{"id":21849,"date":"2017-10-09T13:58:45","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T17:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=21849"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:36:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:36:55","slug":"vivienne-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=21849","title":{"rendered":"PlayMakers\u2019 Vivienne Benesch receives prestigious Zelda Fichandler Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Vivienne
Vivienne Benesch (photo by Alison Sheehy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vivienne Benesch, producing artistic director of PlayMakers Repertory Company, is the recipient of the 2017 Zelda Fichandler Award, given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding creativity and artistry by directors and choreographers for their accomplishments to date, and their promise for the future. Named for a champion and pioneer of regional theatre, the Zelda Fichandler Award is given to artists whose work is transforming the regional arts landscape.<\/p>\n

Benesch is in her second season as producing artistic director of PlayMakers, where she has directed acclaimed productions of Molly Smith Metzler\u2019s \u201cThe May Queen,\u201d Deborah Salem Smith\u2019s \u201cLove Alone,\u201d John Logan\u2019s \u201cRED,\u201d Sarah Ruhl\u2019s \u201cIn The Next Room,\u201d and Libby Appel\u2019s adaptation of \u201cThree Sisters\u201d. From 2005 to 2016 she was the artistic director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over the company\u2019s transformation into one of the best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs in the country.<\/p>\n

At Chautauqua, Benesch directed more than 20 productions including the world premiere of Molly Smith Metzler\u2019s \u201cThe May Queen\u201d and workshop productions of Zayd Dohrn\u2019s \u201cThe Profane and Sick,\u201d Noah Haidle\u2019s \u201cBirthday Candles,\u201d Michael Golamco\u2019s \u201cBuild,\u201d Kate Fodor\u2019s \u201cRx,\u201d Anna Ziegler\u2019s \u201cAn Incident\u201d and Jonathan Walker\u2019s \u201cNew Burlington\u201d. In 2014, she proudly conceived and directed The Romeo and Juliet Project<\/em>, featuring 100+ performers from the Chautauqua dance, opera, theatre and music programs, alongside the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Benesch has also directed at Trinity Rep, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and extensively for the Juilliard School Drama Division, where she also served on the faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so deeply honored by this recognition from my peers and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation,\u201d said Benesch. \u201cZelda was a titan in our industry and I was also lucky enough to call her my teacher and a mentor. Receiving this award in her name is that much more meaningful and a call to continue working in the spirit of her global curiosity, commitment to regional excellence, and belief in personal transformation through the arts \u2014 all of which have been career-long inspirations to me. As a director, producer, actor and educator, I have been so blessed with the great fortune to collaborate with exceptional theatre artists of many generations, and I am excited to be drawing an even wider circle with artists and audiences throughout North Carolina and this fertile, vibrant region of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

PlayMakers is the first regional theatre with two consecutive producing artistic directors receiving the Zelda Fichandler Award. Joseph Haj also received the award in 2014.<\/p>\n

A committee selected Benesch from nominees living and working in the Eastern region of the United States. This year\u2019s Fichandler selection Committee was chaired by Warner Shook, and included Linda Hartzell and Lisa Peterson.<\/p>\n

“Vivienne Benesch epitomizes the ideal choice for The Zelda Fichandler Award,\u201d said Shook. \u201cShe is a mid-career artist working at the peak of her powers, as she has so readily demonstrated in both upstate New York and now in North Carolina with her insightful, thrilling work. I think Zelda would be beaming.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director of PlayMakers Repertory Company, is the recipient of the 2017 Zelda Fichandler Award, given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding creativity and artistry by directors and choreographers for their accomplishments to date, and their promise for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":21850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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