Brittani Samuel, a freelance theater critic who writes for The New York Times, The Washington Post and Broadway News, has been named winner of the 2023-24 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.
The award committee praised Samuel for her "impressive breadth of address to the playgoing public," foregrounding "the critic's own social position in an effort to promote more thoughtful and empathetic theatergoing."
Conferred by the Chairs of the Departments of English at Cornell, Princeton, and Yale Universities, the Nathan Award is administered by Cornell's Department of Literatures in English in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Nathan committee noted that Samuel "seeks to democratize the role of the critic," by weaving "critical self-reflection through her discerning evaluation and precise, evocative prose." The committee singled out her review of Raja Feather Kelly's dance theater piece "The Fires," published in The New York Times, as exemplifying Samuel's critical acumen and distinctive voice. Her rhetoric parallels Kelly's artistry, rhythmically swirling with balletic grace.
Read the full story on The College of Arts & Sciences website.
