2007 Recipient

Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart is the Founder and Director of the La MaMa E.T.C., the theatre that began in October 1961, and to this day continues to be of great importance to world culture. To date, La MaMa E.T.C. has presented more than 1,900 productions. Ms. Stewart was instrumental in introducing to America some of the world's most influential artists.  She has staged, composed, directed and written librettos for original folk-opera/ spectacles presented around the world and is a visiting professor of the Institute of Drama in South Korea and a long-time member of the Seoul International Theatre Institute.

Ms. Stewart is the recipient of MacArthur "Genius" Award, the "Ordre Des Arts et Lettres" from the Republic of France and, in 1993, she was inducted into the Broadway Theatre Hall of Fame, becoming the first Off-Off-Broadway producer to ever receive this honor.