Susan Smith Blackburn Finalists Are Announced; Sigourney Weaver to Present

The finalists for the Susan Smith Blackburn Playwriting Prize, which is given annually to recognize women from around the world who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theater, have been announced. The award will be presented in a ceremony in London on February 25, with stage and screen star Sigourney Weaver as presenter.

Vying for the award are Anupama Chandrasekhar-Free Outgoing (India); Lucinda Coxon-Happy Now? (England); Ann Marie Healy-What Once We Felt (U.S.); Michele Lowe-Inana (U.S.); Elizabeth Meriwether-Oliver! (U.S.); Chloe Moss-This Wide Night (England); Lynn Nottage-Ruined (U.S.); Kaite O’Reilly-The Almond and the Seahorse(Wales); Amy Rosenthal-On The Rocks (England); and Esther Wilson-Ten Tiny Toes(England).

The winner will be awarded $20,000, and will also receive a signed and numbered print by artist Willem de Kooning. A Special Commendation of $5,000 may be given at the discretion of the judges, and each of the additional finalists receives $1,000.

The 2009 international panel of judges for the awards includes Weaver, along with Edward Albee, Peter Gill, Jenny Jules, Emily Mann, and Genista McIntosh.

For more information, visit www.blackburnprize.org.