Playwrights Lynn Nottage and Will Eno Receive First Horton Foote Prizes

Lynn Nottage and Will Eno have been named the first ever recipients of the Horton Foote Prizes for their plays Ruined and Middletown. Named in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, the newly established award honors excellence in American theater. Ruined was named Outstanding New American Play, and Middletown was honored as Promising New American Play.

Nottage and Eno will be honored at a private reception on September 20 at The Players in New York City. Each playwright will be presented with $15,000 and a limited edition of Keith Carter’s photograph of Horton Foote.

Ruined made its debut at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in November 2008 and then began a six-month run off-Broadway in 2009 at Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I. The play won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize, as well as Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Middletown will make its world debut at the Vineyard Theatre beginning October 13.

"The Prize Committee felt that there was such a wonderful variety of plays that we needed to honor the present and the future by awarding an Outstanding Play and a Promising Play," said committee chair Andre Bishop. "Horton loved to see current plays but he also loved to read unproduced work and couldn't wait to see them on their feet."

The four judges for the newly established prize were personally selected by Foote before his death and included Bishop, the Signature Theatre's James Houghton, Primary Stages' Andrew Leynse and Hartford Stage's Michael Wilson. The Horton Foote Prizes are funded by the Greg and Mari Marchbanks Family Foundation of Austin, Texas.