Playwright Marcus Youssef wins Siminovitch Prize

Playwright Marcus Youssef was announced Monday as this year’s winner of the Siminovitch Prize, honouring a career that includes writing some of “Canada’s best-known theatrical investigations of otherness and difference.” (Photo: marcusyoussef/Twitter)

OTTAWA — Playwright Marcus Youssef was announced Monday as this year’s winner of the Siminovitch Prize, honouring a career that includes writing some of “Canada’s best-known theatrical investigations of otherness and difference.”

The Siminovitch Prize rotates on a three-year cycle, recognizing theatre professionals in the alternating fields of design, direction and playwriting.

The winner gets $75,000 and can choose a protege to receive $25,000.

Work by Youssef, who is artistic director of Vancouver’s Neworld Theatre, includes “King Arthur’s Night,” which was recently staged at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.

Youssef chose Christine Quintana as his protege, who is co-artistic producer of Vancouver-based indie theatre company Delinquent Theatre.

The other nominees for this year’s prize were Evelyne de la Cheneliere, Hannah Moscovitch and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard.

Last year’s award went to director Nadia Ross, while protege prizes went to Sarah Conn and Shaista Latif.