The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) will present the seventh annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Jeff Blumenkrantz. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented by Bebe Neuwirth on Monday, November 28th from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lobby of The American Airlines Theater.
Jeff Blumenkrantzbegan his career as an actor, performing on Broadway in Into the Woods (1987), Threepenny Opera (1989), Damn Yankees (1994), How to Succeed in Business... (1995), and A Class Act (2001), and on TV/film in Joseph ... Dreamcoat, Will and Grace, all three Law and Order series, and the Great Performances (PBS) telecast of Candide in Concert.
It was Audra McDonald's recording of his song "I Won't Mind" (lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) that jumpstarted his songwriting career. Since then, Jeff received a Best Original Score Tony nomination for his songs in Urban Cowboy, and his one-act pieces, Woman with Pocketbook and Precious Little Jewel, have been performed at several regional theatres around the country. Additionally, he has received song commissions from both Carnegie Hall and the Guggenheim's Works and Process program. Most recently, his songs have been recorded by Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Victoria Clark, Lauren Kennedy, and Megan Mullally.
Jeff is a recipient of the BMI Harrington Award and the Dramatists Guild Jonathan Larson Memorial Musical Theatre Fellowship. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a longtime member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. In 2005, he published a songbook of his music and produced The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast, which featured live performances of those songs. The podcast episodes can still be heard by visiting iTunes or www.jeffblumenkrantz.com. Jeff also produced and hosted The BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast, featuring never-before-available music by members and alumni of the acclaimed musical theatre writers' workshop. It, too, can be found on iTunes or at www.bmiworkshopsongbook.com.
The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success. The award is meant to encourage and support aspiring songwriters to create new works for the musical theatre. The prize includes a $50,000 award. In addition to the monetary prize, the Fred Ebb Foundation will produce a one-night-only showcase of winner's work. The Fred Ebb Foundation is funded by royalties from Mr. Ebb's vast catalogue of work. The Fred Ebb Foundation also makes an annual donation to Fred Ebb's favorite charity - Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
