On Monday, November 30, The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company presented the fifth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, was presented by Eric Schaeffer of the Signature Theatre in the Penthouse Lobby of The American Airlines Theater.
The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a lyricist, composer, 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. The Fred Ebb Foundation is funded by royalties from Mr. Ebb's vast catalogue of work. Past winners include John Bucchino (2005), Steve Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman (2006), Peter Mills (2007) and Adam Gwon (2008). The selection panel is comprised of: Foundation Trustee Mitchell S. Bernard; lyricist, writer and composer Sheldon Harnick; Music Director David Loud; Actress Debra Monk; Playwright/producer Tim Pinckney; Theatre producer Arthur Whitelaw.
Author Marcy Heisler and Composer Zina Goldrich, who have been collaborating since 1993, also received 2009 Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics and Music for Dear Edwina and are past recipients of ASCAP's Richard Rodgers New Horizons Theatre Award. Praised by The New York Times as a "bright inventive production" that "beguiles with rock, rag, rhythm and blues and doo wop among other attractions," Marcy and Zina's JUNIE B. JONES enjoyed three highly successful off-Broadway runs under the auspices of Theatreworks USA, earning two Lucille Lortel Award nominations. As performers, Marcy and Zina have toured domestically and internationally, presenting their music at some of the finest venues, including Carnegie Hall, Canada's "Juste Pour Rire" comedy festival and the Kennedy Center. Together and apart, Marcy and Zina have provided original songs for The Disney Channel, Disney Interactive and Feature Animation projects, Disney Theatricals, PBS, and Nickelodeon. November 2009 marks the release of MARCY AND ZINA: The Album on Yellow Sound Label, and their Songbooks Volumes 1 and 2 are available from Hal Leonard. They have many new theatrical projects in the works, including an adaptation of the tale of Snow White and Rose Red, a Cyrano story set in the Brill Building Era, and a musical version of FREAKIN' FABULOUS, based on the bestselling book by author and stylemaker Clinton Kelly of TLC's What Not To Wear.
For more information about Marcy and Zina, visit www.marcyandzina.com.
Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski
The 2009 Fred Ebb Award
Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler
Mitchell Bernard and Debra Monk
Michael McCormick, Debra Monk and Edward Hibbert
Tom Kitt and John Bucchino
Ed Watts, Tim Pinckney, and Heidi Blickenstaff
Michaela Rome, Marcy Heisler, Sandra Coudert, and Madeline McEneney
Leslie Owen and Sandra Coudert
Zina Goldrich, Kevin McCollum, and Marcy Heisler
Karen Ziemba and Edward Hibbert
Eric Schaeffer, Emily Skinner, and Clinton Kelly
Adam Gwon
Brian Yorkey and Heidi Blickenstaff
Noah Racey and Guest
Billy Stritch
Tyler Adcock and Morgan Rose
Mitchell Bernard
Eric Schaeffer
Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler, and Eric Schaeffer
Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler
David Goldsmith
David Goldsmith
Marcy Heisler
Elena Shaddow and Marcy Heisler
Elena Shaddow
Elena Shaddow
Elena Shaddow
Elena Shaddow
Jill Abramovitz
Jill Abramovitz
Jill Abramovitz
Jonathan Root
Jonathan Root
Jonathan Root
