Wajdi Mouawad has won the European Drama Award 2020 for his outstanding dramatic oeuvre.

Peter Michalzik, chairperson of the jury, explains this decision: “His biography alone – born in Lebanon; later educated as writer, actor, director and theater manager in Canada, where he also met success. He has also been working in France for 20 years and, since 2016, has led the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris with great success. In his plays, he names the wounds and injuries of the recent past, especially in the Middle East, and brings them to life. These plays are often experimental concepts of reconciliation through truth; Mouawad's dramaturgy is one of healing, which works with great narratives, moments of shock, and pointed constellations. Mouawad creates scenes and plays of overwhelming dramatic impact, while addressing both truth and lies, cultural backgrounds and identity, reconciliation and hostility, with passion and intensity nearly unparalleled by other dramatists. He is an exceptionally productive and extremely committed dramatist, whose versatile oeuvre is clearly rooted in a humanistic heritage that is not limited to Europe. Moreover, Mouawad is one of the most performed playwrights of our time; his plays such as Incendies and Birds of A Kind have also become formal models of inspiration.”

The first dramatist to receive the European New Talent Drama Award is Jasmine Lee-Jones.

2020’s sole jury member, the acclaimed British playwright Simon Stephens, on his decision: “Her debut play, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner,startled me when I first read it two years ago. It was a brief ten-page play of rage and wit. She wrote with a sparkle and a sense of transgression that was rare and compelling. When it came to be staged at the Royal Court last year I was as impressed as I was startled. She had developed a play from a startling shard into something that was fully wrought and complex. She writes with formal invention. She creates characters that are consistently alive and surprising. Her language is supple and alert. I loved her anger. I loved her insight. When we get out of the strange, sad interruption of COVID it is writers like Jasmine that will help us carve a new way of making plays.”

Patron Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Winfried Kretschmann:

“With the dedicated appreciation of the arts and culture in the form of this new prize, we are sending a strong signal that particularly resonates throughout Europe. The current political situation in Europe is reflected and revealed with fundamental values such as freedom or a sense of unity through artistic debate within the theater. Contemporary drama plays a prominent role in this. I congratulate Schauspiel Stuttgart on breaking new international ground."

Theresia Bauer, Minister for Science, Research, and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg:

"The Stuttgart State Theaters have an outstanding reputation in the performing arts worldwide. Transnational co-productions, engaging directors from all over Europe, and reflecting international discourses are integral parts of the State Theaters' and Schauspiel Stuttgart's program. It is testimony to what Europe represents: a wealth of different cultures, narratives, and histories. It was, therefore, only logical to create a European Drama Award because after all, it is precisely the engagement with European literature that promotes and strengthens understanding between cultures. By sponsoring this European award, the state of Baden-Württemberg can live up to its claim of being a powerhouse of innovation within Europe."

For Burkhard C. Kosminski, artistic director of Schauspiel Stuttgart and initiator of the European Drama Award, the prize combines two core elements of Schauspiel Stuttgart’s artistic program: promoting contemporary playwrights and strengthening international perspectives.

“Europe has a rich and diverse cultural heritage – and what better place than the theater allows this heritage to come alive? Contemporary dramatists in particular unfold the fascinating cultural diversity in Europe while also confronting us with social ruptures and different realities of life. But previously, there existed no substantial European drama prize which allowed playwrights to work with financial independence and on their own terms, besides delivering plays commissioned by theaters. Hence, the European Drama Award was more than long overdue, and I am very grateful to the Ministry for Science, Research, and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, the SRH Holding and the Friends of the Stuttgart State Theaters for supporting the idea from the beginning and getting it off the ground.”