The 2017 International Centre for Women Playwrights 50/50 Applause Awards has announced recipients for 2017, celebrating gender parity for women playwrights at 58 theatres throughout The United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Tasmania. Chicago is represented by Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, and Windy City Playhouse.

These 58 recipients will receive the 2017 50/50 Applause Award, for producing 50% or more plays by women playwrights in their 2016/17 season.

The major criteria for the awards in 2017 were that a theatre had to have three or more productions, both male and female playwrights in their season, and at least 50% of the full-length plays and performances must be the work of female playwrights.

According to a 2015 study by the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) “Women Count: Women Hired Off-Broadway 2010-2015”, women playwrights were produced 28%-36% of the time.