I have always loved reading and diving into a good story and I am especially passionate about the work I do discovering and championing new work for the theatre.
My creative endeavors include photography which is another professional outlet for me as well as explorations in sewing, knitting, and pattern making. I look for any opportunity to speak French and Spanish and am currently reading French novels to up my game while I dream up future trips.
Executive Director,
The Horton Foote Prize
Named for the legendary, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, The Horton Foote Prize was established in 2010 to award excellence in American Theatre. Presented biennially, the Horton Foote Prize is awarded to an American playwright for an original work of exceptional quality. The Prize currently awards $50,000 to its Winner and a limited edition of Keith Carter’s iconic photograph of Horton Foote, which resides in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. www.hortonfooteprize.org
2025 Winner (center): Jocelyn Bioh for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
With Valerie Brea Ross, Executive Director (left)
Mari Marchbanks, Founder and Prize Board Chair (right)
U.S. Administrator,
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the oldest and largest playwriting prize honoring women+ from around the world writing for the English-speaking theatre. The Prize currently awards $70,000 annually to the Finalists: Winner- $25,000, Special Commendation-$10,000, and other Finalists- $5,000. In addition, the Winner receives a signed and numbered Willem de Kooning print created especially for the award. www.blackburnprize.org
2025 Finalists and Winner:
Anna Ziegler (The Janeaid), Isobel McArthur (The Fair Maid of the West). a.k. payne (Winner: Furlough’s Paradise), Chris Bush (Otherland), Haruna Lee (Special Commendation: 49 Days), Suzie Miller (Inter Alia), Else Went (Special Commendation: An Oxford Man), Carys Coburn (Bán), Keiko Green (You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World)
Photography
A creative through line that includes my theatre, event, and portrati photography as well as my landscape and fine art work