Latest news with #payne
Euronews
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
American playwright ak payne wins Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
American playwright ak payne has won this year's Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, an international prize that recognises women+ writing theatre in English. ADVERTISEMENT Founded in 1978, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the longest-running prize in English theatre for female and nonbinary playwrights. American writer ak payne has won the 2025 prize for their play "Furlough's Paradise", which they describe as a 'lyrical journey about grief, home, and survival.' "Furlough's Paradise" was nominated by Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, which premiered the play in 2024. Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden is now set to take it to the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Telling the story of two cousins, Sade and Mina, the play focuses on their relationship as they meet at the funeral of their mother and aunt while Sade is on a three-day furlough from prison and Mina is away from her high-flying career. Through these two cousins, the play examines what it means to be a Black woman in today's America. At the announcement ceremony, payne said: 'I am so grateful to receive this award and join a list of some of my favourite writers whose plays have shaken how I understand the world and who have made it possible'. Kai Heath and Asha Basha Duniani in the Alliance Theatre production Greg Mooney As the overall winner, payne received $25,000 (€23,000), as well as a signed print by renowned artist Willem de Kooning, created especially for the prize. 'At this moment in our history as a country, and as a Prize which honours women, trans and non-binary writers, we must acknowledge the very real threats that are being aimed at our hard-won freedoms. We must remind ourselves of the power of our voices, and the special magic we create when we lift them at the theatre. Every voice on our stage tonight deserves to be honoured, celebrated and heard,' Leslie Swackhamer executive director of the prize said. payne has been a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn prize twice before. This year, the prize chose to award two special commendations and $10,000 (€9,200) to "49 Days" by Haruna Lee and "An Oxford Man" by Else Went. Six other finalists also received prizes of $5,000 (€4,600). Playwright ak payne Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Past Winners of the Prize include Annie Baker, Caryl Churchill, Lucy Kirkwood, and Lucy Prebble. Last year's Winner, "1536" by Ava Pickett, is set to premiere in Europe at the Almeida Theatre in London in May, directed by Olivier-winner Lindsey Turner.
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
US playwright ak payne wins Susan Smith Blackburn prize
The Susan Smith Blackburn prize for female, transgender and non-binary playwrights has been awarded to the US writer ak payne for their poignant and funny two-hander Furlough's Paradise. The play has been described by payne as a 'lyrical journey about grief, home and survival'. It follows two cousins, one of whom is on a three-day release from prison, as the pair attend a funeral in their childhood town. 'I am so grateful to receive this award and join a list of some of my favourite writers whose plays have shaken how I understand the world,' said payne, namechecking past winners Katori Hall, Julia Cho, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Benedict Lombe and Paula Vogel. Those playwrights 'have made it possible – through their words transcending space and time and/or their caring and abundant mentorship – for me to write,' payne added. The award comprises $25,000 (£19,000) and a signed print by artist Willem de Kooning. Furlough's Paradise was nominated for the prize by the Alliance theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where the play had its premiere in 2024. The Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, best known for the play and film versions of Moonlight, said Furlough's Paradise charts 'what it means to try to find a utopia in a world that has a criminal justice system that is far from perfect'. McCraney taught payne at the David Geffen school of drama at Yale Universityin Connecticut and said they are 'one of the most powerful writers I've encountered in my time as a professor'. Next month, the play will be staged at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, where McCraney is artistic director. The Susan Smith Blackburn prize has also given special commendations to 49 Days by Haruna Lee and An Oxford Man by Else Went. The other finalists this year, chosen from more than 200 submissions, included Chris Bush's play Otherland, which is running at the Almeida theatre in London. Last year's winner, the Tudor drama 1536 by Ava Pickett, opens at the Almeida in May. The judges for the prize were costume designer Linda Cho; actors Indira Varma and Jennifer Ehle; Nancy Medina, artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic; playwright Mark Ravenhill; and George Strus, who founded the new work development and community building hub Breaking the Binary theatre in New York.
