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Martyna Majok

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Martyna Majok
Majok in 2018
Born
Bytom,Silesia,Poland
Education
OccupationPlaywright
Notable work
  • Ironbound
  • Cost of Living
  • Queens
  • Sanctuary City
Awards
Websitemartynamajok

Martyna Majok(/ˈmaɪoʊk/MY-ohk) is a Polish-born American[1][2]playwright who received the2018Pulitzer Prize for Dramafor her playCost of Living.She emigrated to the United States as a child and grew up inNew Jersey.Majok studied playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and Juilliard School. Her plays are often politically engaged, feature dark humor, and experiment with structure and time.

Her breakthrough came with the playIronbound(2014). As her work gained wider acclaim and recognition, Majok, who has a diverse writing style, debutedCost of Living(2016),Queens(2018), andSanctuary City(2021). In April 2021, it was announced that she would adaptThe Great Gatsbyfor the Broadway stage, withFlorence Welchand Thomas Bartlett writing music.

Early life[edit]

Majok was born inBytom,Upper Silesiaand emigrated to the United States with her mother as a child.[3][4]She was raised mostly inKearny, New Jersey,and has a half-sister born inNewark.[4][5][6]She grew up in a working-class, multicultural immigrant neighborhood; she recalls: "My mother began learning English when she came over. Everybody was working similar jobs. They had factory jobs together; they were cleaning houses, and taking care of the elderly."[7]She went to public school. Majok won a playwriting contest for students from New Jersey as the only winner not from a private school that year; it was her first foray into drama.[8]In high school, she wrote skits for an English language learning program for immigrant parents and children.[7]At age 17, Majok was inspired bySam Mendes' production ofCabaretatStudio 54,her first time in the theater, where she went with $45 she had wonhustling pool.[7]

Education[edit]

She attended theUniversity of Chicagoon scholarship, where she took drama classes. Initially unsure of herself, Majok began to take part in theatrical performances when she discoveredSarah Kane’s plays in the library.[9]She discovered that she preferred to write for the theater, in order to create roles she could identify with.[10]To support herself, she worked as a waitress and personal caregiver for the disabled. She was also awarded the Merage Fellowship for the American Dream, an award for immigrant students, to help fund an education in writing.[9]Majok then went on to attend theYale School of Dramaand theJuilliard School,all on stipends.[3][11]She was a 2012–13NNPNplaywright-in-residence, the 2015–16 Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellow atThe Lark,and a 2018–19 Hodder Fellow at thePrinceton University.[12][11]

Career, style and themes[edit]

Majok is known for exploring underrepresented communities in her writing. She often gives voices to immigrants or displaced people, women with appetites and drives orbiting around their limitations, the working class, and persons with disabilities. Her work touches on class, yearning, loneliness and the journey towards connection with other human beings in America. While her subject matters can be tough, humor is important for her and Majok's characters brim with life and complications. Her women are strong and fight for their dignity. Reviewing her 2018 playQueens,an LA critic stated: "Majok specializes in anti-sentimentality."[2]

Talking about her working method, she emphasized: "Workshops, whether in the 'traditional' playwright-of-a-play method or in a room with artists and no script, are my favorite part of making theatre."[12]Discussing her inspirations, Majok pointed out her mother, and also said:[13]

Aside from being an amazing production,Cabaretwas a story set in dark times. It was funny and sexy and inviting, and didn’t compromise on any of that. That informs how I approach writing. People hear the description of my plays and say, 'Oh, that sounds sad.' And I swear to them that, actually, it’s funny. My friend calls them hear-me-out plays.

Her breakthrough play,Ironbound(2014), depicts the illusion of theAmerican Dreamand fighting for a place in the world through the eyes of a hard-working, barely-getting-by immigrant woman, living in the industrial wastelands of New Jersey. It is based on experiences from the author's mother.[14]The play was praised by critics, won several awards including the 2016Helen Hayes Awards's Charles McArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical, and was featured in the top-ten of the 2014Kilroys' List.[15]IronboundopenedOff-Broadwayin 2016 at theWP Theatre/Rattlestick.

An honest, original work that invites audiences to examine diverse perceptions of privilege and human connection through two pairs of mismatched individuals: a former trucker and his recently paralyzed ex-wife, and an arrogant young man with cerebral palsy and his new caregiver.

