Norton Awards recognizes ArtsEmerson

A scene from Mies Julie. (Photo from artsemerson.org)

The play Mies Julie, a Baxter Theatre Centre production that was presented by ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage earlier this year, has received a 2014 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Visiting Production.

The 32nd annual awards, which are considered Boston’s version of the Tonys, were handed out May 19 at the Wheelock Family Theatre. Among those in attendance were Boston Mayor Martin Walsh; Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, who won a lifetime achievement award; and Paul Daigneault, who won an award for sustained excellence.

Also in attendance were members of the Boston Theater Critics Association, including its president, Joyce Kulhawik, and Jared Bowen ’98 of WGBH. 

Acclaimed director Yael Farber’s adaptation of Mies Julie takes place 18 years after the end of apartheid in South Africa. In a brutal and tender single night, the audience witnesses the shifting dynamics between a black farm laborer, his “master’s” daughter, and the woman who has raised them both. The visceral struggles of contemporary South Africa are revealed in a fierce battle over power, sexuality, memory, mothers, and land.

Productions from the Wheelock Family Theatre, which is managed by Wendy Lement, MA ’88, also received awards, including Hairspray and On the Town.