Second Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award Offers Grant For Woman Musical Theatre Composer

Though the name Billie Burke may not be as well-recognized today as it was when the quick-witted character actress was a popular star during the fledgling decades of talking pictures, her performance as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz" remains a beloved part of American pop culture.

Born in 1884, Burke married the great Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. in 1914, and continued with her film and stage career while he was producing the spectacular series of ZIEGFELD FOLLIES. After his death in 1932, she continued to honor her husband's legacy through the establishment of the Ziegfeld Club Inc. in 1936. She also produced the 1934 and 1936 editions of THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES.

The Ziegfeld Club, which is one of New York City's first performing arts charities to benefit women, now announces the second Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award to honor a woman composer in musical theatre. The recipient will be honored in November 2016 at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and will receive a grant of $10,000 plus a year of professional mentorship.

The application for the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award will be open from August 4th through September 2nd 2016. The recipient will be selected by an expert panel chosen by The Ziegfeld Club Board of Directors. Two honorable mentions will also be noted.

The grant's aim to celebrate an emerging woman composer, or composer/lyricist who compellingly demonstrates financial need, professional initiative, and outstanding artistic promise in musical theatre was inspired by a noticeable lack of female composers being produced on Broadway today. The Ziegfeld Club enables the recipient to put the grant to the best use possible to help further the composer's creative endeavors.

Visit theziegfeldclubinc.com to apply.

The recipient of last year's inaugural Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award is composer/lyricist Masi Asare, who, in addition to the cash prize, received a year's mentorship from two Tony Award winners: composer Jeanine Tesori and producer Daryl Roth.

The video features selections from Asare's spy musical, SYMPATHY JONES (book by Brooke Pierce) which starred Kate Shindle when it was presented at the 2007 New York Musical Festival.