Pulitzer Board(2018),Cost of Living[16]

Cost of Living(2016), the winner of2018Pulitzer Prize for Drama,explores the interactions of abled and disabled individuals. Majok takes a broader look at class division, financially precarious characters, and the delicate emotional balance of need and care. It played Off-Broadway in aManhattan Theatre Clubproduction atCity Centerin June and July 2017. Jesse Green ofThe New York Timeswrote: "in the play, two characters chafe against the way that a wheelchair, like color or language, can be a marker of disfavored status within the larger, normative society... it would be a mistake to seeCost of Livingas an identity play about people with disabilities. Rather, it’s a play about disabilities with people. In both of its stories, which eventually collide, the biggest handicaps are the universal ones: fear and disconnection. "[17][18]This piece also won Outstanding Play at theLucille Lortel Awards,got nomination forOuter Critics Circle Award's Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, and was featured in the top-ten of the 2016Kilroys' List,among other accolades.[19]

Cost of Livinghas been produced around the world including in New York, Los Angeles, London, Toronto, Poland, Israel, and Cyprus.[20]

In 2018,Queens(queens) premiered Off-Broadway at theLincoln Center'sLCT3/Claire Tow Theater.The play encompasses 16 years during which documented and undocumented women of two generations and different origin live together, in a basement apartment inQueens,New York, trying to support each other in their struggle with everyday life. The choices they have made come back to confront them.Queensis being developed into an original series forHBO;Majok is penning the adaptation and is set to executive produce.[21]

InSanctuary City(2020), she looks at a pair of teenage immigrants, one recently naturalized and the other undocumented, who hatch a plan to keep the latter in the U.S. The action takes place in Newark during the early 2000s when theDREAM Actwas proposed and young immigrants hoped it might be a resolution to their uncertain status. "DREAMers, friends, and lovers negotiate the promise of safety and the weight of responsibility in America."[22]Majok's story asks what we’re willing to sacrifice for someone we love, she said: “some of the things I'm exploring are the extent to which we help when we can, how much we are willing to care for and sacrifice for another person, and the cost of that, for both sides, particularly when coming from a world of limited means and guarantees.”[23]Sanctuary City,produced byNew York Theatre Workshop,had a world premiere Off-Broadway at theLucille Lortel Theatrein March 2020, but was suspended after a few days due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[24]It received an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

Majok's works has been presented and developed with many other theater companies, includingLa Jolla Playhouse,Round House,Kennedy Center,Geffen Playhouse,Fountain Theatre,andSteppenwolf Theatre.International productions include London, Toronto, Sydney, Poland, Israel, and Cyprus.[11][1][25][20]

Among her other accolades and fellowships, she receivedHermitageGreenfield Prize Jury in Drama in 2018 (as first female recipient of this commission), New York Theatre Workshop's 2050 Fellowship, andPuffin Foundationgrant.[26][27][12]She is alumna of 2014–16WP Theater Lab,Ensemble Studio Theater'sYoungblood,andArs Nova’sUnchartedprograms.[28][29][30]

She has taught playwriting atWilliams College,Wesleyan University,andSUNY Purchase College;in education projects such asPrimary Stages ESPA,andNJ Rep;and as an assistant toPaula VogelatYale.Publications:Dramatists Play Service,Samuel French,TCG,Playscripts, and Smith & Kraus.[11]

Other work[edit]

In April 2021, it was announced that Majok would adaptF. Scott Fitzgerald'sThe Great Gatsbyfor the stage, withFlorence WelchandDovemanwriting music. In 2023, the musical,Gatsby,premiered at theAmerican Repertory TheaterwithRebecca Frecknall,with whom Majok worked onSanctuary City,directing. The producers stated that "Martyna and Rebecca are two of the most exciting theatre artists of their generation and, together, this extraordinary team brings a thrilling new perspective to one of the most culturally significant books of all time."[31]

Plays[edit]

Full-length plays[edit]

2014:Ironbound[edit]

Ironboundis the story of a Polish immigrant, Darja, living inNew Jerseyworking as a house cleaner and factory worker, as Majok's mother used to do. It examines the American Dream from Darja's eyes throughout 22 years. When asked how much Darja is like her mom Majok said: "A lot of the circumstances are hers, but the personality is more mine".[4]

The play premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago in July 2014.[32]In the fall of 2015, it was shown at the Round House Theatre inBethesda,Maryland as a part of theWomen's Voices Theatre Festival,where on opening night 300 people gave a standing ovation.[33]Ironboundwent on to anOff-Broadwayrun at theRattlestick Playwrights Theaterin 2016, in a co-production withWomen's Project Theater.It started previews March 3, opened March 16, and closed April 24. The play featured direction byDaniella Topol,sets and lighting by Justin Townsend, costumes byKaye Voyce,and sound by Jane Shaw. The cast includedMarin Irelandas Darja,Shiloh Fernandezas Vic, Josiah Bania as Maks, andMorgan Spectoras Tommy.[34]The drama was also staged at the Geffen Playhouse, and National Theatre of Warsaw, amongst other theatres in America and abroad.

