AwardsPlaywright Dominique Morisseau Named MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ RecipientThe Fellowship comes with a $625,000, no-strings-attached stipend to encourage continued creative endeavors.
By
Ryan McPhee
October 04, 2018
Dominique Morisseau
Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Playwright Dominique Morisseau is among the 25 individuals chosen as the MacArthur Foundation's 2018 MacArthur Fellows. The Fellowship, known informally as the "Genius Grant," comes with a $625,000, no-strings-attached stipend, treated as an investment in the recipients' continued pursuits in their field.
Morisseau's works include Pipeline, for which she received Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations; The Detroit Project trilogy, consisting of Detroit '67, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew;and Sunset Baby. In each of her plays, she aims to shed light on broken systems and hardships that affect life in urban African-American communities across various eras.
She is set to make her Broadway debut this season as the book writer of Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.
The MacArthur Fellows Class of 2018 also includes composer Matthew Aucoin (whose upcoming projects include the opera Eurydice with Sarah Ruhl), poet Natalie Diaz, and choreographer Okwui Okpokawsili; click here for the full list.
"These 25 MacArthur Fellows are solving long-standing scientific and mathematical problems, pushing art forms into new and emerging territories, and addressing the urgent needs of under-resourced communities," says MacArthur Fellows Managing Director Cecilia Conrad. "Their exceptional creativity inspires hope in us all."
Previous recipients include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and Mimi Lien.
