The Revival of the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre

By Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

At first, it sounded too good to be true.

When a brand new Twitter account started reaching out to members of the theatre sector in May with the news that the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre was returning, there was good reason for skepticism.  The media reports in 2012 seemed quite definitive that the Prize was ending.

Elinore and Lou Siminovitch

A nagging voice in the back of my head said that this was a social media prank: a theatre community always desperate for good news was being punked by someone with too much time on their hands and a fake social media account.  I was delighted to chat with Katherine Siminovitch—daughter of Lou and Elinore Siminovitch, the Prize’s namesakes—who confirmed that it was indeed true.  Canada’s largest theatre Prize will be awarded on October 21, 2013.

“The initial funding lasted for twelve years,” Kathy explained.  “We were amazed by the feedback from the community, the incredible difference the Prize has made to people’s lives.  Many people, particularly the past prize winners and other supporters of theatre in Canada, wanted to find a way to keep it going.”

Supporters of the Prize worked to secure new partnerships with the University of Toronto and the RBC Foundation.  The $25,000 Protegée Prize is supported this year by the RBC Emerging Artist Project.  The supporters are also exploring ways to expand the Prize’s impact beyond the recipients themselves.  “We intend to get more involved in the theatre community,” Kathy said.  “We’re planning things like workshops by the prize recipients, and the University of Toronto and Hart House Theatre will be having a more active role.”

“We are confident about the future of the Prize,” she said, “with the support of several donors, the history and significance of the Prize, and the two encouraging partnerships with the University of Toronto and RBC Financial.”  The priority now is an enthusiastic campaign to the theatre community to get the word out about the September 16 nomination deadline.

“We also want to get more media interest,” Kathy said, articulating a challenge that all Prize-givers (including Theatre Ontario) have encountered.

Read more about the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre