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Lydia R Diamond

LYDIA R DIAMOND

  
Nationality:    African American
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC  represented by Derek Zasky

Ms. Diamond's plays include: Smart People (The Huntington Theatre; 2014 IRNE Nomination for Best New Play), Stick Fly (Premiered at Congo Square Theatre, Broadway at The Cort Theatre ('12 Outer Circle Critics Nomination - Best Play [Broadway],'10 Irne Award, '10 LA Critics Circle Award, '10 LA Garland, '09 LA Weekly Theatre Award, '08 Susan S. Blackburn Finalist, '06 Black Theatre Alliance Award,'06 Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination), Voyeurs de Venus (Premiered at Chicago Dramatists received: '06 Joseph Jefferson Award - Best New Work, '06 BTAA), The Bluest Eye (Premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre and transferred to Off-Broadway's Vic Theatre. Received: '06 Black Arts Alliance Image Award, '08 American Alliance for Theatre and Education Distinguished Play Award), The Gift Horse (Premiered at the Goodman Theatre received: '05 1st Place Theodore Ward Prize, Kesselring Prize 2nd Place), and Harriet Jacobs (Premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre). Other producing theatres include: Arena Stage, Company One, Congo Square, Everyman Theatre Company, Freedom Theatre, Goodman, Hartford Stage, Huntington, Jubilee Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf, Lorraine Hansberry, McCarter Theatre Co., MPAACT, New Vic (Off Broadway), Playmakers Rep, Plowshares Theatre Co., Steppenwolf, TrueColors, and Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Commissions include: Arena Stage, Center Stage, Steppenwolf (4), McCarter, Huntington, Actor's Theatre of Louisville/Victory Gardens, Humana, Boston University, and The Roundabout. Stick Fly, Harriet Jacobs, and Smart People published by NU Press, Bluest Eye, Gift Horse, Stage Black - Dramatic Publishing, Stick Fly - Samuel French. Ms. Diamond was an '05/'06 W.E.B. Du Bois Institute non-resident Fellow, an '07 TCG/NEA Playwright in Residence at Steppenwolf, an 06/07 Huntington Playwright Fellow, a 2012/'13 Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard, a '12 Sallie B. Goodman McCarter Fellow, an '12 Sundance Institute Playwright Lab Creative Advisor, is a Playwright Emerita at Chicago Dramatists, has an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Pine Manor College, and served on faculty at Boston University ('05-'12). Lydia has served on The Executive Board of Directors at Theatre Communications Group, (2009-2014 - Co-Vice President '12-'14), Huntington Theatre Company Board of Directors Overseer (2011-2013), Company One Board of Directors ('11-'14 Advisory Board, ongoing), Chicago Dramatist's Board of Directors and Dramatist Guild Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors (2013 - ongoing).

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Lydia R Diamond's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Bluest Eye, The         Brink!         Gift Horse         Harriet Jacobs         Here I Am. . .See If You Can Handle It         Inside, The         New Day, A         Our War         Smart People         Solitaire         Stage Black         Stick Fly         Voyeurs De Venus

Bluest Eye, The

Synopsis:
an adaptation of Toni Morrison's book about a young black girl's coming-of-age in the 1940s. This description is from the press release: "Ridiculed by her peers and her family, Pecola Breedlove wants nothing more than to be loved. each evening, she makes the same prayer, for 'blue eyes to be pretty, blue eyes to be noticed, blue eyes to be accepted'. the story of a girl with a seemingly innocent desire that transforms from childish wish into disturbing obsession is. . .an eerie reflection of today's unattainable standards of beauty." the show is recommended for kids ages 13 and their families.

Notes:
Based on the novel by Toni Morrison

1st Produced:
The New Victory Theater, NY     2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing,    -

Music:
-

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Brink!