Nelson Pressley ofThe Washington PostcalledIronbounda "knockout" and stated: "you seldom see plays that are both harsh and wonderful."BroadwayWorld's Jennifer Perry emphasized: "Majok proves exceptional at writing (a) richly-drawn character(s).", and it wasThe New York Timescritic's pick.[35][36][37][34][38]In 2013, the play script won the Smith Prize for Political Theater, a joint commission/award supported and administered by theNational New Play Network,and it has also won theAurora Theatre's Global Age Project Prize, the David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize, and the Charles McArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical at the 2016Helen Hayes Awards.

2016:Cost of Living[edit]

Cost of Living,for which Martyna Majok won thePulitzer Prize for Drama,premiered at theWilliamstown Theatre Festivalin 2016, and then transferred Off-Broadway in aManhattan Theatre Clubproduction atCity Centerin June and July 2017. The drama includes Eddie and Ani – an ex-truck driver and his wife who is quadriplegic, John – a witty doctoral student with cerebral palsy, and Jess – his over-worked caregiver.[39][18]Cost of Livingbegan its life as a one-act calledJohn, who’s here from Cambridgewhich premiered in 2015, and was expanded and renamed.[40]Majok dedicated the play to her grandfather who died in 2012.[41]

So the first of many great things about Martyna Majok’sCost of Living[...] is the way it slams the door on uplifting stereotypes. [...] What Ms. Majok most successfully dramatizes are workarounds: not just the kind that a person in a wheelchair must devise but the kind that anyone must. Race and class and temperament come into it, all interlaced. [...] If you don’t find yourself in someone onstage inCost of Livingyou’re not looking.

— Jesse Green, "Review: In ‘Cost of Living’, a Familiar Alienation ",N.Y. Timescritic's pick (June 7, 2017)[18]

Cost of Livingreceived its West Coast premiere at theFountain Theatrein November 2018, British premiere in January and Polish premiere in March 2019.[42]

The play won Outstanding New Play at the 2018Lucille Lortel Awards(tied withJocelyn Bioh'sSchool Girls: Or, The African Mean Girls Play), Edgerton New Play Prize,The Kennedy Center'sJean Kennedy SmithAward, and the Women's Invitational Prize, among others.[42]It was nominated for the 2018Outer Critics Circle Awardfor Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. Both performances were directed byJo Bonney,who was nominated for Outstanding Director of a Play at the Outer Critics Circle Awards. They also both featured actors with disabilities –Katy Sullivanas Ani, who was nominated for a Lucille Lortel award and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance, and Gregg Mozgala who portrayed John. Mozgala was nominated for aDrama Desk Awardand Outer Critics Circle Award and won a Lucille Lortel award for his performance.[43]

2018:Queens[edit]

On 5 March 2018, Majok's production ofQueens(stylizedqueens) premiered Off-Broadway at theLincoln Center'sLCT3/Claire Tow Theater.The story centers around a group of immigrant women which come from different countries and live in an illegal basement apartment inQueens, New York.It featured direction byDayna Taymor,scenic design byLaura Jellinek,costumes byKaye Voyce,lighting byMatt Frey,and sound by Stowe Nelson. It closed on March 25, 2018.[44]The cast includedJessica Love,Nadine Malouf, Ana Reeder, Andrea Syglowski,Zuzanna Szadkowski,Sarah Tolan-Mee, and Nicole Villamil.[17]Before its premiere, the play spent two summers in development workshops. The first summer (2016), it was the WildWind Performance Lab ofTexas Tech University School of Theatre and Dance,and the next summer, these were The Ground Floor at theBerkeley Repertory Theatreand theEugene O'Neill Theater Center'sNational Playwrights Conference.

