The Sarah Siddons Society

Sample Question

While the first fictional Sarah Siddons Award went to the devious (and young) Eve Harrington in "All About Eve", the first 'real' award in 1952 was given to a veteran, a woman who had contributed much to the arts in general. The Society's mission statement regarding its prize reads: 'an award given annually to an actor for an outstanding performance in a Chicago theatre production'. The play this actress was named the 'winner' in was a piece called "Mrs. McThing" and was hardly a classic night at the theatre. However, she herself was a classic thespian, having lit up the stage in many fine performances prior to the 1950s. Who was that first winner, who had already won an Oscar at that time and would go on to win another one some years later?