In June, Joe Dowling retired as director of the Guthrie Theater after 20 years. Now, the Ivey Awards has recognized Dowling's tenure in the Twin Cities with the 2015 Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dowling is the 11th lifetime honoree of the annual celebration of Twin Cities theater. He was feted Monday night at the ceremony at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.
"I feel enormously honored to join the remarkable list of artists who have won this award before me," said Dowling, who was greeted with a standing ovation. "We came here 20 years ago as complete strangers to the Twin Cities. In these 20 years I have gotten to work with so many great artists and this feels like home."
Dowling was the longest-tenured artistic director in Guthrie history. He spearheaded a $125 million campaign to build a three-theater complex on the Mississippi River, which opened in 2006. He also brought in playwrights Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner and Christopher Hampton for world premieres and routinely sought international companies to visit Minneapolis. Actor Mark Rylance worked often at the Guthrie.
On the stage, Dowling was known for his work with Miller, Anton Chekhov, Tom Stoppard and Irish playwrights Sean O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw and Brian Friel. His final production in June was a heartfelt "Juno and the Paycock" the O'Casey play that introduced him to U.S. audiences.
The Iveys honored young actor Mikell Sapp as Emerging Artist — the other standing honor presented each year. Sapp is an Alabama native who quickly has turned heads at Pillsbury House ("Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet"), Penumbra ("The Ballad of Emmett Till") and Mixed Blood ("Pussy Valley").
"When I moved up here from Alabama they told me this wasn't possible, but I guess this little old country boy proved them wrong," said Sapp, who said he shared the award with his "Marcus" castmates.
The Iveys also recognized three small theater productions from the last year, in addition to nine individuals and one acting ensemble.
