Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

. She has received the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

twice: in 2009 for her play ''

Ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

'', and in 2017 for her play ''

Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distrib ...

''. She was the first (and remains the only) woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama two times. Nottage is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and was included in ''Time'' magazine's 2019 list of the 100 Most Influential People. She is currently an associate professor of playwriting at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and an artist-in-residence at the

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The ins ...

Early and personal life

Lynn Nottage was born on November 2, 1964, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Her mother Ruby Nottage was a schoolteacher and principal; her father Wallace was a child psychologist. She went to Saint Ann's School for elementary school, and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. While in high school, she wrote her first full-length play, ''The Darker Side of Verona'', about an African-American Shakespeare company traveling through the South. She attended

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

(AB 1986, DFA 2011) and the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...

(MFA, 1989). After graduation, Nottage worked in

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

's press office for four years. Most recently, Nottage received honorary degrees from

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

and

Albright College Albright College is a private liberal arts college in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1856. History Albright College traces its founding to 1856 when Union Seminary opened. Present-day Albright was formed by the mergers of several ins ...

. Nottage is married to filmmaker

Tony Gerber Tony Gerber is an American filmmaker and the co-founder of Market Road Films, an independent production company. Personal life Gerber was born in New York City. He is a 1981 graduate of the Hackley School, and a 1995 graduate of the Columbia U ...

, with whom she has two children, Ruby Aiyo and Melkamu Gerber.

Career

Nottage's plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world.

Plays

''Intimate Apparel''

One of her best-known plays is ''

Intimate Apparel Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

''. In 1905 New York, Esther, a Black seamstress, lives in a boarding house for women, and sews intimate apparel for clients who range from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. One by one, the other denizens of the boarding house marry and move away, but Esther remains, lonely and longing for a husband and a future. Her plan is to find the right man and use the money she's saved to open a beauty parlor where Black women will be treated as royally as the white women she sews for. Co-commissioned and produced at

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

's Center Stage, it premiered in February 2003 and

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

. The

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production at

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

opened in 2004, starring

Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...

, and receiving critical acclaim. It received the 2004 AUDELCO Viv Award for Playwriting;

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awa ...

(Audience Development Committee) recognizes and honors excellence in Black theatre. ''Intimate Apparel'' has since been commissioned by the MET / Lincoln Center to be adapted into an opera, and will be composed by Ricky Ian Gordon. Since 2004, ''Intimate Apparel'' has become one of the most produced plays in America.

''Ruined''

'' dramatizes the plight of Congolese women surviving

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Set in a small mining town in Democratic Republic of Congo, ''Ruined'' follows Mama Nadi, a shrewd businesswoman protecting and profiting from the women she shelters.The play deals with the role of women in war and the societal stigma around Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). It premiered in 2007 in the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...

(Chicago) New Stages Series, and transferred to Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in February 2009. ''Ruined'' was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ''Ruined'' also received the 2009 AUDELCO Viv Award for Dramatic Production of the Year. On May 13, 2009, Nottage spoke at a public reception in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

following a

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Foreign Relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

joint subcommittee hearing entitled "Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones," with case studies on the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. On October 12, 2009, Nottage spoke at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

as part of the Exhibit ''CONGO/WOMEN Portraits of War: The Democratic Republic of Congo.''

''By the Way, Meet Vera Stark''

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark ''By the Way, Meet Vera Stark'' is a play by Lynn Nottage. The play concerns an African-American maid in the 1930s who becomes a film star. Background Nottage received the 2010 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award for this play. Producti ...

'' is a seventy-year journey through the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the camera leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy. It premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre on May 9, 2011, with direction by

Jo Bonney Jo Bonney is an American theater director who has worked Off-Broadway, regionally and internationally, primarily focused on the development of new plays. Early life and education Bonney was born in Australia. She attended Sydney University bef ...

. The play is a "funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood." The play was nominated for the 2012 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Play. The play ran at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in September 2012, starring

Sanaa Lathan Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows ''In the House'', '' Family Matters'', ''NYPD Blue ...

, who played the role of the maid who becomes a stage star.

''Sweat''

''Sweat'' tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. Nottage received a commission from

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

and the Arena Stage. The play that she wrote as a result, ''

'', was presented at the festival in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

from July 29, 2015, to October 31, 2015, directed by

Kate Whoriskey Kate Whoriskey (born 1970)
by Misha Berson, Seattle Times, September 4, 2010 is a freelance thea ...

