Pulitzer Prize for Drama

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The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.

From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than being the calendar year. The decision was made, however, that the 2007 Prize would consider works staged during an eligibility period of January 1 to December 31, 2006--thus bringing the schedule for the Drama Prize in line with those of the other prizes.

The drama jury, which consists of one academic and four critics, attends plays in New York and in regional theaters. The Pulitzer board has the authority to overrule the jury's choice, however, as happened in 1986 when the jury chose the CIVIL warS to receive the prize, but due to the board's opposition no award was given.

Also, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was selected for the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by that award's committee. However, the committee's selection was overruled by the award's advisory board, the trustees of Columbia University, because of the play's then-controversial use of profanity and sexual themes. Had Albee been awarded, he would be tied with Eugene O'Neill for the most Pulitzer Prizes for Drama (four).

Contents 1 Musicals 2 Awards and nominations 2.1 1910s 2.2 1920s 2.3 1930s 2.4 1940s 2.5 1950s 2.6 1960s 2.7 1970s 2.8 1980s 2.9 1990s 2.10 2000s 2.11 Multiple winners 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Musicals

Only seven musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama -- roughly, about one per decade from the 1930s to the 1990s. They are as follows: Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing (1932)¹, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (1950), Bock & Harnick's Fiorello! (1960), Frank Loesser's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line (1976), Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George (1985), and Jonathan Larson's Rent (1996).

The award goes to the playwright, although production of the play is also taken into account. In the case of a musical being awarded the prize, the composer, lyricist and story author are generally the recipients. An exception to this was the very first Pulitzer ever awarded to a musical: when Of Thee I Sing won in 1932, book authors George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, as well as lyricist Ira Gershwin were cited as the winners, while composer George Gershwin's contribution was overlooked by the committee. The reason given was that the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is a dramatic award, and not a musical one. However, by 1950 the Pulitzer committee included composer Richard Rodgers as a recipient when South Pacific won the award, in recognition of music as an integral and important part of the theatrical experience.^[1]

_{¹Years given indicate the year that the Pulitzer Prize was won and not necessarily the year that musical had its New York opening.}

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] 1910s

• 1918: Why Marry? – Jesse Lynch Williams
• 1919: no award

[edit] 1920s 1920: Beyond the Horizon – Eugene O'Neill 1921: Miss Lulu Bett – Zona Gale 1922: Anna Christie – Eugene O'Neill 1923: Icebound – Owen Davis 1924: Hell-Bent Fer Heaven – Hatcher Hughes 1925: They Knew What They Wanted – Sidney Howard 1926: Craig's Wife – George Kelly 1927: In Abraham's Bosom – Paul Green 1928: Strange Interlude – Eugene O'Neill 1929: Street Scene – Elmer Rice

[edit] 1930s 1930: The Green Pastures – Marc Connelly 1931: Alison's House – Susan Glaspell 1932: Of Thee I Sing – George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, Ira Gershwin 1933: Both Your Houses – Maxwell Anderson 1934: Men in White – Sidney Kingsley 1935: The Old Maid – Zoe Akins 1936: Idiot's Delight – Robert E. Sherwood 1937: You Can't Take it with You – Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman 1938: Our Town – Thornton Wilder 1939: Abe Lincoln in Illinois – Robert E. Sherwood

[edit] 1940s 1940: The Time of Your Life – William Saroyan 1941: There Shall Be No Night – Robert E. Sherwood 1942: no award 1943: The Skin of Our Teeth – Thornton Wilder 1944: no award 1945: Harvey – Mary Coyle Chase 1946: State of the Union – Russel Crouse, Howard Lindsay 1947: no award 1948: A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams 1949: Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller

[edit] 1950s 1950: South Pacific – Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Joshua Logan 1951: no award 1952: The Shrike – Joseph Kramm 1953: Picnic – William Inge 1954: The Teahouse of the August Moon – John Patrick 1955: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams 1956: The Diary of a Young Girl – Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich 1957: Long Day's Journey into Night – Eugene O'Neill 1958: Look Homeward, Angel – Ketti Frings 1959: J.B. – Archibald MacLeish

