(© Tristan Fuge)
Broadway’s David Furr (The Importance of Being Earnest) has received the Actors’ Equity Foundation’s annual St. Claire Bayfield Award for his work as Orlando in the Public Theater’s 2012 Shakespeare in the Park production of As You Like It, a performance which TheaterMania called “a potent blend of passion and humor.”
The St. Claire Bayfield Award was established in 1973 and aims to honor the best performance in a supporting role by an actor in a Shakespearean play in the New York metropolitan area. The recipient receives a $1,000 check as well as a crystal plaque, which will be presented at Equity’s Eastern Regional Membership Meeting on January 11.
Notable previous recipients include Dana Ivey (The Importance of Being Earnest), Charles Kimbrough (Harvey), Nathan Lane (The Nance), Brian Murray (The Importance of Being Earnest), and Bradley Whitford (Boeing-Boeing).
Furr’s Broadway career has included roles in The Importance of Being Earnest, Accent on Youth, Cymbeline, The Rivals, King Lear, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
The Actors’ Equity Foundation has also selected Merritt Wever (The Illusion) and Michael Shannon (Grace, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) as the recipients of the Joe A. Callaway Award, which recognizes the best performances in a professional production of a classic play, for their performances in Annie Baker’s new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, which was presented earlier this year by Soho Rep.
Winners of the Callaway Award also receive a $1,000 check plus an engraved plaque for each recipient, which will also be presented at Equity’s Eastern Regional Membership Meeting on January 11.
