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Sheri Wilner

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Sheri Wilner is an award-winning playwright who has been working in the theatre for over twenty-five years. Her plays include Kingdom City, Father Joy, Bake Off, Relative Strangers, Labor Day, Joan of Arkansas, The End, A Tall Order, Hunger, and have been performed and developed at such major theatres as the Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference, Signature Theatre (D.C.) and the Old Vic/New Voices in London.

She has twice been a co-winner of the prestigious Heideman Award granted by the Actors Theatre of Louisville: in 1998 for Labor Day, which premiered at the 1999 Humana Festival, and in 2001 for Bake Off, which premiered at the 2002 Humana Festival. Bake Off was praised by The New York Times as a “barbed, witty, thoughtful, giggle and snort inducing satire on gender roles” that was “the clear apex” of the festival. In 2015 she adapted Bake Off into the musical Cake Off, which was produced by the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, and by the Bucks County Playhouse. The Signature production was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award in the Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation category.

In 2020, she wrote her first play for Zoom, LOL OL, which was included in the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Launch Pad’s “Alone, Together” program of Zoom plays, was a finalist in the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition, produced by the Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo and published by Dramatic Publishing Company.

Her work has been widely anthologized and published by Dramatists Play Service, Dramatic Publishing Company, Samuel French and Playscripts.com, leading to over five hundred productions of her plays across the United States as well as in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, United Kingdom, and India.

Her playwriting awards include a Howard Foundation Fellowship in Playwriting, a Bush Artist Fellowship and two Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowships.

Also a respected playwriting teacher, she is currently an Adjunct Professor for NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Dramatic Writing Program. She is also on the faculty of the Dramatists Guild Institute, for whom she serves as the Certificate Program Advisor. She has also taught playwriting for the Playwrights’ Center, PlayPenn, the Creative Center, the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, Boston College, Vanderbilt University, and Florida State University’s MFA Dramatic Writing Program.

A graduate of Cornell and Columbia University, she lives in New York City.

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CHANGEMAKERS World Premiere Announced, Featuring 20 Original, Short Plays & Musicals Inspired by Community Leaders


Now streaming online, Changemakers, a collection of 20 original, two-minute plays and musicals inspired by community leaders, activists, and front-line workers who have fought for change over the course of the past year.

The Dramatists Guild's Institute for Dramatic Writing Announces Spring 2021 Semester


Registration is currently open for The Dramatists Guild's Institute for Dramatic Writing Spring 2021 Semester, featuring writing classes that will be taught by James Anthony Tyler, Cheryl Coons, John Dietrich, Emily Dendinger, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Marcy Heisler, Mark Hollmann, Andrea Lepcio, Donja Love, Mona Mansour, Deborah Murad and more.

THE 24 HOUR PLAYS: VIRAL MONOLOGUES Returns With Ana Villafaňe, Ato Blankson-Wood, and More!


The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues returns in 2021 for another weekly series on IGTV.

Virtual Theatre Today: Tuesday, February 2- with NaTasha Williams, Jordin Sparks and More!


Today (February 2) in live streaming: Stars in the House honors Cicely Tyson, Verdi's La Forza del Destino at the Met, and more!

Tony- Nominees Elizabeth Stanley and Mary Testa Star in Alleyway Theatre's Digital Theatre Festival


Alleyway Theatre announces its first-ever Digital Theatre Festival, running November 6-22, 2020.

UCSB's Launch Pad Zooms Into Action With ALONE, TOGETHER


UCSB's Launch Pad Zooms Into Action With ALONE, TOGETHER

UCSB's Launch Pad Zooms Into Action With ALONE, TOGETHER


LAUNCH PAD alumni playwrights have rallied to provide new material for UCSB's Department of Theater and Dance students. In an overwhelming response to an invitation from LAUNCH PAD Artistic Director Risa Brainin and Professor Annie Torsiglieri, 24 playwrights have written monologues and short plays inspired by the prompt a?oeAlone, Togethera?? and tailored specifically for the Zoom platform. 

Acclaimed Playwright Melinda Lopez Comes to Boston College 2019-20


Award-winning playwright Melinda Lopez has joined the Boston College Theatre Department as the Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor in Theatre Arts for the 2019-2020 academic year.

J.T. Rogers And Ayad Akhtar Come To PlayPenn Education


PlayPenn, the nationally-recognized new play development organization based in Philadelphia, is excited to announce their Summer 2019 Education Program courses. Curated by Director of Education Julia Bumke, the semester features a variety of courses and workshops designed for writers of all skill levels.

