The Dramatists Guild of America Reschedules Annual Awards Ceremony to Tuesday, February 26

The Dramatists Guild of America has rescheduled their awards ceremony, postponed due to Hurricane Sandy, to Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at The Lambs Club in New York. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Lisa Kron and will feature a performance by Kenita Miller.

The Dramatists Guild is proud to announce that they will present for the first time the new Lanford Wilson Award, which will be awarded to playwright Francine Volpe whose plays include The Good Mother and The Given. Additional awards will go to Stephen Karam, for his play, Sons of the Prophet, recipient of the 2012 Hull-Warriner Award; Alan Menken, for his score to Newsies and Michael John LaChiusa for his score to Queen of the Mist, recipients of the Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition; Philip Kan Gotanda, recipient of the Flora Roberts Award; and Micki Grant, recipient of the Dramatists Guild Award for Lifetime Achievement. The evening will also honor the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program founding faculty, Janet Neipris, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Susan Miller.

The new Lanford Wilson Award, established by a generous contribution from Wilson's estate and matched by the Dramatists Guild, will bestow $35,000 on a dramatist based primarily on their work as an early career playwright. The award is named after Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony nominated playwright Lanford Wilson who passed away in 2011.

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

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 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 Christopher Durang, Michael Weller, Polly Pen, Craig Lucas, Ed Bullins, Adrienne Kennedy and Tina Howe.

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

The Dramatists Guild's Fellows Program, created by the Guild and its Council, was established to nurture the next generation of American dramatists. The program brings together both playwrights and musical theater writers to discuss their work and common interests.

The evening will begin with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 7pm. Tickets for the event are $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.