Ottawa, August 23, 2011 – For 30 years Richard Rose of Toronto has brought new and award-winning plays to life on stage. Today, the Canada Council for the Arts announced that he is the winner of the 2011 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
The $50,000 annual prize, administered and presented by the
Canada Council for the Arts, recognizes the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievement by Canadian artists who have spent the major part of their career in Canada in dance, theatre or music.
Download images of Mr. Rose and his work.
“Richard Rose’s artistic vision and directorial strength continue to move audiences year after year,” said Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council. “His intense passion for interpreting and presenting stories in new and creative ways aligns perfectly with what Walter Carsen intended for this prize.”
Nominator Peter Hinton, Artistic Director of the National Art Centre’s English Theatre, said, “Richard Rose encourages us to understand our own plays amidst the repertoire of contemporary works from the world stage. His work demonstrates an inherent understanding of the theatre’s power to speak to us and transform the way in which we see our world.”
The peer assessment committee described Richard Rose as an innovator whose significant impact as director has helped shape the theatrical landscape in Canada and abroad. The committee consisted of Mallory Gilbert (Toronto), Howard Jang (Vancouver) and Albert Millaire (Montreal).
Richard Rose is the Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. Prior to joining the Tarragon in 2002, he was Founding Artistic Director at Necessary Angel for 24 years, where he directed over 30 plays. He has also held directing positions with Canadian Stage, Stratford’s Young Company and was with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival for 10 seasons. Notable productions include Forests, Betrayal, Courageous, Another Home Invasion, Scorched, Léo, Humble Boy, No Great Mischief, simpl, Remnants, It's All True, Inexpressible Island, Seven Lears, Glenn, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, Coriolanus, The Castle, Prague, Mein and Tamara.
Mr. Rose has directed plays across Canada, the United States, and in London’s West End, in styles ranging from the environmental to the classical. He is well known for developing new work, including four plays that won a Governor General’s Literary Award, as well as nine others that were finalists. He is a four-time Dora award-winner for direction and production. Mr. Rose has also directed productions for several opera companies and taught at many universities and schools, including University of Toronto Drama Centre, Equity Showcase, and the National Theatre School. He is currently Adjunct Professor in the York University Theatre Program. In 1998 he received a Doctorate of Sacred Letters from Thorneloe University, Sudbury, Ontario.
The Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts was created through a generous donation of $1.1 million to the Canada Council by Toronto businessman and philanthropist Walter Carsen, O.C. The prize is normally awarded annually on a four‑year cycle: dance, theatre, dance, music. Previous prize winners include dancer/choreographer/teacher Peggy Baker, flutist/composer/conductor Robert Aitken, dancer/choreographer Margie Gillis, playwright Judith Thomson, choreographer David Earle, and composer R. Murray Schafer.
In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council is committed to raising public awareness and celebrating these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and an international level.
Heather McAfee
Public Relations Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4166
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Mireille Allaire
Public Relations Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4523
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