The $50,000 award recognizes ten up and coming writers in various disciplines for their extraordinary talent and promise. It's one of the most coveted prizes for emerging writers. Founded in 1985, the awards have recognized playwrights David Adjmi, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Rajiv Joseph, Tony Kushner, among others, as well as poets and novelists.
After the Revolution was produced at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts and Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway, and 4000 Miles by Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3. LCT will give it a wider run in spring 2012 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in spring 2012.
Of the two plays, the Whiting selectors said, "The relationships are authentic, difficult, complex, funny, frustrating, real. Here is a voice of her generation, generous about, if somewhat skeptical of, the passionate political debate that fueled meaning in her grandparents' lives."
After the Revolution won a Lillian Hellman Award and was named one of the ten Best Plays of 2010-2011 in the Annual Best Plays Theater Yearbook.
Herzog is currently in production at the Yale Repertory Theater with her new play, Belleville, which opens Oct. 27.
Born in Highland Park, NJ, she has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BA from Yale. Herzog is an alumna of Youngblood, Ensemble Studio Theater's workshop, and was the 2010 Playwright in Residence at Ars Nova. She currently teaches playwriting at Yale and lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn.