NEW YORK CITY: Tena Štivičić is the winner 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Štivičić received the award, which comes with $25,000 and a signed print by Willem de Kooning, at a ceremony on March 2 at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. The Blackburn Prize, now in its 37th year, recognizes the works of female writers in the U.S. and the U.K.
Štivičić, who was born in Croatia and currently lives in London, won for her play 3 Winters, which premiered in December at the National Theatre. The play follows an eclectic Croatian family during post-World War II Zagreb.
Twelve playwrights were nominated for the prize this year, among them six playwrights from the U.S. The finalists, who will each receive $5,000, are as follows:
- Lisa D’Amour (U.S.) – Airline Highway
- Alice Birch (U.K.) – Revolt. She said. Revolt again.
- Alecky Blythe (U.K.) – Little Revolution
- Clare Barron (U.S.) – You Got Older
- Clara Brennan (U.K.) – Spine
- Katherine Chandler (U.K.) – Parallel Lines
- Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (U.S.) – The World of Extreme Happiness
- Lindsey Ferrentino (U.S.) – Ugly Lies the Bone
- Zodwa Nyoni (U.K.) – Boi Boi Is Dead
- Heidi Schreck (U.S.) – Grand Concourse
- Ruby Rae Spiegel (U.S.) – Dry Land
