Brooke Berman (born 1969/1970) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. Her play ''Hunting and Gathering'', which premiered at Primary Stages, directed by Leigh Silverman, was named one of the Ten Best of 2008 by ''New York'' magazine. Her memoir, ''No Place Like Home'', was published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Ger ...

in June, 2010.

Early life and education

Berman was born in

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Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, to a father who was a stockbroker and gambler and a mother who was a pianist and publicist. She was raised in Detroit and Chicago. Berman moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to attend

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Col ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, where she graduated in 1992. She later attended the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at The Juilliard School, which she completed in 1999.

Career

As an educator, Berman co-created the “24 With 5 Teaching Collective” at New Dramatists and spent five years as the Director of the Playwrights Unit for MCC Theater's Youth Company, a free after-school program for NYC youth. She recently completed a seven-year residency at New Dramatists, where she served on the Board of Directors and developed countless plays. She has received support for her work from the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDow ...

, the Corporation of Yaddo, and New Dramatists, and commissions from Arielle Tepper Productions and Children's Theater Company in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

Reception

Her short play "Dancing with a Devil" was a co-winner of the Heideman Award at Actors Theater of Louisville in 1999, presented in “Life Under 30” at the Humana Festival, and nominated for an American Theater Critics Best New Play award. The play was singled out by

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

in ''

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'' and called "the most chilling of the short plays" by Martin Kohn in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

''. It has been published in numerous anthologies. Her short play "Defusion" has been produced in numerous festivals and included in Christine Jones's "Theater for One" project. Brooke's short film ''All Saints Day'', directed by Will Frears, won Best Narrative Short at the

Savannah Film Festival Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

and played at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...

in 2008.

Personal life

Berman is married to writer Gordon Haber. .

Plays

Her plays are published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc., Playscripts, Backstage Books and Smith & Kraus. * ''Hunting and Gathering'' (Primary Stages) * ''Smashing'' (The Play Company, The O’Neill) * ''Until We Find Each Other'' (Steppenwolf, The O’Neill) * ''The Triple Happiness'' (Second Stage), Sam and Lucy (SPF, Cleveland Play House) * ''A Perfect Couple'' (WET), Out of the Water (Cape Cod Theater Project, ARS Nova), and others * ''The Liddy Plays'' * ''Out Of The Water''

Awards

* Berilla Kerr Award * Helen Merrill Award * Two Francesca Primus Awards * Two LeCompte du Nuoy awards and a commissioning grant from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Brooke 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Barnard College alumni Juilliard School alumni Living people 1960s births