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The 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright a.k. payne for their work, Furlough’s Paradise. Since its inception in 1978, this esteemed international prize has become the largest and longest-standing honor recognizing the contributions of women+ writers in English-speaking theater.
The award ceremony took place on March 10 at NYC’s Playwrights Horizons, where theatre professionals gathered to celebrate payne along with eight finalists. As part of the recognition, payne received a cash prize of $25,000 and an exclusive signed print by the acclaimed artist Willem De Kooning, crafted specifically for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
Expressing gratitude upon receiving the award, payne stated, “I am so grateful to receive this award and join a list of some of my favorite writers whose plays have transformed my understanding of the world. Their words, which transcend time and space, and their generous mentorship have made it possible for me to write: Katori Hall, Julia Cho, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Benedict Lombe, and Paula Vogel are just a few names on that list.”
Leslie Swackhamer, the Prize’s executive director, commented on the importance of the award in the current socio-political climate. She noted, “As a Prize honoring women, trans, and non-binary writers, we must confront the significant threats to our cherished freedoms. We need to remember the potency of our voices and the unique magic we create when we express ourselves at the theatre. Every voice on our stage deserves recognition and appreciation.”
Describing her play, payne articulated it as a “lyrical journey about grief, home, and survival.” In Furlough’s Paradise, the narrative unfolds around two cousins, Sade and Mina, whose lives—though deeply connected—take strikingly different paths. Returning to their hometown for the funerals of their mother and aunt, Sade is granted a three-day furlough from prison, while Mina experiences a temporary escape from her bustling life on the West Coast. Together, they confront shared grief, family ties, and the complexities of their love for one another amidst underlying traumas that risk separating them, all while the pressure of time looms as a correctional officer’s arrival approaches. This compact play, spanning 80 pages and intended for two actors, probes the experience of Black womanhood in contemporary America and sheds light on the glaring inadequacies of social safety nets in a nation known for its wealth. The work has already gained notable accolades, winning the 20th annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition and earning The National Theatre Conference’s Stavis Playwriting Award.
Furlough’s Paradise was nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize by Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, where it premiered in 2024, directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. The play is set for its West Coast premiere at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles this April, again under the direction of Kajese-Bolden.
Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Artistic Director of the Geffen and a former professor of payne, shared his thoughts in the season announcement, saying, “This play is poetic and funny, but it critically examines the quest for a utopia in a flawed criminal justice landscape. Payne is among the most impactful writers I’ve encountered in my teaching career.” McCraney also serves as the chair of playwriting at Yale School of Drama, where payne earned her MFA.
This year also saw two plays awarded Special Commendations of $10,000, a distinction given at the judges’ discretion:
49 Days by Haruna Lee (Taiwan-Japan-US), submitted by Playwrights Horizons (New York)
An Oxford Man by Else Went (US), submitted by South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa)
Finalists for the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, each recognized with $5,000, include:
Chris Bush (UK) for Otherland, submitted by Almeida Theatre (London)
Carys Coburn (Ireland) for BÁN, submitted by The Abbey Theatre (Dublin)
Keiko Green (US) for You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World, submitted by the UC San Diego MFA Playwriting Program (San Diego)
Isobel Mcarthur (UK-Scotland) for The Fair Maid of the West, submitted by the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-Upon-Avon/London)
Suzie Miller (Australia-UK) for Inter Alia, submitted by The National Theatre (London)
Anna Ziegler (US) for The Janeiad, submitted by The Alley Theatre (Houston)
The list of past winners features notable names such as Annie Baker, Alice Birch, Benedict Lombe, Julia Cho, Caryl Churchill, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Katori Hall, Lucy Kirkwood, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, Dael Orlandersmith, Lucy Prebble, Sarah Ruhl, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Timberlake Wertenbaker, and Cheryl West. Last year’s recipient, Ava Pickett, will see their play 1536 premiere at the Almeida Theatre in London this May, with direction from Olivier-winner Lindsey Turner.
The judging panel for the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize includes: Linda Cho (US) – Tony Award-winning Costume Designer; Jennifer Ehle (US) – Tony and BAFTA Award-winning actress; Nancy Medina (UK) – Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic; Mark Ravenhill (UK) – Acclaimed playwright; George Strus (US) – Founder of Breaking the Binary Theatre; and Indira Varma (UK) – Olivier Award-winning actress.
To date, over 500 plays have been recognized as finalists for the prize, many of which have gone on to receive prestigious accolades such as Olivier, Lilly, Evening Standard, and Tony Awards for Best Play. Notably, eleven recipients have also won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize significantly contributes to the increased visibility and production of works by women+ writers, fostering a cultural exchange of plays across the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking nations.
ABOUT a.k. payne
a.k. payne (they/she) is a playwright, artist-theorist, and theatermaker originating from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They hold a B.A. in English and African-American Studies from Yale College and an MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama, mentored by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Currently recognized as a Van Lier New Voices Fellow for 2023-2024, payne’s works have garnered attention, including being a finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award and twice for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Their plays have been developed at esteemed events such as the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, The New Harmony Project, Great Plains Theater Conference, and Manhattan Theater Club’s “Groundworks Lab.” payne is also currently a resident artist and fellow with National Black Theatre’s I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency and Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Foundation).
Source
www.broadwayworld.com