Caryl Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is an English dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic techniques and feminist themes, dramatisation of the abuses of power, and exploration of sexual politics. She is acknowledged as a major playwright in the English language and one of world theatre's most influential writers.Her early work developed Bertolt Brecht's modernist dramatic and theatrical techniques of 'Epic theatre' to explore issues of gender and sexuality. From A Mouthful of Birds (1986) onwards, she began to experiment with forms of dance-theatre, incorporating techniques developed from the performance tradition initiated by Antonin Artaud with his 'Theatre of Cruelty'. This move away from a clear Fabel dramaturgy towards increasingly fragmented and surrealistic narratives characterises her work as postmodernist.Prizes and awardsChurchill has received much recognition, including the following awards: 1958 Sunday Times/National Union of Students Drama Festival Award Downstairs 1961 Richard Hillary Memorial Prize 1981 Obie Award for Playwriting, Cloud Nine 1982 Obie Award for Playwriting, Top Girls 1983 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (runner-up), Top Girls 1984 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Fen 1987 Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy of the Year, Serious Money 1987 Obie Award for Best New Play, Serious Money 1987 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Serious Money 1988 Laurence Olivier/BBC Award for Best New Play, Serious Money 2001 Obie Sustained Achievement Award 2010 Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
