The 2023 Write It Out! (WIO!) prize for playwrights living with HIV has been awarded to Matty Mahoski for UN(IN)SURE.
A graduate of the NYU Tisch School for the Arts, Mahoski tells stories through various media, often centering on movement and music. As a queer, trans, non-binary, neurodivergent, Jewish artist who lives with HIV, their experience navigating these intersections of identity and perspective heavily influences their work.
“How they used absurdism to speak to the incompetence and brokenness of the healthcare system was painful and hilarious,” said Donja R. Love, playwright (one in two, soft) and creator of the WIO! program and prize. “The play triggered my anxiety as I recalled many frustrating experiences navigating the healthcare system. Above all, Matty’s play made me feel like I am not alone.”
Mahoski will receive a $5,000 cash award as well as a year of dramaturgical support to develop a new work in the coming year. The prize was announced December 1, on World AIDS Day.
“Receiving the Write It Out! Prize is a powerful affirmation of my personal progress, as well as a recognition of the heart and effort I have poured into this play,” said Mahoski. “Becoming HIV positive forced me to reimagine my life in every way I had previously considered it. Living with HIV has empowered me to walk fully into who I am and to hold myself with strength, with love and with the knowledge that I am not alone; I am in community.”
The Write It Out! prize was made possible with support from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Terrence McNally Foundation, ViiV Healthcare and GLAAD. For more information, go to letswriteitout.com.