[edit] 1960s 1960: Fiorello! – Jerome Weidman and George Abbott Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick 1961: All the Way Home – Tad Mosel 1962: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows 1963: no award 1964: no award 1965: The Subject Was Roses – Frank D. Gilroy 1966: no award 1967: A Delicate Balance – Edward Albee 1968: no award 1969: The Great White Hope – Howard Sackler

[edit] 1970s 1970: No Place to be Somebody – Charles Gordone 1971: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds – Paul Zindel 1972: no award 1973: That Championship Season – Jason Miller 1974: no award 1975: Seascape – Edward Albee 1976: A Chorus Line – Michael Bennett, Nicholas Dante and James Kirkwood, Jr., Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban 1977: The Shadow Box – Michael Cristofer 1978: The Gin Game – Donald L. Coburn 1979: Buried Child – Sam Shepard

[edit] 1980s

1980: Talley's Folly – Lanford Wilson 1981: Crimes of the Heart – Beth Henley 1982: A Soldier's Play – Charles Fuller 1983: 'night, Mother – Marsha Norman True West – Sam Shepard 1984: Glengarry Glen Ross – David Mamet Fool for Love – Sam Shepard Painting Churches – Tina Howe 1985: Sunday in the Park with George – James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim The Gospel at Colonus – Lee Breuer, Bob Telson The Dining Room – A. R. Gurney

1986: no award 1987: Fences – August Wilson Broadway Bound – Neil Simon A Walk in the Woods – Lee Blessing 1988: Driving Miss Daisy – Alfred Uhry Boy's Life – Howard Korder Talk Radio – Eric Bogosian 1989: The Heidi Chronicles – Wendy Wasserstein M. Butterfly – David Henry Hwang Joe Turner's Come and Gone – August Wilson

[edit] 1990s

1990: The Piano Lesson – August Wilson And What of the Night? – María Irene Fornés Love Letters – A. R. Gurney 1991: Lost in Yonkers – Neil Simon Prelude to a Kiss – Craig Lucas Six Degrees of Separation – John Guare 1992: The Kentucky Cycle – Robert Schenkkan Miss Evers' Boys – David Feldshuh Conversations With My Father – Herb Gardner Two Trains Running – August Wilson Sight Unseen – Donald Margulies 1993: Angels in America: Millennium Approaches – Tony Kushner Fires in the Mirror – Anna Deavere Smith The Destiny of Me – Larry Kramer 1994: Three Tall Women – Edward Albee Keely and Du – Jane Martin A Perfect Ganesh – Terrence McNally

1995: The Young Man From Atlanta – Horton Foote Seven Guitars – August Wilson The Cryptogram – David Mamet 1996: Rent – Jonathan Larson A Fair Country – Jon Robin Baitz Old Wicked Songs – Jon Marans 1997: no award Collected Stories – Donald Margulies The Last Night of Ballyhoo – Alfred Uhry Pride's Crossing – Tina Howe 1998: How I Learned to Drive – Paula Vogel Three Days of Rain – Richard Greenberg Freedomland – Amy Freed 1999: Wit – Margaret Edson Running Man – Cornelius Eady and Diedre Murray Side Man – Warren Leight

[edit] 2000s

2000: Dinner with Friends – Donald Margulies King Hedley II – August Wilson In the Blood – Suzan-Lori Parks 2001: Proof – David Auburn The Play About the Baby – Edward Albee The Waverly Gallery – Kenneth Lonergan 2002: Topdog/Underdog – Suzan-Lori Parks The Glory of Living – Rebecca Gilman Yellowman – Dael Orlandersmith 2003: Anna in the Tropics – Nilo Cruz Take Me Out – Richard Greenberg The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? – Edward Albee 2004: I Am My Own Wife – Doug Wright Man from Nebraska – Tracy Letts Omnium Gatherum – Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros

2005 Doubt: A Parable – John Patrick Shanley The Clean House – Sarah Ruhl Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) – Will Eno 2006: no award Miss Witherspoon – Christopher Durang The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow – Rolin Jones Red Light Winter – Adam Rapp 2007: Rabbit Hole – David Lindsay-Abaire Bulrusher – Eisa Davis Orpheus X – Rinde Eckert Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue – Quiara Alegría Hudes 2008 August: Osage County – Tracy Letts Yellow Face – David Henry Hwang Dying City – Christopher Shinn

[edit] Multiple winners

Only a few playwrights have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama more than once.

• Eugene O'Neill has won the prize four times-- more than any other playwright. He won in 1920, 1922, 1928, and 1957.
• George S. Kaufman won the award twice, once in 1932 and once in 1937. Both times he won the award for a collaborative work.
• Robert E. Sherwood won the award in 1936, 1939, and 1941.
• Thornton Wilder won in 1938 and 1943.
• Tennessee Williams won the award in 1948 and 1955.
• August Wilson won the award in 1987 and 1990.
• Edward Albee won the award in 1967, 1975 and 1994. He is the last repeat winner to win, although August Wilson is the last playwright to become a repeat winner.

[edit] References

1. ^ Musical! A Grand Tour, 1997, pages 230-231

• Flinn, Denny Martin. Musical! A Grand Tour. Schirmer, 1 edition (April 17, 1997), pages 230-231. ISBN 002864610X

[edit] External links

• Pulitzer Official Site

v • d • e Pulitzer Prize for Drama Why Marry? (1918) · Beyond the Horizon (1920) · Miss Lulu Bett (1921) · Anna Christie (1922) · Icebound (1923) · Hell-Bent Fer Heaven (1924) · They Knew What They Wanted (1925) · Craig's Wife (1926) · In Abraham's Bosom (1927) · Strange Interlude (1928) · Street Scene (1929) · The Green Pastures (1930) · Alison's House (1931) · Of Thee I Sing (1932) · Both Your Houses (1933) · Men in White (1934) · The Old Maid (1935) · Idiot's Delight (1936) · You Can't Take it With You (1937) · Our Town (1938) · Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1939) · The Time of Your Life (1940) · There Shall Be No Night (1941) · The Skin of Our Teeth (1943) · Harvey (1945) · State of the Union (1946) · A Streetcar Named Desire (1948) · Death of a Salesman (1949) · South Pacific (1950) · The Shrike (1952) · Picnic (1953) · The Teahouse of the August Moon (1954) · Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) · The Diary of a Young Girl (1956) · Long Day's Journey into Night (1957) · Look Homeward, Angel (1958) · J.B. (1959) · Fiorello! (1960) · All the Way Home (1961) · How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962) · The Subject Was Roses (1965) · A Delicate Balance (1967) · The Great White Hope (1969) · No Place to be Somebody (1970) · The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1971) · That Championship Season (1973) · Seascape (1975) · A Chorus Line (1976) · The Shadow Box (1977) · The Gin Game (1978) · Buried Child (1979) · Talley's Folly (1980) · Crimes of the Heart (1981) · A Soldier's Play (1982) · 'night, Mother (1983) · Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) · Sunday in the Park with George (1985) · Fences (1987) · Driving Miss Daisy (1988) · The Heidi Chronicles (1989) · The Piano Lesson (1990) · Lost in Yonkers (1991) · The Kentucky Cycle (1992) · Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (1993) · Three Tall Women (1994) · The Young Man From Atlanta (1995) · Rent (1996) · How I Learned to Drive (1998) · Wit (1999) · Dinner with Friends (2000) · Proof (2001) · Topdog/Underdog (2002) · Anna in the Tropics (2003) · I Am My Own Wife (2004) · Doubt: A Parable (2005) · Rabbit Hole (2007) · August: Osage County (2008) Complete list: (1918-1925) · (1926-1950) · (1951-1975) · (1976-2000) · (2001-present)