Samuel D. Hunter (born 1981) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Hunter was born in

Pullman, Washington Pullman is the most populous city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 32,901 at the 2020 census, and estimated to be 32,508 in 2022. Originally founded as ...

and raised in

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central Idaho, North Central region of the state along the border with Washington (state), Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States ...

. He is best known for plays ''A Bright New Boise'', which won the 2011

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for playwriting, and '' The Whale'', which won the 2013

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

and the 2013

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

for Outstanding Play. He is also the recipient of a 2014

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...

. He has also been a guest lecturer at

Rutgers University–New Brunswick Rutgers University–New Brunswick is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in New Brunswick and Piscataway. It is the oldest campu ...

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, and other universities. Hunter is also a writer and producer for the television show ''

Baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horse ...

''. A film adaptation of ''The Whale'', written by Hunter and directed by

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion ...

, was released in December 2022 and received two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

Produced plays

* ''I Am Montana'' (2009) * ''Five Genocides'' (2010) * ''Jack's Precious Moment'' (2010) * ''A Bright New Boise'' (2010) * ''Norway'' (2011) * ''A Permanent Image'' (2011) * '' The Whale'' (2012) * ''Pocatello'' (2014) * ''The Few'' (2014) * ''A Great Wilderness'' (2014) * ''Rest'' (2014) * ''Clarkston'' (2015) * ''Lewiston'' (2016) * ''The Healing'' (2016) * ''The Harvest'' (2016) * ''Lewiston/Clarkston'' (2018) * ''Greater Clements'' (2019) * ''A Case for the Existence of God'' (2022) * '' Little Bear Ridge Road'' (2024) * ''Grangeville'' (2025)

Awards and honors

*2008–2009 Lark Play Development Center Playwrights of New York Fellowship * 2011

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

Nomination for Best Play *2011

for Playwriting * 2012

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, ...

* 2013 Resident Playwright at Arena Stage * 2013

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

for Outstanding New York Theatre (Broadway and Off-Broadway) * 2013

Special Award * 2013

for Best Play * 2014

* 2015 Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

* 2019

Nomination for Best Play * 2013–2020 Resident Playwright at

New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists par ...

* 2020

Nomination for Best Play * Premiere Writer-in-Residence at Signature Theatre Company * 2022

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jon ...

Award for Best Play * 2023 Critics Choice Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay * 2023

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay * 2023 Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award

Notes

External links

Samuel D. Hunter's New Dramatists PageProfile and Production History at The Whiting Foundation
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Samuel D. 1981 births Living people 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Writers from Moscow, Idaho American male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American male writers MacArthur Fellows

Produced plays

Awards and honors

See also

Notes

External links