GREEN, is named winner of the 2001 Kulturpreis
Europa, to be presented in Vienna on October 13.
Cologne, Germany – October 1: Dieter Topp,
President of KulturForum Europa announced that
the 2001 KulturPreis Europa has been awarded to
Jeff Baron, for his play Visiting Mr. Green, (Besuch
bei Mr. Green) in its production by Theater in der
Josefstadt in Vienna. Baron is the first American
and the first playwright to receive this prestigious
award, which he shares with the director of the
play, Franz Morak, and the two actors, Fritz Muliar
and Michael Dangl.
1992 to someone from the arts, politics or economics in
recognition of a contribution to European culture that
promotes tolerance across national and societal borders.
The award proclamation cites Jeff Baron and his
collaborators on Visiting Mr. Green as "persons who commit
their strength and resources to make others aware that
Europe has the potential to serve as a model of peaceful
coexistence between a wide variety of people whose
differences are seen as valuable gifts, not something
foreign that should generate fear or be combatted."
Previous winners have included Antonio Bassolino, the
mayor of Naples; 3sat, the German communications
satellite; Avraham Primor, Israeli Ambassador to Germany;
and Dr. Pasqual Maragall, the mayor of Barcelona. The prize
will be awarded in Vienna on October 11 after a special
performance of Visiting Mr. Green that will be attended by
Dr. Thomas Klestil, the President of Austria, and other
dignitaries.
Visiting Mr. Green was part of the repertory at Josefstadt,
one of Vienna’s leading theatres for the past two seasons,
during which it also toured in Italy and Germany and was
nationally broadcast on Austrian television. The Josefstadt
production featured Austrian acting legend Fritz Muliar and
young theatre star Michael Dangl, who are co-winners of
the KulturPreis Europa 2001 with author Jeff Baron and
director Franz Morak, formerly artistic director of Theater in
der Josefstadt and currently Undersecretary of State of
Austria.
Visiting Mr. Green is the first play of playwright Jeff Baron.
It originally starred Eli Wallach, and ran for a year at New
York’s Union Square Theatre. It has received an unusual
number of translations and major international productions
for a contemporary American play. For more information,
please contact Chris Rabe at the press office of KulturForum
Europa in Cologne 49-2424-940427 [rabe@kfe.de].
with Jeff Baron, the night they
received the 2001 Kulterpreis Europa.