Noelle Viñas Wins Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award
Noelle Viñas is the winner of the 2021 Jeffry Melnick Award, given annually by Primary Stages to an exceptional playwright who has yet to have had a major production. Viñas is the author of Derecho (2019 John Gassner Playwriting Award) and the short play Zoom Intervention. (Viñas also used to be a colleague of ours at TheaterMania.) Her award will be presented during a digital celebration on Thursday, May 20, at 5pm ET.
"Noelle Viñas is a truly singular artist," said Primary Stages associate artistic director Erin Daley. "Her work is at once personal and deeply imaginative, delving into the evocative space in between realities. She boldly explores provocative themes like religion, politics, and identity with a grounded empathy and creative theatricality. We are thrilled to be able to honor her with this award and hope that it makes more people aware of this extraordinary playwright."
In addition to celebrating Viñas, the evening will feature a retrospective look back at 25 years of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, a program that offers emerging playwrights an artistic home for a three-year cycle. The event will feature a panel discussion with Joshua Allen (The Last Pair of Earlies), Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us), Elizabeth Irwin (My Mañana Comes), and Matthew Paul Olmos (so go the ghosts of méxico). Theresa Rebeck will join as a special guest.
