Photo Flash: Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens and More at Dramatists Guild Awards

The Dramatists Guild of America held their annual awards ceremony last evening at The Lambs Club in New York. The awards ceremony was hosted by Lisa Kron and featured a performance by Kenita Miller. BroadwayWorld has photos from the event below!

Craig Lucas presented the new Lanford Wilson Award to playwright Francine Volpe whose plays include The Good Mother and The Given; Terrence McNally presented the Hull-Warriner Award to Stephen Karam, for his play, Sons of the Prophet; Scott Frankel presented the Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition to Alan Menken, for his score to Newsies and Michael John LaChiusa, for his score to Queen of the Mist; Robert Waldman presented the Flora Roberts Award and John Weidman accepted on behalf of Philip Kan Gotanda; and Charlayne Woodard presented the Dramatists Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement to Micki Grant. The evening also honored the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program coordinators Janet Neipris, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Susan Miller. Special guests in attendance included Stephen Schwartz, Marsha Norman, Sheldon Harnick, Warren Leight, and Andrew Lippa.

The new Lanford Wilson Award, established by a generous contribution from Wilson's estate and tripled by the Dramatists Guild, bestowed $35,000 on a dramatist based primarily on their work as an early career playwright. The award is named after Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony nominated playwright Lanford Wilson who passed away in 2011.

The Hull-Warriner Award is the only award given by dramatists to dramatists; it is presented annually by the Dramatists Guild Council to an author or team of authors in recognition of their play dealing with controversial subjects involving the fields of political, religious, or social mores of the times. Previous winners include Lynn Nottage, David Ives, Tracy Letts, Steven Sater & Duncan Sheik, Marsha Norman and Dael Orlandersmith.

The Frederick Loewe Award, given by the Frederick Loewe Foundation and presented annually by the Dramatists Guild Council to a composer, recognizes achievement in a theatrical score presented in New York during the previous theatrical season. Past winners include Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, John Kander, Tom Kitt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Scott Frankel.

The Flora Roberts Award, administered by the Dramatists Guild Fund, is presented to a dramatist in recognition of distinguished work in the theater and to encourage the continuation of that work. Previous recipients include Christopher Durang, Michael Weller, Polly Pen, Craig Lucas, Ed Bullins, Adrienne Kennedy and Tina Howe.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the Dramatists Guild Council in recognition of lifetime achievement in theatrical writing. Previous recipients include Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally, Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, Lanford Wilson, Joseph Stein, Horton Foote, August Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Edward Albee and Arthur Miller.

The Dramatists Guild's Fellows Program, created by the Guild and its Council, was established to nurture the next generation of American dramatists. The program is an opportunity for young writers to further their writing, connect with peers and professionals and become part of a community of writers.

Photo Credit: Douglas Gorenstein