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“Collaboration is all. I come from a background of dance and visual art and in my work with designers, my desire is to ignite the fire of confluent imaginations. Out of that union must come the space for the ultimate alchemy – the actors’ process. I’m there to safeguard story, yes, but beyond that, to help the artists, and therefore myself, defeat the limitations of fear. – GINA WILKINSON |
If you have any questions about Gina's Prize or the submission process, committee co-leaders, Krista Jackson and Kimberley Rampersad would be pleased to connect with you at [email protected]
NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE 2025 GINA'S PRIZE
ELIGIBILITY
Theatre artists from underrepresented genders which includes cis women, trans women, and non-binary folks who have acquired foundational training (from a training program or through experience) and have worked for at least 5 years are eligible for Gina’s Prize. Artists must be based in and primarily practising in Canada, and be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status, as defined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or as a self-identifying Indigenous artist.
THE PRIZE
Gina’s Prize is awarded annually, offering financial support to an inspirational theatre artist with a demonstrated body of work and who is recognized by their communities for their practice, leadership and dedication to their craft. Gina’s Prize shines a spotlight on an artist whose practice and leadership merits recognition at this stage of their evolution.
In an effort to support the broadest range of candidates, the Gina Prize committee has chosen not to impose a specific criteria outside the above expressed objectives. We believe in fostering a broad scope of artistic expression and in recognizing its impact on theatre practices and on the communities with and within whom the artist works.
A prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the 2025 recipient.
A prize of $2,500 will be awarded to each finalist artist.
Past nominated artists are encouraged to re-apply.
THE PROCESS
Nomination Deadline is December 15, 2024
All Nominators and Nominated Artists will be notified by email when their nomination is received.
All Nominators and Nominated Artists will be notified of their results prior to the announcement on March 10th, 2025.
If you have any questions or access needs around the submission process, committee co-leaders, Krista Jackson and Kimberley Rampersad would be pleased to connect with you at [email protected]
TO NOMINATE
Please email the following materials with nominator or nominated artists cc’d to: [email protected]
Deadline: December 15, 2024
1) Please fill out this Contact Information Form.
2) A nomination letter from an artistic collaborator sharing the following:
- The nominated artist’s practice, values, and the ways in which they create space and care for other artists.
- Why this moment in their evolution is a time to be recognized.
3) Nominated artist statement (letter or video) sharing the following:
-Where are you in your evolution as a theatre artist/leader?
-Please share the values that guide your process, how these values inform your practice/leadership, and how your work embodies them.
-Describe how your practice contributes to the artistic community and beyond, as well as how it considers future generations of theatre artists.
-What does Gina’s Prize mean to you at this moment?
4) The Nominated Artist’s Headshot (Jepeg) and CV (PDF)
FORMAT
#2 & #3 - Written documents (PDF & 3 pages maximum each) OR a recorded video submitted as a youtube or vimeo link, or an .mp4 sent via wetransfer to [email protected]. (5 minutes maximum)
Gina Prize Committee 2024
Nominations will be reviewed by the Gina Wilkinson Prize Committee: Micheline Chevrier, Krista Jackson, Ann-Marie Kerr, Lindsay Lachance, Kimberley Rampersad, Tom Rooney and Tanisha Taitt.
GINA'S PRIZE 2024
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WARONA SETSHWAELO - RECIPIENT "I come from a family of activists. Raised on the philosophy of Each One Teach One. Though rewarding, it can also be relentless and sometimes darkness almost prevails. For me, that light always comes from communing with those who did the work before me and those who continue the work beside me. I am humbled and delighted to be in the company of all the recipients and finalists of Gina’s Prize. Not just for the recognition, for which I am incredibly grateful to the committee and Gina Wilkinson, herself, but especially for the community. To be acknowledged in this way is a unique privilege and honour, and a refreshing reminder that the light is always all around us, we have but to look and connect. Enormous gratitude to Quincy Armorer for his incredibly generous nomination. This award is dedicated to my parents, who always lead by example." Warona Setshwaelo is a Tio’tia:ke (Montreal) based artist, with Tswana and Zulu roots. She moved to Canada on a whim. The decision was made in a few weeks, and a couple of months later she landed here with 2 suitcases, $450, a poor grasp of French and zero knowledge of the theatre communities around the country. It was 3 weeks before her 30th birthday. It's been 17 years and she is extremely proud of the community she has built and that has embraced her. Warona has sat on the boards of the English Language Arts Network as a theatre representative and the Quebec Drama Federation as Vice-President. She was Co-Manager of the Artist Mentorship Program at Black Theatre Workshop for 8 years. She is a META nominee and Award recipient, as well as the Montreal ACTRA Woman of the Year (2023) and Victor Knight Community Leader award (2021). Warona has led classes at Concordia University and the National Theatre School. She is also Co-Owner of MW Mentorship. |
FINALISTS
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MARIE BEATH BADIAN Marie Beath Badian is a T’karonto-based award-winning, Filipino-Canadian playwright, theatremaker, performer, and arts educator. Her plays include Common, The Waltz, Prairie Nurse, The Best Friend Blanket Fort Show, The Making of St. Jerome and Novena. Common was longlisted for the UK’s 2019 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, awarded the 2022 Recipient of The Playwright Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award for New Drama. The Waltz was named The Globe and Mail’s Critic’s Pick and included in its 2022 Top Ten Toronto Productions. Marie Beath is the 2024 Senior-Playwright-in-Residence and a two -time alumnus of The Banff Playwrights Lab. She has developed work with Cahoots Theatre Company, Tarragon Theatre, The Factory Theatre and The Stratford Festival’s Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program. She was Playwright-in-Residence at fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Company, Project:Humanity and The Blyth Festival. Prairie Nurse and The Waltz are part of a multi-generational trilogy spanning fifty-years, set in rural Saskatchewan. The third play, The Cottage Guest, is in development. All three are commissioned by The Blyth Festival. www.mariebeath.com "I am thrilled and honoured to be a finalist for The 2024 Gina’s Prize and in the company of the raddest theatre heroes who have been given this distinction since 2012. Just. Wow. I did not have the good fortune to meet Gina in person. However, I witnessed her directorial work at The Blyth Festival for the premiere of Eyes of Heaven by Beverly Cooper. I still remember its gentleness and how the direction was so deliberately in conversation with the community of Blyth. So inspiring, direct and caring. At this moment, to me, The Gina’s Prize is a beacon of encouragement for this journey I am on to strengthen and support our IPBOC playwrights and storytellers through an artist-centric culture of care, community and advocacy. I love that The Gina’s Prize exists. I love that it celebrates her legacy by uplifting and celebrating the contributions of a glorious community of under-represented and equity-seeking genders who themselves are challenging what Canadian Theatre is and can be." |
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LIANNA MAKUCH Lianna Makuch (she/her) is a Ukrainian Canadian playwright, director, performer, and co-Artistic Director of Pyretic Productions based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She has travelled several times to Ukraine to research and develop her plays Barvinok and Alina, which have her garnered recognition across the country and in Ukraine, including the Shevchenko Foundation’s REACH Award, an Edmonton Artist Trust Fund Award, and was shortlisted for the Alberta Playwrighting Award. Lianna’s directorial debut, First Métis Man of Odesa, earned her a Dora Award for Outstanding Direction, has been seen on stages across the country, and later this year will be presented at Soulpepper Theatre and the National Arts