2. Early Childhood
◦ Born in Queens, NY to – as she describes – “young, irresponsible parents.”
◦ Spent most of her life under the care of her godfather’s mother
◦ Chisa says she was raised by six different parents over the course of her life
◦ All different races and religions with different cultural backgrounds
3. Adolescence
◦ Received a scholarship to a high school in Short Hills, NJ where she moved in with a host family
◦ A Buddhist woman, her Jewish husband, their three kids, and dog
◦ While attending high school, Chisa’s English teacher took her to see the Town Hall debate
◦ On “Cultural Power” between August Wilson and Robert Brustein
◦ An audio of the debate can be found on the next slide
◦ Frequently cites this experience as being a defining moment in her young creative life
5. Adulthood
◦ Chisa received a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from Vassar College
◦ Taught high school English for five years before deciding to focus on playwriting
◦ Proceeded to earn an M.F.A. in Playwriting from NYU
◦ Currently teaches creative writing at the University of Delaware
6. Writing History
◦ Many gigs such as writing and performing with the New York Neo-Futurists, being a Staff Writer for Blue Man Group, and
staffing for shows on cable TV and streamers
◦ Helped write Three Women, a TV series for Starz
◦ Currently developing a biopic for Chaka Khan
◦ Also developing an-African heist flick for 30,000 FT and SuperSpecial
◦ Chisa’s first original feature, THE SUBJECT is available on various VOD platforms
◦ Featured in a successful film festival circuit during which it won over 30 prizes
7. Themes in Writing
◦ Centers around responding to issues
◦ Tell stories of people that are rarely seen on stage
◦ Such as transgender stories or stories of people of color
◦ Chisa states in an interview that most of her plays are built around something that she read or experienced that really “pissed” her
off, or that she was really confused by
8. A Few of Chisa’s Plays
◦ SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER
A Chinese-American guidance counselor helps a protege undo some damage caused by gender-bias
◦ SEX ON SUNDAY
A dominatrix tries mighty hard to fit in with her ultra-conservative uptown neighbors
◦ SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY
An odd but brilliant little boy and a cantankerous old lunch lady help each other past the obstacles of inner-city living
◦ DIRT RICH
Five kids from the projects learn what friendship and integrity are worth when they find a wad of cash buried near their playground
◦ MAMA'S GONNA BUY YOU
A wealthy white woman desperate to have a child steals one from a black teen mom
◦ SHE LIKE GIRLS
A love/hate story inspired by the murder of a 15 year-old lesbian in Newark, NJ
9. Recent Awards
◦ 2023 RECIPIENT, Joe Callaway Award for Citizenship
◦ 2023 RECIPIENT, Lippmann Family Frontier Award
◦ 2023 RECIPIENT, Indie Theater Champion Award (NYIT)
◦ 2023 RECIPIENT, Inspiration Award (American Playwright Awards)
◦ 2020 BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FOR THE SUBJECT
Art of Brooklyn Film Festival
Lighthouse International Film Festival
Bronze Lens Film Festival
D.C. Black Film Festival
Catalina Film Festival
Stony Brook Film Festival
◦ 2020 RECIPIENT, Leah Ryan FEWW Vladimir Award
10. Personal Talk
◦ In this interview Chisa talks about the harsh realities she saw her mom and grandmother experience
◦ The empathy she drew from watching them inspired the play Proof of Love
11. Personal Talk (cont.)
◦ In this interview Chissa discusses her play WHITELISTED
◦ Skip to 8:10 to listen to Chisa’s opinions on the makeup of her audience and police brutality in the United States
12. Review by Andrew White
◦ Andrew White is an American playwright, director, and actor
◦ In a recent review White writes, “Chisa Hutchinson’s work is remarkable in its variety; by turns whimsical and witty, her dialogue
can also cut to the bone, and speak loudly and clearly to what ails us… It is her ability to weave humor and compassion with biting
social commentary that makes any Hutchinson premiere a major theatrical event at the Contemporary American Theater Festival
(CATF)”.
13. Review by Doni Wilson
◦ Doni Wilson, PhD is an English professor at Houston Christian University
◦ In a recent review, Wilson writes, “This production probes the lives of racists, and we witness the weak and desperate foundations
of their culturally constructed beliefs, “norms” which don’t always make sense even to those participating in them. Amerikin asks us
to understand every character, even if you disagree with them… this play brings heavy things that you will carry around for a long
time”.
14. Works Cited
Artenian, Leah. “Chisa Hutchinson.” Contemporary Playwrights of Color, NYU Steinhardt Educational Theatre, 2017,
sites.google.com/nyu.edu/contemporaryplaywrightsofcolor/chisa-hutchinson.
“Chisa Hutchinson.” HowlRound Theatre Commons, howlround.com/commons/chisa-hutchinson. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
Chisa Hutchinson, www.chisahutchinson.com/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
Wilson, Doni. “Review: Alley’s ‘Amerikin’ Powerfully Explores the Lure of Racism.” Preview, Preview | Houston Arts & Entertainment
Guide, 21 Feb. 2022, preview.houstonchronicle.com/theater/review-alley-s-amerikin- powerfully16930316.
White, Andrew. “Review: Chisa Hutchinson’s Redeemed Is a Highlight of the Contemporary American Theater Festival.” Broadway World,
www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/Review-Chisa-Hutchinsons-REDEEMED-is-a- Highlight-of-the-Contemporary-American-
Theater-Festival- 20230712#:~:text=Chisa%20Hutchinson’s%20work%20is%20remarkable,also%20cut%20to%20the%20bone.&
text=Chisa%20Hutchinson’s%20work%20is,clearly%20to%20what%20ails%20us. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
