Barrington Stage Receives 2015 Massachusetts Commonwealth Award

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, was awarded a 2015 Commonwealth Award for Creative Youth Development on February 24 at the State House in Boston.

Presented by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Commonwealth Awards' Creative Youth Development Award is presented to an individual, school, or cultural organization that has demonstrated the importance of creative expression to the lives of young people. Barrington Stage Company was awarded for its range of quality programs that introduce children and adolescents to the power and joy of live theater.

State Senator Benjamin Downing and State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier gave the Award to BSC Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, Managing Director Tristan Wilson and Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP) Director Kim Stauffer. The ceremony was attended by close to 500 members of the arts and cultural community of Massachusetts, along with numerous government representatives including Governor Charlie Baker.

"We're honored to have received the Commonwealth Award as a cultural organization that has demonstrated the importance of creativity and innovation to the achievement and success of young people, is specifically in recognition of our Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP)," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd.

"Once again the MCC is honored to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary institutions and individuals who make the Commonwealth's cultural life the envy of our nation," said MCC Executive Director Anita Walker. "Their achievements remind us that expanding the quality and availability of arts and cultural experiences to our citizens doesn't happen by accident. It takes leadership, generosity, and a commitment to excellence."

Presented biennially since 1993, the Commonwealth Awards honor the extraordinary contributions made by the arts, humanities, and sciences to education, economic vitality, and quality of life in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Awards ceremony also bring leaders from the nonprofit cultural sector together to assert the sector's value and make the case for public investment in its work. Past winners include leading artists and scholars such as Yo-Yo Ma, Olympia Dukakis, and David McCullough; world-renowned institutions like Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the Peabody Essex Museum; and communities like Pittsfield, Barnstable, and Lowell that have made arts and culture central to their revitalization efforts.

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