. The play takes place in Reading, Pennsylvania, and involves steel workers who have been locked out of their factory workplace. The play was produced at the Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.) from January 15 to February 21, 2016, directed by Whoriskey. Nottage won the 2015–16 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for this play. ''Sweat'' premiered Off-Broadway at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American ...

on October 18, 2016 (previews), officially on November 3, again directed by Whoriskey. Here, the play was awarded the 2017

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for Playwriting. The play closed on December 18, 2016. ''Sweat'' opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...

on March 4, 2017, in previews, officially on March 26. This marks Nottage's Broadway debut. ''Sweat'' was a finalist for the 2016 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama. ''Sweat'' was again a finalist for the 2017 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. The award is administered by Columbia University. The play won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Other plays

Her short play ''Poof!'' (

Heideman Award The Heideman Award is given each year to the winner of the National Ten-Minute Play Contest, a competition hosted by Actors Theatre of Louisville. The $1,000 cash prize award was established in 1979 by Louisville, Kentucky native Ted Heideman. P ...

) was presented in 1993 at the Actors Theatre Of Louisville during the Humana Festival of New American Plays."Lynn Nottage at Doollee"
doollee.com, accessed February 24, 2016. It was then broadcast on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

in 2002, with a cast that featured Rosie Perez and

.
Poof!
' was also recorded for podcast and public radio b
Playing on Air
with a cast that featured

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins (born May 30, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''RED PILL'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Fea ...

, and

Keith Randolph Smith Keith Randolph Smith is an American Broadway, television, theater, and film actor. Smith appeared in the films ''Malcolm X'' and ''Girl 6'', both films directed by Spike Lee, and played Will in ''Fallout'' and Jesse Hill in ''Backstreet Justi ...

with direction by Seret Scott. Her political satire ''Por'Knockers'' premiered in 1995 at the

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981. It is best known for its productions of the Tony award-winning ...

, directed by Michael Rogers, featuring

. The West Coast premiere of her ''

Crumbs from the Table of Joy ''Crumbs from the Table of Joy'' is a play written by Lynn Nottage. Production history The play premiered Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre from May 9, 1995, through July 1, 1995. Directed by Joe Morton, the cast featured Kisha Howard (E ...

'', at

in September 1996, earned two

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

Theatre Awards for performance. ''Mud, River, Stone'' premiered in 1996 at The Acting Company directed by Seret Scott; it premiered in New York in 1997 at

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

, directed by

Roger Rees Roger Rees (5 May 1944 – 10 July 2015) was a Welsh actor and director, widely known for his stage work. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby''. He also re ...

. It was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, and won numerous regional theatre awards. ''Las Meninas'' premiered in 2002 at San Jose Rep, directed by Michael Edwards. It was awarded a Rockefeller Grant, as well as the AT&T OnStage Award. It follows the true story of Queen

Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain ( es, María Teresa de Austria; french: Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal a ...

(wife of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

) and her affair with her African servant, Nabo, a dwarf from Dahomey.

-winning '' Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine'' (her companion piece to ''Intimate Apparel'', set one hundred years later), opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in June 2004. Her play ''Mlima's Tale'' premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on March 27, 2018, in previews, officially on April 15 in a limited engagement to May 20. Direction is by Jo Bonney. The play concerns an elephant, Mlima, "trapped inside the clandestine international ivory market". Sahr Ngaujah plays Mlima. ''Mlima's Tale'' was nominated for the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) (Lap Chi Chu) and Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) (Darron L. West). The play was nominated for the 2019

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director (Bonney), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (Sahr Ngaujah), Outstanding Costume Design (Jennifer Moeller) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Lap Chi Chu). Nottage wrote the book for the world premiere musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel '' The Secret Life of Bees'', with music by

Duncan Sheik Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single " Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has composed ...

and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. It premieres at the Off-Broadway

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their act ...

on May 12, 2019 in previews. The musical is directed by

Sam Gold Sam Gold is an American theater director and actor. He has directed both musicals and plays, on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for ''Fun Home''. Early life Gold was raised in Westchester an ...

and features Saycon Sengbloh as Rosaleen, Elizabeth Teeter as Lily,

LaChanze Rhonda LaChanze Sapp, known professionally as LaChanze (; born December 16, 1961), is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2006 for her role as Celie Harris Johnson ...

