Thursday, March 12, 2009

A new award for Kevin's shelf

This is my week for Trinity Rep news.

Oscar winner, Tony winner, artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London and Gratuitous Violins favorite Kevin Spacey will accept the 2009 Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts on June 20 in Newport.

Tickets are $500 and $1,000, so I won't be attending. But since I've already met Kevin and gotten his autograph, I'm not too disappointed. I figure he'll be so busy with the big donors that evening, he won't have much time for small talk anyway.

The event is a major fundraiser for Trinity Rep and artistic director Curt Columbus says Kevin "is a natural choice to receive this award because of his commitment to the live theater, the medium of film, and good works around the globe. He is a great director, actor, artistic director, and humanitarian."

This is definitely a well-deserved honor. Kevin has talked often about his love for the theatre, like in this interview:

“You get to come in every day and experiment and then you get a chance to get up every night and work on a different part of your game. I just happen to love the thrill of that - the high-wire act of it and the ritual of it. I love the ritual of coming into the theatre every night and working with the same people, creating a family, because everyone’s up for it.”

And he'll be in esteemed company. Previous honorees have included Jason Robards, Arthur Miller, Beverly Sills, Stephen Sondheim, Toni Morrison, Robert Redford, Maurice Sendak, Jane Alexander, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Chita Rivera and Olympia Dukakis.

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