"The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has done more than any other single force to get plays by women collected and celebrated, but more importantly, produced," said Marsha Norman, the 1983 winner for 'night Mother, in a statement.
The Prize was co-founded by Emilie S. Kilgore, Susan Blackburn's sister, and William Blackburn, her husband. It is awarded annually to recognize women from around the world who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre.
When the Prize was established in 1978, six percent of new plays produced, on both sides of the Atlantic, were written by women; that number is now 20 percent. To mark its 35th anniversary, the Board of the Prize asked its "source theatres," who have been instrumental in creating the Prize's legacy, to consider producing a play by one of the playwrights honored by The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize during this anniversary year. To date, over 75 productions by Blackburn winners and finalists are programmed during the 35th anniversary year — on both sides of the Atlantic.
The 35th awards presentation ceremony will be held in Houston at the Alley Theatre in late February/March 2013. The preceding day, the Prize will host a special event involving finalists, and readings from their plays will be presented by a creative coalition of Houston theatres. This will be followed by a panel discussion entitled Women Writing Today, led by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize board member Matt Wolf.
* Every year, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner is awarded $20,000, and receives a signed and numbered print by Willem de Kooning, created especially for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Each of the additional finalists receives $1,000. The winner is chosen from the finalists each year by six judges — three in the United States, and three in Britain.
Last year the Prize was awarded to U.S. playwright and Texas native Jennifer Haley for her play The Nether, nominated by the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. This year's finalists will be announced in January 2013.
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize received the 2010 Theatre Communications Group's National Funder Award. The annual honor goes to a company, foundation or other entity for "leadership and sustained national support of theater in America."
Here is a chronological list of Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 35th anniversary productions:
Current and upcoming anniversary productions:
Sept. 4-Nov. 18
An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen (new version by Rebecca Lenkiewicz)
Manhattan Theatre Club - New York, NY
Oct. 6-Dec. 16
Theatre in the Dark
Beep by Sheila Callaghan and Strangers in the Pre-Show by Ann Noble
The Odyssey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 25-Nov. 10
Body Awareness by Annie Baker
Stark Naked Theatre Company - Houston, TX Oct. 25-Nov. 25
Seminar by Theresa Rebeck
The Phoenix Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 26-Nov. 4
The Oldest Profession by Paula Vogel
Theatre Southwest- Houston, TX
Wit by Margaret Edson
American Stage Theatre Company - St. Petersburg, FL
Oct. 26-Dec. 2
Giant by Sybille Pearson
The Public Theatre - New York, NY
November 2012
There Are Mountains (Premiere) by Chloe Moss
Commissioned by Clean Break, London, UK
Nov. 6
Light & Shadow - six new short plays. Playwrights include Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Dael Orlandersmith, Lizzie Nunnery.
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, U.K. in collaboration with Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 4-22
Vibrant 2012: Festival of Finbourough Playwrights including Joy Wilkinson & Alexandra Wood
Finborough Theatre, London, U.K.
Nov. 6-Feb 23, 2013
The Effect by Lucy Prebble (World Premiere)
Headlong Theatre at National Theatre, London
Nov. 15
Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash (World Premiere)
Manhattan Theatre Club - New York, NY
Nov. 19-Dec. 30
What Rhymes With America by Melissa James Gibson (World Premiere)
Atlantic Theater Company - New York, NY
Nov. 23-Jan. 6, 2013
Pullman Porter Blues by Cheryl L. West
Arena Stage - Washington, D.C.
Nov. 30-Dec. 22
Dear Elizabeth by Sarah Ruhl (World Premiere)
Yale Repertory Theatre - New Haven, CT
Dec. 28-Feb. 3, 2013
This is War (Premiere) by Hannah Moskovitch
Other People's Children (Premiere)
Little One by Hannah Moskovitch
Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, Canada
Jan. 11-Feb. 3, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
The Alley Theatre - Houston, TX
Jan. 18-Feb. 10, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
Philadelphia Theatre Company - Philadelphia, PA
Jan. 25-Feb. 16, 2013
Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones
Yale Repertory Theatre - New Haven, CT
February-March 2013
The Flick by Annie Baker
Playwrights Horizons - New York, NY
February-April 2013
Sleep Rock in Thy Brain -trilogy with works by Rinne Groff and Anne Washburn
Actors Theatre of Louisville, 2013 Humana Festival of New American Plays
Feb. 6-March 3, 2013
The Language Archive by Julia Cho
Stages Repertory Theatre - Houston, TX
Feb. 9-March 10, 2013
Leveling Up by Deborah Zoe Laufer (World Premiere)
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - Cincinnati, OH
March 2-31, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
San Diego Repertory - San Diego, CA
March 6-31, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley - Palo Alto, CA
March 8-April 14, 2013
Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones
Northlight Theatre Company - Skokie, IL
March 12-April 7, 2013
Rich Girl by Victoria Stewart (World Premiere)
George Street Playhouse & Cleveland Play House - New Brunswick, NJ
March 15-April 7, 2013
Seminar by Theresa Rebeck
Philadelphia Theatre Company - Philadelphia, PA
March 19-April 14, 2013
The Nether by Jennifer Haley (World Premiere)
Center Theatre Group - Los Angeles, CA
March 21-April 14, 2013
Disconnect by Anupama Chandrasekhar
San Jose Repertory Theatre - San Jose, CA
March 23-April 28, 2013
The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarias
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - Cincinnati, OH
March 29-May 12, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
Arena Stage - Washington, D.C.