Centre. Lianna is thrilled to be directing A Christmas Carol at the Citadel Theatre in the 2024/25 theatre season. Passionate about activism, Lianna has also been a key advocate for raising awareness about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through various fundraising initiatives and advocacy efforts. "Being selected as a finalist for Gina’s Prize has offered me a deeply meaningful opportunity to view my work as part of a greater whole. I am honoured to be recognized among the inspirational artists of this year’s prize, those who have preceded me, and those who will follow in the future. This recognition reaffirms my belief in the inherent power of storytelling and its capacity to nourish and build community. My creative journey has provided an enriching platform for both personal exploration and community connections. In the early stages of my career, I hadn't fully considered how my art could be fuelled by my Ukrainian identity. However, when I began allowing this part of me to be expressed artistically, I discovered a profound connection—not only within myself but also to the roots in my community. I am hopeful for a future where storytelling continues to bring us together and allows us to grow." |
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FIONA SAUDER Fiona Sauder (she/they) is a director, playwright, performer and arts educator. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Bad Hats Theatre, a company dedicated to the development of new interdisciplinary works for multigenerational audiences. Fiona's writing has been presented across Canada and their work has received multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Across various disciplines, Fiona has collaborated with companies including Soulpepper Theatre, Canadian Stage, The Shaw Festival, The Musical Stage Company, Quote Unquote Collective, Nightwood Theatre, Manitoba Theatre For Young People, The Blyth Festival, Young Peoples Theatre, Theatre Gargantua, Carousel Players, The Citadel Theatre, Driftwood Theatre, YES Theatre, The Capitol Theatre, and The Orillia Opera House. "It’s a massive privilege to be counted among the fierce artistic leaders on the list of Gina’s prize honourees. Those who have won or been shortlisted for this award over the years are people I deeply admire, and to see my work recognized next to theirs is a soul-stirring reminder of the excellent community I’m part of. There is no version of my achievements that exists without my community. I’m so grateful to be included, to be recognized, and to be so generously encouraged by this prize to continue creating." |
Past Recipients
2023 - Tanisha Taitt; 2022 - Fay Ness; 2021 - Yvette Nolan; 2020 - Jasmine Chen; 2019 - Anita La Selva; 2018 - Tanja Jacobs; 2017 Kimberley Rampersad; 2016 - Kelli Fox; 2015 - Valerie Planche; 2014 - Christine Brubaker; 2013 - Krista Jackson; 2012 - Ann-Marie Kerr
Click here to read how Gina's Prize has impacted the first ten recipients!
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GINA WILKINSON was a prolific actor/playwright and a stage director in constant demand. Her sudden passing was a great loss to her family, friends, and the theatre communities who cherished her joy, energy, and great lust for life. In memory of Gina’s talent and in celebration of her life, the Gina Wilkinson Prize was established in 2011. The prize fund has been built through the generous donations of many friends and colleagues from theatre communities across the country.
Gina’s profound impact as a mentor was recently celebrated on Michael Healey’s Podcast Just One More. Listen HERE.
A huge thank you to THE KINGFISHER FOUNDATION & DEBBIE GRAY and to all of our supporters who generously gave to the 10th Year Anniversary Fundraising Campaign! Our cherished donors are listed HERE. We are very grateful for two substantial gifts that were made to the the Gina’s Prize fund. The first was in 2014 by the beneficiaries of the ESTATE of ELSIE V. ADAMSON, a long-time friend and client of Martin Wilkinson, Gina Wilkinson’s brother. The second was in 2021/22 from THE KINGFISHER FOUNDATION.
Gina’s profound impact as a mentor was recently celebrated on Michael Healey’s Podcast Just One More. Listen HERE.
A huge thank you to THE KINGFISHER FOUNDATION & DEBBIE GRAY and to all of our supporters who generously gave to the 10th Year Anniversary Fundraising Campaign! Our cherished donors are listed HERE. We are very grateful for two substantial gifts that were made to the the Gina’s Prize fund. The first was in 2014 by the beneficiaries of the ESTATE of ELSIE V. ADAMSON, a long-time friend and client of Martin Wilkinson, Gina Wilkinson’s brother. The second was in 2021/22 from THE KINGFISHER FOUNDATION.
Gina’s Prize honours artists who work across Turtle Island on both treaty and unceded territories. Through this prize, we look to acknowledge and amplify their relationship to the land they live on and the communities they serve.
With special thanks to the support of the Kingsfisher Foundation
