SUSAN SMITH BLACKBURN PRIZE
READING SERIES

About the Series

4th Wall Theatre Company’s Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Reading Series is an annual staged reading event that brings Houston audiences together with outstanding contemporary works and play recipients of the renowned Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for women+ playwrights. 4th Wall has now hosted the series three times, with the most recent being for the 2025 Blackburn Prize winner FURLOUGH’S PARADISE by a.k. payne.

Founded in Houston in 1978, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the oldest and largest international prize honoring women+ writing for the English-speaking theatre. At 4th Wall, the series reflects our mission to produce extraordinary professional theatre and to promote truthful, cutting edge work.