Cambridge, MA.... Vinie Burrows, described by theater critic Clive Barnes (The New York Post) as “one of the reigning divas of the Black theater” is the recipient of the 2002 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts presented by the Council for the Arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Award will be presented at the Council's Annual Meeting on October 24, which this year will focus on theater at MIT.

Born in Harlem in New York City, Burrows began her career as a child actor on radio and while still a teenager made her Broadway debut with Helen Hayes in “Wisteria Trees.” She has performed on- and off-Broadway and in television and films in dramas ranging from classical Greek plays and Shakespeare to television’s “Days of Our Lives.” She received a B.A. (pre-law) from New York University. In 2002, she received her Master's degree in theater arts from the same university, graduating summa cum laude.

As a young performer, Burrows was undaunted by the dearth of quality roles on the legitimate stage for Black performers. She created her own solo productions and now has a repertoire of eight one-woman shows. She has successfully booked, produced and directed these shows, performing on college campuses and touring Holland, Germany, Denmark, Romania, the United Kingdom, Algeria, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Japan and Russia. She is also a practicing ‘griot,’ having learned the African art of narrative storytelling while collecting traditional folk tales on her many trips.

For three years, she hosted a weekly live two-hour show, “More Than Half The World,” on the Pacifica Station WBAI (99.5) in New York City. Her guests ranged from street vendors, abused wives, diplomats, writers, actors, politicians and grass-roots activists.

While Burrows has always used theater to advocate peace, justice, and reconciliation, she has expanded her political and social effectiveness as the Permanent Representative for the Women's International Democratic Federation -- a Non-Governmental Organization [NGO] in Consultative Status, Category One, with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Her particular concerns are peace and disarmament, racial discrimination, women's issues, and economic/social development.

The McDermott Award, presented annually since 1974 in honor of Eugene McDermott, a benefactor to MIT in education and the arts, is bestowed upon an artist of the highest caliber in a given arts discipline. The award has evolved over the years, initially honoring MIT presidents, MIT arts patrons and well-established artists with MIT connections such as IM Pei, Richard Leacock and Henry Moore. Over the past ten years, the award has been given to an artist who is considered by the committee to be under-recognized by the public at large but acclaimed within his/her discipline. Recent awardees include author Junot Diaz, architects Diller and Scofidio, composer/musician Tan Dun and installation filmmaker Isaac Julien.

In conjunction with the award, Burrows will return to the MIT campus at a later date for a brief residency.

--end--

          MIT Office of the Arts