The Kilroys have named their 2019 List and many Columbia alumni were recognized for their work. The Kilroys is a gang of playwrights, directors and producers in LA and NYC who are done talking about gender parity and are taking action. The group mobilizes others in the field and leverages their power to support one another. Founded in 2013, The Kilroys is named after the iconic graffiti tag “Kilroy Was Here” that was first left by WWII soldiers in unexpected places, a playfully subversive way of making their presence known. This year’s list from The Kilroys recognizes the 33 most recommended un- and underproduced new plays by women, trans, and non-binary authors per survey results. Each play received between 5 and 19 nominations.
Melis Aker '18 was recognized for Field, Awakening. “Spanning across the surreal events of one evening, Field, Awakening is an anti-homecoming: a tale of a stranger in a strange land, searching in vain for a home that is lost in a landscape of fleeting familiarity and heightened political surveillance.” Field, Awakening was Aker's thesis piece with Columbia last spring.
Paola Lazaro-Munoz '13 was recognized for There’s Always the Hudson. “T and Lola met in sexual abuse survivor’s support group and the support group ain’t doing sh*t for them. So, tonight they have decided to take it upon themselves to right the wrongs that have been done to them. Spend the night with two f*ckedup people who are going to f*ck up the people who f*cked them over.”
Daaimah Mubashshir '15 was recognized for Room Enough (For Us All). The play is centered on a contemporary African-American Muslim Family coming to terms with how to treat queerness up against long-standing ideals and faith. "Fatimah, a recently widowed matriarch, is determined to have it all. She wants the opportunity to set right a 10-year mistake by inviting Jamillah, her queer daughter, to return home after a long forced absence. Can she have it all when, Abdullah, her son, is driven to fight against this decision even though he loves his mother deeply?"
Anchuli Felicia King '18 received honorable mention for Golden Shield, Kristin Slaney '16 received honorable mention for Hockey Messiah.
Congratulations to all!
