Natalie Symons is an award-winning playwright and best-selling novelist. Her plays have been developed and produced at theatres across the county, including American Stage, freeFall Theatre, ACT Theatre, Theatre22, Urbanite Theatre, Aurora Theatre, Theater Schmeater, Florida Studio Theatre, Bridge Street Theatre, Amas Musical Theatre, Arts Garage, and Key City Public Theatre.
Most recently, The People Downstairs world premiered at American Stage and received the Broadway World Regional Award for Best Original Script of the Decade. Her play Naming True was included in Ashland New Play Festival’s inaugural Play4Keeps podcast and was a finalist for the Bridge Initiative Women in Theatre Playwright of the Year Award. Among other honors, Natalie was the recipient of the Creative Pinellas Professional Artist Grant, the 2018/19 Playwright-in-Residence at American Stage and the winner of American Stage’s 21st Century New Play Festival. Her play The Buffalo Kings earned the Broadway World Regional Award for Best Play. In addition, Natalie is the three-time critics’ choice for Best Playwright by Creative Loafing. Her work has been featured in Smith & Kraus’ Best Monologues of 2019 and 30th Anniversary Edition Best Monologues of 2020.
In September 2021 her debut novel Lies in Bone was released by Boyle & Dalton and earned her The Royal Dragonfly Literary Award, and the 2021 Best Book Award from American Book Fest. Lies in Bone is also the recipient of The Eric Hoffer Literary Award, The NIEA Award and was the Chanticleer International Book Awards’ Somerset 2021 Grand Prize Winner in Literary and Contemporary fiction. In May of 2022 Lies in Bone became #1 on Audible across all categories and an international best-seller on Amazon. She is currently working on her next novel, co-writing a play titled Nightsweat with comedian Matthew McGee, and developing a limited series for television. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband Jim and their rescue dogs Chloe and Ted.
