Industry NewsJames Anthony Tyler Named Recipient of Horton Foote Playwriting AwardThe Dolphins and Sharks playwright will receive $25,000 from The Dramatists Guild of America.
By
Olivia Clement
January 03, 2018
James Anthony Tyler
The Dramatists Guild of America will present the 2018 Horton Foote PlaywritingAward to playwright James Anthony Tyler, whose play Some Old Black Man is set to debut at 59E59 Theaters Off-Broadway this winter starring Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Suits) and Tony winner Roger Robinson. The Horton Foote PlaywritingAward, now in its third year, will present the dramatist with $25,000.
In Some Old Black Man, Pierce and Robinson star as a Harlem college professor and his aging father from Mississippi in a clashing of the wills—over race, opportunity, and a decision that was made years ago—that will change the course of their relationship. Joe Cacaci directs the limited engagement from Berkshire Playwrights Lab at 59E59 Theaters. Performances will run February 8–March 4.
Tyler’s other plays include Dolphins and Sharks (LAByrinth Theater Company and Finborough Theatre in London) and Artney Jackson (The New Black Fest). He has received a Theatre Masters Visionary Playwrights Award, The Playwrights’ Center’s Many Voices Fellowship, and a Working Farm Writers Group Residency at Space on Ryder Farm. The playwright has an MFA from Howard University and NYU and is a 2017 graduate of Juilliard.
The 2018 Horton Foote Playwriting Award finalist is Fernanda Coppel. The Richenthal Foundation is again sponsoring the award; past recipients include Tony winner Stephen Karam and Tony nominee Rajiv Joseph.