, Eisa Davis and Anastacia McCleskey. The musical had a workshop at the Vassar Powerhouse Theater, Martel Theatre in July 2017, directed by Sam Gold.

Other work

Nottage wrote a monologue, ''The Grey Rooster'', following a former slave and his slaveholder's cockfighting rooster in post-Civil War Kentucky. It was performed as part of the National Civil War Project's production ''Our War'', produced in 2014 at

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

, directed by Anita Maynard-Losh. Nottage contributed to the "dance-theatre musical" written Stephen Flaherty and

Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens (born October 1, 1948) is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years. She won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle ...

titled ''In Your Arms'' which premiered at the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

, San Diego, in September 2015. The piece consists of ten vignettes and was directed and choreographed by

Christopher Gattelli Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director. Early life and career Gattelli grew up in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He started dancing at the age of 11 and is a "Star Search" Grand champion.

. Her vignette is titled ''A Wedding Dance'' and was performed by Marija Juliette Abney and Adesola Osakalumi with The . Nottage wrote the book for a jukebox musical centered on

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and titled ''

MJ the Musical ''MJ the Musical'', also referred to as simply ''MJ'', is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Michael Jackson with a book by Lynn Nottage. It tells the story of American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson. ''MJ'' was originally ...

'', originally aiming to premiere on Broadway in 2020; previews were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the musical premiering in February 2022.

''This is Reading''

Nottage co-conceived ''This is Reading'', an immersive transmedia project exploring the decline and rebirth of Reading, Pennsylvania: the setting of Nottage's play ''

''. This site-specific multimedia installation blended live performance and visual media, occupying the Franklin Street Railroad Station in Downtown Reading in May 2017, re-animating the long vacant building. Using as its foundation, the hardships, challenges, and triumphs of people living in and around Reading, ''This is Reading'' weaved individual stories into one cohesive tale of the city. It was produced in association with Market Road Films, the Labyrinth Theater Company and Project&. ''This Is Reading'' was conceived by Nottage, and co-created by an award-winning team of artists, including filmmaker

, director Kate Whoriskey and Choreographer Rennie Harris. The creative team included composer Kashaka, projection designer Jeff Sugg, set designer Deb O, costume designer Jennifer Moeller, lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker, sound designer Nick Kourtides, muralist Katie Merz and producers Jane M. Saks, Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Allison Bressi and Santo D. Marabella.

Market Road Films

Lynn Nottage Occupy Wall Street 2011 Shankbone

She is the co-founder of a production company, Market Road Films, whose most recent projects include ''The Notorious Mr. Bout'', directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin (Premiere/Sundance 2014); ''First to Fall'', directed by Rachel Beth Anderson (Premiere/ IDFA, 2013); and ''Remote Control'' (Premiere/Busan 2013–New Currents Award). Over the years, she has developed original projects for HBO, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Showtime, This is That, and

Harpo Productions Harpo Productions (or Harpo Studios) is an American multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey and based in West Hollywood, California. It is the sole subsidiary of her media and entertainment company Harpo, Inc. The name "Harpo" is ...

Film and television

Nottage was a producer and writer for the first season of ''

She's Gotta Have It ''She's Gotta Have It'' is a 1986 American black-and-white comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Spike Lee. Filmed on a small budget and Lee's first feature-length film to be released, it earned positive reviews and lau ...

''.

Themes

''The Guardian'' noted:

Works

Full-length plays

*''

'' (1995) *''Por'Knockers'' (1995) *''Mud, River, Stone'' (1997)Daniels, Robert L
"Review. 'Mud, River, Stone'"
''Variety'', December 21, 1997. *''Las Meninas'' (2002)Ehren, Christine
"Forbidden Love Reigns in San Jose With Nottage's ''Las Meninas'' March 16-April 14"
''Playbill'', March 14, 2002. *''

'' (2003) *'' Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine'' (2004) *''

'' (2008) *''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2015) *''Mlima's Tale'' (2018) *''Floyd's'' (2019) *'' Clyde's'' (2021)

Other works

*''Poof'' (1993) – short play *''Our War'' (2014) – contributed material *''In Your Arms'' (2015) – contributed material * ''This Is Reading'' (2017) – co-conceived / multimedia installation *''The Secret Life of Bees'' (2019) – wrote libretto *''

'' (2021) – wrote libretto

Awards and nominations

Awards * 2022 Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award * 2019

Evening Standard Theatre Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

for Best Play – ''

'' * 2017

– ''

'' * 2017

, Best New American Play – ''Sweat'' * 2016

Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...

