Deborah Brevoort wins University of Wyoming's 2011 "Essays on Theatre" competition

From a UW press release:

New York playwright and librettist Deborah Brevoort is the winner of the University of Wyoming's national 2011 Amy and Eric Burger Essays on Theatre competition.

The winning essay, "On Literary Activism," has been selected for the $2,500 annual prize. The head of the national adjudicating team, Jim Volz, president of Consultants for the Arts, says, "This engaging essay discusses the complicated relationship between political activism and playwriting and the persuasive power of the pen."

"This nationally-advertised competition sparked entries from throughout America and it's great that Ms. Brevoort continues to impact the American theatre with her plays and writings about the theatre," says Gracie Lawson-Borders, UW College of Arts and Sciences associate dean.

Brevoort is an alumna of New Dramatists and is best known for "The Women of Lockerbie," which won the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award and the silver medal in the Onassis International Playwriting Competition. Her other plays include "The Poetry of Pizza, The Blue-Sky Boys" and "The Velvet Weapon."  Her new play "The Comfort Team" will premiere at the Virginia Stage Company in 2012.

Brevoort has an MFA in playwriting from Brown University and an MFA in musical theatre writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she currently teaches. Brevoort also teaches in the MFA creative writing program at Goddard College in Vermont and in the graduate playwriting program at Columbia University in New York.

"The high profile University of Wyoming arts competition is intended to inspire students, faculty and theatre and drama professionals to pursue their literary talents and reward talented authors who write on any aspect of drama or theatre," says Lawson-Borders.

Unpublished essays may range from 1,800-7,500 words.

The program is offered through a special endowment to UW's College of Arts and Sciences to honor Amy and Eric Burger. For more information, email Lawson-Borders at glawsonb@uwyo.edu .