[ This Just In! ]

For Immediate Release
Date: June 15, 2001

SVT Recognized at 2001 ACT Awards

AUSTIN, TX--On Sunday, June 10, Salvage Vanguard Theater received two awards from the Austin Critics' Table. Graham Reynolds won Outstanding Musical Director and Jason Neulander won Outstanding Direction of New Opera, both for their work on Ruth E. Margraff's Wallpaper Psalm.

In presenting the award to Neulander, Jamie Smith Cantera, critic for the Austin American-Statesman, said: "We are giving this award to someone who has pioneered a new art form in Austin, Texas." While the award for Outstanding Direction of New Opera was under the auspices of Wallpaper Psalm, Neulander was recognized for a body of music/theater work that has extended over the past several years.

Says Neulander, who was unable to attend the ceremony because he was performing in another project: "Tears welled up in my eyes when I heard about the award. Sometimes you wonder if the work you are doing has an impact. It was clear from this honor that, at least for the critics, my work does. It's really wonderful to be recognized like this."

The award for Outstanding Musical Direction was given to Graham Reynolds for his work on both Wallpaper Psalm and the radio serial The Intergalactic Nemesis. Salvage Vanguard Theater has commissioned Reynolds, along with New York-based librettist Karen Hartman, to create a new opera entitled Baba Yaga's Fire. The new opera will have its first public concert reading in November 2001 and will receive its world premiere from Salvage Vanguard in September 2002.

Salvage Vanguard Theater is a nonprofit arts organization located in Austin, Texas, committed to fostering a dynamic exchange between visionary artists and audiences new to their work. To that end, Salvage Vanguard Theater seeks to combine explosive energy with expert technique, creating forms that defy theatrical traditions and define a new American avant-garde.

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