LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Lynn Nottage upon the occasion of
winning the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her exceptional play,
RUINED

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to those illustrious individuals whose commitment and creative
talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of
the citizens of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Lynn
Nottage upon the occasion of winning the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
for her exceptional play, RUINED; and
WHEREAS, Lynn Nottage is a playwright from Brooklyn, New York, whose
entertaining and thought-provoking works address contemporary issues
with empathy and humor; her latest play, RUINED, is a harrowing tale of
survival set against the backdrop of an African civil war, focusing on
the suffering of women, in particular the inhabitants of a Congolese
brothel owned by an earth mother named Mama Nadi; and
WHEREAS, An original voice in American theater, Lynn Nottage's ambi-
tious, expressive early works, including CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY,
MUD RIVER STONE and POR'KNOCKERS, reveal her rich poetic imagination as
she portrays periods of American history from unexpected vantage points
and crafts complex characters of a kind that have garnered little notice
among other writers and historians; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Lynn Nottage's more recent works, FABULATION and
the prizewinning INTIMATE APPAREL, are considered to be her more accom-
plished thus far and represent major artistic achievements; and
WHEREAS, Lynn Nottage received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown
University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale University
School of Drama, where she is currently a visiting lecturer; her plays
have been produced throughout the United States and Europe at such
venues as the Second Stage Theatre in New York City, the Tricycle Thea-
tre in London and the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
express its highest admiration for Lynn Nottage and to wish her contin-
ued success in all of her future endeavors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Lynn Nottage upon the occasion of winning the 2009 Pulitzer Prize
for Drama for her exceptional play, RUINED; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Lynn Nottage.