a. k. payne
a. k. payne | |
|---|---|
| Education | Yale College Yale School of Drama |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Notable work | Furlough's Paradise |
| Awards | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize |
| Website | akpayne |
a. k. payne is an American playwright,[1] whose play Furlough's Paradise was the winner of the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
Education
payne has a BA in English and American Studies from Yale College and a MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama.[2] They were awarded the Louis Sudler Prize for their undergraduate studies.[3] During the latter period of study payne was taught by McCraney who they praised in an interview with the Los Angeles Times for his "horizontal leadership" and creating a positive space for students of color despite the elitism of Yale.[4]
Career
In 2023 payne was selected as one of the Rattlestick Theater's Van Lier New Voices Fellows.[2] In 2022 their play Blooms was featured in Ensemble Studio Theater's 38th Marathon of One-Act Plays and praised by reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli for its "tenderness and sympathetic humor".[5] Their play Furlough's Paradise was the winner of the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.[6] The play premiered at the Alliance theater in Atlanta in 2024.[7] payne's depiction of the American criminal justice system in the play was praised by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney.[7] The play follows two cousins who meet for a funeral - one is on a furlough from prison, the other a short respite from a tech job.[4] In a review of the 2025 production at the Geffen Playhouse by the Los Angeles Times, it was compared to The Brothers Size by McCraney.[8]
Personal life
They grew up in Pittsburgh and has cited August Wilson - also from the city - as inspiration.[9] payne is non-binary and uses the pronoun they.[9][2]
References
- ↑ "a.k. payne | The Pittsburgh Foundation". pittsburghfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 2026-04-26. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- 1 2 3 "a.k. payne Selected as Rattlestick Theater's 2023-24 Van Lier New Voices Fellows | English". english.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 2026-04-09. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ "Louis Sudler Prize | Yale News". news.yale.edu. 2019-05-17. Archived from the original on 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- 1 2 "The freedoms of a.k. payne's award-winning abolition play 'Furlough's Paradise,' onstage and off". Los Angeles Times. 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (2022-10-27). "In a Marathon of One-Act Plays, Boundaries Are Pushed and Pulled". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-08-23. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ "The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize : Furlough's Paradise". The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Archived from the original on 2026-04-14. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- 1 2 Wiegand, Chris (2025-03-10). "US playwright ak payne wins Susan Smith Blackburn prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ "'Furlough's Paradise' imagines utopia for two Black cousins on a quest for liberty". Los Angeles Times. 2025-04-28. Archived from the original on 2026-04-14. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- 1 2 "Variety's 10 Storytellers to Watch for 2025". Variety. 2025-08-13. Archived from the original on 2026-04-28. Retrieved 2026-04-07.