NEW YORK (AP) - Playwright David Bar Katz has dedicated his recent endeavors to support emerging artists grappling with financial difficulties, reflecting on his own challenges throughout life. He is currently overseeing The Relentless Award, which is the largest annual cash prize conferred to a playwright in the United States. Established to honor a notable new work, this year marks the award's 10th anniversary, with a continued focus on recognizing submissions that demonstrate "fearlessness." Additionally, the award encompasses an honor for musical theater.
Katz emphasizes the importance of alleviating financial pressures for artists, stating, "Being able to create under financial stress is so difficult, and so anything we can do to give artists a little breathing room is what we want." The award draws inspiration from Katz’s late friend and collaborator, actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was noted for his relentless pursuit of authenticity in his artistic expressions. A musical theater category was introduced following the 2020 passing of another friend, Adam Schlesinger, co-founder of Fountains of Wayne.
"To me, a big aspect of the award—the musical and the straight play—is not merely honoring Phil and Adam, but the idea of expanding their artistic legacies," Katz asserts. Several past award winners have achieved remarkable success, such as Aleshea Harris, whose 2016 winning play "Is God Is" has been adapted into a film featuring Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown, and Kara Young.
Katz highlights the significance of winners like Alicia Harris, stating, "I think at a moment in her life where she, like so many of us other artists, had kind of had it, she won the award and that was incredibly meaningful in her career." Other winners, including Sarah DeLappe's "The Wolves" and Clare Barron's "Dance Nation," recognized as joint winners in 2015, have since emerged as Pulitzer Prize finalists. Katz notes, "The impact, especially of those three plays, has been profound in theater."
The award alternates its honors yearly between musical and playwriting categories. This year, Jack D. Cohen has been named the winner for his musical comedy titled "Jo Jenkins Before the Galactic Court of Consciousness." Cohen will receive $65,000, and both his musical and the works of the finalists will be showcased at a ceremony on October 12 at Building for the Arts' Theatre Row complex. Notably, Chris Collingwood from Fountains of Wayne will also perform at the event.
The Relentless Award accepts submissions for full-length works from American applicants who have not had previous productions. The judging process is conducted anonymously. This year’s selection committee includes Katz, along with prominent industry figures such as Rachel Bloom, co-creator of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown, Emmy Award-winner David Javerbaum, songwriter and producer Sam Hollander, composer and arranger Laura Grill Jaye, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, musician and writer Brontez Purnell, and Obie-winning playwright Lucy Thurber.
The American Playwriting Foundation, which administers the award, aims to provide a platform for winners at Theatre Row, a crucial opportunity for emerging artists. Katz elaborates, "The first step was getting this money to artists that need it and giving them a launching place and some notoriety. But the dream was also then to be able to put it up because that is the hardest thing to get done now. Everybody has readings, and no one has a production."
"Jo Jenkins Before the Galactic Court of Consciousness" is described as an inventive, existential sci-fi comedy focused on a marine biologist-turned-actuary who must advocate for humanity before an intergalactic council. Katz points out that the musical addresses the environmental crisis in an innovative way, stating, "We’ve all heard the polemic, and it’s not really working the way we want it to. But a musical like this appeals to the heart and the soul, and not the intellect, which may help move the needle."
