Ngozi Anyanwu
Nigeria-born playwright and actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ngozi Jane Anyanwu ⓘ is a playwright and actress.[1]
Ngozi Anyanwu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ngozi Jane Anyanwu Nigeria |
| Alma mater | Point Park University (BA) University of California, San Diego (MFA) |
| Occupations | Playwright and actress |
Life and education
Anyanwu was born in Trenton, New Jersey.[1] She earned her BA from Point Park University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her MFA from the graduate acting program at University of California, San Diego.[2]
She is an alumnus of an Old Vic New Voices program,[3] and has had residencies at Djerassi Artists Residency, Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), and SPACE on Ryder Farm.[4]
She resides in New York.[1]
Work
Themes in Anyanwu's work include family, identities, and the concept of home.[1][5] Anyanwu's play Good Grief won Center Theatre Group's Humanitas Award after its world premiere at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2016. It was included on The Kilroys' List in 2016.[4]
Her play, THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company January 22, 2018.[1][5] It tells the story of a "prodigal daughter" born in Nigeria who returns after living in the USA.[1] The play ran at the Atlantic Theater Company through February 18, 2018.[2][5] Her play The Last of the Love Letters, which focuses on two people examining the end of a relationship, premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company on August 26, 2021.[6]
Her most recent new play, The Monsters, premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club Off-Broadway in 2026 starring Aigner Mizzelle and Okieriete Onaodowan.[7] The play follows two siblings involved in martial arts. The show was positively received, with the New York Theatre Guide calling it "an epic and throbbing heart of a play"[8] and The New York Times praising it as a "searing two-hander" and naming it a Critic's Pick.[9]
Anyanwu is a recipient of New York Stage and Film's Founders Award. She is commissioned by Old Globe Theatre and the Atlantic Theater Company.[2]
Filmography
Television
Anyanwu is credited as an actress in the following television series:[4]
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | War | Performer | Off-Broadway, Rattlestick Theatre | [10] |
| 2016 | Good Grief | Playwright, Nkechi | Los Angeles, Center Theatre Group | [11] |
| 2018 | Off-Broadway, Vineyard Theatre | [12] | ||
| THE HOMECOMING QUEEN | Playwright | Off-Broadway, Atlantic Theatre Company | [13][14] | |
| Nike or we don’t need another hero | Reading, The New Black Fest | [15] | ||
| 2021 | The last of the love letters or the last of the mad sad geniuses | Off-Broadway, Atlantic Theatre Company | [16][17] | |
| 2022 | MY NAME…IS BEATRICE | Off-Broadway, Atlantic Theatre Company First Gen MIXFEST | [18] | |
| 2023 | the book of Lucy | Regional, Trinity Repertory Company | [19][20] | |
| 2026 | The Monsters | Off-Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club and Two River Theatre | [21][22] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Play | The Monsters | Nominated | [23] |
| Drama League Award | Outstanding Production of a Play | Nominated | [24][25] | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play | Nominated | [26] | ||
| Outstanding Direction of a Play | Nominated |