Vineyard Theatre Names Liesl Tommy First Recipient of the Susan Stroman Directing Award

The Vineyard Theatre announced that Liesl Tommy will be the first recipient of the off-Broadway theater company's Susan Stroman Directing Award. The award was presented to Tommy at the Vineyard's 30th anniversary gala, which was held on March 18 at The Edison Ballroom.

The Vineyard will now present the Susan Stroman Award annually. The residency-based award will be given to a talented early or mid-career director, and will provide its recipients with space, time and support to develop projects and strike new collaborations while in residence at the theatre.

"With this award, we look forward to creating opportunities for talented young directors to become part of the life of the Vineyard family in an ongoing way," Vineyard artistic director Douglas Aibel said in a statement.

Five-time Tony winner Stroman added, "I am lucky to have had the chance to work with the incredible [Vineyard] team twice in my career, and what makes The Vineyard so special is its singular devotion to the artist. The Vineyard knows that talent and art must both be nurtured. I am honored to have Liesl Tommy as the first recipient of this award."

Click here for Broadway.com's full coverage of The Vineyard Theatre's 30th anniversary celebration, which celebrated the theater’s musical history and featured reunions and performances from the casts of Vineyard productions Avenue Q, [title of show] and more!