Vita Awards

Awards for excellence arts.

Also referred to as AA Vita Awards, AA Mutual Life Vita Awards, the IGI Life Vita Awards, and the FNB Vita Awards

Founding and history

Founded by Philip Stein in 1983, with the help of AA Mutual Life managing director, Brian Benfield, the awards were sponsored by the AA Mutual Life insurance company and were intended to reward excellence in local artis, including theatre and dance. They were originally called AA Life Theatre Awards, but when Stein created Vita Promotions to fund a whole range of privately funded projects over a period of almost 20 years. These included the Vita Theatre Awards (both regional awards in the various provinces, and ultimately national awards); the Vita Art Prize and exhibition; the Vita Craft Now awards and exhibitions; the Market Laboratory Community Theatre Festival, the Windybrow Arts Festival and the FNB Dance Umbrella. The name of the sponsoring company would change intermittently over the years, thus giving us the later IGI Life Vita Awards and ultimately the FNB Vita Awards).

Between 1987 and 1997 the awards were managed by Nicola Danby.

Winners

1994/1995

Play of the Year: The Island

Best supporting performances: Ramolao Makhene and Daphney Hlomuka in Sophiatown

Director of the Year: Mark Graham for Travels with my Aunt and Hamlet

Performance of the Year: Michael Atkinson for King George in The Madness of George III

Actress of the Year: Wilna Snyman for her performance in Sweet Sorrows

Musical Theatre Production of the Year: A Handful of Keys

Musical Theatre Performer of the Year: Ian von Memerty

the Tonight/FNB Award for Comedy of the Year: Heel Against the Head

Playwright of the Year: Andrew Buckland

Production of a New South African Play: CAPAB/Jazzart’s Medea.

Best technicians: set designer Marthinus Basson, lighting designer Mannie Manim and costume designer Peter Cazalet.

the Moyra Fine Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatrical Life (awarded posthumously): Barney Simon.

Sources

http://www.stateoftheart.co.za/curator/12/nicola-danby

https://mg.co.za/article/1995-10-06-looking-back-in-nostalgia/

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