, are now being accepted. The annual prize is intended to recognize and assist female theatre artists attempting to transition from one theatre discipline into the discipline of theatre direction. The award recipient will be chosen from nominations brought forward by members of the Canadian theatre community. This year’s nomination deadline is December 15th, 2013; the recipient will be announced on March 10, 2014.
Shortly after Gina Wilkinson died in December 2010, a fund was established to benefit emerging female theatre directors. The Gina Wilkinson Prize was made possible by the generous support of over 200 people from all across Canada. In the spirit of Ms. Wilkinson’s generosity and appetite for life and as a tribute to her unyielding dedication, vision and indomitable spirit that imbued her work and her life, the prize is a gift to be used in any way that the recipient chooses.
Past recipients of the Gina Wilkinson Prize include: Ann-Marie Kerr of Halifax (2012) and Krista Jackson of Winnipeg (2013).
An actor for over twenty years, Ms. Wilkinson began turning her attention to both writing and directing and, in the last few years of her too short life, established herself as a daring, strong, inventive and important director and collaborator in the Canadian theatre community.
Award Details:
Eligibility:
Nominees must be members of the Canadian professional theatre community and Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Preference will be shown to nominees who have spent several years in a theatre discipline other than directing (acting, stage management, design, theatre administration, etc.) and who are now attempting to transition into directing.
The Prize:
A prize of $2000.00 will go to the winning nominee. The recipient will be announced on March 10, 2014.
The Process:
The nomination should consist of:
1. A nomination letter in support of the nominee by a recognized theatre professional.
2. An acknowledgement of the nomination by the nominee.
3. The nominee’s resume.
Anyone wishing to re-nominate their past nominee is encouraged to do so.
All nominations must be submitted electronically to the following email address: ginasprize@gmail.com.
Nomination deadline: December 15th, 2013. The recipient will be announced on March 10, 2014. The nomination will be reviewed by the Gina Wilkinson Prize Jury: Micheline Chevrier, Bonnie Green, Eda Holmes, Jackie Maxwell, Tom Rooney and Bob White.
The Gina Wilkinson Prize Fund is administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund may do so by visiting the Ontario Arts Foundation website at: www.ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca.
Gina Wilkinson – Bio
Gina was born March 10, 1960, in Victoria, B.C. to visual artist, Jack Wilkinson, and ballet teacher, Marie Wilkinson. Gina Clare Wilkinson graduated from the National Theatre School in Montreal and spent the first 20 years of her career as an actor working in theatres across Canada. Her innate understanding of storytelling in the theatre was an invaluable asset when working on new plays and made her transition from actor to director a natural one. Her incredible ability to communicate with everyone involved in the making of a play – actors, designers, technicians – made her a successful director and theatre collaborator. Ms. Wilkinson’s dedication, her imagination, humour and unique visual sensibility were some of her many strengths. But it was her understanding and compassion for all things human – both the beautiful and the ugly – that made her a true artist.
