Theatre Artists Honored with 2008 Princess Grace Awards

By Adam Hetrick
July 30, 2008

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA has announced the recipients of its 2008 awards and grants, recognizing aspiring artists in theatre, dance and film.

Founded in 1982 in honor of the late Princess Grace of Monaco, the awards and grants were created to assist emerging artists with their training. The companies hosting a 2008 honoree will also receive a General Operating Support grant, which help support general operating expenses for the institution.

For 2008, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA has teamed with the Baryshnikov Arts Center "to provide previous Awards winners [across disciplines] the opportunity for creative experimentation without the pressure to produce a final, finished product."

The Princess Grace Award recipients will receive their awards at a black-tie gala, held in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, on October 15 at Cipriani 42nd Street.

The theatre artists honored with a 2008 Princess Grace Award follow:

Arin Arbus, Los Angeles, CA
Grace LeVine Theater Award
Directing Fellowship, Theatre for a New Audience

Jaime Castañeda, San Antonio, TX
Gant Gaither Theater Award
Directing Apprenticeship, American Theater Company

Ben Gunderson, Morrhead, MN
Robert and Gloria Houseman Theater Award
Acting Scholarship, North Carolina School of the Arts

Patrick Kennelly, Evanston, IL
Pierre Cardin Theater Award
Directing Scholarship, University of California, Los Angeles

Arnulfo Maldonado, Eagle Pass, TX
Fabergé Theater Award
Costume Design Fellowship, Diverse City Theater

Kaneza Schaal, Freestone, CA
Acting Apprenticeship, The Wooster Group, Inc.

Kara Lee Corthron, Cumberland, MD
Playwriting Fellowship, New Dramatists

Maureen C. Huskey, Denver, CO
Directing Honoraria, California Institute of the Arts

Thomas Pasculli, Newton, NJ
Acting Honoraria, Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc.

Ashley Sparks, Stuarts Draft, VA
Directing Honoraria, ArtSpot Productions

Damon E. Williams, Havertown, PA
Acting Honoraria, Temple University

The Princess Grace Awards also announced the recipients of the 2008 Statue Award winners, a $25,000 gift bestowed to previous Princess Grace Award winners who have excelled in their fields. The 2008 Statue Awards winners are Rose Bond (1989 Graduate Film Scholarship) and Alec T. Hammond (1995 Fabergé Award for Scenic Design).

Special Project Awards in theatre will be presented to Rosemary Newcott and Chi Wang Yang, while the Princess Grace Foundation named Works in Progress Awards for Shelia Callaghan (playwriting) and Maureen Towey (theatre).

For a complete list of winners in Dance and Film categories, visit Princess Grace Foundation-USA.