Canadian Theatre Critics Association Nathan Cohen Award & Webplay

[Anton Wagner]

Canadian Theatre Critics Association Revives Nathan Cohen Award


After a hiatus of several years, the Canadian Theatre Critics Association is
reviving the Nathan Cohen Award for Excellence in Canadian Theatre Criticism.
Named after the esteemed CBC and Toronto Star theatre critic, the award aims to
recognize excellence in theatre criticism in print media including newspapers,
magazines, and literary journals. Submissions from recognized internet
publications and websites that are dedicated to theatre criticism or that
publish some theatre criticism within the site will also be accepted.

The Nathan Cohen Award will be given out once every two years. Deadline for this
year’s competition is August 15. Submissions will be accepted in two categories:
long reviews (more than 2,500 words) and short reviews (less than 2,500 words).
Submissions may be received from any Canadian or permanent resident theatre
critic for articles published within the previous 24-month period prior to the
submission deadline.

"The Nathan Cohen Award is a way of recognizing some of Canada's best critical
writing at a time when the whole notion of writing skill, authority and
expertise is under attack," said CTCA President Don Rubin, former head of the
Graduate Theatre Program at York University and Editor of the six-volume World
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre published by Routledge.

"Outstanding writing in our field is often lost these days both in traditional
media (which has been cutting back on space for criticism) and in the
democratic ocean of the internet. Our profession needs to push back.

"We understand all too well the traditional animosities some people have toward
the idea of criticism as a whole. That's even more reason that we need to
recognize examples of outstanding critical writing when they come along.

"As the Canadian Centre of the International Association of Theatre Critics
(UNESCO), the CTCA is pleased to be able to offer this important award in the
name of a man who believed in critical standards. We encourage writers across
the country to submit what they feel is their best work."

Submissions to the Nathan Cohen Award should be sent with a $20 application fee,
payable to the Canadian Theatre Critics Association, per piece. Only one piece
per category will be accepted although authors may submit two pieces (one in
each category) with a $40 application fee. Submissions should be sent to Kamal
Al-Solaylee, School of Journalism, Faculty of Communication and Design, Ryerson
University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3.

The Nathan Cohen Award will be given out at a theatre event in October, 2010.
The winner in each category will receive an award of $200 and a plaque.

The Canadian Theatre Critics Association was incorporated in 1981 to promote
excellence in theatre criticism and to encourage the dissemination of
information on theatre on a national and international level. The organization
has launched Webplay, a survey of theatre reviews across Canada posted at
http://www.canadiantheatrecritics.ca/reviews.html A new edition of Webplay will
appear in August. For suggestions as to other critics across Canada whose
reviews are accessible via the internet for inclusion in Webplay, please
contact Anton Wagner.