History Matters: Celebrating Women's Plays Of The Past Announces Winner of the 2022 Judith Barlow Prize

Not-for-profit History Matters: Celebrating Women's Plays Of The Past has announced its winner for the 2022 Judith Barlow Prize. The annual Judith Barlow Prize is awarded to a student playwright for an exceptional one-act play inspired by the work of an historic female playwright. The winner of the prize receives a $2,500 award and a reading of their work, with a $500 award to the participating professor.

Lavinia Roberts of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale has won for her play, The Curious Case of Agatha Christie, inspired by Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and sponsored by Professor Jacob Juntunen, PhD. A reading of the play will be streamed online October 13th - 15th, 2022.

The Judith Barlow Prize is named for Judith E. Barlow, Ph.D., a Professor Emeritus of English and Women's Studies at the University of Albany, SUNY and editor of Plays by American Women 1900-1930, Plays by American Women 1930-1960, and Women Writers of the Provincetown Playhouse. Barlow is also the author of "Final Acts: The Creation of Three Late O'Neill Plays," as well as numerous essays on American drama.

Past recipients of the prize include Gelaine Vestal (2021) for The Shop, inspired by Sophie Treadwell's Machinal, Leah Barsanti (2020) for The Almost Emperor of the Unofficial Deestrick of Lake Michigan, inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Hannah Manikowski (2019) for earth's most customer-centric company inspired by María Irene Fornés's Fefu and Her Friends, Audrey Webb (2018) for The Only Hills We've Ever Had inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Kara Jobe (2017) for Leaf inspired by Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes, Lindsay Adams (2016) for Her Own Devices inspired by Mary Chase's Harvey, and Selina Fillinger (2015) for Three Landings and a Fire Escape inspired by Sophie Treadwell's Machinal.

A national coalition of theater professionals with an entirely unique mission, History Matters promotes the study and production of women playwrights of the past and their plays in colleges, universities, and theaters throughout the country and seeks engagement with those plays by contemporary playwrights. "History Matters performs a vital service to both the academic and theatrical communities," says Founder Joan Vail Thorne. "We ensure that critical works written by women playwrights of the past are routinely read and taught in colleges and universities and that the women who wrote them are held up as significant contributors to the art of playwriting."

For more information on History Matters or the Judith Barlow Prize, visit www.historymatterscelebratingwomensplaysofthepast.org.

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