California State University, Northridge communication studies professor Amanda McRaven was presented with the best director Ovation Award last month for her direction of the play “The Pliant Girls” at the Fugitive Kind Live Theatre.

The best in Southern California theater gathered to honor the 2014 Ovation Award winners at a special celebration held at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in early November.

“Theater is a terrible way to make a living, but a wonderful way to be alive,” McRaven proclaimed as she accepted her award, echoing sentiments expressed by the evening’s other winners.

“The Pliant Girls” is a haunting exploration of love, sexual politics and the power of redemption. Loosely based on Aeschylus’ “The Suppliants” the play follows 50 bloodstained brides as they seek refuge after murdering their husbands on their wedding night. As the desperate women fight for refuge, their stories intertwine to form a complex tapestry of contemporary sisterhood, while shining a light on the deaths of the men who stood in their way.

“This is a fantastic and well-deserved award for Amanda McRaven. She is truly an outstanding director, artist and professor,” said Kathryn Sorrells, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies. “We’re fortunate to have her at CSUN to share her creative and intellectual expertise with our students.”

Presented by the L.A. Stage Alliance, the Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theater awards in Los Angeles. The event was co-hosted by “Scandal” co-stars Katie Lowes and Kate Burton.

“The Pliant Girls” will be performed again at The Colony Theatre in Burbank for one week only, Jan. 8 through 11. McRaven is again directing the winner of two Ovation Awards in association with Fugitive Kind Live Theatre. For more information, please visit fugitivekind.org or call (818) 588-3836.

Arts and Culture, Mike Curb College of Arts Media and Communication