Playwright Lauren Yee wins 2016 Francesca Primus Prize

Playwright Lauren Yee wins 2016 Francesca Primus Prize

March 14, 2017—The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) has announced that playwright Lauren Yee has been awarded the 2016 Francesca Primus Prize for her play in a word. Jointly sponsored by ATCA and the  Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation, the Primus Prize is given annually to an emerging woman playwright. Yee will receive the $10,000 award check shortly and be officially congratulated at an upcoming ATCA conference. 

What makes in a word so remarkable is the imaginative and unique way Yee plays with language. Yee says that in a word “captures my interest in both the form and architecture of language….To me, the funny and the painful go hand in hand. I’m interested in how human beings rely on fantasy and humor to get through difficult situations….My work varies wildly in subject matter and style. In each, the language is completely specific to the world of that particular play.”

For a full press release about Yee, in a word and the Primus Prize, click here.

See also a list of the seven finalists.

Yee’s prize was celebrated at the NY weekend conference in 2017. Here she receives her plaque from Primus Prize chair Barbara Bannon (center) and Patsy Kahn, representing Barry Primus and the Primus Foundation. The presentation was at Sardi’s, at the traditional lunch mixing critics and Broadway stars.