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Siminovitch 2006
 $100,000 Siminovitch Prize Awarded to Set and Costume Designer, Dany Lyne
Two young designers selected as protégés, emerging designer
receives an honourable mention
TORONTO, October 24, 2006
BMO Financial Group today announced that Toronto Set and Costume Designer,
Dany Lyne was named the 2006 recipient of the Elinore & Lou Siminovitch
Prize in Theatre, Canada’s largest annual theatre award. Ms. Lyne
was chosen from a short-list of five finalists the jury selected from
36 of Canada’s top lighting, sound, costume and set designers who
received nominations. The announcement was made during a ceremony this
evening at University of Toronto’s historic Hart House Theatre.
According to the jury citation, “In selecting Ms. Lyne as the
recipient of the 2006 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, the Jury was particularly
impressed by the evolution of her work. While sensitive to the metaphors
of words and music, Ms. Lyne’s work sustains the narrative logic
of the piece. She rises to the demands of working in the realm of opera,
while also being able to deftly apply her creative vision to productions
for both small and large theatres. Each project is a laboratory in which
she collaborates with her fellow artists, while exploring and applying
her vision. Poised to fully realize her creative powers, Ms. Lyne is
an artist who establishes a visible and highly unique creative signature
in Canadian theatre and beyond.”
Ms. Lyne has been involved in 72 productions in Canada, the United
States and Europe, from new plays, to opera, from small independent theatres
to large international theatres. Her work has been seen at the Stratford
Festival of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, Theatre Français
de Toronto, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Soulpepper, National Arts
Centre, Tarragon Theatre, Elgin Theatre, Tapestry New Opera Works, Pacific
Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Central City Opera - Denver, Nationale Reisopera – Netherlands,
Opera North – England, De Vlaamse Opera – Belgium, among
others.
The Siminovitch Prize jury was chaired by Leonard McHardy, co-owner
and co-founder of TheatreBooks in Toronto. Joining Mr. McHardy were Luc
Boulanger, author and well-known journalist in Montreal's media community;
Mary Kerr, a distinguished production designer whose work has been seen
on stages across Canada and throughout the world; Diana Leblanc, an actress
and director who has received acclaim in French and English throughout
the country; and Keith Turnbull, a director, dramaturge and producer
committed to contemporary and new work in both theatre and opera.
“The jury had a strong field of theatre artists to consider this
year with five outstanding designers on the short-list. All five designers
are remarkably gifted in their own unique ways, contributing immensely
to the experience of theatregoing,” said Mr. McHardy. “We
found Dany’s sensibility, while being distinctly Canadian, has
been honed by international experience. She has become a designer of
great Canadian significance. We look forward to the work and direction
her designs will take in years to come.”
Tony Comper, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group, the founding
sponsor of the Siminovitch Prize, applauded the selection. “On
behalf of BMO Financial Group, a long-time supporter of the arts in Canada,
I am pleased to congratulate Ms. Lyne on this outstanding achievement.
I hope the Siminovitch Prize will enable her to further pursue the impulse
toward curiosity and research that has fuelled her career thus far."
Ms. Lyne was awarded a cheque for $75,000 and she chose two local set
and costume designers, Camellia Koo and April Anne Viczko, as her protégés,
who each received half of the remaining $25,000. In addition, Ms. Lyne
singled out a new young designer, Jung-Hye Kim with an honourable mention.
The prize founders have structured the Siminovitch Prize in this way
to underscore the importance of mentorship in Canadian theatre.
“I chose to honour two designers whose work and commitment I
admire very much - April Anne Viczko, a discerning, architectural and
poetic creator and Camellia Koo, a meticulous, sculptural and symbolic
interpreter. I also wish to encourage a young graduate, Jung-Hye Kim,
whose talent and determination to become a designer are remarkable,” said
Ms. Lyne.
April Anne Viczko, Protégé
April has
designed sets, costumes, lights and projections on various productions
from stadiums to black boxes spanning Toronto to Vancouver. Theatres
April has worked for include: Birdland Theatre (Dora nomination for The
Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Tarragon, Factory, Theatre Calgary, Theatre
Network, LKTYP, Moonhorse, Theatre by the Bay, Globe Theatre, Necessary
Angel, Canadian Opera Company and Stratford Festival (Guthrie Award,
2000). April was born in Edmonton, Alberta but grew up in the village
of Prud’homme, Saskatchewan. For the last 7 years April
has called Toronto, Ontario home. April studied art in Varese,
Italy and apprenticed with Scenotecnica Piu’ in Rome. Over the
last three years she has worked along side Dany Lyne on various productions
including Rodelinda, Macbeth and Half Life. In 1998, April received her
B.F.A. from the University of Alberta. Recently, April returned to Edmonton
to continue her artistic research as an M.F.A. Theatre Design candidate
at the U of A.
Camellia Koo, Protégé
Camellia is a set & costume
designer and installation artist; born in London, Ontario, raised in
Mississauga, and now based in Toronto. During the past seven years, she
has garnered a considerable body of work concentrating primarily on new
works and dynamic collaborations. Recent collaborations include fu-Gen
Asian Canadian Theatre Company, Cahoots Theatre Projects (Dora Awards
for both set & costume designs, Bombay Black), Nightwood, Obsidian, Native Earth Performing Arts,
Soulpepper, Theatre Direct, Factory, Fujiwara Dance Inventions, and Great
Canadian Theatre Company. She has assisted Dany on several productions
including, La Voix Humaine, Seven Deadly Sins, Medusa, Nathan
the Wise, Rodelinda, and Half Life (2006). Camellia received her B.F.A. from Ryerson
Univeristy (Technical Production) and immediately entered apprenticeship
with Soulpepper. In 2002, she completed her M.A. in Scenography at Central
Saint Martins College of Art & Design (UK) and Hogeschool de Kunst,
The Netherlands as part of the European Scenography Centres Exchange.
