ADJUDICATORS & PANELISTS
The Arts Advisory Council (AAC) is a voluntary board whose role is to oversee the Princess Grace Awards program. Members are experts, practitioners and leaders in their artistic fields; at the Princess Grace Foundation they work alongside the PGF-USA staff to develop funding that is responsive to the needs of the artistic community. In addition AAC members participate as panelists for the Advancement grants to Award winners, recommend Adjudicators and Panelists for the Princess Grace Awards and are ambassadors of the Princess Grace Foundation in the artistic community.
Arts Advisory Council members are vital members of the Princess Grace Foundation community and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA thanks each member for their commitment to the success of the Princess Grace Awards and our community of extraordinary artists.
Woo Jung Cho, Arts Advisory Council Chair
Melia Bensussen
Nigel Campbell
Terese Capucilli
Suzanne Farrell
Renée Fleming
Michael John Garcés
Billy Luther
Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Jared Mezzocchi
Patricia Neary
Ted Rawlins
Heidi Saman
Abby Sun
Eduardo Vilaro
Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick
Arts Advisory Council Emeritus
Linda Blackaby
Kent Gash
Eduardo Garcia* (AAC Chair)
William Greaves* (Film Chair)
Barbara Horgan (AAC Chair)
Bonnie Oda Homsey (Dance Chair)
John Mazzola* (AAC Chair)
Georgiana Pickett*
Gary Pudney*
*In Memoriam
Princess Grace Awards Adjudication Process
Award winners are selected annually by experts in theater, dance and film. Applicants are assessed in review stages consisting of both online and in person panel reviews by Adjudicators. Each Adjudicator brings their own experience and aesthetic to the table, however decisions are made by consensus.
Stages of Review
- Round 1: The Nomination: Adjudicators evaluate each component of the application within their specific area(s) of expertise via the online application system.
- Round 2: The Full Application:
- Adjudicators review applicants within their specific area(s) of expertise via the online application evaluating each component of the Full Application including work samples.
- Multidisciplinary artists: Adjudicators convene to discuss applicants who have identified themselves and wish to be reviewed by multiple disciplines. Adjudicators share knowledge and perspective from their respective disciplines.
- Adjudicators convene in person to discuss the applications and select the Princess Grace Award winners.
About the Adjudicators
Selection panels are curated collaboratively by the Arts Advisory Council and President. Princess Grace Award Adjudicators are experts within the disciplines of theater, dance, choreography, film, and animation, and are also equipped to evaluate applicants based on the Princess Grace Foundation’s mission and values.
The Arts Advisory Council Chair and President facilitate and moderate each stage of the process and are not voting members in the selection of the Princess Grace Awards.
Princess Grace Award Adjudicators
2026 Adjudicators
Theater
Jared Mezzocchi*, Chair
Lap Chi Chu
Amanda Cooper
Shana Cooper*
Jim Findlay*
Derek Goldman
Bruce Lemon*
Patricia McGregor
Naysan Mojgani
Seret Scott
James Scruggs
Dance & Choreography
Elisa Clark*, Chair
Kyle Abraham*
Nigel Campbell*
Michelle Gibson
Brinda Guha
Craig Hall
Lar Lubovitch
Stephanie Martinez
Rashaun Mitchell*
Jane Rabinovitz Raleigh
Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish
Margaret Tracey*
Mario Alberto Zambrano*
Film
Heidi Saman*, Chair
Jessica Bardsley*
Ximena Amescua Cuenca
Eric Darnell*
Tanya Elaine Hamilton
Byron Hurt
Darol Olu Kae
Kayla Myers
Roya Rastegar
Shrihari Sathe
John Summerson*
Grace Zahrah
*Previous Princess Grace Award winners
Panels prior to 2026, included the following experts and leaders in their artistic fields, and we thank them for their service.
| THEATER | Lisa Allen Bob Alwine Christopher Ashley Trudi Biggs McCanna Debbie Bisno Rick Boynton Kristin Caskey | Linda Chapman Elisa Clark Amy Corcoran Mary de Liagre Barry Edelstein David Esbjornson Tim Evans Dan Fields | Kent Gash Lisa Guzman Robert Hunt Lou Jacob Ruth Maleczech Meredith Lynsey Schade Seret Scott | Eric Simonson Rachel Sussman Paul Tazewell Darron L West Michael Wilson Stephanie Ybarra Evan Yionoulis |
| DANCE | Carolyn Adams Robert Battle Neal Beasley Trisha Brown Carmen de Lavallade Suzanne Farrell Gina Gibney Barbara Horgan | Judith Jamison Virginia Johnson Roy Kaiser Edwaard Liang Lar Lubovitch Susan Marshall Carla Maxwell | Amanda McKerrow Rashaun Mitchell Carla Peterson Lawrence Rhodes Ethan Stiefel Pam Tanowitz Margaret Tracey | Eduardo Vilaro Edward Villella Sylvia Waters Heather Watts Martin Wechsler Damian Woetzel Jawole Willa Jo Zoller |
| FILM | Mary Lea Bandy Rose Bond Ilya Chaiken Amalia Cordova Woo Jung Cho Vanessa Erazo Kathy Geritz Jacqueline Gill | Tony Gittens Bill Greaves Ed Halter John Hanhardt Larry Kardish Billy Luther Andrew MacLean | Scott MacDonald Marian Masone Greg Mottola Brian O’Doherty Tony Pemberton David Riker David Schwartz | William Sloan Musa Syeed Martin Syjuco Monika Wagenberg Elizabeth Weatherford Chi hui Yang |
History of the Arts Advisory Council
Prince Rainier III of Monaco established the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 1982 to honor the legacy of His wife, Princess Grace of Monaco. Prince Rainier and Founding Chairman Robert J. Hausman created the Arts Advisory Council, a voluntary board comprised of experts, practitioners and leaders in the fields of theater, dance and film to build the Awards program, working alongside the Foundation staff and Board of Trustees.
Prior to 2021, the Princess Grace Foundation Arts Advisory Council included Discipline Chairs for each the disciplines supported by the Princess Grace Awards – theater, dance, and film. The Chairs built diverse adjudication panels of highly knowledgeable, credentialed, nationally recognized peers in the fields who are committed to the future of the performing arts, and served as Panelists for the Advancement grants for Award winners. Today, Chairs are integrated into the Arts Advisory Council along with additional experts in theater, dance and film.
Former Discipline Chairs
| Theater Eduardo Garcia Ted Rawlins | Dance Barbara Horgan Bonnie Oda Horgan | Film William Greaves Linda Blackaby |