This time Jesse Green ofThe New York Timescalled Majok's play a "knockout".[17]Queensreceived West Coast premiere at theLa Jolla Playhousein July 2018, in a new two-act version. The play is being developed into a series for HBO.

2020:Sanctuary City[edit]

Sanctuary City,a play produced by New York Theatre Workshop "that blends the personal and political in its depiction of a newly naturalized teenager who decides to marry her undocumented best friend so he can remain in the country", had a short Off-Broadway engagement in 2020. Previews started on 4 March at theLucille Lortel Theatre,and it was set to open on 24 March, but the run was suspended due to the city-wide shutdown amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic.[45]The production was directed byRebecca Frecknalland designed by Tom Scutt, Mikaal Sulaiman, andIsabella Byrd.The cast consisted ofJasai Chase Owens,Sharlene Cruz, and Austin Smith. The stage management team was Merrick A.B. Williams and Veronica Lee.[22]The production officially opened on September 21, 2021.[46]

The project received an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and was supported by a Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Theater Development Grant and in part by theNational Endowment for the Arts.[47]

Awards and honors[edit]

Majok's awards include:[12][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Performances: Ironbound".National Theatre, Warsaw.2019-03-30.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  2. ^abMcnulty, Charles (2018-07-25)."Critic's Notebook: For Pulitzer winner Martyna Majok, 'Queens' is the latest play shining a light into society's shadows".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  3. ^abCygielska, Krystyna (2014-08-04)."Polskie rozterki na deskach chicagowskiego teatru. Sztuka Martyny Majok w teatrze Steppenwolf".Polish Daily News(in Polish).Retrieved2021-05-09.
  4. ^abcCollins-Hughes, Laura (17 February 2016)."Q. and A.: Martyna Majok, Putting Immigrant Lives on Center Stage".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved17 August2018.
  5. ^"6 Theatre Workers You Should Know".American Theatre.American Theatre Editors. 2016-03-28.Retrieved2021-05-09.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^"Everyone was from Somewhere Else: An Interview with Martyna Majok".Vilcek Foundation.2019-01-23.Retrieved2021-05-09.
  7. ^abcFinn, Hayley (2016-12-09)."An interview with Martyna Majok".The Playwrights' Center.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  8. ^Wróblewski, Szymon (2019-03-31)."An Interview with Playwright Martyna Majok".Culture.pl.Retrieved2021-05-15.
  9. ^abLovett, Emily (2018-04-22)."Path to Pulitzer: An Interview With Playwright Martyna Majok (A.B. '07)".The Chicago Maroon.Retrieved2021-05-17.
  10. ^Obarska, Marcelina (ed.)."Martyna Majok".Culture.pl.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  11. ^abcde"Martyna Majok".New Play Exchange.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  12. ^abcd"Exclusive interview with Martyna Majok".playwrightsofnewyork.org.PoNY - Playwrights of New York.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  13. ^Gray, Katti."Martyna Majok on Living Through Chernobyl, and Writing About Betrayal and Loss with Humor".Pulitzer Prizepulitzer.org.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  14. ^Mcnulty, Charles (2018-02-09)."Review: 'Ironbound' at the Geffen Playhouse: An immigrant's portrait, painted with piercing realism".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  15. ^"The List 2014".The Kilroys.2016-11-03.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  16. ^"The Pulitzer Prizes | Drama".Pulitzer Prizepulitzer.org.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  17. ^abcGreen, Jesse (5 March 2018)."Review: In 'queens,' 11 Immigrant Women and What They Left Behind".The New York Times.ISSN1553-8095.Retrieved2018-08-17.
  18. ^abcGreen, Jesse (2017-06-07)."NYT Critic's Pick | Review: In 'Cost of Living,' a Familiar Alienation".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2021-05-11.
  19. ^"The List 2016".The Kilroys.2016-06-05.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  20. ^abSerratore, Nicole (2020-03-17)."Playwright Martyna Majok: 'I want fluid to leak from your face. That's what I want theatre to do'".The Stage.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  21. ^Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (2020-05-20)."'Queens' Immigrant Drama Based On Play In Works At HBO From Martyna Majok & Prentice Penny ".Deadline.Retrieved2021-05-14.
