Court Theatre's Charles Newell Wins SDC Foundation's 2013 Zelda Fichandler Award; Ceremony Set for 11/4

Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, is the 2013 recipient of The Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre. The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.

A peer review committee (Lou Bellamy, Amanda Dehnert, Hayley Finn, Ron Himes, D. Lynn Meyers, Norma Saldivar, Steve Scott, Dominique Serrand, Leslie Swackhamer and Chay Yew (Chair))selected Mr. Newell from nominees from the Central region of the United States. Chay states, "It's an honor to give this year's Zelda Fichandler Award to Charlie Newell. His work in this region has been extraordinary and influential. Through his remarkable leadership, his brilliant direction, and his genuine dedication and desire to make a difference, he is continually changing the Chicago theatrical landscape. Always giving fresh interpretations to the classics and committing to cultural inclusion, he has opened our eyes of how to view the classics in context with contemporary America. His work has inspired us all - audience and artists alike."

Upon hearing of his receiving this award,Mr. Newell responds, "To receive The Zelda Fichandler Award from SDCF means the world to me. My very first theatre-going memories are of my mother taking me to Zelda's Arena Stage. The daring theatre she created and produced, the singular artists she championed, the impact her art made on her community: these all have been a beacon of inspiration to me. For twenty years, I have been fortunate to build a life in the theatre here in Chicago, seeking to follow Zelda's example. I am very proud to be a member of this most vibrant theatre community, and am constantly inspired by our artists and patrons. I am thankful for the unwavering support and platform that the University of Chicago provides us at Court Theatre, and for the fabulous community in which I work and have raised a family, Chicago's South Side. And any Artistic Director knows that their work is the result of a dedicated staff and generous Board of Trustees; I am certainly no exception. I am particularly grateful to Ron OJ Parson for nominating me, and to my fellow directors and choreographers who have selected me for this honor. Thank you for this recognition. I fully embrace the challenge that this award demands: the future promise of more to come. I am deeply humbled."

The Committee chose to honor four finalists in addition to Mr. Newell. Yew notes, "The Central region is rich with theatre. We were pleased to be able to acknowledge four significant directors as finalists: Peter Brosius in Minneapolis, Jeff Church in Kansas City, Rebecca Holderness in Milwaukee, and Kimberly Senior in Chicago. The committee considered each to be a strong candidate for this award for different reasons: Peter for his national leadership and innovation in children's theatre; Jeff for his passion in presenting topics that challenge our notion of theatre for young audiences; Rebecca for amplifying and boldly invigorating the performance scene in Milwaukee, and Kimberly for her exciting body of work on new plays and her leadership in the Chicago theatre community."

The award will be presented on Monday, November 4 at a reception at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Blake Robison, Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, says, "It's important to celebrate the creativity and vision that directors and choreographers bring to our field. The Playhouse is honored to host this important event, and we look forward to welcoming SDC members to Cincinnati." The award presentation is free of charge and open to the public; please RSVP to FichandlerRSVP@SDCweb.org by October 30.

In establishing this award, named after Zelda Fichandler, a founder of the American regional theatre movement, SDCF recognizes the profound impact of the founders of regional theatre and honors their legacy. This award is given annually within rotating regions of the U.S. The Fichandler Award serves as a complement to the "Mr. Abbott" Award presented in recognition of lifetime achievement in theatre, and the Joe A. Callaway Award for excellence in direction and choreography to be presented in New York on October 28. The three awards are the only awards given to theatre directors and choreographers by their peers.

Charles Newell has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 30 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directorial highlights at Court include The Wild Duck, Caroline, Or Change, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Man of La Mancha, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hamlet, The Invention of Love, The Little Foxes, Nora, andThe Misanthrope. Charlie has also directed at the Goodman Theatre (Rock 'n' Roll), the Guthrie Theater (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman's The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award. He has served on the Board of Theatre Communications Group, as well as on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein's Regina at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, andRigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Charlie is a multiple Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago's highest theatrical honor) nominee and recipient. Most recently, his production of Caroline, Or Change at Court was the recipient of 4 Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Production-Musical and Best Director-Musical.

Zelda Fichandler dedicated her early career to the establishment of America's regional theatre movement. In 1950 she founded Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage and in 1968 she produced The Great White Hope, which became the first production to transfer from a regional theatre to Broadway, winning the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize, and launching the careers of James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. Her production of Inherit the Wind toured Soviet St. Petersburg and Moscow and Arena Stage was the first American theatre company sponsored by the State Department to do so. Like many other regional theatres afterward, Arena Stage cultivated an evolving but resident company over the decades that included some of America's best actors: Robert Prosky, Frances Sternhagen, George Grizzard, Philip Bosco, Ned Beatty, Roy Scheider, Robert Foxworth, Jane Alexander, James Earl Jones, Melinda Dillon, Dianne Wiest, Max Wright, Marilyn Caskey, Harriet Harris, and Tom Hewitt. In 1975 it was the first regional theatre to be recognized by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League with the Regional Theatre Tony Award for outstanding achievement. When Ms. Fichandler retired as producing artistic director of Arena Stage in 1990, she had achieved the longest tenure of any non-commercial producer in the annals of the American theater. Ms. Fichandler is Chair Emeritus of New York University's acclaimed graduate acting program where she personally taught, guided, and inspired more than 500 acting students, including Marcia Gay Harden, Rainn Wilson, Billy Crudup, Debra Messing, Peter Krause, and Michael C. Hall. She has received the George Abbott Award, The Acting Company's John Houseman Award, the Margo Jones Award, and the National Medal of Arts, and in 1999 she became the first artistic leader outside of New York to be inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Founded in 1965, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation exists to foster, promote and develop the craft and creativity of stage directors and choreographers. SDCF's goals are to provide opportunities to practice the crafts of directing and choreography; to gather and disseminate craft and career information; to promote the profession to emerging talent; to provide opportunities for exchange of knowledge among directors and choreographers; and to increase the awareness of the value of directors' and choreographers' work.