Loeb Drama Center announces playwriting competition

Director of the Loeb Drama Center Robert J. Orchard recently announced that competition for the 2005 Phyllis Anderson Prize in playwriting is now open. Both undergraduate and graduate students who have been enrolled in Harvard between Jan. 30 and Dec. 21, 2005 are eligible to submit manuscripts. The winner of the prize — to be determined by a panel of theater professionals — will earn a cash award of $500. The winning playwright will be announced March 1, 2006.

“This prize has helped to encourage generations of young artists at Harvard to try their hand at writing for the stage,” said Orchard, who is also the executive director of the American Repertory Theatre. “Given the talent in this community, I know the quality of the submissions will be high. We look forward to honoring the memory of Phyllis Anderson with an announcement of the winning playwright later this spring.”

All manuscripts must be submitted by Jan. 30, 2006. Applications are available at the reception desk of the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St.

Playwright Robert Anderson established the prize in 1959 in memory of his wife Phyllis, with hopes of encouraging playwriting at Harvard. Past winners include Thomas Babe, Tim Mayer, Guy Gallo, and David Modigliani.

Phyllis directed drama at Radcliffe, Harvard, and the now-defunct Erskine School, and was associated with the play departments of the Theatre Guild and the Music Corporation of America. After her death, Theatre Arts wrote, “…[Phyllis] inspired hundreds to give their best to the theater.”

For more information, contact Maura Henry at mhenry@camail.harvard.edu.