New Dramatists Will Honor Nathan Lane At 2019 Spring Luncheon

New Dramatists, Tony Honor recipient and the nation's premier playwright development laboratory, will honor three-time Tony Award winner, Nathan Lane, with its 2019 Distinguished Achievement Award at its 70th Annual Spring Luncheon Tribute on Tuesday, May 14th at the New York Marriott Marquis.

"Nathan Lane has built a career that is, by all standards, one of the great actor success stories in our industry," says Emily Morse, Artistic Director of New Dramatists. "His memorable performances on stage and screen are rooted in story-telling while demonstrating a dazzling sense of showmanship. He's a giant; a true man of the theatre, and we are thrilled to celebrate his tremendous talent and achievements in a year when he's also performing in a new play by one of our venerable and beloved alumni."

Nathan Lane will next be seen on Broadway in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, a new comedy by MacArthur Fellow and New Dramatists alumnus, Taylor Mac, directed by George C. Wolfe, New Dramatists board member. He most recently appeared as Roy Cohn in the Broadway revival of Angels In America (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards), as well as in The National Theater production in London. He previously appeared on Broadway in the hit revival of The Front Page, which earned him Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations. Broadway: It's Only A Play; The Nance(Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama-League Distinguished Performance Award);The Addams Family (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, Drama-League Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award), Waiting For Godot (Outer Critics Circle nomination); November; Butley; The Odd Couple; The Frogs; The Producers (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards); The Man Who Came To Dinner; A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Love! Valour! Compassion! (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Laughter on the 23rd Floor; Guys and Dolls (Tony nomination, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); On Borrowed Time; Some Americans Abroad; Wind In the Willows; Merlin; Present Laughter (Drama Desk nomination); Hickey in The Iceman Cometh at the Goodman Theater in 2012 and BAM in 2015 (Monte Cristo Award from The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center). Off-Broadway: (1992 Obie Award For Sustained Excellence Of Performance) includes The Common Pursuit; The Film Society; The Lisbon Traviata (Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards, Outer Critics Circle nomination); Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Love! Valour! Compassion! (Obie Award); Bad Habits; Dedication, or The Stuff Of Dreams (Drama Desk nomination); Mizlansky/Zilinsky or Schmucks; Trumbo; Measure For Measure (St. Clair Bayfield Award); A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Merry Wives of Windsor; She Stoops to Conquer;In a Pig's Valise; Love; White Rabbit, Red Rabbit: and Do Re Mi At Encores. TV includes "American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson" as F. Lee Bailey, and recurring roles on "Modern Family" and "The Good Wife." He has received six Primetime Emmy nominations, two Daytime Emmy Awards and the People's Choice Award. He has appeared in more than 35 films including The Birdcage (Golden Globe nomination, Screen Actors Guild and American Comedy Awards); Ironweed;Frankie and Johnny; Mousehunt; Jeffrey; The Lion King; Stuart Little; Nicholas Nickleby (National Board Of Review Ensemble Award); The Producers (Golden Globe nomination); Swing Vote; Mirror, Mirror; Carrie Pilby; and No Pay, Nudity. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2008, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall Of Fame.

Each year, New Dramatists salutes individuals who have made an outstanding artistic contribution to the theatre community. Past luncheon honorees include Denzel Washington, Daryl Roth and Paula Vogel, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Susan Stroman, Seth Gelblum, Bernadette Peters, Roger Berlind, Julie Taymor, Horton Foote, Edward Albee, Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Glenn Close, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Jerry Herman, Terrence McNally, Barbara Cook, John Kander & Fred Ebb, August Wilson, and Gwen Verdon.

The luncheon will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets) on Tuesday, May 14 beginning with a champagne reception at 11:15AM and ending promptly at 2:30PM. Tickets are $350 (a portion of which is tax-deductible). For tickets, visit newdramatists.org/luncheon or contact New Dramatists' director of development, Tiffany Baran, at tiffanybaran@newdramatists.org or (212) 757-6960.