Trinity Rep to Honor Oskar and Laurie Eustis & Elizabeth Z. Chace at 2016 Pell Awards

At the 20th annual Pell Awards, Trinity Repertory Company will award Oskar Eustis and Laurie Eustis with the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. Oskar currently serves as the artistic director of The Public Theater. Elizabeth Z. Chace, local businesswoman and philanthropist will be honored with the Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts. Nominations are now being accepted for additional local honorees. Information is available at www.trinityrep.com. The ceremony will be held Monday, May 23, 2016.

"For 20 years, we have honored Senator Claiborne Pell's extraordinary commitment to the arts and humanities by recognizing remarkable arts leaders across the nation and in Rhode Island, which was a tradition started by Oskar during his tenure at Trinity Rep," said Curt Columbus, Artistic Director of Trinity Repertory Company. "Oskar, Laurie, and Liz have made an enormous impact on our field, the results of which can be felt in every corner of the arts community, both locally and nationally. It is a privilege to be able to honor all three of them this year."

Trinity Rep invites the public to nominate outstanding local artists for the 2016 Rhode Island Pell Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The Pell Awards' criteria include excellence in the artist's chosen field, work that significantly advances the art form, and contribution to the betterment of the community and the world at large through artistic presence and community service. Awards will be presented at the theater's gala in May of 2016. Nomination criteria require the artist's name, contact information, and a brief description of his or her work and the contributions that they have made to Rhode Island. Nominations are due by January 29, 2016. Complete the nomination form online at www.trinityrep.com.

Past Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts include John Benson, Howard BenTré, Dan Butterworth, John Chan, Bob Colonna, Robert Coover, Umberto "Bert" Crenca, Richard Cumming, Ruth Frisch Dealy, Tony Estrella, Richard Fleischner, Peter Geisser, Malcolm Grear, Michael Harper, Bunny Harvey, Dorothy Jungels , George Kent, Eugene Lee, David Macaulay, Salvatore Mancini, Dave McKenna, Barbara Meek, Denny Moers, Timothy Philbrick, Duke Robillard, Thomas Sgouros, Sr., Consuelo Sherba, Gretchen Dow Simpson, Maria Spacagna, Judith Lynn Stillman, Chris Van Allsburg, Paula Vogel, Keith and Rosmarie Waldrop, William Warner, Rose Weaver, Steven Weinberg, Toots Zynsky & the Everett Dance Theatre.

The Honorary co-chairs for this year's event are Senator & Mrs. Pell's five grandchildren and their spouses: Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Neal, Clay Pell and Michelle Kwan, Nicholas and Annie Pell, Dr. Tripler Pell & Tawfik Hammoud, and Eames Yates, Jr.

Corporate sponsorships and event program ads are available and individual tickets will go on sale in early April. All proceeds from the annual Pell Awards Gala benefit Trinity Rep's artistic and educational programs. For more information, please call (401) 453-9237.

The Pell Awards honor Senator Claiborne Pell and recognize artistic excellence in Rhode Island and the New England region as well as on the national level. Throughout his life, Senator Pell worked to support the arts and provide new opportunities for artists. He sponsored the landmark legislation that established the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities in 1965, and chaired the Senate Education and Arts subcommittee.

The full list of past Pell Awards recipients includes Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts honorees Jane Alexander, Kate Burton, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Viola Davis, Olympia Dukakis, Adrian Hall, Richard and Sharon Jenkins, Arthur Miller, Liza Minnelli, Toni Morrison, Robert Redford, Chita Rivera, Jason Robards, Maurice Sendak, Beverly Sills, Stephen Sondheim and Kevin Spacey; New England Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts honorees Brian Dennehy, Julie Harris, Jeffrey Osborne, Lloyd Richards, Gunther Schuller and John Updike; Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts honorees John Krasinski, Debra Messing, Amy Morton, and Trinity Rep Resident Acting Company; Pell Award/Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in/to the Arts honorees Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., Martha Douglas-Osmundson, Adrian Hall, Mary Paula Hunter, P. William Hutchinson, Virginia Lynch, Lowry Marshall, Elaine Foster Perry and Julie Adams Strandberg; Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in Arts Education honoree Ruth J. Simmons; Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts honorees Joseph A. Chazan M.D., Mihailo "Misha" Djuric, Michael Gennaro, Roger Mandle, Senator Claiborne Pell, J.L. "Lynn" Singleton and George Wein.