PRELUDE 2017 to Present 2017 Franky Award at Closing Night Party

Announcing director Charlotte Brathwaite as the recipient of the 2017 Franky Award. PRELUDE celebrates this honor with a party at VR World NYC from 10pm-12midnight on Friday, October 6. This event is open to the public.

Named in honor of MESTC executive director and PRELUDE founder Dr. Frank Hentschker, the Franky Award recognizes an artist who has made a long-term, extraordinary impact on contemporary theatre and performance in New York City. The award is presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

New York based director Charlotte Brathwaite (Canada/Barbados/UK) is known for her unique approach to staging classical and unconventional texts, dance, visual art, multi-media, site-specific installation, video productions, performance art and music events. Her work has been seen in the Americas, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia and ranges in subject matter from the historical past to the distant future illuminating issues of race, sex, power and the complexities of the human condition. Named as one of the "up-and-coming women in theatre to watch" by Playbill, Brathwaite is recipient of several awards and citations including the Princess Grace Award, the Julian Milton Kaufman Prize (Yale), a Rockefeller Residency, and the National Performing Network Creation Fund. BA Amsterdam School for the Arts (Netherlands); MFA Yale School of Drama; Visiting Professor Amherst College; Visiting artist Williams College; Visiting Professor University of Fortaleza (Brazil); Assistant Professor Music and Theater Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Visit www.charlottebrathwaite.com for more.

PRELUDE highlights makers who experiment in the places where art meets technology. VR World NYC is the perfect place to celebrate this way of working and bring PRELUDE 2017 to a close. It is the largest attraction dedicated to Virtual Reality of its kind, with 50+ Virtual Reality activities from 360° art movies and music videos to multi-player games and unique simulations. VR World is open Tuesday- Saturday 12pm to 10pm, Sunday-Monday 12pm to 8pm.