MFA Student Shortlisted for Prestigious Award
October 06, 2011 - News Release
A University of Guelph graduate student and Canadian playwright has been shortlisted for the coveted $100,000 Elinore and Lou Siminovitch Prize, the country’s most lucrative theatre honour.
Robert Chafe, who is enrolled in U of G’s MFA program in creative writing, was among six finalists announced this week. The winner will be named Nov. 7.
A Newfoundland-based playwright, Chafe won the 2010 Governor General’s Literary Awards prize for English-language drama for his work Afterimage.
In addition to being a U of G graduate student, Chafe is the artistic associate and playwright for Newfoundland troupe Artistic Fraud, a theatre company that specializes in large-scale chorus-based productions and tours them nationally and internationally.
The annual Siminovitch Prize was created in 2001 in honour of philanthropist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife, Elinore. It alternates in a three-year cycle to celebrate theatre directors, playwrights and designers.
For 2011, the award honours a playwright who has made a significant contribution to the Canadian theatre scene in recent years.
The winner receives $75,000 and is asked to name a protégé to receive the remaining $25,000. In the past, playwrights honoured have included Daniel MacIvor and Carole Fréchette.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, Ext. 53338, lhunt@uoguelph.ca, or Shiona Mackenzie, Ext. 56982, shiona@exec.uoguelph.ca.