Camellia has also designed the stage and Great Hall décor for
The Siminovitch Prize ceremonies for the past two years.
Jung-Hye Kim, Honourable Mention
Jung-Hye, born in Seoul Korea, is a
young Toronto based designer. She decided to pursue her career as a set
and costume designer when she had fallen in love with operas while she
was studying painting in Florence Italy. She feels privileged to have
worked in various exciting productions after graduating from Ryerson
Theatre School last year. She also holds a degree in Textile Design from
the Ontario College of Art and Design.
The other finalists placed on the short list for the 2006 Siminovitch
Prize were: Judith Bowden, Set and Costume Designer, Niagara on the Lake,
ON; Bretta Gerecke, Set and Lighting Designer, Edmonton, AB; Anick La
Bissonnière, Set Designer, Montréal, QC; and Danièle
Lévesque, Set Designer, Montréal, QC.
The Siminovitch Prize in Theatre was introduced in 2001 and dedicated
to renowned scientist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife Elinore, a playwright.
Sponsored by BMO Financial Group, Canada’s largest annual theatre
arts award recognizes direction, playwriting and design in three-year
cycles, beginning with the 2001 award to Toronto director Daniel Brooks;
the 2002 award to Montreal playwright Carole Fréchette; the 2003
award to Montreal designer Louise Campeau; the 2004 award to St. John’s
director Jillian Keiley and the 2005 award to Toronto playwright John
Mighton.
Five Outstanding Canadian Designers Make Short-List for 2006 Siminovitch
Prize in Theatre
Theatre Designers from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec
in the Running for Largest Prize in Canadian Theatre
TORONTO, September
27, 2006 – BMO Financial Group, sponsor of the
Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, announced today the names
of the five exceptional Canadian theatre designers who have been
placed on the short-list for the $100,000 Prize. The Siminovitch Prize
is the
largest in Canadian theatre and will be presented October 24, 2006
during a ceremony at University of Toronto’s Hart House Theatre.
The following five finalists were selected from 36 of Canada’s
top lighting, sound, costume and set designers who received nominations:
- Judith Bowden, Set and Costume Designer, Niagara on the Lake, ON
- Bretta
Gerecke, Set and Lighting Designer, Edmonton, AB
- Anick La Bissonnière,
Set Designer, Montréal, QC
- Danièle Lévesque, Set
Designer, Montréal,
QC
- Dany Lyne, Set and Costume Designer, Toronto, ON
Biographies and photos
of the finalists are available at www.siminovitchprize.com.
“The short-list includes five remarkably gifted theatre artists
whose work gave us such pleasure to delve into and discover,” said
Leonard McHardy, Jury Chair, on behalf of the Jury. “The
work also proved an intellectual challenge and expanded our understanding
of what designers bring to the aesthetic and the soul of theatre.
The experience of theatergoing is enriched by the creativity of
each of these five outstanding artists.”
"On behalf of my colleagues at BMO Financial Group, I want to congratulate
the five exceptional theatre designers selected as finalists for
the Siminovitch Prize," said BMO President and CEO Tony
Comper. "And
as someone who has made a priority of the advancement of women,
both in and out of the workplace, I cannot resist noting – and
applauding – the fact that for the first time in the history
of our Prize, all five contenders are female.
"Gender aside, however, the choice of this year's finalists in
theatre design is nothing less than inspired – a tribute to the
blue ribbon Jury that worked so conscientiously to sift through the
many worthy submissions that have become the hallmark of the Siminovitch
Prize over the years."
The Jury reviewed nominations of professional
lighting, sound, costume or set designers who have advanced Canadian
theatre through
a body of work achieved in recent years while influencing and inspiring
younger theatre artists. In the preceding 10 years, nominees will
have made a significant creative contribution to no fewer than
three noteworthy theatre projects in Canada. The jurors assessed
the nominees’ originality, sense of evolution, growing maturity,
continuing experimentation, impact upon audiences, and influence
upon younger artists. The jury further considered that the receipt
of the prize, with the resources and recognition that go with it,
would encourage and allow the artist to explore and experiment
further in the pursuit of his or her craft.
Joining Mr. McHardy
on the jury are Luc Boulanger, author and well-known journalist
in Montreal's media community; Mary Kerr, a distinguished
production designer whose work has been seen on stages across Canada
and throughout the world; Diana Leblanc, an actress and director
who has received acclaim in French and English throughout the country;
and Keith Turnbull, a director, dramaturge and producer committed
to contemporary and new work in both theatre and opera.
The Siminovitch Prize in Theatre was introduced in 2001 and dedicated
to renowned scientist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife Elinore,
a playwright. Sponsored by BMO Financial Group, Canada’s
largest annual theatre arts award recognizes direction, playwriting
and design in three-year cycles, beginning with the 2001 award
to Toronto director Daniel Brooks; the 2002 award to Montreal playwright
Carole Fréchette; the 2003 award to Montreal designer Louise
Campeau; the 2004 award to St. John’s director Jillian
Keiley and the 2005 award to Toronto playwright John
Mighton. The recipient
receives $100,000, of which $25,000 is awarded to a protégé or
organization of the recipient’s choice.
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