Wade takes home Mississippi Theatre Association award
Jesse Wade
Mississippi State University Assistant Clinical Professor of Theatre Jesse Wade has received the Adult Playwriting Award from the Mississippi Theatre Association for his original play, “Touch,” the story of a scientist who gives emotions to an android she has created, exploring themes of technology, humanity and connection.
The announcement was made at the MTA’s 2025 convention, held this fall at the Ford Center at the University of Mississippi, and highlights the creativity and excellence of faculty and students in the performing arts.
“Winning this award validates that the theatre and art being made at MSU is valuable, as are the people making it,” said Wade, who was inspired to write the play after the musical duo Daft Punk announced their breakup in 2021. “Since Daft Punk’s mythology centers around them being robots, I wondered if that would make them sad too. I thought about what the conversation might be like between a robot who has just realized that they have emotions but doesn't know what to do with them and a person who is woefully ill-prepared to guide someone through that experience for the first time.”
Wade has previously earned recognition for his work in theatre, including a 2024 Meritorious Achievement in Scenic Design award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for his work on the play “A Piece of My Heart.” He is also active in the MTA playwriting community, serving as the youth playwriting chair.
For more information about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre, visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.comm.msstate.edu.
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Sarah Nicholas | College of Arts and Sciences
