Victoria
Bussert,
head
of
BW's
music
theatre
program,
has
been
honored
for
her
phenomenal
work
with
a
2019
Cleveland
Arts
Prize
Mid-Career
Artist
Award.
Now
in
its
59th
year,
the
Cleveland
Arts
Prize
is
the
nation's
oldest
municipal
arts
award,
annually
celebrating
exceptional
artists
in
Northeast
Ohio.
Cleveland
Arts
Prize
Cleveland
Arts
Prize
recognizes
artists
in
literature,
dance,
theater
and
visual
art
with
emerging
artist,
mid-career
and
lifetime
achievement
awards.
The
winners
will
receive
their
awards
and
the
$10,000
prize
attached
to
them
at
a
ceremony
in
September.
Cleveland
Arts
Prize
Executive
Director
Alenka
Banco
shared
in
the
awards
announcement,
"It's
more
than
a
monetary
prize
to
artists
who
are
doing
great
work.
It's
really
about
a
family
and
it's
about
Cleveland's
legacy."
Theatre
"powerhouse"
Bussert
has
been
directing
theatrical
productions
for
more
than
30
years,
including
staging
not
only
musicals,
but
also
operas,
concerts
and
tours
both
across
the
nation
and
abroad.
In
addition
to
directing
the
music
theatre
program
at
BW,
Bussert
is
also
a
resident
director
at
Great
Lakes
Theater
and
the
Idaho
Shakespeare
Festival.
"She's
a
powerhouse.
The
kids
and
the
students
that
are
coming
out
of
her
program
are
really
on
a
national
and
an
international
stage,"
Banco
said
of
Bussert
in
the
awards
announcement.
Read
it
in
The
Plain
Dealer
A
feature
in
The
Plain
Dealer
notes
the
arts
prize
prize
jury
"praised
her
both
for
directing
and
teaching."
Colton
Ryan
'17,
hired
on
Broadway
before
his
graduation,
told
the
newspaper.
"She's
tough
in
all
the
right
ways.
She's
tenacious
about
your
potential
and
passion."
"It
is
truly
an
honor
to
be
awarded
the
Cleveland
Arts
Prize,"
Bussert
says.
"Mid-career
to
me
means
I
still
have
a
lot
of
work
to
do!"
