Playwright Harrison David Rivers is the recipient of the 2018 Relentless Award from The American Playwriting Foundation established in honor of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Rivers won the award, which comes with a $45,000 cash prize as well as opportunities for staged readings, for his play the bandaged place.

The story of one man's attempt to free himself from the abuses of his past, Rivers describes The Bandaged Place as "a brutal and lyrical play about the things we hang on to and the price of moving forward." The play was most recently workshopped at The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis with Fireflies director Saheem Ali.

Rivers’ play Sweet was seen at National Black Theatre in 2016 with direction by Raelle Myrick-Hodges. A reading of his play This Bitter Earth, directed by David Mendizábal, received a staged reading earlier this year as part of Roundabout Theatre Company's Underground Reading Series. His other plays include And All The Dead Lie Down; And She Would Stand Like This; Five Points; Look Upon Our Lawliness; and Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.

The 2018 finalists of the Relentless Award are Lisa Sanaye Dring (The 626 Project) and Genne Murphy (The Girl is Chained). The semifinalists are Julia Doolittle (The Absentee), Erika Dickerson-Despenza (cullud wattah), Ann Gillespie (The End of a Sound), Liza Birkenmeier (littleghost), and Kristiana Colón (suspension).

Previous winners of the award include Clare Barron (Dance Nation), Sarah DeLappe (The Wolves), Gracie Gardner (Pussy Sludge), and Aleshea Harris (Is God Is).

For more information visit AmericanPlaywritingFoundation.org.