Lilly Awards and Theatre World Awards
Awards season is definitely upon us. Last night, the third annual Lilly Awards recognized some of the amazing contributions by women theatre artists over the past year, and later today, 12 actors — six male and six female — will be feted at the 68th Annual Theatre World Awards at the Belasco Theatre in New York City.
What makes both of these ceremonies wonderful is not only that they recognize very deserving artists, but that the recipients know beforehand that they’ve won the award. It creates a very lovely atmosphere — where everyone is in a great mood, and there’s no sense of competition.
The Lilly Awards — founded in 2010 by Julia Jordan, Marsha Norman and Theresa Rebeck (whom we believe was snubbed for a Tony nomination for Best Play this year for the brilliant Seminar) — honor the work of women in the American Theater. The award is named after great American playwright Lillian Hellman.
This year, the Lilly Awards recognized actress Estelle Parsons and playwright Tina Howe with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Ms. Parsons is a four-time Tony Award nominee, and her lengthy career has spanned theatre, television and film. Ms. Howe, who currently teaches at Hunter’s MFA playwriting program, has written some gorgeous plays, including Birth and After Birth, Museum, The Art of Dining, Painting Churches, Coastal Disturbances, Approaching Zanzibar, One Shoe Off and Pride’s Crossing.
Other honorees included Katori Hall, Cristin Milioti, Sarah Benson, Leslye Headland, Heidi Ettinger, Diane Paulus and Nina Arianda. What a fine line-up of talented women. To learn more about the Lilly Awards, visit its website.
The Theatre World Awards recognizes debut performances on Off-Broadway and Broadway. This year’s recipients include Tracie Bennett (End of the Rainbow), Crystal A. Dickinson (Clybourne Park), Joaquina Kalukango (Hurt Village), Jennifer Lim (Chinglish), Jessie Mueller (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever), and Hettienne Park (Seminar and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism & Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures). Susan Pourfar (Tribes) will receive the Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater.
Some of the members of Works by Women may also remember Crystal A. Dickinson from her brilliant performance in born bad last year at Soho Rep
Works by Women 
In addition, we would like to congratulate everyone in the A.R.T./New York family who were honored with awards this Spring. This has been an incredible year for Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway theatre in New York, and your successes are further proof of how crucial the nonprofit theatre is to the arts ecosystem in NYC.