Victor Award
In memory of our Founding Director, Victor Podagrosi, an annual award has been established to honor individuals and organizations who have demonstrated outstanding commitment, generosity, and/or service to Child's Play Touring Theatre and the arts community.
Each year, at the International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, Child's Play awards an International Victor Award to children's theatre companies who show excellence in their ability to interact with sponsors in a prompt, efficient and compatible manner, and who demonstrate a positive attitude toward their art.
Past recipients are:
| Year: | Performance/Company: | Country: | Website: |
| 1998 | Ballet Folklorico | Mexico | balletamalia.com |
| 1999 | Visible Fictions | Scotland | visiblefictions.co.uk |
| 2000 | The Young Americans | USA | youngamericanstheatre.com |
| 2001 | Martha | Scotland | catherinewheels.co.uk/martha.htm |
| 2002 | Goodnight Opus, Mermaid Theatre | Ontario, Canada | mermaidtheatre.ns.ca |
| 2003 | Shona Reppe Puppets | Ontario, Canada | shonareppepuppets.co.uk |
| 2004 | Hansel and Gretal, Theatre Sans Fil | Quebec, Canada | theatresansfil.ca |
| 2005 | Snowflake, LaJoye Productions | USA | lajoye.com |
| 2006 | Hamlet, Det lille Turneteater | The Netherlands | detlilleturneteater.dk |
| 2007 | Wolf!, Huis aan de Amstel | The Netherlands | huisaandeamstel.nl |
| 2008 | Pero, Speeltheatre Holland | The Netherlands | speeltheater.nl |
| 2009 | The Man Who Planted Trees, Puppet State Theatre Company | Scotland | puppetstate.com |
| 2010 | Shopping for Shoes, Visible Fictions | Scotland | visiblefictions.co.uk |
The Victor Award is also awarded locally each year to individuals and companies who have shown a strong commitment to Child’s Play and to working with the arts. Past recipients include:
1997 - Tammy Steele, Marcia Lipetz
1998 - Janet Brooks, Jasculca/Terman and Associates, Inc.
1999 - Andy Laities, Illinois Arts Council
2000 - Tammy Walker, City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs
2001 - Child's Play Touring Theatre Awarded by Illinois Theatre Association
2002 - Richard A. Devine, State's Attorney
2003 - Perry Cavitt
2004 - Kraft Foods, Inc., Deborah Bricker, Albert Goodman
2006 - Sondra Healy, Bernard Garbo, Jo-Ella Podagrosi-Spratt, Gigi Faraci
2007 - Darrell Barber, Eve Moran, Steve Scott, Bella Itkin – Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 - Nicole Rohr Lewis, Kevin Gates
2009 - George Bliss, Kathy Bliss, Vito Gioia
2010 - Jim Coates, Mara Georges, Sharon Thomas Parrott