Zeneida Amador, Celeste Legaspi to be honored at 2nd Gawad Buhay! Awards

For their lifetime achievements and contributions to the professionalization of Philippine Performing Arts, theater icons Zeneida Amador and Celete Legaspi will be given fitting honors as the first recipients of the Natatanging Gawad Buhay, a lifetime achievement awards conferred by the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group, Inc. (Philstage).  

They are joined by Avon Philippines, a long-time corporate supporter of performing arts companies.

The awards will be conferred during the 2009 Gawad Buhay! : The PHILSTAGE Awards for the Performing Arts ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Toletino (CCP Little Theater). The awards show is free admission and open to the public.

Bibot, as Amador was fondly called by colleagues and wards in the theater, film and television circles, was the founding artistic director and guiding spirit of Repertory Philippines. She pioneered English theater in the country and was responsible for the professional training of hundreds of theater practitioners. An excellent actor, director and teacher, she was a formidable presence in Philippine Theater and was founding chairman of Philstage until her death in 2004.

Legaspi is a multi-awarded singer, actress and theater and music producer who co-founded the pioneering Musical Theater Philippines as its artistic director. Through her efforts, the production of original Filipino musicals flourished for over two decades since the 1980s. As founding president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit and Philstage, she was instrumental in steering the country’s only alliance of professional performing arts companies. 

Avon Philippines is acknowledged as a valued corporate supporter through its sustained assistance in the provision of free make-up for productions of professional and community-based performing arts companies since the early 1970s.

      

Now on its second year, Gawad Buhay! is an independently juried and first-ever industry awards exclusively for the performing arts. Ninety-five artists and productions vie for thirty individual and group award categories honoring outstanding achievements in play, musical and dance productions of Philstage member-companies for 2009