June 19, 2006

DAWN SANDERS RECEIVES THE 2006 SAM WANAMAKER AWARD

This year’s Sam Wanamaker Award has been presented to Dawn Sanders, Chief Executive of The Shakespeare Globe Centre, New Zealand and tireless campaigner to raise national awareness in New Zealand of the project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe.
Dawn Sanders first became involved in the Globe project in 1983.  She was Project Manager of the Globe Theatre Hangings Project organized by the Wellington Shakespeare Society, which proposed to contribute a set of embroidered hangings for the theatre.  Appliquéd onto New Zealand wool and decorated by 500 voluntary embroiderers throughout the country, Dawn Sanders’ tireless efforts resulted in the completion of the hangings in 1991.  They are now a prominent feature of Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition.

Dawn Sanders founded The Shakespeare Globe Centre, New Zealand in 1991, following a visit by Sam Wanamaker to New Zealand the previous year. From 1992, Dawn Sanders set upon establishing a programme of education-based activities, including workshops and the annual Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools where students around New Zealand participate in 21 regional festivals culminating in a national festival in Wellington in June.  In the past 15 years, over 50,000 students have participated in the festivals. 

The Sam Wanamaker Award was instituted by the Globe in 1994 to celebrate work which has increased the understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare in the spirit of Sam Wanamaker’s own pioneering work.  Previous winners include Cicely Berry OBE, Glynne Wickham, Paul Scofield CH, Barry Rutter, Stephen Unwin and John Orrell.

The Sam Wanamaker Award was presented to Dawn Sanders QSM, at the Globe on 14 June 2006.