The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, which for the past seventeen years has celebrated New York City’s independent theatre artists by honoring those who have achieved artistic excellence in the Off-Off Broadway/Indie theatre realm, is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2020-21 Doric Wilson Emerging Playwright Award.

Named in honor of playwright and activist Doric Wilson, the award is presented to a playwright whose work has been produced Off-Off-Broadway and embodies the daring spirit of Doric Wilson. This year’s recipient, Chris Weikel, creates work that consists of theatricality, magical realism, and a decidedly queer sensibility. His latest work, Nelly is “messy, and in most commercial settings utterly un-produceable. It has sixteen characters (twelve actors with doubling), multiple locations, dueling time periods, eighteenth-century drag, red-coated soldiers, go-go boys, ballads, pop music, and poetry. I love the independent theatre community because most of the people I collaborate with could give a rat’s ass [about the current fixation] for single set, six-character plays.”

The Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City’s Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. www.nyitawards.com