A KID LIKE JAKE Earns 2013 Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award

According to the New York Times, the Trustees of The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, Inc. have announced that "A Kid Like Jake" has been selected for the 2013 LAURENTS / HATCHER FOUNDATION AWARD. The foundation will provide a $50,000 cash award to playwright Daniel Pearleand a grant of $100,000 to go directly towards the production costs of the play's premiere at LCT3 in June.

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In A KID LIKE JAKE, Alex and Greg want only the best for their precocious four year-old, Jake. When they apply to New York's elite private schools, part of what makes Jake special - his passion for Cinderella and dress-up - starts to cause concern. The story of a husband and wife trying to do right by their son, A Kid Like Jake explores the unexpected challenges of marriage and parenting in the high-octane, competitive world of Manhattan privilege.

Established in 2010, The LAURENTS / HATCHER FOUNDATION AWARD is an annual prize to be given for an un-produced, full-length play of social relevance by an emerging American playwright. In addition to being one of the country's largest grants for new work, The Laurents / Hatcher Foundation Award is the first major award for playwrighting to be named in honor of a gay couple: Tony Award winning playwright and director Arthur Laurents and his partner of 52 years, Tom Hatcher.

Most recently represented on Broadway with the smash hit revival of West Side Story, Arthur Laurents' career as a writer for the stage and screen spans over 65 years, beginning with his play The Home of the Brave, which premiered on Broadway in 1945. Known for having written the books for musicals such as Gypsy and West Side Story as well as the screenplays for The Way We Were, The Turning Point and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope, Mr. Laurents (who is currently 93) continues to write new plays -- many of which have premiered at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, including his most recent, Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are.

Tom Hatcher, who died in October 2006, began his career as an actor but moved into real estate as a contractor and then as a developer. He created the private park adjoining the house in Quogue, Long Island that was home for the couple.