Tanya Barfield is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

whose works have been presented both nationally and internationally.DeVoti, Emily
"Blue Door: Painting within the lines of history with Tanya Barfield"
brooklynrail.org, October 2006, Accessed 13 September 2104.

Early life

Barfield was raised in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

and attended Metropolitan Learning Center. Barfield fell in love with theater at a young age. Her high school didn't have a theater program, so she sought acting electives at another school. While she was there, the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, 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 conte ...

sent actors to her school to perform a condensed version of

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

. She walked away from that experience knowing that she wanted to have a career in the field of theater and making the decision to direct that very same play at her own high school months later. She graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

where she studied acting. She starred in a one- woman show '' Without Skin or Breathlessness''. She then attended the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

Playwrights program, receiving an Artist Diploma. At Juilliard, she was the drama division's literary manager and a member of The Lila Acheson Playwriting Program."Staff Portrait. Tanya Barfield"
juilliard.edu, accessed October 11, 2015

Career

Her plays include: ''Bright Half Life'', ''The Call'', ''121° West'', ''Blue Door'', ''Dent'', ''The Houdini Act'', ''Medallion'', ''Of Girl & Wolf and Wanting North'', ''Pecan Tan'' and ''The Quick''. She authored a book for a children's musical entitled ''Civil War: The First Black Regiment''. She taught playwriting at Primary Stages School of Theater and

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, New York University and she served as the literary manager of the

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

Drama Division from 2009 to 2014. In 2016, Profile Theatre in Portland dedicated their entire season to her work, producing four of her plays. As of 2020 she replaced

Marsha Norman Marsha Norman (born September 21, 1947) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. She received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play '' 'night, Mother''. She wrote the book and lyrics for such Broadway musicals as ''The S ...

as the co-director of The Acheson program. She is a proud alumna of New Dramatists and a member of the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. It was born in 1921 out of the Authors Guild, known then as Authors League of America, formed in 1912. M ...

sitting on the council.

Plays

Barfield's most nominated play ''Blue Door'' features a prominent African American mathematician in crisis

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

begins to lose his grip on reality, and "the ghosts of his ancestors

shatter the silence of an insomnia-filled night." Her play ''Blue Door'' had its world premiere at the

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. South Coast Repertory was founded in 1964. It has three stages and presents plays from all eras. SCR producers new plays, Theatre for Young Audiences ...

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

in May 2006. It was then produced at 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 ...

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American 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. ...

in September 2006 to October 2006, directed by

Leigh Silverman Leigh Silverman is an American director for the stage, both off-Broadway and on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2014 and 2024 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the musicals '' Violet'' and '' Suffs'', and the 2008 Drama Desk Awar ...

. The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer noted: "Barfield's play is filled with words that spin into near poetic riffs and define the past and the present philosophical and cultural attitudes of African-Americans in a unique and refreshing way....The title refers to a family memory and a tradition stemming from the days in the slave quarters when the door was painted blue to "keep the bad spirits out and the soul family in." It also was produced at the

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Rep (Seattle Repertory Theatre) is a major regional theater located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann.HIFA). ''Blue Door'' was developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, Utah, in 2005. On June 29, 2008, her play ''Of Equal Measure'' premiered at the

Kirk Douglas Theatre The Kirk Douglas Theatre is a 317-seat theater located in Culver City, California, United States. Since 2004, it has been operated by the Center Theatre Group. History Built in 1946, as a Streamline Moderne movie palace with a seating capacity ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

directed by Leigh Silverman through the sponsorship of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

. The play was an NAACP Theatre Awards nominee. ''The Call'' opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in a co-production with

Primary Stages Primary Stages was founded in 1984 by Casey Childs as an Off-Broadway not-for-profit theater company. In 2004, Primary Stages moved from its 99-seat home of 17 years at 354 West 45th Street to the 199-seat theater at 59E59 Theaters. In 2014, the ...

in March 2013 to May 2013, directed by Leigh Silverman. The ''TheatreMania'' reviewer wrote that "...whatever the work's shortcomings, it's never a bad thing to leave the theater thinking about the problems of the world at large and looking at your own neighbors in a new light." ''The Call'' was a ''New York Times'' Critic's Pick. Barfield's newest and self-proclaimed best play ''Bright Half Life'' explores the relationship between two women in love. According to press notes,

"Erica meets Vicky. Vicky marries Erica. Lives collide. Rewind. Pause. Fast forward. ''Bright Half Life'' is a kaleidoscopic new play about love, skydiving and the infinite moments that make a life together."

''Bright Half Life'' ran Off-Broadway at the Women's Project Theater in February 2015 to March 2015, directed by Leigh Silverman. It was a "Time Out" Critic's Pick, and the script received the 2016

LAMBDA Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

Television

Growing up, Barfield had little interaction with dramatic media on TV. She enjoyed television, but she never saw herself writing for the screen because it didn't have the riveting material that she wanted to explore. However, according to her,

"TV got better and better. The stories became so unexpected, with complicated characters. It started to feel like something truly exciting was happening onscreen, the vanguard of dramatic narrative. It felt rich and full of possibility in a way that it hadn't felt before."

She then began writing for television with her first writing credit being season 4, episode 7 of ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX (TV channel), FX. It aired for six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners ...

'' (FX). Barfield is now a working television writer as well as a playwright, yet she still struggles with finding the time to balance the two mediums. She has written for the Starz series ''The One Percent'', and ''The Americans'' (FX). Her most recent writing credits include ''Here and Now'' (HBO), ''

Mrs. America Mrs. America may refer to; * ''Mrs. America'' (miniseries), a 2020 US television mini-series * Mrs. America (contest), a US national beauty pageant See also * '' Mr. and Mrs. America'', a 1945 film * Mr. America (disambiguation) * Miss America ...

'' (FX) and the upcoming ''Jack Johnson.''

Awards and nominations

Awards

2020

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

for Television: Long Form – Original, for ''Mrs. America'' on FX. Barfield shares this award with six other writers. 2016 Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Dramatic Series for ''The Americans'' on FX. Barfield shares this award with six other writers. 2006 Lark Play Development / NYSCA grant 2005 Honorable Mention – Kesselring Prize for Drama 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights 2013 Lilly Award

Nominations

2020 Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for Episode 3 ''Mrs. America'' entitled "Shirley" on FX. 2020 Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Limited Series for ''Mrs. America'' on FX. 2007

Audelco Award 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 aw ...

for ''Blue Door'', Playwright Two Nominations for the Princess Grace Award.

References

External links

Internet Off-Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barfield, Tanya 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers Actresses from Portland, Oregon 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses African-American dramatists and playwrights African-American history of Oregon African-American screenwriters African-American television writers American television writers African Americans in Oregon American lesbian writers American LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights American LGBTQ screenwriters American stage actresses American women dramatists and playwrights American women television writers Juilliard School alumni Lambda Literary Award for Drama winners Lesbian dramatists and playwrights Lesbian screenwriters LGBTQ people from Oregon Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Screenwriters from Oregon Tisch School of the Arts alumni Writers from Portland, Oregon Writers Guild of America Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)