Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON — The Cayle Chernin Memorial Fund and Equity Showcase Theatre are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Cayle Chernin Awards.
The recipient of the Cayle Chernin Award in Media Arts is Melissa D’Agostino for the film The Female Front. When Stella's life is destroyed by Blair, a con-man she thought was her boyfriend, she is forced to move back in with her parents, only to discover that her mother’s sausage company is a front for a vigilante mob she leads. When her mother tracks Blair down for some good, old-fashioned mob revenge, Stella is forced to navigate the thin line between justice and vengeance.
The Cayle Chernin Award in Theatre went to Audrey Dwyer for the play Calpurnia. Julie, a young Jamaican-Canadian writer is adapting To Kill a Mockingbird into a screenplay - from the perspective of Calpurnia, the housekeeper. Julie takes her research to extreme levels and in the process, discovers who she is and how her values line up against her wealthy Canadian upbringing.
The awards were presented at a fundraiser hosted by Canadian Comedy Award winner Maria Del Mar and Gemini Award winner David Gale on May 13, 2015, at The Heliconian Hall, Toronto.
Established in 2012 to honour the life and work of actor, documentary filmmaker, writer, teacher and mentor Cayle Chernin, the Cayle Chernin Awards (CCAs) are awarded to emerging or transitioning female artists in their creation, development or production of a new work. 2015 marked the first year the awards were presented in both media arts and theatre. The CCA in Media Arts is a $1000 cash prize plus in-kind equipment from William F. White and the CCA in Theatre is a $1000 cash prize plus in-kind rehearsal space from Cindy Tanas Actors Studios.
Other finalists for the CCA in Media Arts were Christine Buijs for the short film Divorce Photographer; and Samantha Lawrence for the documentary It’s Where We Live. The finalists for the CCA in Theatre were Christine Brubaker & Erin Brubacher for their performance walk project entitled 7th Cousins; and PJ Prudat for the play The Women in my House.
About Cayle Chernin
Cayle Chernin’s professional journey began co-starring in Don Shebib's 1969 classic film Goin' Down the Road and came to a close with Mr. Shebib’s acclaimed sequel Down The Road Again, 40 years later. Chernin was loved for her generosity, imagination, perseverance, talent and her welcoming smile. She was valued for her commitment to women's issues, serving as an elected councillor on the board of ACTRA Toronto, as co-chair of the ACTRA Toronto Women’s Committee (TAWC) and on the board of Equity Showcase Theatre until her passing in February 2011. Chernin’s career spanned four decades in film and on stage, developing new works and encouraging young artists.
Photo: Cayle Chernin (1947-2011).
2015-05-14
Toronto: 2015 Cayle Chernin Award winner announced