April 2-28, 2013
Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley
Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA
April 3-6, 2013
Dying For It by Moira Buffini
Sam Houston State University - Huntsville, TX
April 3-28, 2013
Dollhouse by Rebecca Gilman
Stages Repertory Theatre - Houston, TX
April 6, 2013
Work Play by Jennifer Haley
Musiqa - Houston, TX
April 19-May 12, 2013
Rich Girl by Victoria Stewart (World Premiere)
Cleveland Play House & George Street Playhouse - Cleveland, OH
April 25-May 25, 2013
Enron by Lucy Prebble
Theatre Three - Dallas, TX
April 25-June 2, 2013
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
Performance Network - Ann Arbor, MI
May-June 2013
Somewhere Fun by Jenny Schwartz
Vineyard Theatre - New York, NY
May 10-June 9, 2013
In the Next Room, Or the Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl
Theatre Royal Bath, Ustinov-Bath, U.K.
May 23-June 16, 2013
Close Up Space by Molly Smith Metzler
Main Street Theater - Houston, TX
May 24-June 22, 2013
Rapture, Blister, Burn by Gina Gionfriddo
Huntington Theatre - Boston, MA
May 24-July 7, 2013
Dear Elizabeth by Sarah Ruhl
Berkeley Repertory Theatre - Berkeley, CA
May 31-June 30, 2013
Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George
American Stage Theatre Company - Petersburg, FL
June 20-July 28, 2013
Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo
Performance Network - Ann Arbor, MI
Recently produced anniversary productions:
Oct. 21, 2011-Nov. 20, 2011
Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker
Seattle Repertory Theatre - Seattle, WA
May 8-July 14, 2012
Detroit by Lisa D’Amour
National Theatre - London, U.K.
May 28-July 1, 2012
Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company - Washington, D.C.
July 2-Nov. 3, 2012
The Liquid Plain by Naomi Wallace
Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, OR
July 6-29, 2012
Gidion's Knot by Johnna Adams
Contemporary American Theater Festival - Sheperdstown, WV
Aug. 2-26, 2012
Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker
Marin Theatre Company - Mill Valley, CA
Aug. 16-Nov. 3, 2012
Jumpy by April De Angelis
Royal Court Theatre and Duke of York’s - London, U.K.
Aug. 24-Oct. 7, 2012
Detroit by Lisa D'Amour
Playwrights Horizons - New York, NY
Aug. 25-Sept. 23, 2012
Body Awareness by Annie Baker
Theatre J - Washington, D.C.
Sept. 3-Nov. 24 touring the U.K.; Jan. 30-March 9 at the St. James Theatre
Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Out of Joint, London, U.K.
Sept. 4-29, 2012
Life For Beginners by Alice Birch, Lizzie Nunnery, Ben Ellis, Matt Hartley and Rex Obano
Theatre 503- London, U.K.
Sept. 5-30, 2012
What I Learned in Paris by Pearl Cleage (World Premiere)
Alliance Theatre - Atlanta, GA
Sept. 20-Oct. 6, 2012
The Astronaut's Chair by Rona Munro
Theatre Royal Plymouth at Drum Theatre - Plymouth, U.K.
Sept. 22-Oct. 21, 2012
The Nacirema Society by Pearl Cleage
Ensemble Theatre - Houston, TX
Sept. 22-Oct. 21, 2012
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks
Marin Theatre Company - Mill Valley, CA
Sept. 23-Oct. 14, 2012
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
South Coast Repertory - Costa Mesa, CA
Sept. 25-Oct. 21, 2012
The Sisters Rosenweig by Wendy Wasserstein
Portland Stage - Portland, ME
Sept. 26-Nov. 4, 2012
The Mountainto by Katori Hall
Milwaukee Repertory Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
Sept. 27-Oct. 28, 2012
Pullman Porter Blues (World Premiere) by Cheryl L. West
Seattle Repertory Theatre - Seattle, WA
Sept. 28-Oct. 7, 2012
Serious Money by Caryl Churchill
University of Houston - Houston, TX
Oct. 9-27, 2012
Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
Alberta Theatre Projects - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Oct. 10-13, 2012
Enron by Lucy Prebble
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Sept. 26-Nov. 4, 2012
The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
Milwaukee Repertory Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
Sept. 27-Oct. 28, 2012
Pullman Porter Blues (World Premiere) by Cheryl L. West
Seattle Repertory Theatre - Seattle, WA
Sept. 28-Oct. 7, 2012
Serious Money by Caryl Churchill
University of Houston - Houston, TX
Oct. 12-18, 2012
Habitat by Judith Thompson
Smith College - Northampton, MA
Oct. 6-Dec. 16, 2012
Theatre in the Dark
Beep by Sheila Callaghan and Strangers in the Pre-Show by Ann Noble
The Odyssey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 9-27, 2012
Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
Alberta Theatre Projects - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Oct. 10-13, 2012
Enron by Lucy Prebble
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
*
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