News: The Susan Smith Blackburn Prizes announces 2021 finalists

The largest international award for women+ playwrights, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, announces its 2021 finalists as it celebrates its 43rd year.

Chosen from a group of over 160 nominated plays, the finalists for this prestigious award are as follows:

Glace Chase (Aus/US) Triple X

Erika Dickerson-Despenza (US) cullud wattah

Miranda Rose Hall (US) A Play for the Living in the Time of Extinction

Dawn King (UK) The Trials

Kimber Lee (US) The Water Palace

Janice Okoh (UK) The Gift

Ife Olujobi (US) Jordans

Frances Poet (UK) Maggie May

Jiehae Park (US) The Aves

Beth Steel (UK) The House of Shades

The winner will be announced at the beginning of April and will be awarded a cash price of $25,000 with a signed print by renowned artist Willem de Kooning, created especially for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Each of the additional finalists will receive an award of $5,000, with the option of a $10,000 Special Commendation.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is awarded annually to celebrate women+ who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre.

Judges for the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize include theatre, opera and film director Natalie Abrahami (UK); award-winning star of stage and screen, Paapa Essiedu (UK); winner of multiple Olivier Awards for production design, Bunny Christie (UK); Lincoln Center Resident Director Lileana Blain-Cruz (US); Broadway and television star Jason Butler Harner (US); and Theatre and Arts leader and director, Seema Sueko (US).

Past winners of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize include Lynn Nottage‘s Sweat, Annie Baker‘s The Flick, Caryl Churchill’s Fen, Marsha Norman’s ‘night,Mother, Paula Vogel‘s How I Learned to Drive, Nell Dunn‘s Steaming, Wendy Wasserstein‘s The Heidi Chronicles, Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview, Chloe Moss’s This Wide Night, Sarah Ruhl‘s The Clean House, Judith Thompson’s Palace of the End, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti‘s Behzti (Dishonour), Julia Cho’s The Language Archive, Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, Charlotte Jones‘ Humble Boy, Naomi Wallace’s One Flea Spare, and Moira Buffini‘s Silence, as well as Lucy Prebble’s A Very Expensive Poison.

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