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The following statement was
issued today by Paul Shelley, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
It was also read in the House of Assembly:
I rise in this honourable house
today to inform my colleagues about the continued recognition and
accomplishments of this province�s artists. As you are aware, Newfoundland
and Labrador boasts some of the country�s most talented and creative
people; individuals who have made their mark in all genres of the arts.
Today, I would like to
acknowledge three of those individuals who recently were nominated for major
national awards, all in the field of theatre. These artists are: Jillian
Keiley, Lois Brown and Robert Chafe.
Theatre directors Jillian Keiley
and Lois Brown were two of five finalists short-listed for the prestigious
Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for 2004. Fifty-nine of the country�s top
directors were nominated for this award, the largest prize in Canadian
theatre. Selections were based on the artist�s sense of originality, use
of experimentation and overall creativity.
I am pleased to inform you that
Jillian Keiley won this prestigious award of $100,000.
The award stipulates that
$25,000 of the total prize be awarded to a prot�g� or organization of the
winner�s choice. Ms. Keiley selected fellow local director Danielle Irving
as her prot�g�.
Ms. Keiley is the founding
artistic director of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, the winner of the
Canada Council�s 1997 John Hirsch Prize, and the 1996 Newfoundland and
Labrador Arts Council�s Emerging Artist of the Year. Last year, Ms. Keiley
directed the Canadian tours of Jack Five Oh for Sheila�s Brush and Tempting
Providence for Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, both of which are
currently playing in destinations around the world. Despite all of these
commitments, Ms. Keiley still finds time to teach at both Memorial
University and the National Theatre School of Canada.
This is a significant
accomplishment for Jillian Keiley and for theatre in Newfoundland and
Labrador. In her acceptance speech in Toronto last month, Ms. Keiley
acknowledged mentors along the way that helped her achieve success. One of
those mentors was fellow nominee Lois Brown, who gave Ms. Keiley her first
paid job at the Resource Centre for the Arts, the province�s most
significant incubator for theatre.
During the same week, Ms. Keiley�s
partner in Artistic Fraud, Robert Chafe, was short-listed for the
prestigious Governor General�s Literary Awards for his two plays, Butler�s
Marsh and Tempting Providence.
I would like to ask honourable
members to join me in congratulating Ms. Keiley, Ms. Brown and Mr. Chafe on
receiving this national recognition. I know we will continue to see great
things from these individuals.
2004 11 23 1:50 p.m. |
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