The Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts, also known as the Golden Quill, is a prize established in 1994 which is presented by the America-based Shakespeare Guild to "honor Sir John and perpetuate his legacy." The award is named in honor of the English actor
Sir John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...
br>
Background
The Gielgud Award was created in April 1994 at a ceremony at the
Folger Shakespeare Library on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
in
Washington, D.C. The ceremony contained speeches by
Robert MacNeil,
Tony Randall, and
Susan Stamberg
Susan Stamberg (born September 7, 1938) is an American radio journalist. Stamberg was co-host of NPR's flagship program ''All Things Considered.'' In that role Stamberg was the first female host of a national news broadcast. She's considered one ...
, and it was announced that the award would, according to the Shakespeare Guild website, "preserve the heritage of Sir John Gielgud and pay tribute to the actors, directors, producers, and writers who are doing the most to perpetuate his legacy and that of the poet whose work he did so much to convey to succeeding generations of Shakespeare enthusiasts." The award was first presented in 1996 and has been given sporadically ever since.
Recipients
References
External links
Gielgud Award Official WebpageMcKellen's AwardKahn's Award
Stewart's AwardAbraham's Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gielgud Award
American awards
Acting awards
American theater awards