The American Theatre Critics Association has presented the annual Steinberg honor to "outstanding new plays produced around the United States, outside of New York City" placing a focus on regional works not often included in the numerous New York based awards. The winner was announced at the 2004 Humana Festival, April 3.
The prize includes the highest American playwriting cash award of $15,000. The two additional citation recipients are given cash prizes of $5,000 each. All prizes are funded by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
New York native Nottage also garnered the ATCA's $10,000 Francesca Primus Prize for emerging female playwrights . The scribe has also penned Crumbs from the Table of Joy, A Walk Through Time, Por'knockers, Poof!, Las Meninas and Mud, River, Stone — which was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her work has been produced by Second Stage Theatre, The Vineyard Theatre and Playwrights Horizons as well as many regional stages including South Coast Rep, Yale Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, San Jose Rep and Steppenwolf.
Intimate Apparel, which was co-commissioned and produced by Baltimore's Center Stage and Costa Mesa's South Coast Repertory, makes its New York premiere as the inaugural staging at the Roundabout Theatre Company's new Off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre. Tickets are available by calling (212) 719-1300 or online at www.roundabouttheatre.org.
For this year's award, 18 eligible scripts were submitted by ATCA members, representing over 250 regional media outlets. A committee of 13 professional theater critics reviewed and selected the finalists. Among the finalists were Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, Warren Leight's James and Annie and Nilo Cruz's Lorca in a Green Dress. Last year's winner of the Steinberg New Play Award was Nilo Cruz's Anna and the Tropics — who was announced as the Pulitzer Prize winner days later. The two other citations went to Craig Wright's Recent Tragic Events and Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues. Other recent recipients of the honor include Horton Foote's The Carpetbaggers Children (2002), Jane Martin's Anton In Show Business (2001), Regina Taylor's Oo-Bla-Dee (2000) and Lanford Wilson's Book of Days (1999).
For more information on the American Theatre Critics Association, visit www.americantheatrecritics.org.
