George Luscombe Award
For Mentorship in Theatre
This award recognizes an individual for “mentorship in theatre”. Revolutionary theatre founder and artistic director George Luscombe founded the Toronto Workshop Productions in 1959, marking the beginning of the Canadian alternative theatre movement. His 27 years at TWP marked the longest tenure of any artistic director in Canada.
The recipient, who is chosen by a designated committee, receives a framed print by Theo Dimson. The winner is announced at the press conference with the season’s Dora Award nominations.
2009 George Luscombe Award Winner: Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak
2009 George Luscombe Award winners Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak
Toronto, June 3, 2009 – The George Luscombe Award was inaugurated in 1999 and recognizes an individual for mentorship in theatre. Revolutionary theatre founder and artistic director George Luscombe founded Toronto Workshop Productions in 1959, marking the beginnings of Toronto’s alternative theatre movement. His 27 years at TWP is the longest tenure of any artistic director in Canada.
This year’s recipients are Leah Cherniak and Martha Ross, highly regarded Co-Artistic Directors of Theatre Columbus in Toronto. Cherniak and Ross founded Theatre Columbus in 1983 to create their own plays in a style that reflected their interests and skill in the traditions of Clown, Commedia and Buffoon. They met while studying at L’Ecole Jacques Lecoq, the renowned theatre school in Paris, and this training and influence has shaped both their theatrical style and the nature of their creations.
Their method of creating is unique in that they emphasize the dynamics and performance of the actors involved, so that the plays are frequently created as collectives. Their investigations explore the human condition and the relationship between laughter and pathos in what have been called “serious comedies.” Their method asks the actor to leave traditional rules at the door, to stretch realism to its edge and, in so doing, reveals truth. It is a style of work that inspires and challenges actors and directors; and over the years, both Cherniak and Ross have done so. With this groundbreaking approach, they have paved the way for other artists to investigate the value of collective creation.
Since its inception, Theatre Columbus has added twenty-nine original comedies to the Canadian artistic landscape, including the world-renowned collaborative creations The Anger in Ernest & Ernestine (1987 – which has had 18 major productions around the world, has been translated into Spanish and two different French versions, and soon into Polish); The Attic, the Pearl & 3 Fine Girls (1995 – which earned Ross a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her performance in it); and The Betrayal, which received the 1999 Chalmers Award for Best Canadian Play. Also much loved are Paranoia, Hotel Loopy, Dance of the Red Skirts and many more. As well, it has adapted such classics as Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, The Barber of Seville and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. The Anger in Ernest & Ernestine; The Attic, the Pearl & 3 Fine Girls Attic, and most recently, Ross’ And Up They Flew have all been published.
Theatre Columbus has created two series of theatrical events that incorporate the works of other writers and creators: The Knee Plays and Mayhem, which showcased the very young ideas of invited artists to present their work before an audience. The nascent ideas that have become box-office success stories include Kristen Thomson’s I Claudia, Linda Griffiths’ Alien Creature, Brooke Johnson’s Trudeau Stories and Darren O’Donnell’s A Suicide Guide to the City.
Cherniak and Ross have carved a particular place in Canadian theatre through their singular approach to artistic creation. The work of Theatre Columbus continues to be produced across the country and around the world, in both professional and amateur productions.
Previous winners of The George Luscombe Award are Urjo Kareda, Ken Gass, Jenny Phipps, Maja Ardal, Winston Morgan, Alison Sealy-Smith, Layne Coleman, ahdri zhina mandiela, Andy McKim and Iris Turcott. The George Luscombe Award comes with original artwork by Theo Dimson.
The George Luscombe Award is administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). TAPA is an arts service organization that represents nearly 200 professional theatre, dance and opera companies in the City of Toronto and works to create an environment in which the performing arts may flourish. In addition to the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, programs and services offered by TAPA include: T.O. TIX – Toronto’s One-Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square, the Go Live Toronto marketing campaign and the Commercial Theatre Development Fund. For more information visit www.tapa.ca.
