Award-winning costume designer Susan Hilferty and legendary scenic designer John Lee Beatty are among the 25th Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff Award recipients, which were just announced by TDF, the not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts. Ms. Hilferty was selected to receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design and Mr. Beatty will receive the Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. The awards are presented through TDF’s Costume Collection at a ceremony on Friday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.
Additionally, costume designer Mio Guberinic will receive the TDF/Kitty Leech Young Master Award, and Rodney Gordon will receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Artisan Award.
“Since the Sharaff Awards were started in 1994, we have awarded a veritable who’s who of theatrical costume and set designers,” says TDF’s Costume Collection Director Stephen Cabral. “This year’s exciting slate of awardees are worthy additions to that esteemed list.”
As it has been 25 years since the founding of the awards, where the first Lifetime Achievement was presented to the legendary Irene Sharaff, there will be a screening of an original 15-minute film on her career as memorial tribute, created by designer Suzy Benzinger.
The awardees were selected by the TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards Voting Committee, which is comprised of leading members of the theatrical costume design community. They are: Stephen Cabral, Chair; Gregg Barnes, Suzy Benzinger, Dean Brown, Traci DiGesu, Linda Fisher, Lana Fritz, Rodney Gordon, Allen Lee Hughes, Holly Hynes, Carolyn Kostopoulous, Anna Louizos, Mimi Maxmen,David Murin, Sally Ann Parsons, Robert Perdziola, Gregory Poplyk, Carrie Robbins, Tony Walton, Patrick Wiley, and David Zinn.
Throughout her long and distinguished career, elegance and an attention to detail were the trademarks of costume designer Irene Sharaff. Miss Sharaff was revered as a designer of enormous depth and intelligence, equally secure with both contemporary and period costumes. Her work exemplified the best of costume design. Such excellence is demonstrated by the winners of the 25th Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff awards.