Christopher Durang, Lisa Kron, Viola Davis & More to Receive Dramatists Guild of America Awards, 2/24

The Dramatists Guild of America has announced the recipients of their annual awards, which will be presented at an awards ceremony hosted by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez on Monday, February 24, 2014, at The Lambs Club in New York.

This year's awards go to Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, for the score to Hands on a Hardbody, recipient on the Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition; Arthur Kopit, recipient of the Flora Roberts Award; Mike Lew, recipient of the Lanford Wilson Award; Christopher Durang, for his play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, recipient of the Hull-Warriner Award; Lisa Kron and Viola Davis, recipients of the Madge Evans & Sidney Kingsley Awards; and John Guare, recipient of Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund will present the first ever DLDF Defender Award to Larissa Mark, a high school senior from Trumbull, CT who successfully organized her community in opposition to her school's sudden cancellation of their production of Rent, ultimately forcing the production's reinstatement. This new award from the DLDF honors Ms. Mark's work in support of free expression in the dramatic arts.

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 Alan Menken, Michael John LaChiusa, 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 Philip Kan Gotanda, Christopher Durang, Michael Weller, Polly Pen, Craig Lucas, Ed Bullins, Adrienne Kennedy and Tina Howe.

The Lanford Wilson Award was established by the estate of Lanford Wilson and is presented by the Dramatists Guild Council to a dramatist based primarily on their work as an early career playwright. The recipient of last year's first annual Lanford Wilson Award was Francine Volpe.

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 Stephen Karam, Lynn Nottage, David Ives, Tracy Letts, Steven Sater & Duncan Sheik, Marsha Norman and Dael Orlandersmith.

The Madge Evans & Sidney Kingsley Awards, presented annually by the Dramatists Guild Fund, celebrate excellence in the theater and are given respectively to a worthy stage actress and a playwright who are in mid-career. Previous recipients include Lois Smith, Marsha Norman, Linda Lavin, Laura Linney, Lynn Nottage, John Patrick Shanley, Judith Ivey, and Terrence McNally.

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

The evening will begin with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 7pm. Limited tickets are available for $100. For more information or to order tickets, contact Tari Stratton at the Dramatists Guild of America at (212) 398-9366 x20, or tstratton@dramatistsguild.com.

Photo by Walter McBride