Brink!
-

Notes:
written by Lydia Diamond, Kristoffer Diaz, Greg Kotis, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, And Deborah Stein

1st Produced:

Organisations:
33rd Humana Festival

1st Published:
in Humana Festival 2009: the Complete Plays, Playscripts Inc   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Gift Horse

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Harriet Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs
In her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs describes with brutal honesty the hardships she endures under slavery, including the extraordinary choices she makes to be near her children. To survive, she escapes into her imagination and through writing, discovers hope for a better life. Accompanied by the rich musical traditions of slave spirituals, Harriet Jacobs is an inspiring look at a young womans fascinating journey from slavery to freedom.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, IL     11 Feb 2008

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Northwestern University Press 2011
Samuel French, Inc - New York (2016) >>>    978-0810127166

Music:
-

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Genre:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  1b 1g

Further Reference:
-

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Here I Am. . .See If You Can Handle It

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Based on the poems by Nikki Giovanni

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Monologue play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Inside, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Monologue play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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New Day, A

New Day, A
Now an annual tradition, the Boston theater Marathon utilizes hundreds of actors and dozens of directors to sponsor 50 ten-minute plays in 10 hours (five plays per hour!), each one supported by a different New england theatre company

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Boston theater Marathon XI - 2009 anthology - 50 Ten Minute Plays Boston theater Marathon XI - 2009 anthology - 50 Ten Minute Plays ~ By Kate Snodgrass (ed) - Smith and Kraus, 2010   978-15752577164

Music:
-

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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Our War

Synopsis:
While the plays that took the perspective of participants were some of the most crisp, the last kind of play in the evening, plays that look at today with the eyes of the present (but through the lens or with the lighting of the Civil War), hit the hardest. Most of them use the Civil War as a way to talk about race in America, from Ken Narasaki's thoughts on racism that isn't divided into Black and White to Lydia Diamond's chastisement of White liberal guilt. - http://dctheatrescene.com/2014/10/28/war-arena-stage-resounding-success/

Notes:
An esteemed collection of American playwrights, including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award and Olivier Award, creates a dynamic new theatrical event reflecting on the repercussions of the U.S. Civil War. Through a rich tapestry of short monologues, a core ensemble of gifted actors, accompanied by notable Washingtonians such as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Chris Matthews, explorethrough diverse perspectivesthe historical memory and present-day reverberations of the U.S. Civil War. Our War, commissioned by Arena Stage for the National Civil War Project, uses the power of live theater to bring new understanding to the shades of Blue and Gray that define one of the most significant periods of American history.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
monologue

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Smart People

Smart People
It is the eve of Obama's first election. Four of Harvard University's brightest; a surgeon, an actress, a psychologist, and a neuro-psychiatrist, are all interested in different aspects of the brain, particularly how it responds to race. But like all smart people, they are also searching for love, success, and identity in their own lives. Lydia Diamond brings these characters together in this sharp, witty play about social and sexual politics.

Notes:
Nominated for The Kilroys 2015. The Kilroys is a group of playwrights and producers in LA who publish an annual industry survey of excellent new plays by female and trans playwrights. It is a tool for producers committed to ending the systemic underrepresentation of female and trans playwrights in the American theater.

1st Produced:
Huntington Theatre in Boston     May 2014

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
comedy drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Solitaire

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stage Black

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatic Publishing,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stick Fly

Stick Fly
Race and privilege intersect in this thought-provoking and lively modern family comedy. One lazy summer weekend, Kent LeVay invites his fiancee, Taylor, to meet his parents at their luxurious Martha's Vineyard summer home. Taylor, under the microscope and unaccustomed to the surrounding wealth, challenges the household dynamic. the family ties rapidly unravel when Kent's womanizing older brother surprises everyone with his white girlfriend. Conflict and dysfunction ensue as the household vigorously airs their long-secret dirty linens along with the drapes.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Congo Square Theatre Company, Chicago     23 Mar 2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
dramatic comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Voyeurs De Venus

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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