PGC'S Women's Caucus Announces 2019 Bra D'Or Award Winner

The Women's Caucus of Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) is pleased to announce Pamela Halstead as the winner of the 2019 Bra d'Or Award, which recognizes an individual for promoting and supporting the work of women playwrights in Canada.

PGC received ten nominations for the Bra d'Or Award this year: Andrea Donaldson (Nightwood Theatre), Karen Gross (2b Theatre), Pamela Halstead (PARC), Heather Inglis (Theatre Yes), Karen Jeffery (Sunset Theatre), Ruth Lawrence (Women's Work Festival), Lisa O'Connell (Pat The Dog), Anna Pappas (Ergo Arts), Heidi Taylor (PTC), and Emma Tibaldo (PWM). All are incredible candidates! Read about these amazing women and their nominations HERE. While Women's Caucus members put forth the nominations, all PGC members vote to pick the winner.

As the recipient of the 2019 Bra d'Or Award, Pamela Halstead will be celebrated at PGC's annual Tom Hendry Awards, held Sunday, October 27th at the Toronto Arts and Letter Club. She will also be honoured at a local event in her own community later in the year, and at the annual conference of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) in Montreal in May 2020.

Pamela Halstead was nominated by Natalie Meisner, who wrote this of her colleague:

Pamela Halstead has been a tireless and inspired champion of new Canadian plays by women, people of colour, and non-binary folks throughout an accomplished and multifaceted career as a director, dramaturg, actor, teacher and arts consultant. Pamela is currently the Artistic Director of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) as well as co-founder and Artistic Producer of Halifax's DMV Theatre. She is the former Artistic Director of Lunchbox Theatre (Calgary, AB) and Ship's Company Theatre (Parrsboro, NS). In her 10-years between these two companies she dramaturged, directed and/or produced over 60 productions, the majority of them premieres of new works. [...] I cannot recommend Pamela Halstead enough... she personifies this award.

Established in 2006, the Bra d'Or Award is as relevant today as it was thirteen years ago. While women form 54% of PGC's membership, studies show that they are underrepresented on our nation's stages, and this is especially so for Indigenous women, women of colour, non-binary, and trans creators. The Bra d'Or Award celebrates people like Pamela Halstead who defy the status quo by enacting greater equity, diversity, and inclusion for women creators in theatre.

PGC's Women's Caucus extends its sincerest thanks to the Bra d'Or Award Revamp Committee, PACT, Playwrights Canada Press, and Scirocco Drama for their support of the Bra d'Or Award.

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