TOBI OR THE MEMORY MACHINES Kick-Off Event Announced at The Bridge


Nicole Martinez, operating director of The Bridge, producer/director Jessica Farr, and playwright Caleb Scott will be presenting an evening of local bands, drag performances, and a sneak peek of the show, TOBI or The Memory Machines, a futuristic play with songs, opening later this Fall at The Bridge. The evening will feature musical acts by The Memory Machines (Afrobeta), Haute Tension, and Shira Lee. Drag performances will happen throughout with acts to be announced. A sneak peek of the show will be performed live and will feature innovative tech elements to be showcased in the production. The event will be emceed by Farr and Scott, and an OPEN BAR will be available to all guests. Entry to this evening of live music and theatre is only $25 per person. Tickets can be purchased online or in cash or credit at the door.

Photo Coverage: Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Present New Works!


Last night, the 2017-2018 class of Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows presented excerpts of full length works at Playwrights Horizons at 7:00 PM. This presentation caps off a year spent working under the tutelage of Michael Korie (War Paint), Laurence O'Keefe (Heathers), Diana Son (Stop Kiss), and Sheri Wilner (Kingdom City).

HATE BABY, HEDGEHOG YEARS, and HORSE LATITUDE Win Inaugural James Stevenson Prize For Comedic Short Plays


Playing On Air announced today the three winners of the inaugural James Stevenson Prize for comedic short plays. First Prize ($7,500, plus a Playing On Air recording for radio and podcast distribution) has been awarded to Hate Baby by Gracie Gardner. (Gardner is also the winner of the 2017 Relentless Award and author of the New York Times Critic's Pick Athena.) Second Prize ($2,000) has been awarded to Hedgehog Years by Lily Akerman. Third Prize ($1,000) has been awarded to Horse Latitudes (Who Wants to be an Equine Extra?) by Elizabeth Logun.

2018/2019 Class Of Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Announced


Dramatists Guild Foundation would like to formally announce the 2018-2019 class of DGF Fellows. The new Fellows class includes Rae Binstock, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, Mathilde Dratwa, Benjamin Velez and Aryanna Garber, Melissa Li and Kit Yan, Charles Gershman, Nambi E. Kelley, and Zack Zadek.

Maurice Emmanuel Parent Comes to Boston College


Award-winning actor, director, and arts educator Maurice Emmanuel Parent has joined the Boston College Theatre Department as the Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor in Theatre Arts for the 2018-2019 academic year. [Jpg of Parent attached.]

BWW Interview: Playwright Nicole Pandolfo and BRICK CITY at Premiere Stages


Premiere Stages at Kean University will present Nicole Pandolfo's 'Brick City' from September 6 to September 23. Broadwayworld.com NJ had the opportunity to interview Pandolfo about her writing career and Brick City.

Arts At St. John's Presents SIREN READING SERIES


Arts at St. John's presents the Sirens Play Reading series, using the imagery of the Greek mythical creature, next weekend will promote and celebrate the rising voices of multicultural and contemporary female playwrights. On each night of June 8th and 9th, at 8 PM, we will be presenting four plays, ranging from 10-15 mins, from contemporary female playwrights such as Andie Arthur, Eugenie Carabatsos, Jessica Farr, Vanessa Garcia, Barbara Lhota, Cassandra Rose, Sheri Wilner. Join us for an evening of discovery and promoting female voices in the Miami theater scene. Event is free and open to the public.

PLAYING ON AIR Announces Celebrity Judges For Inaugural James Stevenson Prize


Playing On Air announced today the names of the three celebrity guests joining sponsor Josie Merck on the jury for their inaugural James Stevenson Prize, which will award three monetary prizes for new short comedic plays that honor and perpetuate the spirit and wit of Mr. Stevenson.

SUMMER SHORTS, America's Short Play Festival, Returns To The Arsht Center! Begins May 31


City Theatre (@citytheatremia) and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) are proud to present SUMMER SHORTS, America's Short Play Festival. Playing May 31-July 1, 2018 in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House) and led by City Theatre Artistic Director Margaret M. Ledford, SUMMER SHORTS is an annual theatrical celebration that showcases the diversity of Miami through a variety of new short plays and musicals.

City Theatre's SHORTS ON SHIPS Sets Sail World-Wide With Azamara Club Cruises


City Theatre announces its newest and most exciting venture, SHORTS ON SHIPS, which launches its unique and popular productions of short ten-minute plays world-wide this month onboard Azamara Club Cruises luxury ships, Journey, Quest and Pursuit beginning in August, 2018.

Philly Playwright Wins Yale Prize and Programs Summer of Writing Classes


PlayPenn, Philadelphia's artist-driven organization dedicated to improving the way in which new plays are developed, has announced their Summer 2017 education offerings, including several opportunities to 'binge learn' during curated packages created especially for ambitious students.

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