Kirsten Greenidge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kirsten Greenidge
Education	Wesleyan University (BA) University of Iowa (MFA)

Kirsten Greenidge is an American playwright. This means she writes plays for the theater. Her plays are known for using real-life language. They often explore important social topics. These topics include how a person's race, gender, and social class can all connect and shape their experiences. Her sisters are Kerri Greenidge, a historian, and Kaitlyn Greenidge, a writer.

Kirsten Greenidge's Career

Kirsten decided to become a playwright when she was 12. This happened after she saw a play called Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson. She studied at Wesleyan University and the University of Iowa. There, she learned how to write plays.

From 2007 to 2009, she was a Playwriting Fellow at the Huntington Theatre Company. This means she was part of a special group that helped playwrights grow. She was also a Resident Playwright at New Dramatists in New York City from 2006 to 2013.

Today, she is a professor at Boston University. She teaches playwriting and guides college students. From 2016, she spent three years as the Playwright in Residence at Boston's Company One Theatre. This program helps playwrights work closely with a theater company. In 2024, Kirsten Greenidge became the director of the School of Theater at Boston University.

Notable Plays by Kirsten Greenidge

Milk Like Sugar

Milk Like Sugar is a play about growing up. It follows 16-year-old Annie and her friends. They make a pact to get pregnant together. The play explores why young people might make such a choice. It also looks at the challenges they face.

The play opened in New York City on October 13, 2011. It was directed by Rebecca Taichman. The play won two awards in 2012. These were an Obie Award for playwriting and a Lucille Lortel Award for actress Tonya Pinkins. Kirsten Greenidge was partly inspired by news stories from 2008. These stories were about a group of students at Gloucester High School who reportedly made a similar pact.

Greenidge wanted to show different experiences of young Black women. She aimed to tell stories not often seen on stage. The La Jolla Playhouse also received an award for Milk Like Sugar in 2011.

Luck of the Irish

Luck of the Irish tells the story of an African American family. They bought their house from an Irish couple in the 1950s. However, the family later discovers that the house deed might not have been properly transferred.

Now, the family must find the deed. They also need to convince the Irish couple not to take the house. Otherwise, they risk losing their home. The play first premiered in March 2012. It was shown at the Huntington Theatre Company. It was later produced in New York City from February to March 2013.

Baltimore

Kirsten Greenidge was asked to write Baltimore in 2014. This play takes place on a college campus. A hurtful racial slur is written on a student's door. This causes a big debate across the campus.

The play explores important topics. These include small, everyday actions that show prejudice (called microaggressions). It also discusses the idea of being "colorblind" to race. The play also looks at how people from different backgrounds can end up separated. An ethnically diverse cast discusses these issues. Baltimore was first developed at the University of Maryland. It was then performed in February 2016 at Boston University.

Greater Good (2019)

Greater Good was produced in Boston in 2019. It was a collaboration between Company One Theatre and American Repertory Theater. The play is set inside a private school. This school is inspired by the Montessori teaching method.

The play highlights problems within the school system. These include teachers not being paid enough. It also shows how some people are only included to make a group look diverse. The audience moves through the school building during the play. They watch scenes of conflict and interact with objects and characters. This unique style blends different ways of telling a story. Its structure is similar to plays like Sleep No More. The audience is split into groups. Each group experiences scenes in a different order and style.