TORONTO - The curtain is closing on Canada's lucrative Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre.
A news release issued this week asking for nominations for the 2012 prize also included a line near the bottom stating that this is the final year for the $100,000 honour, which gives $75,000 to the winner and $25,000 to a protege.
"The founders are proud of what the prize has achieved and are pleased to have played a role in honouring the significant contributions made by Elinore and Lou Siminovitch to Canadian society, in a way that would reflect their mutual life-long love for the arts and, in particular the theatre," Joseph Rotman, chair of the Canada Council and one of the founders of the Siminovitch Prize, said in the statement dated March 13.
On Friday, Rotman's office said that he was away until next week and that neither he nor anyone else was available for comment.
The Siminovitch prize was created in 2001 in honour of scientist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife Elinore.
It recognizes accomplishments in design, direction and playwriting in three-year cycles. This year's focus is on design, which includes the categories of lighting, sound, costume and set.
Winners are recognized "for a body of work achieved in recent years, while influencing and inspiring younger theatre artists."
The deadline for 2012 nominations is June 8 at 5 p.m. ET. A short list is expected in September with the winner to be announced in November.
Last year's winner was Victoria-based playwright Joan MacLeod, who said of the honour: "For a playwright in this country, it really doesn't get better than this."
Other theatre veterans who've won the award over the years include playwright Daniel MacIvor and director Daniel Brooks.
