Barbara Hamilton Award
Selection Committee:
- Martha Burns
- Jacoba Knaapen
- Eric Peterson
- Jim Roe
For Excellence in the Performing Arts
Celebrated and actor and director R.H. THOMSON Presented with Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award
(L-R) Councillor Kyle Rae and R.H. Thomson
Toronto, June 2, 2010 – The Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award was inaugurated in 1996 and is given to a Canadian artist who demonstrates excellence in the performing arts and is dedicated to advocating and being an ambassador for the arts in Canada. The Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award is sponsored by the City of Toronto, and the recipient is awarded with a scroll and a cheque for $1,000 from the City.
The Award was established to recognize Barbara Hamilton’s illustrious career and her remarkable canon of work. A list of previous winners reads as a who’s who of legendary Canadian performers: Don Harron, George Luscombe, John Neville, Douglas Campbell, Mervyn Blake, Charmion King, Maureen Forrester, Eric Peterson, William Hutt, Martha Burns, Albert Schultz, Karen Kain, Fiona Reid and Colin Mochrie.
The winner of this year’s Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award is R.H. Thomson, a celebrated actor and director who has played in theatres from Halifax to Victoria in roles as diverse as Glenn Gould in ‘Glenn’ by David Young for Necessary Angel and Marc Antony in ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Stratford Festival.
Throughout his distinguished career, Thomson has earned Gemini, Genie, Dora and Merritt Awards. In 2001, he wrote and performed a solo piece called ‘The Lost Boys’ based on letters from his five great uncles who served in WWI. In 2008, he co-created and produced the international projection project, Vigile 1914-1918 Vigil, in London, England and seven Canadian cities.
Thomson has most recently appeared in Anouilh’s ‘Antigone’ at Soulpepper Theatre, “Harvey’ at Montreal’s Segal Centre, the Greek film ‘Antanasia’ by Panos Karkanevatos and the television mini-series The Englishman’s Boy based on the novel by Guy Vanderhague.
Throughout his career, Thomson has been a strong supporter of Canadian work, as well as an arts activist both on the national and international stage.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to nominate an individual for the Barbara Hamilton Award, please supply the following information:
- Nominator’s Name, Title, Company, Phone and Email Address
- Name of Nominee
- Nominee’s Bio
- Headshot or Photograph of the Nominee (if possible)
- Why you feel that the nominee should receive the Barbara Hamilton Award (up to 2 pages)
About
Established in 1996 in recognition of the canon of work that was Barbara Hamilton’s career, this award is presented to Canadian artist who demonstrates excellence in the performing arts and is dedicated to advocating and being an ambassador for the arts in Canada.
The Award is administered by the City of Toronto with calls for nominations sent out from TAPA. The award comes with a cheque for $1,000 and a scroll from the City of Toronto. The winner is announced at the press conference with the season’s Dora Award nominations.
