Brooklyn-based writer and actor Brittany K. Allen has been named the recipient of the 2021 Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award—presented by The Lark and producer Daryl Roth—for her play Happy Happy Joy Joy.
The Creative Spirit Award, now in its 26th year, includes a year-long residency at The Lark, with access to its artistic resources and developmental support, valued at $10,000.
“The Award was established to honor theatre artists who have extraordinary vision, dedication, energy, and spirit for doing what they love, creating and bringing theatre to life for so many of us to enjoy,” said producer Roth. “I am thrilled to have playwright Brittany K. Allen receive this year’s award. Brittany’s exploration of a cross-generational relationship between two strong-willed and singular women leaps from the page with humanity and honesty. I am so happy to be partnering with The Lark to support her distinct voice and engaging storytelling as she continues to develop the play.”
"I'm tremendously excited to be the recipient of this year's Creative Spirit Award,” added Allen, a 2017 Van Lier New Voices Fellow at The Lark. “The Lark was one of my first artistic homes. It's a magical place, populated with the best people. To be given space, confidence, and time to revise in the rooms where I learned how to make big, playful swings in my writing (and trust my own barmy process) is humbling and galvanizing all at once."
Tony winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) was the first recipient of the Creative Spirit Award in 1996.
Allen's play Redwood received its world premiere at Portland Center Stage in 2019 and will appear in upcoming seasons at the Jungle Theater and Ensemble Studio Theatre. She's developed work for/with Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, Woolly Mammoth, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and currently holds commissions from Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Studio Theatre, and Portland Center Stage.
