Ike Holter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ike Holter
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1985 (age 39–40) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Education | DePaul University (BFA) |
Ike Holter (born 1985) is an American playwright. A playwright writes plays for the theater. He won a special award for drama called the Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes in 2017. This award is one of the biggest honors for playwrights in the world.
Ike Holter is a resident playwright at Victory Gardens Theater. This means he works closely with that theater. He has also been asked to write plays for famous places like The Kennedy Center.
Growing Up and Early Life
Ike Holter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When he was eleven years old, he saw a play called Sweeney Todd at the Guthrie Theatre. This play inspired him to want to write for the theater.
He went to Minneapolis South High School. After high school, he studied playwriting at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago.
His Plays and Career
Ike Holter has written many plays. His play Hit the Wall was first shown in 2012. The Chicago Tribune newspaper said it was one of the "Top Ten Plays of 2012." This play was later performed in many other cities, including Los Angeles.
In 2014, he wrote a play called Exit Strategy. This play was about the last days of a public school in Chicago that was closing down. A theater critic named Chris Jones said it was a "thrilling, beautiful new play." Exit Strategy has also been performed in many cities across the country.
Some of his other plays include B-Side Studio (2013) and Sender (2016). He also wrote The Light Fantastic (2018) and The Wolf at the End of the Block (2017). In 2019, his play Lottery Day opened. This play was the last in a series of seven plays about a made-up neighborhood in Chicago called Rightlynd.
Ike Holter has also worked in television. He was a writer for the TV show "Fosse/Verdon" on the FX channel. This show was produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the musical Hamilton. Holter wrote the sixth episode of the series.
In 2021, Ike Holter started working on a TV miniseries. This series is about the 1983 election of Chicago mayor Harold Washington. Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago.
Awards and Recognition
Ike Holter has received important awards for his writing.
- Windham-Campbell Literature Prize: In 2017, he won the Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes from Yale University. This is a very high honor for playwrights.
- Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award: In 2018, the American Theatre Critics Association chose Holter as a finalist for this award. He was recognized for his play The Wolf at the End of the Block. This award celebrates the best new plays shown outside of New York City.
