Constellations playwright Nick Payne has won the 2012 Harold Pinter Playwright’s Award, presented annually to support a new commission at the Royal Court.
The award, which is given annually by Pinter’s widow Lady Antonia Fraser, follows a fantastically successful year for Payne, in which his latest play, Constellations, received much acclaim when it was staged at the Royal Court, so much so that it will transfer to the West End later this year.
Speaking about the award, Payne said: “To be the recipient of this year’s award is both thrilling and humbling. I am deeply grateful to [Royal Court Artistic Director] Dominic Cooke and Lady Antonia Fraser for their support; it means a great deal to me.”
Payne, a former member of the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court, is no stranger to winning playwriting awards, having collected the George Devine Award in 2009 for If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, which was staged at the Bush theatre. He followed that success with Wanderlust, his first play for the Royal Court, and is currently under commission at the Donmar Warehouse, Royal Court and Manhattan Theatre Club.
Cooke said of the writer: “Nick is a writer who is becoming increasingly interested in form. His play Constellations, staged in our tiny 90-seater studio in January and now opening as part of our West End season was a hugely successful step forward for him. I’m delighted that we are able to present Nick with the Harold Pinter Playwright’s Award, given very generously by Harold’s widow Antonia Fraser, at this pivotal stage in his career and am very excited to see what he does next.”