This award, the highest recognition an artist or theater can receive, is given to a regional theater company that has displayed a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theater nationally.   Founded in 1974, by eight Chicago artists, the Victory Gardens Theater has continued to introduce theater-goers to fresh, original, and innovative productions. 

I am proud that the nation is finally being let in on a secret we Chicagoans have known for years: that bigger is not always better and that in the end, quality, courage, and determination will be rewarded.   I salute the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater and I appreciate the contributions of the Theater to the Chicago community and to the arts.