Mnouchkine to receive Ibsen Award

OSLO, Sweden, May 26 (UPI) -- The 2nd International Ibsen Award is to be presented to the French theater director and founder of Theatre du Soleil, Ariane Mnouchkine.

The International Ibsen Award was established by the Norwegian government in 2007 and includes a $500,000 cash prize.

The award is intended to honor an individual, organization or institution within the arts that has demonstrated extraordinary achievements in the spirit of playwright Henrik Ibsen, The Committee for the International Ibsen Award said in a news release.

"Everyone who has seen one of Ariane Mnouchkine's productions at the Theatre du Soleil in Paris leaves with the feeling of having been part of a tale of enchantment," the jury awarding the prize said in a statement. "A tale that is larger than life but at the same time reveals life. A fantastic journey that throws fresh light on history and contemporary society, that enriches thought and feeling and in dramatic language inspires an apparently paradoxical faith in the future."

Mnouchkine, 70, was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

In addition to her theater work, she also directed the film "Moliere," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978.