Anyanwu’s play follows the story of “Nkechi,” or “N” a first generation Nigerian girl, and her misadventures of first love, loss, and the people, including her childhood best friend, her brother the ghetto philosopher, and her Nigerian immigrated parents who “try and help her get over it, around it and through it.” Good Grief is Anyanwu’s first play, which she started writing while still a student at the University of California-San Diego. In a recent statement she said, “I’m excited for the support that an institution can bring, and I’m interested in seeing what that means for the play.”

Anyanwu is an actress, writer, and producer who received an MFA in acting from the University of California-San Diego. She is the founder of the 1st Generation Nigerian Project, where she served as artistic director. Anyanwu is currently the co-artistic director of NOW AFRICA’s Playwrights Festival and a recipient of the Djerassi Artist Residency. She’s also served as a production assistant for the National Black Theatre production of Dead and Breathing.

As part of the prize, Good Grief also will be developed by CTG’s literary staff and presented in staged readings at the Humanitas Play Fest, Celebrating Southern California Playwrights that will run February 12–14.

The second place prize was awarded to Dan O’Brien and third place was Louisa Hill who both received $2,000. O’Brien was recognized for his play, The House in Scarsdale and Hill received the award for her play, Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers.

The winner and two runners-up will also be announced at the annual Humanitas Prize ceremony on Thursday, February 11, 2016, at the Directors Guild.

The post Ngozi Anyanwu Wins Inaugural Humanitas CTG Playwriting Prize appeared first on Broadway Black.

Dead and Breathing explores morality, mortality, and the controversy of the right to die with dignity through the relationship between rich, elderly, and terminally ill “Carolyn” and her feisty, Christian nurse “Veronika.” “Carolyn” has been in hospice for too long: she’s miserable, cantankerous and just wants to die. In a ploy to convince Veronika to participate in the assisted suicide, she offers her mansion and fortune as an incentive.

Hutchinson, a veteran writer for the Blue Man Group and the New York branch of the Neo-Futurists, was influenced to explore these topics because of challenges that impacted her personal life. She started writing Dead and Breathing shortly after taking care of her own mother, who was dying of uterine cancer. In an interview with NPR, she revealed that her struggles with multiple sclerosis forced her to consider end-of-life issues.

“I wonder if I’ll ever get to a point, or if I’m incapacitated in such a way, that will just make life seem not worth it,” she said.

The New York premiere of Dead and Breathing will be directed by Jonathan McCrory and will star Lizan Mitchell as “Carolyn” and Nikki Walker as “Veronica.” The play begins previews on October 28 and opens with a gala on November 2. It will run through November 23.

National Black Theatre was founded in 1968 in the heart of Harlem by the late Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, an award winning, visionary artist and entrepreneur. It is among the oldest Black theaters in the country, and also among the longest owned and operated by a woman of color. Since its founding, the theatre has produced over 300 original theatre works that have toured the U.S, the Caribbean, Central America, Africa, and Asia. It has garnered over 45 AUDELCO Black Theatre Excellence Awards and received a CEBA Award of Merit for the award-winning production of “Legacy: Memories of the Gospel Song” that aired on CBS in 1988.

For more information about the National Black Theatre and Dead and Breathing, visit here.

Read more about playwright Chisa Hutchinson.

The post Dead and Breathing Set for New York Premiere appeared first on Broadway Black.