The Europe Theatre Prize ''(Premio Europa per il Teatro)'' is an award of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

for a personality who has "contributed to the realisation of cultural events that promote understanding and the exchange of knowledge between peoples". "The winner is chosen for the whole of his artistic path among notable personalities of international theatre considered in all its different forms, articulations and expressions". The prize was established in 1986 when Carlo Ripa di Meana was first Commissioner of Culture. In those years a contribution to its creation also came from

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...

, who was patroness of the Prize, and from Jack Lang, then

French Minister of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual ...

and current President of the Prize. The

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

and the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the ...

have supported it as a "European cultural interest organisation" since 2002. In 1987 the prize was first awarded to

Ariane Mnouchkine Ariane Mnouchkine (; born 3 March 1939) is a French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble ''Théâtre du Soleil'' in 1964. She wrote and directed ''1789'' (1974) and ''Molière'' (1978), and directed ''La Nuit Mirac ...

for her work with the

Théâtre du Soleil Le Théâtre du Soleil (, "The Theater of the Sun") is a Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble founded by Ariane Mnouchkine, Philippe Léotard and fellow students of the ''L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq'' in 1964 as a collectiv ...

. She received a money prize and a sculpture of Pietro Consagra. The first international jury was chaired by

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

. Recipients have included choreographer

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance mo ...

and stage director

Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau (; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ...

. In 1990, an additional award Europe Prize Theatrical Realities ''(Premio Europa Realtà Teatrali)'' was established looking at innovation in theatre and first awarded to

Anatoly Vasiliev Anatoly Alexandrovitch Vasiliev (russian: Анато́лий Алекса́ндрович Васи́льев, link=no; born May 4, 1942, Penza Oblast) is a Russian theatre director. He is artistic director of the Moscow Theatre "School of Dramat ...

. In Edition XII, they were Viliam Dočolomanský (Slovakia),

Katie Mitchell Katrina Jane Mitchell (born 23 September 1964) is an English theatre director. Life and career Mitchell was born in Reading, Berkshire, raised in Hermitage, Berkshire, and educated at Oakham School. Upon leaving Oakham, she went up to Ma ...

(United Kingdom), Andrey Moguchy (Russia), Kristian Smeds (Finland), Teatro Meridional (Portugal) and

Vesturport Vesturport is an Icelandic theatre group, founded on 18 August 2001. The group has performed plays in the United States, Europe and Australia. In 2011, it received the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities for its complete work, innovative chara ...

(Iceland). Recipients have also included

Heiner Goebbels Heiner Goebbels (born 17 August 1952) is a German composer, conductor and professor at Justus-Liebig-University in Gießen and artistic director of the International Festival of the Arts Ruhrtriennale 2012–14. His composition ''Stifters Dinge ...

Oskaras Koršunovas Oskaras Koršunovas (born 6 March 1969) is a Lithuanian theatre director. Biography Oskaras Koršunovas was born on March 6, 1969, in Vilnius, Lithuania. He began his career as a theatre director in 1994 at the Lithuanian Academy of Music ...

(2002) and Rimini Protokoll (2008). The program for both awards is rich in theatrical presentations. Lasting a week, it has been termed the "'Oscars' of European theatre" and "Oscar of Drama". The first nine "editions" of the prize were awarded in

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...

. To achieve a more international aspect, the ceremonies were held in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

for Edition X, as part of the cultural program for the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

in collaboration with the ''Teatro Stabile''. Editions XI and XII were held in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, Edition XIII in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...

as part of the UNESCO's ''Grotowski Year''. In 2011 the awards were given at the

Alexandrinsky Theatre The Alexandrinsky Theatre (russian: Александринский театр) or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial tr ...

of St. Petersburg, then Culture Capital of Russia. A critic described the performances of innovative theatre: "Their shows demonstrate that the dialogue between the arts and cutting edge technology opens up new ways towards creation and knowledge. Computer generated images, pantomime, dancing, circus and music expand the frontiers of the theatre and make it more dramatic. Shows such as ''Faustus'' based on Goethe's play, ''

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

'' by Kafka, ''Mr Vertigo'' by

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include ''The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), ''The Music of Chance'' (1990), '' The Book of Illusions'' (2002), '' The B ...

, ''Cabo Verde'' by Natalia Luiza and Miguel Seabra, and ''Happiness'' by Maurice Maeternlick are overwhelming both in their use of technique and the emotions they exude."

List of recipients

References

Sources

* https://www.premioeuropa.org/ * {{official, http://www.premio-europa.org/etp2018/index.html Awards established in 1986

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

International theatre awards