Playwright Beth Henley will be honored with the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in American Theater Award at the 36th William Inge Theater Festival.

The Inge Festival takes place April 19-22, 2017, at Independence Community College, KS. Henley will be present during the four-day festival that will feature a lineup of performers to be announced.

“Sometimes when you see a play, it smacks you in the face and changes your perception of the world, forever. Such was the case when I saw Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart in 1981,” said Inge Center artistic director Karen Carpenter in a statement. “Beth made me laugh and weep in the exact same moment. She is masterful in her depiction of women; her deft, comedic voice is singular in its embrace of life’s challenges. We are thrilled to bestow this honor on her.”

Henley’s family drama Crimes of the Heart won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her plays also include The Miss Firecracker Contest, The Wake of Jamey Foster, The Debutante Ball, The Lucky Spot, Abundance, Impossible Marriage, Family Week, The Jacksonian, and her latest comedy Laugh.

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