23rd Annual Kleban Prize Winners Announced

The Kleban Foundation has announced that the 23rd annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has gone to Daniel Maté and the 23rd annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist has gone to Alan Gordon. The 2013 prizes will be presented on June 24, 2013, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) hosted by ASCAP and BMI.

The Kleban Foundation was established in 1988 under the will of Edward L. Kleban, best known as the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning lyricist of the musical A Chorus Line. The will made provision for two annual prizes, which in recent years have totaled $100,000 each payable over two years, to be given to the most promising lyricist and librettist in American Musical Theatre. The judges making the final determination this year were Director of the Theater Wing at the Kaufman Center, Sean Hartley; award winning composer Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls, The Tap Dance Kid), and Tony Award-winning actress Michele Pawk (Crazy For You, Hollywood Arms, Cabaret).

"For two decades, The Kleban Prize has recognized and honored the American Musical Theatre's brightest developing talents," says Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr, President of the Kleban Foundation. "The Kleban Prize is unique in that it is bestowed not just for an artist's previous achievements, but for the promise of creativity to come. In Ed Kleban's experience, young composers always seemed able to support themselves in the theatre, but promising lyricists and librettists often had to struggle. This Prize was Kleban's attempt to help promising writers when they needed support most -- when starting out."

Previous recipients of the annual Kleban Prize include David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years), John Bucchino (A Catered Affair, It's Only Life), Gretchen Cryer (I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac), Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, Happiness), Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Michael John LaChiusa (Giant, See What I Want To See, The Wild Party), Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid) and John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Road Show, Assassins).