Broadway's Darron L. West Receives Princess Grace Statue Award

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA announced that the 30th Anniversary Princess Grace Awards Gala will be held on Monday, October 22 at Cipriani on 42nd Street in New York City. The Awards ceremony will include the presentation of 25 awards to emerging artists in theater, dance, and film and a Princess Grace Statue Awards to be presented to Darron L. West.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA was formed after the death of Princess Grace in 1982. They present scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists at the start of their careers. The foundation has cultivated a diverse group of nearly 600 artists in the fields of vibrant theater, dance, choreography, film, playwriting, and design. Since the Foundation's inception, more than 750 Awards have been given to recipients to a total of nearly $10 million.

Past winners of the Awards for theater, dance, and film who distinguish themselves in their artistic disciplines since receiving their initial Princess Grace Awards are eligible to win the Foundation's Princess Grace Statue Award. This year, TONY Award-winning sound designer Darron L West will be receiving this honor. In addition to a $25,000 unrestricted cash gift, West will be presented with a bronze statuette of Princess Grace created by the Dutch artist Kees Verkade. To date, 56 artists have received this award.

West's work for theater has been heard in more than 500 productions on Broadway and off. He is a winner of a 2012 TONY Award, the 2010 Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award, the 2006 Lucille Lortel and AUDELCO Awards, the 2004 and 2005 Henry Hewes Design Award, an Obie, and an EDDY award. He is a founding member of Anne Bogart's SITI Company. Previously he designed sound for the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

The 30th Anniversary Princess Grace Awards Gala will take place in the presence of the Prince and The Princess of Monaco. Newswoman Paula Zahn will act as mistress of ceremonies for the evening. The evening will be chaired by Renée Fleming, Tim Jessell, and Princess Firyal of Jordan. Hermès is the presenting sponsor for the gala and Lily Safra is the crown sponsor. A unique live auction will feature a trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix and opportunities to name a Princess Grace Award.