Sarah Burgess (playwright)
Sarah Burgess is an American playwright and screenwriter whose works include Dry Powder and Kings and the American anthology true crime television series American Crime Story.
Career
Theater
Burgess took part in Ars Nova’s Play Group, where she wrote Dry Powder and presented it in a reading.[1] Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York, discovered the play soon after. “For me it happens once a decade,” Eustis explained. “‘But I read her play and immediately said, ‘We’re producing this.’”[2]
Dry Powder is a comedy-drama principally concerned with the world of private equity, viewed through the microcosm of a firm’s competing attempts to confront the fallout from a public relations crisis.[3] Burgess was drawn to the topic after working as a tutor for students preparing to take graduate school admissions tests, many of whom worked at investment firms like Goldman Sachs. “I was fascinated by the culture of the place," she said in an interview with The Washington Post, explaining that the juxtaposition of moral responsibility with bankers' complex, abstract business transactions seemed fertile ground for a satirical production. She continued her research by reading such titles as Barbarians at the Gate, a book focused on the 1988 leveraged buyout and subsequent collapse of RJR Nabisco.[4]
Dry Powder premiered at New York’s Public Theater, starring
Burgess’ 2018 production, Kings, chronicles two jaded Washington lobbyists attempting to maneuver an idealistic new representative from Texas. “I find myself writing about money and the system that it creates in professional lives, and how that really can sort of divide us,” said Burgess. “I like to find a comedy in that . . . There’s something in that that just naturally compels me . . .”[9]
Burgess is from Alexandria, Virginia, and identifies the city's proximity to Washington, D.C., as a factor in her decision to write Kings. Speaking of her works as a whole, she remarked, “The voice of people who are unapologetic about their belief in the free market and survival of the fittest has always interested me.”[10]
Television
In 2019, Burgess’ work expanded from stage to television.
Awards and recognition
Year | Award | Title | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Laurence Olivier Award
|
Dry Powder | Best Entertainment or Comedy Play | Nominated | [15] |
2022 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Impeachment: American Crime Story | Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Nominated | [16] |
References
- ^ Peterson, Tyler (November 8, 2013). "Ars Nova to Present Reading of LIQUIDATION PLAY, 11/13".
- ^ Marks, Peter (April 4, 2016). "If Sarah Burgess's story doesn't inspire you to start writing that play..." The Washington Post.
- ^ "Dry Powder:Sarah Burgess".
- ^ Marks, Peter (April 4, 2016). "If Sarah Burgess's story doesn't inspire you to start writing that play..." The Washington Post.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn (March 22, 2016). "Off Broadway Review: 'Dry Powder' with Claire Danes, John Krasinski, Hank Azaria".
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (March 22, 2016). "Review: 'Dry Powder,' a High-Finance Comedy Drama". The New York Times.
- ^ Treneman, Ann (February 5, 2018). "Theatre review: Dry Powder at the Hampstead Theatre, NW3".
- ^ Wei, Huan-Chen (January 27, 2017). "Investment in Wall Street satire 'Dry Powder' pays off".
- ^ Rathe, Adam (February 20, 2018). "How the New Play Kings Turned Political Headlines Into Humor (If You're Ready to Laugh)".
- ^ Green, Adam (March 21, 2018). "An Interview with Sarah Burgess".
- ^ Cranswick, Amie (August 9, 2019). "FX announces Impeachment: American Crime Story starring Sarah Paulson and Beanie Feldstein".
- ^ Romano, Nick (August 4, 2021). "Beanie Feldstein transforms into Monica Lewinsky in first Impeachment: American Crime Story teaser". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Mallikarjuna, Krutika; Thomas, Kaitlin (August 20, 2021). "Impeachment: American Crime Story: Trailer, Premiere Date, Cast, and Everything Else to Know".
- ^ Foussianes, Chloe (August 12, 2021). "Impeachment: American Crime Story: Everything We Know So Far".
- ^ "Olivier awards 2018: complete list of nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Sherman, Rachel (12 July 2022). "Emmy Nominees 2022: The Complete List". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2022.