Dramatists Guild Foundation

In partnership with The Lillys, we are thrilled to announce graduate students Brittany K. Allen and Anterior Leverett as the 2026 recipients for the Hansberry-Lilly Fellowship.

The Fellowship was created under the leadership and vision of Julia Jordan and Lynn Nottage in honor of the playwright Lorraine Hansberry, as part of the Lillys’ mission of celebrating, funding, and fighting for women by promoting gender and racial parity in the American theater. This year’s recipients were selected by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actress Eboni Booth.

Congratulations, Brittany and Anterior! Read more about their work below ⬇️

Brittany K. Allen is a Brooklyn-based writer and actor. Her plays have been produced and developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theatre, WPLab, Portland Center Stage, Jungle Theater, Studio Theatre, and KC Rep, among other places, and her radio plays and podcasts have been produced by Audible/Fresh Produce Media and Playing On Air. She currently holds commissions from Playwrights Horizons, The Civilians/NYSCA, and Portland Center Stage, and is an alumna of EST/Youngblood, the Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater, and the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages. Her writing life has been supported by fellowships to Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and Ucross, as well as scholarships to Bread Loaf and the Sewanee Writers Conference. She is a resident playwright with C**t Coeur.

Anterior Leverett is a playwright, performer, and scholar-artist based in New York. Hailing from Savannah, GA, she received her B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from Kennesaw State University and an M.A. in Africana Studies from Georgia State University. She is a Working Title Playwright Rosalind Ayers-Williams Scholarship Recipient for 2023-2025, a member of the 2023/2024 Alliance Theatre Lead Reiser Artist Lab, and a 2024 SheATL Finalist. Her play Yanni Stone & the Honeypot Trap was selected for the 2022/2023 Synchronicity Theatre Stripped Bare New Play Incubator Project, a Hush Harbor Lab Workshop Development, and a National Black Theatre Micro Development Lab. Anterior is a current member of the 2028 Columbia University Playwriting cohort.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we assembled a selection of artists and stories to see, read, and hear. Join us in celebrating these works and more by amplifying your favorites in the comments!

We recently held an intimate salon featuring the creative team behind the new musical Galileo at the residence of Brisa Carleton. The evening brought together artists, supporters, and theater lovers for a conversation with writers Zoe Sarnak, Michael Weiner, and Danny Strong, moderated by DGF Executive Director Rachel Routh, alongside performances by Jeremy Kushnier, Gabrielle Elisabeth, Adam Halpin, Michael Mainwaring, and Madeleine Spacapan.

Inspired by one of history’s great questioners and innovators, Galileo explores the thrill of discovery and the courage to challenge the way we see the world — themes reflected throughout the evening’s conversation about the development of new musical theater work and the importance of supporting writers throughout the creative process.

Thank you to all involved for an inspiring evening, celebrating new works and the spirit of collaboration.