BWW Exclusive: Meet the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalists- Ife Olujobi

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for 2021 for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women+ playwrights. The Winner, to be announced on April 7, will be awarded a cash prize of $25,000 USD, and will receive a signed print by renowned artist Willem De Kooning, created especially for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Ahead of the announcement, BroadwayWorld is excited to spotlight each of this year's finalists. Below, learn more about Ife Olujobi and read an excerpt form her play, Jordans.

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What does it mean to you personally to be recognized by such a reputable and respected organization?

When I think of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, I think of Kathleen Collins and María Irene Fornés and Lynn Nottage and Suzan Lori Parks and Caryl Churchill and Pearl Cleage and Jackie Sibblies Drury and Paula Vogel and Aleshea Harris and Anna Deveare Smith and so many other incredible artists who have been finalists and winners of this prize, and to be recognized among them is an immense honor.

What has happened since you were announced as a finalist?

Honestly, not much! There were a handful of inquiries to read the play when the announcement first came out, but not much has changed. I realize that I am still a relatively unknown quantity in the theatre world, and this play is unproduced and unpublished and has only had one public reading and is also absolutely deranged, but it's good, and someone should produce it.

What's next? Do you have any new projects on the horizon, ideas that you'd love to put on paper, etc.?

I'm working on a project through Soho Rep's Project Number One where I interview theatre artists about their relationship to work, especially during the last year. That'll culminate in a video piece accompanied by a small book. I'm also working on a Sloan Foundation play commission through Manhattan Theatre Club. I'm also working on staying healthy, and prioritizing/embodying more radical and ethical sociopolitics over individualism and the capitalist status quo.

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Read an excerpt from Ife Olujobi's Jordans:

Click here to learn more about The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.