2011 Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre Announced 5/22

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; Diane Stiles, managing director) is holding its thirteenth annual Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre on Sunday, May 22 at the Castillo Theatre at 543 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues) in New York City at 2:00 p.m.

The 2011 honorees include: Wajahat Ali, playwright, blogger and attorney, Freedom Train Productions, Black queer theatre company (New York City), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, innovative dance/theatre company, and Lorna C. Hill, founder and artistic director of Ujima Company.

The Otto Awards, named after Guatemalan poet and revolutionary Otto René Castillo, recognize the achievement of individuals and theatre companies who conceive, produce and foster the development of innovative and socially challenging theatre. The award itself is an original sculpture created by the noted Brazilian contemporary artist and designer Sheila Goloborotko. Past honorees include: Laurie Anderson, Joseph Chaikin, Kathleen Chalfant, LAByrinth Theater Company, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Ntozake Shange, the Steppenwolf Theater, Melvin Van Peebles, Douglas Turner Ward, and Robert Wilson, among many others.

What: 2011 Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre

Who: Wajahat Ali, playwright and blogger in the San Francisco Bay Area
Freedom Train Productions, a Black queer theatre company in NYC
Lorna C. Hill, founder and artistic director of Ujima Company
Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, innovative dance/theatre company

When: Sunday May 22, 2011, 2:00 p.m.

Where: Castillo Theatre
543 West 42nd Street, New York City
(between 10th and 11th Avenues)