The Yale Drama Series Prize for Emerging Playwrights has revealed its first-ever short list, which includes eight contenders.
The short list was announced this year instead of the typical announcement of the winning play to "better reflect the pluralism of its applicant pool, and to provide a broader context concerning the health of the American Theater at the emerging level," according to the prize organizers.
For the first time, rather than one playwright, the play selections were made by a six-member judging panel. Playwrights including Edward Albee, David Hare, Marsha Norman, and Paula Vogel have chosen previous winners.
Each of this year's six judges is a previous Yale Prize winner who read over 250 playwriting submissions.
The following eight plays have been chosen for the short list:
A Driving Beat by Jordan Ramirez Puckett
All Eight by Lilly Camp
Matthew What a mansion for Paul Olmos! (or the house that was ravine)
Jar of Fat by Seayoung Yim
A Medusa Thread by Candrice Jones
The Midnight Showing of Libby Heily
Tell Me I'm Gorgeous at the End of the World by Aaron Coleman
Iraisa The Jersey Devil by Ann Reilly is a Papi Chulo.
More than 1,500 entries from 56 countries were used to create the short list. The winner of the 2022 Prize will be revealed at a later date, and extracts from the eight plays will be accessible to read on the New Play Exchange website starting February 27.
The judges panel is made up of 2008 prize winners Neil Wechsler; 2009 winner Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig; 2010 winner Virginia Grise; 2017 winner Jacqueline Goldfinger; 2018 winner Leah Nanako Winkler; and 2021 winner Rachel Lynett.
