Glickman prize forJulia Cho's Aubergine
Julia Cho (Photo by Jennie Warren)
Julia Cho's Aubergine is the winner of the 2016 Glickman Award for the best new play to make its world premiere in the Bay Area. Aubergine was developed at Berkeley Repertory Theatre' Ground Floor, Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. The drama about a terminally ill father and his chef son opened in February at Berkeley Rep and was the first production in the newly refurbished and renamed Peet's Theatre.
Aubergine received a warm critical welcome, including from me. Read my review here. The show also landed at the top of my 2016 list of most memorable theatrical experiences (read that story here).
The Glickman Award is awarded annually by a committee comprising Bay Area critics. This year’s committee included Jean Schiffman of the San Francisco Examiner Robert Avila of povertyartsjournal.com, Karen D’Souza of the San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group, Chad Jones of TheaterDogs.net and Sam Hurwitt of the Bay Area Newsgroup and the Marin Independent Journal.
The award, which comes with a $4,000 cash prize for the playwright and a certificate for the producing company, will be presented at the Theatre Bay Area annual conference on March 13.
Honorable mention goes to the two runners-up that comprise the top three contenders in this year's batch of local world premieres: Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's A House Tour of the Infamous Porter Family Mansion with Tour Guide Weston Ludlow Londonderry at Z Space (read my review here) and Theresa Rebeca's Seared at San Francisco Playhouse (read my review here). It was a strong year for new plays.
Here’s a complete list of Glickman Award winners (the award is made in the year following the show’s premiere):
2016 in a word, Lauren Yee (San Francisco Playhouse)2015 The House that will not Stand, Marcus Gardley (Berkeley Repertory Theatre)2014 Ideation, Aaron Loeb (San Francisco Playhouse)2013 The Hundred Flowers Project, Christopher Chen (Crowded Fire/Playwrights Foundation)2012 The North Pool, Rajiv Joseph (TheatreWorks)2011 Oedipus el Rey, Luis Alfaro (Magic)2010 In the Next Room, Sarah Ruhl (Berkeley Rep)2009 Beowulf, Jason Craig (Shotgun Players)2008 Tings Dey Happen, Dan Hoyle (Marsh)2007 Hunter Gatherers, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (Killing My Lobster)2006 The People’s Temple, Leigh Fondakowski et al (Berkeley Rep)2005 Dog Act, Liz Duffy Adams (Shotgun)2004 Soul of a Whore, Denis Johnson (Campo Santo)2003 Five Flights, Adam Bock (Encore)2002 Dominant Looking Males, Brighde Mullins (Thick Description)2001 Everything’s Ducky, Bill Russell & Jeffrey Hatcher (TheatreWorks)2000 The Trail of Her Inner Thigh, Erin Cressida Wilson (Campo Santo)1999 Combat!, John Fisher (Rhino)1998 Civil Sex, Brian Freeman (Marsh)1997 Hurricane/Mauvais Temps, Anne Galjour (Berkeley Rep)1996 Medea, the Musical, John Fisher (Sassy Mouth)1995 Rush Limbaugh in Night School, Charlie Varon (Marsh)1994 Santos & Santos, Octavio Solis (Thick Description)1993 Heroes and Saints, Cherrie Moraga (Brava)1992 Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Tony Kushner (Eureka)1991 Political Wife, Bill Talen (Life on the Water)1990 Pick Up Ax, Anthony Clarvoe (Eureka)1989 Yankee Dawg You Die, Philip Kan Gotanda (Berkeley Rep)1988 Webster Street Blues, Warren Kubota (Asian American)1987 Life of the Party, Doug Holsclaw (Rhino)1986 Deer Rose, Tony Pelligrino (Theatre on the Square)1985 The Couch, Lynne Kaufman (Magic)1984 Private Scenes, Joel Homer (Magic)