The Francesca Primus Prize
Purpose:
To honor outstanding contributions to the American theater by an emergingfemale artist.
The prize:
Ten thousand dollars, administered by the American Theatre CriticsAssociation (ATCA) through the generosity of the Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation.
The prize is named for the writer, critic and dramaturg who died of lung cancer in 1992 at
the age of 42.
Eligibility:
The Primus Prize has historically been awarded to an outstanding femaleplaywright recognizing a single script. While the award committee retains an interest in
honoring achievement in the writing of plays, it will also actively consider female artists
whose work is outstanding in other theatrical disciplines, including artistic direction,
stage direction, acting, design, production and dramaturgy.
The award generally will seek to honor women of significant achievement who have not
yet attained national prominence.
Award cycle:
The Primus Prize will be awarded based on the body of work of an artistover the course of a calendar year (January-December). To qualify for consideration, a
playwright must have a fully staged, professional production of her script within that time
period. For artists in other disciplines, the committee will consider either the
achievements in a single production or a body of work, with special attention given to
artists who have been involved in a noteworthy project or production.
Who may submit:
The Primus Prize operates on an open submission basis. Allcandidates are welcome and encouraged.
How to submit:
Submissions are due by March 7, in the form of a portfolio of nomore than 20 single-sided pages. The portfolio should include a letter recommending the
candidate written by a sponsor, a synopsis of her body of work over the course of the year
and materials sufficient to familiarize the committee with the applicant’s work. This can
include renderings, reviews, a statement of the artist’s philosophy and/or other supporting
materials. Portfolios of playwright candidates should also include a copy of the script on
which the nomination is based. Portfolios will not be returned.
Six copies of an applicant’s portfolio – along with an application fee of $25 (checks
payable to ATCA) should be sent to:
ATCA, c/o Katie Burger, 773 Nebraska Ave. W.,St. Paul, MN 55117, Phone: 651-261-7804
