Works by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Dominique Morisseau to Take the Stage at 2015 Mimi Awards
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 10, 2015
The evening will feature opening remarks by Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, CENTERSTAGE, followed by readings of Jacobs-Jenkins' notable works and an excerpt from a new piece. Jocelyn Bioh will perform a monologue from NEIGHBORS; Chris Myers will perform from AN OCTOROON; and Jacobs-Jenkins will be joined that evening by Austin Durant, Brian Tyree Henry, Carra Patterson, Will Rogers and Michele Shay, who will perform an excerpt from WAR, which will premiere as part of Lincoln Center Theater's new season in Spring 2016. James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, will introduce Jacobs-Jenkins as he accepts his honor.
Kamilah Forbes, Artistic Director of HI-Arts/Hip Hop Theater Festival, will introduce Dominique Morisseau. The cast of the upcoming Atlantic Theater Company production cast of SKELETON CREW, including Jason Dirden, Lynda Gravatt, Marc Damon Johnson and Nikiya Mathis will perform scenes from the play, and Dominique Fishback will present an excerpt from JEZELLE THE GAZELLE. Both performances will be directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
The Steinberg Playwright Awards are presented biennially to playwrights in early and middle stages of their careers, who have distinctive and compelling voices, and whose current bodies of work exhibit exceptional talent and artistic excellence. The awards celebrate the accomplishments of some of the most gifted up-and-coming American playwrights and honor the promise they hold for the future of American theater. Each recipient will receive a cash award of $50,000.
The Steinberg Playwright Awards and the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award are presented in alternate years. Past recipients include:
· Stephen Adly Guirgis, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, 2014
· Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph, Steinberg Playwright Awards, 2013
· David Henry Hwang, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, 2012
· Lisa D'Amour and Melissa James Gibson, Steinberg Playwright Awards, 2011
· Lynn Nottage, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, 2010
· David Adjmi, Tarell Alvin McCraney and Bruce Norris, Steinberg Playwright Awards, 2009
· Tony Kushner, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, 2008
Playwrights receive a monetary award along with "The Mimi," a statuette designed by David Rockwell, Tony Award-nominated scenic designer and architect.
In 2008, the Board of Directors created an advisory committee of prominent theater professionals to establish the awards criteria, nominate individual candidates and select each recipient. The 2015 Advisory Committee is comprised of Jeremy Cohen, Producing Artistic Director, The Playwrights' Center; Paige Evans, Artistic Director, LCT3; Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, CENTERSTAGE; Neil Pepe, Artistic Director, Atlantic Theater Company; Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Second Stage Theatre; and Chay Yew, Artistic Director, Victory Gardens Theater.
The Board of Directors of The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust is made up of Carole A. Krumland, James D. Steinberg, Michael A. Steinberg, Seth M. Weingarten, and William D. Zabel.
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust was created by Harold Steinberg in 1986 in his name and the name of his late wife, Miriam. The Trust's primary mission is to support and promote the American theater as a vital part of our culture by nurturing American playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new American plays, and providing significant support to not-for-profit theater companies across the country.
Since its inception, the Trust has given over $80 million to more than a hundred not-for-profit theater organizations. These gifts have funded countless productions, as well as the commissioning of playwrights, playwriting programs and arts-in-education outreach programs for thousands of children in an effort to create and educate new generations of theatergoers.
The Trust also collaborated with the American Theater Critics Association to create and fund the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award. That award is presented annually during the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theater of Louisville. Recipients of this award include Rebecca Gilman, Lauren Gunderson, Robert Schenkkan, Yussef El Guindi, Bill Cain, E.M. Lewis, Moises Kaufman, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Lee Blessing, Craig Lucas, Lynn Nottage, Nilo Cruz, Horton Foote, Jane Martin and Regina Taylor.
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