Annie Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Annie Baker
Baker at the 2014 Brooklyn Book Festival
Born	April 1981 (1981-04) (age 44) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Playwright, teacher
Education	New York University (BFA) Brooklyn College (MFA)
Notable works	Body Awareness (2008) Circle Mirror Transformation (2009) The Aliens (2010) The Flick (2013) John (2015) Janet Planet (2023)
Notable awards	Pulitzer Prize for Drama Steinberg Playwright Award
Spouse	Nico Baumbach
Children	1

Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American writer and director. She is famous for her plays and for winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her play The Flick (2013) earned her this major award.

Baker has written several plays that take place in a made-up town called Shirley. These include Body Awareness (2008), Circle Mirror Transformation (2009), and The Aliens (2010). She also directed her first movie, Janet Planet (2023), which is a coming-of-age story.

Early Life and Education

Annie Baker was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her family soon moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where she grew up. Her father, Conn Nugent, worked for a group of colleges. Her mother, Linda Baker, was studying psychology. Annie has a brother, Benjamin Baker Nugent, who is also a writer.

Baker studied writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She later earned a master's degree in playwriting from Brooklyn College in 2009. Before becoming a famous playwright, she even worked on the TV show The Bachelor, helping to manage the contestants.

Career Highlights

Early Plays (2008–2012)

Baker's first play, Body Awareness, was shown in New York City in 2008. It was her first play produced Off-Broadway, which means it was shown in smaller theaters outside of the main Broadway district.

In 2009, her play Circle Mirror Transformation opened. It won an Obie Award for being a great new American play. The Obie Awards celebrate excellence in Off-Broadway theater.

In 2010, three of Baker's plays set in the fictional town of Shirley were performed in Boston. These were Circle Mirror Transformation, Body Awareness, and The Aliens. The Aliens also won an Obie Award for Best New American Play.

In 2012, Baker adapted a classic play called Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Her version was praised for being fresh and new.

The Flick and Other Works (2013–2019)

The Flick opened in 2013 and quickly gained attention. It won the Obie Award for Playwriting that same year. In 2014, The Flick received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This award is one of the highest honors for plays in the United States.

In 2015, Baker's play John premiered. It was directed by Sam Gold, who she had worked with many times before. The play is set in a bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Critics loved John, describing it as a deep look at loneliness and the search for connection. It was nominated for several awards, including the Lucille Lortel Awards and Drama Desk Awards.

Another play, The Antipodes, opened in 2017. It was also shown at the Signature Theatre Company, where John had premiered.

Directing Films (2020–Present)

In 2023, Baker's play Infinite Life opened. In the same year, she made her first movie as a director, called Janet Planet. This film is a coming-of-age story about a young girl. It was shown at the 50th Telluride Film Festival and received positive reviews. Critics called it an "exquisite debut" and an "oddball marvel." Baker was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards for her work on the film.

Teaching and Mentoring

Annie Baker shares her knowledge by teaching playwriting. She teaches at New York University, Barnard College, and Hunter College. She also teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.

Personal Life

Annie Baker is married to Nico Baumbach. They have one child together. Her husband's relatives include famous filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig.

Style and Recognition

Annie Baker is known for her unique writing style. Time Out New York described her plays as showing "normal individuals coping with everyday issues." Her writing is not overly clever but is very smart and sincere.

The New Yorker noted that Baker wants her plays to feel incredibly real. She tries to make the audience feel like they are experiencing time and space right along with the characters. She uses everyday conversations to create a style that feels very natural, almost like real life.

Critics often say that Baker's plays make the audience think deeply. Her works are not always easy to follow, but they are very rewarding. She holds a "mirror up to us all," helping us see ourselves and the world in a new way.

Works

Theatre

As a playwright

Filmography

Awards and Honors

Annie Baker has received many awards and honors for her work.

• 2009: MacDowell Colony Fellow
• 2011: United States Artists Fellow
• 2013: The Steinberg Playwright Award (which included a $50,000 prize)
• 2013: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
• 2014: Pulitzer Prize for Drama for The Flick
• 2014: MacDowell Colony Fellow
• 2014: Guggenheim Fellow, Creative Arts Drama & Performance Art
• 2015: New York Public Library Cullman Center Fellow
• 2017: MacArthur Fellow (a "genius grant" with a $625,000 award over five years)
• 2024: Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay