The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust has announced Christina Anderson and Mfoniso Udofia are the recipients of the 2024 Steinberg Playwright Awards, also known as The Mimi Awards. The two $100,000 awards are presented annually to early-to-mid-career playwrights whose work exhibits exceptional talent and artistic excellence.
Anderson's plays include the ripple, the wave that carried me home, How to Catch Creation, Man in Love, Good Goods, The Ashes Under Gait City, Hollow Roots, Blacktop Sky, and pen/man/ship. In 2022, Anderson received a Tony Award nomination for writing the book for Paradise Square.
Udofia's plays include Sojourners, runboyrun, Her Portmanteau, and In Old Age, among others. Her work has been produced at New York Theatre Workshop, American Conservatory Theater, Playwrights Realm, and more. Mfoniso has also written for acclaimed television shows including Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and Amazon's A League of Their Own.
"I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition and generous support. In these uncertain times, the Steinberg Playwright Award is a life-changing gift of freedom and artistic stillness to create and dream,” Anderson said in a statement. “My devotion to theatrical storytelling hasn’t always been an easy calling, but to receive this phone call was a reaffirming moment that I will cherish. And to join such a remarkable group of past recipients is incredible. Thank you to the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for their lasting and impactful contributions to the American Theater and for this extraordinary award."
"When I found out I had won the Steinberg Award, my heart genuinely skipped a beat," added Udofia. "I’m in the midst of bringing my entire cycle of Nigerian immigrant plays to Boston in partnership with The Huntington and a host of theatres-partners in the Greater Boston Area. For the past year, I’ve had my head down, focused on ensuring these plays come to life. To receive this award during such a pivotal moment feels truly monumental. This recognition is not only a vital means of support but also an incredible encouragement—like a wind at a playwright’s back, urging them to 'go, go, go!' I am deeply humbled and immensely grateful for this honor. It was unexpected, so welcome, and I still wake up pinching myself in disbelief."
"Christina and Mfoniso are two of the foremost American playwrights writing today,” Steinberg Advisory Committee Member Snehal Desai said in a statement. “Their work reverberates with a deep awareness of the complexities of identity—through their characters, they navigate the intersections of race, culture, and history with works that are lyrically hypnotic and formally inventive. Their transformative voices illuminate untold stories, creating a profound connection between art and the lived experiences of those whose voices we don't often hear on our stages. Their work is intimate and personal but also expansive and boundless in the ways they interrogate and celebrate our shared humanity."
The 2024 advisory committee to establish awards criteria, nominate candidates, and select recipients includes Jeremy B. Cohen, Snehal Desai, Adam Greenfield, Sarah Lunnie, Dámaso Rodriguez, Hana S. Sharif, and Nicole A. Watson.
