The Isabelle Stevenson Award is a non-competitive philanthropic award presented as part of the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
s to "recognize an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre."
It is named in honor of Isabelle Stevenson, a dancer who performed for audiences around the world and was president and later chairperson of the board of the
American Theatre Wing
The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...
until her death in 2003.
A single recipient is chosen by the Tony Award Administration Committee and may not be presented at every ceremony.
[ The worldwide press consider the Tony Awards the most prestigious theatre awards in the United States.
The American Theatre Wing and ]The Broadway League
The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York, New York. Its members include theat ...
present the winner with a copy of a circular brass and bronze medallion designed by art director Herman Rosse
Hermann Rosse (1 January 1887 – 13 April 1965) was a Dutch-American architect, illustrator, painter, theatrical designer, and art director. He won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for the film the ''King of Jazz''.
Early life
He ...
at an annual award ceremony in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The award has been presented annually since the 63rd Tony Awards in 2009. Actress Phyllis Newman
Phyllis Newman (March 19, 1933 – September 15, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Martha Vail in the musical ''Subways Are for Sleeping'' on Broadway, ...
was chosen as its inaugural recipient for her work in establishing the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative in 1995 and raising $3.5 million for the organization.[ Since then, another six women and five men have received the award and no one has won it more than once.] As of the 74th Tony Awards
The 74th Tony Awards were held on September 26, 2021, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2019–20 season. After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the ceremony was held at the Winter Garden The ...
in 2021, which honored theatre over the past two years, actress Julie Halston
Julie Halston is an American actress and comedian. She was born in Flushing, Queens on December 7, 1954. Her parents, Rudolph “Rudy” Abatelli and her mother Julia Madeline “Dolly” (née Gardner) moved to Commack, Long Island when Halst ...
is the most recent winner in this category "for her work and advocacy in raising funding and awareness for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation."
Recipients
See also
* Special Tony Award
The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...
* Society of London Theatre Special Award
The Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial British theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West E ...
References
External links
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{{featured list
Tony Awards
Awards established in 2009
2009 establishments in the United States