Five directors vie for Canada’s $100K Siminovitch Prize for theatre

OTTAWA – Five directors are in the running for a $100,000 Canadian theatre award.

The Siminovitch Prize, which rotates on a three-year cycle to recognize contributions to different theatrical fields, is this year honouring excellence in directing.

Organizers say Maiko Yamamoto and James Long, co-artistic directors of Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement, are the first team of collaborators to share a spot on the short list.

Quebec City’s Christian Lapointe, who founded the Theatre Peril in 2000 and has run the Theatre Carte Blanche for the past six years, is also a contender.

The other finalists are Ravi Jain, founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre in Toronto, and Christian Barry, co-founder and artistic co-director of Halifax’s 2b theatre company.

The winner, who will be announced at a ceremony at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre on Nov. 21, will receive $75,000 and will choose a protege to receive $25,000.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2019.