NEW YORK CITY: British playwright Alice Birch has won the 2018 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play Anatomy of a Suicide. The prize recognizes female playwrights from around the world for their English-language plays. Birch will receive $25,000 and a signed print by artist Willem de Kooning.
Anatomy of a Suicide premiered last year at the Royal Court in London. The play portrays three generations of women struggling with a legacy of depression. Birch’s other plays include Many Moons and Revolt. She said. Revolt again.
In addition to the winner, the Blackburn Prize also named its finalists, who will each receive $5,000. Those finalists are:
- Elinor Cook (U.K.), Out of Love
- Aleshea Harris (U.S.), Is God Is
- Fiona Doyle (Ireland), The Strange Death of John Doe
- Colleen Murphy (Canada), The Breathing Hole
- Antoinette Nwandu (U.S.), Pass Over
- Nina Raine (U.K.), Consent
- Anusree Roy (Canada), Trident Moon
- Tori Sampson (U.S.), If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must be a Muhfucka
- Lauren Yee (U.S.), The Great Leap
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is named after American actress and writer Susan Smith Blackburn. It was co-founded by Susan’s sister, Emilie Kilgore, and Susan’s husband, William Blackburn, in 1977. Since its founding, the Prize has honored over 390 plays by women.
