The Belfry Theatre presents its inaugural Annamaria Bamji Award for Emerging Playwrights to Sarah Danielle Pitman.

The Annamaria Bamji Award for Emerging Playwrights was created by Dr. Pervez (Perry) Bamji in 2021 in memory of his late wife Annamaria Bamji (nee Carnelos). Annamaria was a remarkable patron of the arts and a dear friend of the Belfry.

Sarah Danielle Pitman is an emerging playwright living on the unceded territory of the Lekwungen and W_SÁNEC nations. Her work, both short fiction and drama has appeared in The University of Victoria’s undergraduate journals The Warren and This Side of West, as well as in the online writing journals including Reflex Fiction and Aquifer: The Florida Review Online. She has had readings with Vino Buono Productions, The Belfry, and a production with The Cultch’s Ignite! Youth Festival in Vancouver BC. In June 2022, her full-length play Lay Down All Dogs is slated for a full production with Hapax Theatre in Victoria.

The purpose of the award is to encourage the careers of playwrights between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. The award comes with a cash gift of $1,000 along with dramaturgical feedback. The award will be presented annually.