  22. ^abClement, Olivia (2020-03-04)."Martyna Majok's Sanctuary City Begins Off-Broadway".Playbill.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  23. ^Fierberg, Ruthie (2019-07-12)."Pulitzer Prize Winner Martyna Majok Reveals Her Latest Work, Sanctuary City".Playbill.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  24. ^Skethway, Nathan (2020-03-10)."Check Out Exclusive Production Photos From Martyna Majok's Sanctuary City Off-Broadway".Playbill.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  25. ^Shand, John (2018-09-06)."Ironbound review: A migrant dream becomes a black-eye reality".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved2021-05-17.
  26. ^"Greenfield Commissions".Hermitage Artist Retreat.Retrieved2021-05-17.
  27. ^"2050 Artistic Fellowship At New York Theatre Workshop".New York Theatre Workshop.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  28. ^"WP Theater Lab".WP Theater.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  29. ^"Youngblood | Members & Alumni".Ensemble Studio Theatre.Retrieved2021-05-11.
  30. ^"About Uncharted".Ars Nova theater.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  31. ^Evans, Greg (2021-04-28)."New 'The Great Gatsby' Musical From Florence Welch & Oscar Nominee Thomas Bartlett Headed For Broadway".Deadline.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  32. ^"Ironbound".Steppenwolf Theatre Company.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  33. ^Morisseau, Dominique (2016-12-20)."Martyna Majok Shines a Light on the Invisible in 'Ironbound'".American Theatre.Retrieved2021-05-17.
  34. ^abIsherwood, Charles (2016-04-24)."NYT Critic's Pick | Review: 'Ironbound' Stars Marin Ireland as a Struggling Immigrant".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2018-08-17.
  35. ^Ritzel, Rebecca (2015-09-15)."A late night of pizza leads pair to team up on 'Ironbound,' an immigrant's tale".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2021-05-09.
  36. ^Pressley, Nelson (2015-09-16)."A Polish immigrant fights American hard times in absorbing 'Ironbound'".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2021-05-09.
  37. ^Perry, Jennifer (2015-09-16)."BWW Review: Round House Theatre's IRONBOUND Simmers Quietly".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved2021-05-11.
  38. ^Blanchard, Jayne (2015-09-17)."Ironbound at Round House Theatre (review)".DCTheatreScene.Retrieved2021-05-11.
  39. ^Borak, Jeffrey (2016-07-08)."Stakes are high in haunting" Cost of Living "at Williamstown".The Berkshire Eagle.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  40. ^Collins-Hughes, Laura (2017-05-10)."Martyna Majok's 'Cost of Living': Scrambling to Survive, Together".The New York Times.ISSN1553-8095.Retrieved2018-08-17.
  41. ^Sławińska, Kamila (2018-10-01)."Ci ludzie | Martyna Majok".Tygodnik Powszechny(in Polish).Retrieved2021-05-17.
  42. ^ab"Martyna Majok Will Engage L.A. Audiences, Theater Professionals at Two Fountain Theatre Events".BroadwayWorld.BWW News Desk. 2018-11-07.Retrieved2021-05-15.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
  43. ^Arons, Ben (2018-04-04)."'KPOP' Tops the 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations (Full List) ".Variety.ISSN0042-2738.Retrieved2021-05-09.
  44. ^Clement, Olivia (2018-03-05)."Martyna Majoks 'Queens' Begins Previews Off-Broadway".Playbill.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  45. ^Soloski, Alexis (2020-02-27)."13 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2021-05-14.
  46. ^Mcphee, Ryan."Martyna Majok's Sanctuary City Resumes Off-Broadway Run September 8".Playbill.Retrieved17 September2021.
  47. ^"Sanctuary City".New York Theatre Workshop.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  48. ^"Awards | UChicago Arts | The University of Chicago".University of Chicago.Retrieved2021-05-11.
  49. ^"2014 new American play prizes announcement".Marin Theatre Company.2014-11-10.Retrieved2021-05-16.
  50. ^"2016 Winners and Nominees".theatreWashington–Helen Hayes Award.RetrievedOctober 14,2018.
  51. ^"The Legacy of Helen Merrill: A Love of Theater Lives On".The New York Community Trust.2020-05-19.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  52. ^"2016 - Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards".Theatre Communications Group.Retrieved2021-05-12.
  53. ^"The Dramatists Guild Awards".Dramatists Guild of America.Retrieved2021-05-17.
  54. ^"WINNING WORK | Cost of Living, by Martyna Majok".Pulitzer Prizepulitzer.org.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  55. ^"2019 - Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards".Theatre Communications Group.Retrieved2021-05-12.

External links[edit]

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