Eugene O'Neill Award

The Eugene O'Neill Award (Swedish: O'Neill-stipendiet) is one of Sweden's finest awards for stage actors. Established by the American playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), it was first awarded in 1956.[1] [2]

Just before Eugene O'Neill died in 1953, he drew up a will in which he gave the then not yet staged play Long Day's Journey Into Night (written in 1941) to Sweden's national theatre Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), along with exclusive first performance rights. The play had its world premiere in Stockholm on February 2, 1956. The gesture was as thanks for Dramaten's continued interest in staging his plays (more so than any other theatre in the world), and for Swedish appreciation of his work long before he became recognized internationally, or in his home country. O'Neill was also the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936. Later his widow American stage and film actress Carlotta Monterey (1888– 1970), also gave Dramaten the performing rights to A Touch of the Poet (1942), Hughie (1942) and More Stately Mansions (posthumous) . She refused staging fees for his plays in Sweden, provided that 8% of the royalties from the revenues of each performance were given to the Eugene O'Neill Memory Fund, which manages the money for the Eugene O'Neill Award.[3][4]

The award is bestowed annually on the 16th of October, the anniversary of O'Neill's birthday. In accordance with O'Neill's own wishes, it is given to "highly deserving actors of Dramaten". Recipients of the award are decided by Dramaten's board of directors. As an extra honour to Eugene O'Neill, the first award was granted to the two actors who played the leading parts of James and Mary Tyrone in the original staging of Long Day's Journey Into Night at Dramaten in February 1956; Lars Hanson (1886-1965) and Inga Tidblad (1901–1975).[5] [6]

Recipients

References
  1. "O ́Neill-pris" (PDF). Dramaten. 16 October 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. "Eugene Gladstone O'neil". eoneill.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. "Carlotta Monterey". The Broadway League. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. "Long Day's Journey Into Night". The Broadway League. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  5. "Lars Hanson". Svensk Filmdatabas. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. "Inga Tidblad". Svensk Filmdatabas. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  7. "Dramaten - press release". Cision Wire. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
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