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\n\tAndrea Martin\u2019s journey to stage and screen stardom on Broadway and in Hollywood came full circle Thursday when she received a tribute at The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/em>\u2019s Women in Entertainment Canada gala in Toronto within eyeshot of the Royal Alexander Theatre, where a quirky 1972 Toronto staging of\u00a0Godspell\u00a0<\/em>she performed in became a life-changing experience.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBasically this newly minted Canadian icon is a person who just got lucky,\u201d Martin said from a stage at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, across a downtown square from the Royal Alex. Martin was honored with the Icon Award at the WIE Canada<\/a> event, which recognizes Canadian cultural achievements that advanced greater representation of women in the media and entertainment industry and artistic visions that reach global audiences.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI was cast in the Canadian company of Godspell, <\/em>and found myself surrounded with a great company of actors who became my friends for life, who have always spoken the truth to me, whether I wanted to hear it or not, and have been there for me, as I have for them, for over 50 years,\u201d Martin recalled. <\/p>\n \n\tAmerican-born Martin played Robin in the Toronto run for the iconic hippie musical alongside fellow cast members Victor Garber, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas and Jayne Eastwood, who helped present her award. Over a half-century later, that humble staging of the Godspell <\/em>musical paved the way for Martin, a Tony Award-winning stage actress for\u00a0My Favorite Year<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Pippin<\/em>. In 1976, Martin joined the fledgling Second City comedy troupe, and and then performed iconic sketch comedy roles on\u00a0SCTV<\/a>,<\/em> which earned her\u00a0two Emmy awards for writing.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI landed in this country in 1970 and all my dreams came true. This country has given me endless opportunity to keep laughing, to grow, to entertain you,\u201d Martin recalled after crossing over to Hollywood and going on to star in the\u00a0My Big Fat Greek Wedding\u00a0<\/em>film series as Aunt Voula; stage her one-woman show\u00a0Andrea Martin: Final Days<\/em>,\u00a0Everything Must Go!<\/em>; and also appear in Wag the Dog<\/em>,\u00a0Hedwig and the Angry Inch<\/em>,\u00a0Sesame Street<\/em>,\u00a0Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<\/em> and SpongeBob SquarePants<\/em>. Her most recent credits include Evil, Only Murders in the Building, The Gilded Ag<\/em>e and\u00a0Overcompensating<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tAlso at the WIE Canada awards gala, Heated Rivalry<\/em> writer Rachel Reid<\/a> received a standing ovation when coming on stage at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to accept the Changemaker Award for penning the book series adapted into the popular Crave and\u00a0HBO Max<\/a>\u00a0romance drama about gay hockey players played on TV by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.<\/p>\n \n\tShe talked about why women in particular are drawn to her romance novels, and the TV adaptation that has become an improbable breakout TV hit<\/a>. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s very obvious\u00a0why women would want to watch a show where the sex scenes are full of consent and caretaking and checking in and mutual pleasure,\u201d Reid explained. \u201cI write books about men, I wouldn\u2019t say I write them for women specifically, but I write them knowing that women will appreciate these characters, and I write them as a way to explore the ways patriarchy toxic masculinity harm us all,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \n\tAlso honored in Toronto was Malin Akerman<\/a>, who received the Icon Award as she stars as manipulative socialite Margo Banks in the\u00a0Netflix<\/a>\u00a0series adaptation of\u00a0The Hunting Wives\u00a0<\/em>from Lionsgate and 3 Arts Entertainment, and where she was welcomed on stage by co-star Brittany Snow.<\/p>\n \n\tAs a Toronto-raised artist with global reach, Akerman talked about being a women in Hollywood where a fixation on youth and ageism have long been a reality. \u201cI really do believe that this industry has changed. The expiration on women has been long extended and, if anything, we\u2019re seeing more and more incredible roles for women of a certain age,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen women believe in ourselves and empower one another, then that impacts all of us.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tAnother emotional moment came when Lily Singh, a YouTube star turned late-night TV host with\u00a0NBC<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0A Little Late <\/em>and now a part-owner of the WNBA\u2019s expansion team, the Toronto Tempo, <\/em>received the Equity in Entertainment Award. \u201cLet\u2019s be real. Every time people say words like equity and entertainment, someone out there a guy with a podcast mic is rolling his eyes,\u201d Singh said once on stage.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI want every gatekeeper and every person who dismisses this conversation to understand, this is not about billboards, it\u2019s not about red carpets. It\u2019s not about celebrities wanting applause for being diverse,\u201d she continued. \u201cI do believe everyone deserves those defining moments when they watch something and they feel an indescribable shift within them, where they feel seen, touched, healed, or empowered,\u201d Singh added. <\/p>\n