(© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)
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.
