Jackie Sibblies Drury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jackie Sibblies Drury
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Drury in 2018
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| Born | United States |
| Occupation | Playwright, writer |
| Language | English |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Brown University (MFA) |
| Genre | Theatre, drama |
Jackie Sibblies Drury is an American writer who creates plays for the theater. She is known for her powerful and thought-provoking stories. Her 2012 play, We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915, was called her "breakout work" by The New York Times. Later, she wrote plays like Social Creatures (2013) and Fairview (2018). For Fairview, Jackie Drury won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Jackie Sibblies Drury grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. Her mother and grandmother, who were immigrants from Jamaica, raised her. When she was young, her mother sent her to a private school in New Jersey. There, she noticed that even in a friendly community, there were still signs of "segregation", which means people were separated based on their race.
Drury went to Yale University for her college education. She studied literature there, which means she focused on reading and writing about books and stories. After Yale, she continued her studies at Brown University. In 2010, she earned a special degree called an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in playwriting. This degree helped her learn even more about how to write plays.
Jackie Drury's Plays
Jackie Sibblies Drury has written several full-length plays that have been performed in theaters. Her plays often explore important topics and make audiences think deeply.
Major Works
- We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915 (2012)
- Social Creatures (2013)
- Really (2016)
- Fairview (2018)
- Marys Seacole (2019)
- Illinoise (2023) - This play was created with Justin Peck and Sufjan Stevens.
Awards and Recognition
Jackie Sibblies Drury has received many important awards for her amazing plays. These awards show how much her work is valued in the world of theater.
Prestigious Awards
In 2015, she won the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Drama. This is a significant award that recognizes talented writers.
She was also honored with the 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play Fairview. This prize comes with a cash award. Fairview was first shown in 2018 in New York City by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Soho Rep.
Fairview also earned her the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize committee described it as a "hard-hitting drama" that looks closely at race. They noted how it uses a clever structure to help audiences understand deep-seated prejudices.
In 2019, Drury received the Steinberg Playwright Award for Fairview. This award also included a cash prize.
Most recently, in 2022, Jackie Drury was given the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theatre Award. This award celebrates her contributions to theater.
