EDINBURGH: Brooklyn-based playwright Gordon Dahlquist took home the James Tait Black prize for outstanding new drama for his play Tomorrow Come Today at a ceremony held in Edinburgh earlier this week. Dahlquist received the top prize of £10,000.
The James Tait Black Prizes are Britain’s oldest literary awards, which are presented and judged by the students and staff of the University of Edinburgh in association with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and the Traverse Theatre.
“All three shortlisted plays display striking and original talent, and each has made a lasting impact in theatre—making it a very challenging job to select a winner,” said Greg Walker, chair of the judging panel and University of Edinburgh professor, in a statement. “The engaging innovation of Gordon Dahlquist’s ominous science fiction drama stood out in the end, and we are delighted to celebrate his work at this evening’s event.”
Tomorrow Come Today takes place in a near future in which the wealthy are able to prolong their lives by switching their bodies for newer, healthier ones. It was first produced by Undermain Theatre in Dallas in 2014.
Runners-up included The James Plays by Rona Munro and Incognito by Nick Payne.