– ''Sweat'' * 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama – ''

'' * 2009

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

for Outstanding Play – ''Ruined'' * 2009

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The award was initially introduced in 1955 as the Ver ...

– ''Ruined'' * 2009 Obie Award for Best New American Play - ''Ruined'' * 2009

Viv Award for Dramatic Production of the Year – ''Ruined'' * 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play – ''Ruined'' * 2009 Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play – ''Ruined'' * 2005 Obie Award, Best New American Play - ''

Fabulation In literary criticism, the term fabulation was popularized by Robert Scholes, in his work ''The Fabulators'', to describe the large and growing class of mostly 20th century novels that are in a style similar to magical realism, and do not fit in ...

'' * 2004 AUDELCO Viv Award for Playwriting – ''

'' * 2004 Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play – ''Intimate Apparel'' * 2004 Outer Critics Circle Award, John Gassner Award – ''Intimate Apparel'' Nominations * 2022

Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligib ...

– '' MJ'' * 2022

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non- musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...

– ''Clyde's'' * 2022

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Outstanding Lyrics – ''

'' * 2022

for Outstanding Book of a Musical – ''

'' * 2019

for Outstanding New Play – ''Mlima's Tale'' * 2019

for Outstanding New Revival – ''Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine'' * 2019

for Outstanding Revival – ''Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine'' * 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival – ''By the Way, Meet Vera Starke'' * 2019 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play – ''

'' * 2019

South Bank Sky Arts Award The South Bank Sky Arts Awards (originally The South Bank Show Awards) are an accolade recognizing British achievements in the arts. The awards have been given annually since 1997. They originated with the long-running British arts programme ' ...

for Theatre – ''

'' * 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play – ''Mlima's Tale'' * 2017

– ''Sweat'' * 2017 Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play – ''Sweat'' * 2017

– ''Sweat'' * 2017

Viv Award for Dramatic Production of the Year – ''Sweat'' * 2017 AUDELCO Viv Award for Playwriting – ''Sweat'' * 2012

– ''

'' * 2011 AUDELCO Viv Award for Playwriting – ''By the Way, Meet Vera Stark'' * 2009

– ''Ruined'' * 2005

for Outstanding Play – ''Intimate Apparel'' * 2001 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize – ''Mud, River, Stone'' Other awards * 2019 Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

presented by Awards Council member

Bartlett Sher Bartlett B. Sher (born March 27, 1959) is an American theatre director. '' The New York Times'' has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but also in the international world of opera" ...

* 2018 Induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters * 2017 Induction into The American Academy of Arts and Science * 2017 Award of Merit, American Academy of Arts and Letters to "an outstanding playwright for her body of work" * 2017 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Achievement * 2017 Lucille Lortel Sidewalk Star * 2016 PEN/Laura Pels "Master American Dramatist" Award * 2016 Literature Award from The Academy of Arts and Letters * 2016 Columbia University Provost Grant * 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award, 2016 * 2013 Madge Evans-Sidney Kingsley Award * 2012 Nelson A. Rockefeller Award For Creativity * 2010 Steinberg "Distinguished Playwright" Award * 2010 Horton Foote Award * 2007 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship * 2005 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for Drama and Performance Art * 2004 PEN/Laura Pels "Mid-Career Playwright" Award * 2000 & 1994 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship * 1994 Van Lier Playwright Fellowship * National Black Theatre Festival August Wilson Playwriting Award Fellowships, commissions, and residencies *

Signature Theatre Company Signature Theatre Company is an American theatre based in Manhattan, New York. It was founded in 1991 by James Houghton and is now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans. Signature is known for their season-long focus on one artist's work. It has be ...

, 2018–2019 Residency One *

(2017–2018) *

* New Freedom Theatre *

New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists parti ...

(1999–2006)

References

External links

Official site
*Nosheen Iqbal
"Interview: Lynn Nottage: a bar, a brothel and Brecht"
''The Guardian'', April 20, 2010. Accessed April 20, 2010 * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottage, Lynn 1964 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights African-American dramatists and playwrights MacArthur Fellows Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Yale School of Drama alumni Brown University alumni Columbia University faculty American women dramatists and playwrights African-American women writers 20th-century American women writers Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn) alumni Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni American women academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters