The Prize of Hope to FIRST VOICE v/Brenda Wong og Mark Izu, San Francisco, USA
The Institute for Popular Theatre & Dell’Arte International, USA, awards The Prize of Hope at Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, California, on Sunday, July 7th, with a prize-giving celebration and a grand program.
The Prize of Hope is given to an individual or a theater that has worked for human hope; boldly, lovingly, vulgarly, seriously, poetically… with sparkling energy against conventional thinking, which is the greatest threat to our culture: for a world where people use their own eyes, ears, voice.
The Prize of Hope is an international award. The vision of The Prize of Hope is to promote a living, vital, and innovative popular art. The prize was first awarded in 1989 in Denmark and in the USA in 2008. The prize is awarded every other year in Denmark at the Aasen Teater and every other year in the USA at Dell’Arte International in California.
FIRST VOICE c/o Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu, San Francisco, receive The Prize of Hope 2024 for artistic work with a comprehensive multi-ethnic perspective.
Like astronauts in space, they see the earth as a healing fusion, a world where we must listen to each individual’s personal or “first voice.” With this vision, they created their common platform nearly 50 years ago: FIRST VOICE.
Brenda Wong Aoki is a dancer and storyteller. She has, among other things, Japanese roots and has worked based on the Japanese No tradition, which dates back to the 13th century. Mark Izu is a composer and musician. He too has a Japanese sensei/teacher and has studied Gagaku, the ancient Japanese imperial music, over the years. In his version, this is fused with Asian-American jazz.
Brenda Wong Aoki uses her own personal voice, her authentic “first voice,” as content in her performances. In her family’s history lies a relationship between a Japanese and a European that led to racial prejudices across the USA.
In the performance “Uncle Gungiro’s Girlfriend,” the story is told of a forbidden love between Brenda’s Japanese great-uncle, Gunjiro, and the white Caucasian Helen Gladys Emery in early 1900s USA. Their announced engagement at the time caused a great controversy: A marriage between an Asian man and a white woman was unacceptable! The reaction in San Francisco led to riots in the streets. The family had to flee from California to Seattle in haste. This led to deaths and a racial law that was not repealed until 1948.
Aoki’s grandfather, Reverend Chojiro Aoki, came to the USA from Japan in the 1880s and was one of the founders of San Francisco’s Japantown. The Japanese heritage permeates Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu’s work in FIRST VOICE.
It all starts with telling the true, unvarnished story. The significance of this story is illustrated by Aoki’s grandmother, who refused to die until the “forbidden story” was told. Not long after the premiere, she passed away at the age of 107.
In the performance “Ballad of Bones,” the story is told of Japanese descendants in the USA who felt excluded during World War II. 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent were interned after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Even today, there is still a sense of distance towards Asians in the USA.
The most important thing in FIRST VOICE is on many levels to create empathy and understanding for “the other,” a co-creation that can come from Honolulu or Chinatown.
FIRST VOICE also organizes magnificent public “meetings” without words with communal dances, where hundreds of people dance together in an open space in San Francisco. Here, the personal dance steps and rhythm become a community.
Over the years, FIRST VOICE has managed to create an artistic space for meetings between people with a diversity of voices that blend and reinforce the multi-ethnic perspectives. It is art that seeks to embrace and include.
Congratulations to Brenda Wong Aoki, Mark Izu, and FIRST VOICE on receiving The Prize of Hope 2024. Especially in a time when ethnic differences turn into wars, the true, listening voice is a “first voice” and the path to hope.
From the Institute for Popular Theatre & Dell’Arte International,
Lars Olsen & Birthe Rosenfeldt *)
The prize committee in Denmark also includes Moqi Simon Trolin, chairman, theater director, Allan Helge Jensen, actor, Lotte Augustesen, journalist, Marie Knudsen-Fogh, actor, Marie Tourell Søderberg, actor, Jeppe Groot, advisor, Selma, Nanna, Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen, author, artist, actor.
Members of the Danish Institute for Popular Theatre: Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium, Holstebro, Aarhus Teater, Aarhus, Aalborg Teater, Aalborg, Vendsyssel Teater, Hjørring, Teater Nordkraft, Aalborg, Sort/Hvid, København, Teatercentrum, København, Kaospiloterne, Aarhus, BAS, Brønderslev, Dell’arte International, Californien, Brønderslev Erhverv&Turisme, Brønderslev, Det Flyvende Kuffertcirkus, Bælum. Kulturhuset Kappelborg, Skagen, Ragnarock, Espergærde, DATS, Odense. Västanå Musik og Teater, Sunne, Sverige,
The Prize of Hope/Håbets Pris is an international award. It has been given in Denmark since 1989 and in the US since 2008. The prize is given every second year at Aasen Theatre and every other year in the US at Dell’Arte Theatre in California. The vision of The Prize of Hope is to promote a living, vital, sharp and innovative popular art.
The Prize of Hope will be given to a person or a theatre who has worked for human hope; daring, loving, vulgar, serious, poetic…with sparkling energy against habitual thinking, which is the gravest threat to our culture: For a world where people use their own eyes, ears and voices.
Prize of Hope for a living, popular theatre.
32. Västanå Music & Theatre 2023 and Leif and Inger Stinnerbom, Värmaland, Sweden. They create a vibrant, lively folk theater in Värmland, which people flock to.
31. Zimbabwe Theater Academy and Lloyd Nyikadzino 2022, Harare, Zimbabwe. They lead the way with young physical theatre in Africa.
30. Aprilfestival, Denmark 2021.The world’s largest theatre festival for children and young people.
29. Kitt Johnson, X-act Copenhagen, Denmark 2019Kitt Johnson is a shaman of our time.
28. UNIVERSES Theater Company 2018, New York, USA.They are a source of change, a continuing struggle for equality on the theater scene in the United States.
27. C:NTACT & Henrik Hartmann 2017. Frederiksberg, Denmark.C:NTACT creates intercultural encounters between people who otherwise would not have met: Every person carries a hope and a wish to succeed.
26. Cornerstone Theater Company 2016. Los Angeles, USA,Cornerstone Theater Company creates theater art, which brings people together regardless of race or background.
25. Théâtre du Solei & Ariane Mnouchkine 2015.“La Cartoucherie”, Paris, France. For 50 years, as an independent theatre collective, to have shared life, work and art, and together created a world class popular theatre.
24. Clowns Without Borders 2014. Bringing joy and hope to needy children in the shadow of war.
23. Christian Lollike 2013. Dramatist. Copenhagen, Denmark. For a radical reinterpretation of popular theatre with taboo as the means and dialogue as the aim.
22. Geoff & Dan Hoyle 2012, San Francisco, USA. Individually, they are amazing performers and as father and son, they are a multi-generational force for good.
21. Eugenio Barba and The Odin Theatre 2011, Holstebro, Denmark. They have created an important contribution to the cultural heritage of the world and have been a cornerstone in Danish and Nordic theatre for almost half a century.
20. David Simpson, Jane Lapiner and Human Nature 2010, Petrolia, USA, received the Prize of Hope 2010. They have created original theatre pieces about significant environmental and climate change.
19. Suzanne Osten, Unga Klara 2009, Stockholm, Sweden, received the Prize of Hope 2009 because she has worked with theatre from the perspective of the child and other vulnerable groups all her life. She is part of the reason that Scandinavian children’s and youth theatre is amongst the best in the world.
18. Tim Robbins and The Actors’ Gang 2008, Los Angeles, USA, received the Prize of Hope 2008 for leaning into the wind with their combination of contemporary immediacy, public engagement and great theatrical craft created with a profound hope for changing the course of life for better. The event was hosted by Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, California on June 21.
17. Set designer Poul Fly Plejdrup 2007, Odder, Denmark, for his magical open theatre. The open theatre is the space of living theatre and the theatre of hope.
16. Dell’ Arte International 2005, Blue Lake, USA. They have created a physical theatre school of an international standard in the far North of California’s Redwood district, which attracts students from all over the world.
15. Finn Hesselager 2004, Nørre Snede, Denmark. For his significant contribution to the development of Danish theatre, television and film, through his teaching of an entire generation of Danish actors.
14. Bådteatret (The Boat Theatre) The Prize of Hope 2003 went to Bådteatret, with its three brave captains Tue Biering, Rolf Heim and Emil Korf-Hansen 2003 because they insist on performing. In spite of financial cuts, they continue to perform political theatre in the spirit of our era.
13. Helle Ryslinge 2002, film director, Copenhagen, Denmark. For pioneering work within Danish film, uncovering societal taboos with her microscopic attention to detail.
12. Klaus Hoffmeyer 2001, Artistic Director at the Royal Theatre Copenhagen, Denmark. For keeping his core intact whether on the student scene or at the Royal Theatre of Denmark.
11. Åsa Simma 2000, Sámi theatre and film, Sápmi. Through her art, she awakens resources hidden in the rituals and images of the ancient mountains of Sámi culture.
10. Randi Patterson 1999, Living Movement & Nyt Dansk Danseteater, Copenhagen. Founder and pioneer of modern dance in Denmark.
9. Chris Torch 1998. Intercult, Stockholm, Sweden. Founder of Earth Circus & Shikaste. A pioneer in intercultural scenic art in Sweden, the Nordic countries and Europe.
8. Grenland Friteater 1997, Porsgrunn, Norway. For twenty years of pioneering work in group theatre in Norway – in a continuous search for identity in modern post-war Norway.
7. Hans Rønne 1996. Teatret, Odder, Danmark. For his solo performances as a distinguished landmark of Danish children’s and youth theatre in the year of the cultural city.
6. Hans Hellberg 1995. Narren, Stokholm. Sweden. Founder of group theatre in the Nordic countries and its first important architect.
5. Arne Aabenhus & Asger Hulgaard 1994. Dansk Amatør Teater Samvirke. Founder and creator of Dansk Amatør Teater Samvirke (Danish Amateur Theatre Cooperation) for many years.
4. Iben Nagel Rasmussen 1992. Odin Theatre, Holstebro, Denmark. For being a pioneer of new acting in Denmark and for the performance ITSI BITSI.
3. Tage Hind 1991. Institut for Dramaturgi, Aarhus University, Denmark. For being a pioneer in the establishment of a new vision of theatre and founder of Institut for Dramaturgi at the University of Aarhus.
2. Aleksander Jochwed 1990. Theatre workshop Den Blå Hest, Aarhus, Denmark. Because the theatre breaks down barriers in the mind and between the East and the West.
1. Trevor Davies 1989. Festival of Fools, Copenhagen, Denmark, for creating a popular space for theatre and the Festival of Fools, as a cultural mediator and force to be reckoned with.
Institut for Folkeligt Teater and AASEN TEATER, BRØDHOLTVEJ 120, DK-9740 JERSLEV, Denmark
aasenteater@gmail.com, www.haabetspris.dk , www.aasen.dk, +45 61717343