The PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, commonly referred to as the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, is awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center). It annually recognizes two American playwrights. A medal is given to a designated "grand master" American dramatist, in recognition of their work, and a stipend of $7,500 (in 2005) is presented to a "new voice", an American playwright whose literary and artistic merit is evident in their plays.

"Two playwrights are selected for the following honors: a specially commissioned art object will be presented to a master American dramatist, in recognition of his or her body of work; and a cash prize of $7,500 will be awarded to an American playwright in mid-career, whose literary achievements are vividly apparent in the rich and striking language of his or her work. In both cases, PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater honorees are writers working indisputably at the highest level of achievement. The awards were developed to reflect Laura Pels’s dedication to supporting excellence in American theatre as well as PEN’s commitment to recognizing and rewarding the playwright's literary accomplishment."

The Master American Dramatist Award is not open to nominations but is chosen by the judges panel. The Mid-Career Award is open to peer nominations (i.e., not by the playwrights themselves), but the playwrights must meet certain criteria: they must be American and write in English; they can be from regional theaters as long as they have had two full-length productions mounted under either open- or limited-run contracts and in theaters with at least 299 seats. Specifically excluded are playwrights who write one-acts, musical-books, or translations.

The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN affiliates in over 145 PEN centers around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been characterized as being among the "major" American literary prizes.[1]

Award winners

PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award winners
Year Category Playwright Ref.
1998 American Playwright in Mid-Career Richard Greenberg [2][3]
Master American Dramatist Arthur Miller [2]
1999 American Playwright in Mid-Career Paula Vogel [3]
Master American Dramatist Edward Albee
2000 American Playwright in Mid-Career Suzan-Lori Parks [3]
Master American Dramatist Horton Foote
2001 American Playwright in Mid-Career Charles L. Mee [3]
Master American Dramatist Richard Foreman
2002 American Playwright in Mid-Career Tony Kushner [3]
Master American Dramatist María Irene Fornés
2003 American Playwright in Mid-Career Craig Lucas [3]
Master American Dramatist John Guare
2004 American Playwright in Mid-Career Lynn Nottage [3]
Master American Dramatist Lanford Wilson
2005 American Playwright in Mid-Career Dael Orlandersmith [3]
Master American Dramatist Wallace Shawn
2006 American Playwright in Mid-Career Stephen Adly Guirgis [3]
Master American Dramatist Adrienne Kennedy
2007 American Playwright in Mid-Career Naomi Iizuka [3]
Master American Dramatist A. R. Gurney
2008 American Playwright in Mid-Career Sarah Ruhl [3]
Master American Dramatist Richard Nelson
2009 American Playwright in Mid-Career Nilo Cruz [3]
Master American Dramatist Sam Shepard
2010 American Playwright in Mid-Career Theresa Rebeck [3]
Master American Dramatist David Mamet
2011 American Playwright in Mid-Career Marcus Gardley [3]
Master American Dramatist David Henry Hwang
2012 American Playwright in Mid-Career Will Eno [3]
American Playwright in Mid-Career Adam Rapp [3]
Master American Dramatist Christopher Durang
2013 American Playwright in Mid-Career Kirsten Greenidge [3]
Master American Dramatist Larry Kramer
2014 American Playwright in Mid-Career Donald Margulies [4][5][3]
Emerging American Playwright Laura Marks [4][6]
Master American Dramatist David Rabe [4][7]
2015 American Playwright in Mid-Career Anne Washburn [8][9][3]
Emerging American Playwright Jennifer Blackmer [8][9]
Master American Dramatist Tina Howe [8][9]
2016 American Playwright in Mid-Career Young Jean Lee [10][11][3]
Emerging American Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins [10][11]
Master American Dramatist Lynn Nottage [10][11]
2017 American Playwright in Mid-Career Tarell Alvin McCraney [3]
Emerging American Playwright Thomas Bradshaw
Master American Dramatist Suzan-Lori Parks
2018 American Playwright in Mid-Career Sibyl Kempson [12][3]
Emerging American Playwright Mike Lew [12]
Master American Dramatist Luis Alfaro [12]
2019 American Playwright in Mid-Career Larissa FastHorse [3][13]
2020 American Playwright in Mid-Career Tanya Barfield [3][14]
2021 American Playwright in Mid-Career Daniel Alexander Jones [15][16]
2022 American Playwright in Mid-Career Jackie Sibblies Drury [17][18]
2023 Erika Dickerson-Despenza [19]

References

  1. ^ Alfred Bendixen (2005). "Literary Prizes and Awards". The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 689. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  2. ^ a b Van Gelder, Lawrence (May 9, 1998). "Arthur Miller Gets Award From PEN". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award". PEN America. 2020-02-12. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  4. ^ a b c Ron Charles (July 30, 2014). "Winners of the 2014 PEN Literary Awards". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  5. ^ "2014 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for an American Playwright in Mid-Career". pen.org. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "2014 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for an Emerging American Playwright". pen.oreg. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  7. ^ "2014 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for Master American Dramatist". pen.org. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Carolyn Kellogg (May 13, 2015). "PEN announces award-winners and shortlists". LA Times. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c "2015 PEN Literary Award Winners". pen.org. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Maggie Galehouse (March 1, 2016). "PEN Literary Award winners announced". Chron. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c "2016 PEN Literary Award Winners". PEN. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "2018 PEN America Lifetime and Career Achievement Honorees". PEN America. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  13. ^ "2019 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award". PEN America. 2019-02-05. Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  14. ^ Fierberg, Ruthie (2020-02-12). "Tom Stoppard and Tanya Barfield Receive 2020 PEN America Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  15. ^ Murua, James (2021-03-25). "Writers of African descent on PEN America Career Achievement Awards 2021". James Murua's Literature Blog. Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  16. ^ The Associated Press (2021-03-23). "Canadian Anne Carson, Tony laureate George C. Wolfe win PEN awards". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  17. ^ Harms, Talaura (2022-02-03). "Dramatists Elaine May and Jackie Sibblies Drury Named PEN Literary Award Recipients". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  18. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "Seth Meyers to Host PEN America Literary Awards Honoring Elaine May & More". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  19. ^ Putnam, Leah (2023-02-27). "PEN America to Honor Erika Dickerson-Despenza at 2023 Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-04-02.

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