Alumna Gina Stevenson ’18 Finalist for Theatre503 International Playwriting Award

Alumna Gina Stevenson ’18 was announced as a finalist for the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. Stevenson was nominated alongside Ayad Andrews, Pravin Wilkins, Safaa Benson-Effiom and Zoe Ashford Cooper. Stevenson was nominated for her original play Book of Esther and her piece was selected from 1,719 play submissions. 

The Theatre503 International Playwriting Award was established in 2014 and is an opportunity for emerging playwrights to be recognized for writing an outstanding, original piece of work for the stage. It builds upon the foundation of the venue’s reputation for engaging with the next generation of playwrights. 

The criteria for selecting plays and playwrights is designed to allow new tallent to elevate their works. The playwrights who submit for the award must not have a play professionally produced for more than 4 weeks in length, which excludes established playwrights from submission. Adaptations and prior professionally produced plays are also barred from the competition. Only new works by exciting emerging playwrights may be submitted for consideration for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Stevenson’s play Book of Esther takes place within the confines of an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, where a new generation of women is pushing the boundaries. Esther grew up in a loving and religious household, but she is seventeen now and can feel a larger world outside her own. Will her questioning take her too far to come home?

Gina Stevenson is a playwright, dramaturg, and writing instructor. Her plays have been developed in NYC and regionally with American Stage, Urban Stages, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hartford Stage, The Tank, Isle of Shoals, and The Joust Theatre Company. She has been a finalist for a number of other prestigious awards. Stevenson won the American Stage’s 21st Century Voices New Play Festival for The Colony, and received a staged reading of the play.

Pravin Wilkins was announced as the winner of the £6,000 prize and a world premiere production at Theatre503. Wilkins’ play will also be published by Samuel French as a part of the prize.