“When it comes to theater, Randy Gener is a rock star,” DAVID HENRY HWANG
“We’re very lucky to have him in our industry,” JACK O’BRIEN
“He is one of the most compelling voices in our era of globalization,” IOANA IERONIM
“He creates art himself with his incisive, finely wrought and insightful prose,” DOUG WRIGHT
“Randy Gener is an ideal recipient of any award for excellence,” JEAN-CLAUDE VAN ITALLIE

By U.S. News Agency / Asian

On July 4, 2012, the Nathan Award-winning editor, writer and artist RANDY GENER was named a Nominee for the 2012 The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) Award in the category of Media and Publishing. Major artists from Broadway and the international world agree, raising their voices in support. They urge everyone to vote for Gener to win this coveted award, which will be handed out at Carnegie Hall in New York during Filipino American History Month celebration in October.

TOFA-NY, an annual award event, recognizes exemplary Filipino-American individuals and organizations that have raised the profile of the Filipino American community in a unique and positive way – and to celebrate their achievements. TOFA-NY’s search for exemplary Filipino Americans in New York is being conducted via the social networking site Facebook. Nominations were made independently. Finalists were selected based on merit and achievements. Nominees in each category who receive the most Facebook LIKE’s by the deadline will be declared the winners.

“When it comes to theater, Randy Gener is a Filipino-American rock star,” says DAVID HENRY HWANG, the preeminent American dramatist (“Chinglish,” “Yellow Face,” “The Golden Child“), a Tony Award winner (M. Butterfly”) and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. “As the first Asian American to win the Nathan Award, theater criticism’s top prize, Randy commands the respect of theater artists from Broadway to Europe and Asia. What’s more, he has used his position to promote and advance worthy playwrights and directors who might not otherwise be noticed. Randy Gener is undoubtedly one of New York’s Outstanding Filipino-Americans.”

Says JACK O’BRIEN, three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway director (Hairspray, The Full Monty and The Coast of Utopia): “There are journalists you avoid, and there are journalists you both seek out and look forward to: Randy Gener is in the latter category. He is not only fair, intelligent and probing, but he’s enthusiastic as well. There is a standard evident in his writing which is too rare in that profession – not an inquiry designed just to ‘make news,’ but rather a curiosity to know what lies behind the spark of an idea. For that commodity alone, he should be enshrined. But then, he can write! We’re very lucky to have him in our industry.”

DOUG WRIGHT, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (“I Am My Own Wife“), librettist (“Grey Gardens“) and screenwriter (“Quills“), states: “Randy Gener is that rare theater writer who is a true friend to artists; he champions their work, writes about it incisively, and brings a global perspective to bear on local culture. He does so much more than explicate art by other people; he creates it himself with his incisive, finely-wrought and insightful prose.”

States IOANA IERONIM, Romanian poet, editor, diplomat, and former program director of Fulbright U.S.-Romania exchanges: “Randy Gener is one of the most compelling voices in our era of globalization. He has built a remarkable achievement in writing, with groundbreaking initiatives in that direction and a constant international exposure. Randy has an instinctive sense of mission to contribute to building a culturally global world (a thing that does not happen by itself). So much about culture, trends and problems of areas around the world are too little known – which Randy has presented and has given a voice to, with daring and a sure, cultivated taste.”

Adds JEAN-CLAUDE VAN ITALLIE, playwright (“America Hurrah” and “Tibetan Book of the Dead“), author, teacher and seminal force in the explosive New York Off-Broadway theater of the 1960s: “The artist/theater critic Randy Gener is a powerful cultural force in American theater arts. His articulate and insightful reviews, his personal encouragement of theater artists of different genres, and his knowledgeable, benevolent presence on the national theater scene make him an ideal recipient of any award for excellence.”

To help Randy Gener get to Carnegie Hall, one must first visit his photo in “Nominees for Media & Publishing” album, which resides inside “The 2012 TOFA-NY Award” Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=131919673614181&set=a.131919633614185.23143.131554353650713&type=1&theater). And then please click LIKE tab under nominee’s name.

Having trouble with this hyperlink? Copy and paste this direct link into to your computer’s browser and click LIKE: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=131919673614181&set=a.131919633614185.23143.131554353650713&type=1&theater

TOFA-NY believes that social media is crucial in getting the word out about the many personalities and organizations that have made Filipino-Americans a significant and dynamic community in the U.S. Voting will end on October 5 at midnight.

