Plays In Progress Mentor

Mfoniso Udonfia

Interests: Woman centric, immigrant forward, Black African diaspora, queerness, legacy, mental health,character, deep emotion

Mfoniso Udofia's plays Sojourners, RunBoyRun, Her Portmanteau and In Old Age have been seen at New York Theatre Workshop, American Conservatory Theater, Playwrights Realm, MagicTheater, National Black Theatre, Strand Theater, and Boston Court. She’s the recipient of the 2021 Horton Foote Award, the 2017 Helen Merrill Playwright Award, the 2017-18 McKnight National Residency and Commission and is a member of New Dramatists. Mfoniso’s currently commissioned by The Huntington Theatre, Hartford Stage, Denver Center, ACT, and South Coast Repertory. Her plays have been developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, A.C.T, McCarter Theatre, OSF, New Dramatists, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, Hedgebrook, Sundance, Space on Ryder Farm and more. Since 2018 Mfoniso hasbeen workingin television. She has worked as a staff writer on 13 Reasons Why, an executive story-editor on Pachinjo, a co-producer and consulting producer on Little America, a supervising producer on A League Of Their Own, a co-executive producer on Lessons In Chemistry, and a co-executiveproducer on Let the Right One In.

I have a profound appreciation for plays that delve deep into the intricate complexities ofthehuman condition, irrespective of their genre. I specifically gravitate towards women-centered piecesthat tackle questions around mental health and queer identity. Also, as a Nigerian-American woman, I love working on plays that delve into the heart/humanity of the immigrant experience. And I especiallyadore stories that have members of the African Diaspora in conversation with each other. As a mentor,we would work one-on-one to question and interrogate and really build the play you want to see.