The Sam Wanamaker Award or Sam Wanamaker Prize is an award established in 1994 for pioneering work in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

an theatre, usually given to individuals who have worked closely with

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

or the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

; the award is not specific to artistic contribution, and has frequently been granted to businessmen and academics. It is one of the two current British awards for classical theatre, alongside the

Ian Charleson Award The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the renowned British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the '' Sunday Times'' n ...

. It is presented by Shakespeare's Globe and named after

Sam Wanamaker Samuel Wanamaker, (born Wattenmacker; June 14, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American actor and director who moved to the United Kingdom after becoming fearful of being blacklisted in Hollywood due to his communist views. He is credited as ...

, the theatre's founder.

Winners

*2019 –

Diana Devlin Diana Devlin (1 April 1941 - 27 September 2020) was a London based teacher, author and theatre academic who helped to create the Shakespeare's Globe theatre with her associate Sam Wanamaker. Life Devlin was born in Porthmadog, Wales on 1 April 194 ...

*2018 –

Thelma Holt Thelma Holt (born 4 January 1932) is a British theatre producer and former actress. After a successful career as an actress, in partnership with Charles Marowitz, Thelma founded the Open Space Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, London, which b ...

*2017 – 25 Globe volunteers *2016 – Gordon McMullan, professor of English at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, founder of "Shakespeare 400" quatercentenary celebrations. *2015 –

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

, actor *2014 – Ralph Alan Cohen, co-founder of the

American Shakespeare Center The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related ...

*2013 – Michael Sydney Perry, British business executive *2012 – Gregory Doran, artistic director of

*2011 – Glynn MacDonald, Resident Master of Movement at

, and Giles Block, Resident Master of Verse and Play at

*2010 – Professor

Stanley Wells Sir Stanley William Wells, (born 21 May 1930) is a Shakespearean scholar, writer, professor and editor who has been honorary president of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, professor emeritus at Birmingham University, and author of many books a ...

CBE, Shakespeare scholar and author *2008 –

Andrew Gurr Andrew John Gurr (born 23 December 1936) is a contemporary literary scholar who specializes in William Shakespeare and English Renaissance theatre. Life and work Born in Leicester, Gurr was raised in New Zealand, and educated at the Universi ...

, theater historian *2007 –

Jenny Tiramani Jennifer Jane Tiramani (born 16 August 1954) is a British costume, stage and production designer. Since 2012 she has been principal of the School of Historical Dress in London. Early life Tiramani was born on 16 August 1954, the daughter of Fred ...

Claire van Kampen Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance (born 3 November 1953) is an English director, composer and playwright. She composed the music for Mark Rylance's 1989 performance as Hamlet and shared the 2007 Sam Wanamaker Award with him. Her composing ...

and

Mark Rylance Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Laurenc ...

*2006 – Dawn Saunders QSM, CEO of the Shakespeare's Globe Centre in New Zealand *2004 –

John Orrell John Orrell (December 31, 1934 – September 16, 2003) was a British author, theatre historian, and English professor at the University of Alberta. The ''New York Times'' described him as the "historian whose intellectual detective work laid t ...

, Canadian scholar and theatre historian *2003 – Stephen Unwin and

Barrie Rutter Barrie Thomas Rutter OBE (born 12 December 1946) is an English actor and the founder and former artistic director of the Northern Broadsides theatre company based in Dean Clough complex, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Biography Rutter was ...

, Directors of

English Touring Theatre English Touring Theatre (ETT) is a major touring theatre company based in London, England. History English Touring Theatre was founded in 1993 by Stephen Unwin. In 2008, the directorship of the company was taken over by Rachel Tackley, making E ...

and

Northern Broadsides Northern Broadsides is a theatre company formed in 1992 and based at Dean Clough Mill in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded by Barrie Rutter, who was its Artistic Director until resigning in 2018, followed by Conrad Nelson who was i ...

respectively *2002 –

Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Awards, Academy Award, Emmy Award, Emmy, and Tony Award, Tony for his ...

CBE *2001 – John Barton CBE *2000 –

Cicely Berry Cicely Frances Berry (17 May 1926 – 15 October 2018) was a British theatre director and vocal coach. Berry trained under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London. She was the voice ...

*1999 –

Glynne Wickham Glynne William Gladstone Wickham (15 May 1922–27 January 2004) was a British Shakespearean and theatre scholar. Life Wickham was born in Cape Town, and was the great-grandson of William Ewart Gladstone. He was educated at Winchester College and ...

*1998 –

Janet Arnold Janet Arnold (6 October 1932 – 2 November 1998) was a British clothing historian, costume designer, teacher, conservator, and author. She is best known for her series of works called ''Patterns of Fashion'', which included accurate scale sewin ...

*1996 – William Hutt *1995 –

Leon Garfield Leon Garfield FRSL (14 July 1921 – 2 June 1996) was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books and scripted '' Shakespeare: The Animated Tal ...

*1994 – Dr.

Rex Gibson Dr Rex Gibson (29 October 1932, in Bristol – 1 May 2005, in Cambridge) was an English academic writing on the theatre. He is best known for his creation and editing of the Cambridge School Shakespeare series, for which he was given the firs ...

References

External links

Shakespeare's Globe - Sam Wanamaker Award
British theatre awards Awards established in 1994 William Shakespeare Awards for classical theatre Theatrical organisations in the United Kingdom Theatre in England British awards 1994 establishments in the United Kingdom {{award-stub

Winners

See also

References

External links