“I am honored to be nominated for the 2012 TOFA-NY Award,” Gener says. “This event promotes a PhilDev SuperFund Campaign to raise scholarships in engineering, science and technology for scholars in the Philippines. I am delighted to spread the word about PhilDev through this social-media campaign. A nonprofit organization, PhilDev strives for a sustainable and globally competitive Philippine economy by developing programs and supporting partnership initiatives in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

RANDY GENER is the only Asian-American winner of the prestigious George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism in its 52-year history. The highest prize for dramatic criticism in the U.S., the Nathan Award is selected annually since 1959 by Yale, Princeton and Cornell Universities. Gener is the 2008-2009 recipient for his essays in American Theatre magazine, published by Theatre Communications Group.

An editor, writer and artist in New York, Gener is the founder of in the theater of One World (theaterofOneWorld.org), a media project. In 2012, Gener published essays in “International Theatre Institute’s The World of Theater” (Peter Lang Editions) and “Out of Silence: Censorship in Theater and Performance” (Eyecorner Press). “Linda Faigao-Hall: The Female Heart and Other Plays,“ a new anthology of original plays about the Filipino-American experience by the critically acclaimed playwright Linda Faigao-Hall, edited with an introduction by Gener, will be published in fall 2012 by NoPassport Press.

Gener is presently at work producing and co-curating “FROM THE EDGE: Politics and Performance Design from Bush to Obama,” a theatrical installation that will return from Prague to make its New York debut at LaMaMa LaGalleria December 5 to 16, 2012.

Gener joins a list of notable nominees in other 2012 TOFA-NY Award categories. They include Lorna Schofield, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the position of federal district court judge for the Southern District of New York; NYU Dean for Science Michael Purugganan; Broadway stars Ali Ewoldt (“West Side Story”) and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (“Godspell”); Victor Lirio, actor and producing artistic director of Diverse City Theatre; and Cheryl Ocampo, mother of a special-needs child and founder of the Queens County Parents Autism Coalition.

An awarding ceremony will be held at Carnegie Hall in New York on October 27, 2012 with Philippine Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis as guest speakers. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and immigration activist Jose Antonio Vargas and Philippine TV personality Gel Santos Relos will emcee the awards event. The evening will feature performances by vocalists Gail Banawis, Kay Habana, Alyssa Shoemaker, and Tiffany Viray, as well as dancer Roberto Villanueva.

Tickets are $60-100. Call 212-417-0419. Carnegie Hall’s box office is located at West 57th and 7th Avenue. Visit www.facebook.com/TOFAINY2 | CarnegieHall.org | CarnegieCharge.org 212-247-7800

BIOGRAPHY

RANDY GENER is the only Asian-American winner of the prestigious George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism in its 52-year history. The highest prize for dramatic criticism in the U.S., the Nathan Award is selected annually since 1959 by Yale, Princeton and Cornell Universities. Gener is the 2008-2009 recipient for his essays in American Theatre magazine, published by Theatre Communications Group.

An editor, writer, critic, curator and artist in New York, Gener is the founder of in the theater of One World (theaterofOneWorld.org), a media project. In 2012, Gener published essays in “International Theatre Institute’s The World of Theater” (Peter Lang Editions) and “Out of Silence: Censorship in Theater and Performance” (Eyecorner Press). “Linda Faigao-Hall: The Female Heart and Other Plays,“ a new anthology of original plays about the Filipino-American experience by the critically acclaimed playwright Linda Faigao-Hall, edited with an introduction by Gener, will be published in fall 2012 by NoPassport Press.

A curator, producer and international artist, Gener most recently produced A Medley of Sondheim, the first USA musical to be presented at International Festival of Musical Performing Arts “Life is Beautiful!” in Romania. He is presently at work producing and co-curating FROM THE EDGE: Politics and Performance Design from Bush to Obama, a theatrical installation that will return from Prague to make its New York debut at LaMaMa LaGalleria December 5 to 16, 2012.

A public speaker and lecturer, Gener conducted a cultural arts workshop for 2012 Summit of Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro), a multinational forum for Pilipino Young Professionals, Students, and Youth.

In addition to the George Jean Nathan Award, Gener’s editorial work, critical essays and enterprise journalism for American Theatre magazine have been honored with the Deadline Club Award for Best Arts Reporting from New York chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, four media awards for excellence in travel writing from North American Travel Journalists Association Awards, Journalist of the Year Award from National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, Jerome Foundation’s National Theatre Criticism Fellowship, New York Times Criticism Fellowship, among others.

The New York Daily News describes Gener as “an internationalist, a champion of cultural exchange and dialogue.” American Theatre magazine says, “Randy Gener is unequaled among his contemporaries.”