Tanya Barfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tanya Barfield
Education	New York University (BFA) Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupation	Playwright

Tanya Barfield is an American playwright. This means she writes plays for the theater. Her plays have been shown in many places, both in the United States and around the world.

Early Life and Theater Dreams

Tanya Barfield grew up in Portland, Oregon. She went to a school called Metropolitan Learning Center. From a young age, she really loved theater. Her high school did not have a theater program. So, she found acting classes at another school.

While she was there, actors from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival came to perform a short version of the play Macbeth. After seeing this, Tanya knew she wanted to work in theater. Months later, she decided to direct that same play at her own high school.

She went to New York University to study acting. She even performed in a one-person show called Without Skin or Breathlessness. Later, she joined the Playwrights program at the Juilliard School. There, she earned an Artist Diploma. At Juilliard, she also helped manage the drama division's literary works.

Tanya Barfield's Career

Tanya Barfield has written many plays. Some of her plays include Bright Half Life, The Call, Blue Door, and Pecan Tan. She also wrote the story for a children's musical. It was called Civil War: The First Black Regiment.

She has taught playwriting at different schools, like Primary Stages School of Theater and Barnard College. From 2009 to 2014, she was the literary manager for the Juilliard Drama Division. In 2016, a theater in Portland, Oregon, called Profile Theatre, showed four of her plays for their whole season.

In 2020, she became a co-director of The Acheson program. She is also a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. This group supports playwrights.

Notable Plays by Tanya Barfield

Blue Door: A Play About Ancestors

One of Barfield's most well-known plays is Blue Door. It is about a smart African American mathematician who is having a difficult time. He starts to feel confused. Then, the "ghosts of his ancestors" appear and break the quiet of a sleepless night.

Blue Door was first shown in California in 2006. It was then performed Off-Broadway in New York City. A reviewer said that the play uses words that sound like poetry. It talks about the past and present ideas of African Americans in a new way. The play's title, Blue Door, comes from an old family memory. In the past, people would paint their doors blue. This was done to "keep bad spirits out and the soul family in." The play was also shown in Seattle, Berkeley, and Zimbabwe.

Of Equal Measure and The Call

In 2008, her play Of Equal Measure was first shown in California. It was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award.

The Call opened in New York City in 2013. A reviewer for TheatreMania wrote that the play makes you think about big world problems. It also helps you see your neighbors in a new way. The Call was chosen as a "Critic's Pick" by The New York Times.

Bright Half Life: A Story of Connection

Barfield calls Bright Half Life her newest and best play. It explores a strong bond between two characters. The play shows how their lives connect. It moves back and forth in time, showing different moments. It is about love, skydiving, and all the small moments that make up a life together.

Bright Half Life was performed in New York City in 2015. It was a "Time Out" Critic's Pick. The script also won the 2016 Lambda Literary Award.

Writing for Television

When Tanya Barfield was growing up, she did not watch much dramatic TV. She liked television, but she never thought she would write for it. She felt that TV shows did not have the exciting stories she wanted to explore.

However, she later noticed that "TV got better and better." The stories became very surprising, with interesting characters. She felt that something truly exciting was happening on screen. It felt full of new possibilities.

She then started writing for television. Her first TV writing job was for an episode of the show The Americans on FX.

Today, Tanya Barfield writes for both theater and television. She has written for the Starz series The One Percent. She also wrote for The Americans (FX). More recently, she has written for Here and Now (HBO) and Mrs. America (FX). She is also working on an upcoming show called Jack Johnson.

Awards and Nominations

Awards

• 2020 Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Long Form – Original, for Mrs. America (FX). She shared this award with six other writers.
• 2016 Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Dramatic Series for The Americans (FX). She shared this award with six other writers.
• 2006 Lark Play Development / NYSCA grant
• 2005 Honorable Mention – Kesselring Prize for Drama
• 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights
• 2013 Lilly Award

Nominations

• 2020 Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special for Episode 3 Mrs. America called "Shirley" (FX).
• 2020 Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Limited Series for Mrs. America (FX).
• 2007 Audelco Award for Blue Door, Playwright
• Two Nominations for the Princess Grace Award.

See also

In Spanish: Tanya Barfield para niños

• List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon