NEW YORK CITY: The Actors Fund and Playwrights Horizons announced on November 4 that L Morgan Lee is the 2021 recipient of the Mark O’Donnell Prize, an annual prize presented to an emerging theatre artist in recognition of their talent and promise.
The award, inspired by the mind of the late Mark O’Donnell (Hairspray, Let Nothing You Dismay), is targeted toward the nation’s “most anomalous, singular, and curious emerging writers, composers, directors, and designers.” Recipients of the award receive $15,000, the ability to use the Mark O’Donnell Theater at the Actors Fund Arts Center as a space for one week to develop a reading of a new work, and counseling on applying for affordable housing and obtaining health insurance from the Actors Fund.
Lee is an Obie award-winning actress and theatremaker best known for her performance in Michael R. Jackson’s musical A Strange Loop, which garnered her a Lucille Lortel nomination and the distinction of being the first openly transgender actress to originate a role in a Pulitzer-winning piece of theatre. Most recently, Lee was cast to portray artist Lili Elbe in a British musical adaptation of the novel The Danish Girl, being workshopped in the U.K. She is also developing a new play titled The Women, seen in Ars Nova’s 2021 Vision Residency. Other credits include new works with Long Wharf Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, 5th Avenue Theatre, Musical Theatre Factory, and more. Lee is committed to being a part of work centering underrepresented voices on both stage and screen.
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps everyone who works in performing arts and entertainment. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the Actors Fund is designed to be a safety net for those in need, crisis or transition. Playwrights Horizons is a writer’s theatre dedicated to the development of contemporary American playwrights and the production of innovative new work. In addition to its work onstage, Playwrights’ commitment to advancing American playwrights and storytelling guides all of the organization’s multifaceted initiatives.