Pravin Wilkins wins 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award

California-based writer Pravin Wilkins has won the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Wilkins' work, Moreno, is set in an American football locker room and explores ideas of sport and the Black Lives Matter movement following Colin Kaepernick's decision to take a knee to protest police brutality.

Wilkins will receive £6,000 and a world premiere production at Theatre503 after a year's support and development – with dates and details to be announced.

The piece was chosen from a shortlist of five plays, whittled down from over 1,719 scripts submitted from 45 countries.

The judging panel was chaired by Erica Whyman (Chair of Theatre503 and deputy artistic director, RSC) with producer Caro Newling, actor/director Daniel Evans, arts journalist and reviewer Sam Marlowe, playwrights Roy Williams and Vinay Patel, and Theatre503 artistic director Lisa Spirling.

The other shortlisted plays were Terp by Ayad Andrews (UK); Book of Esther by Gina Stevensen (US); Til Death Do Us Part by Safaa Benson-Effiom (UK); and for unknown reasons by Zoe Ashford Cooper (Australia).

Speaking at a virtual award ceremony today, Williams said: "When theatre comes back, whenever it is, it's good to know there'll be new playwrights there ready to deliver".