The Dramatists Guild of America, the professional association for playwrights, librettists, composers and lyricists, will honor Tony Award winner Christopher Durang with its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. The accolade, which acknowledges distinguished lifetime achievement in theatrical writing, will be presented at the Guild’s annual awards ceremony on May 6 at Manhattan’s Sony Hall. Final Draft, creator of the Final Draft playwriting software, will co-present the ceremony.
“It’s a privilege to celebrate Christopher Durang with the Dramatists Guild’s highest honor, in recognition of his singular voice and his enduring impact on generations of other writers,” said Lloyd Suh, chair of the Guild’s awards committee, in a statement. “His grace, wit, charm and generosity are an example to all of us in the community of American dramatists.”
Durang’s work has been seen both on and Off-Broadway for nearly five decades. In 2013, Durang’s play “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” transferred to Broadway’s John Golden Theatre, following an Off-Broadway run at Lincoln Center Theater, winning the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play. Durang’s first Broadway credit was providing the book and lyrics for the 1978 revue “A History of the American Film,” which garnered him a Best Book of a Musical Tony nomination. His 1979 Off-Broadway play “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” earned him an Obie Award. His other Off-Broadway plays include 1985’s “The Marriage of Bette and Boo” and 1999’s “Betty’s Summer Vacation.” He is a 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist for “Miss Witherspoon.” Durang’s additional Broadway credits include 1982’s “Beyond Therapy” and 1996’s “Sex and Longing,” as well as co-writing, with Barry Humphries and Michael Feinstein, the 2010 Dame Edna Everage musical “All About Me.” A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Durang joined the Guild in 1978 and has been a member of the Guild’s council since 1981.
“Christopher Durang is one of today’s most luminous talents,” noted Final Draft president Shelly Mellott in a statement. “Final Draft is delighted to support the Dramatists Guild of America as they recognize his distinguished career.”
The Dramatists Guild’s ceremony will also feature other honors, including the Hull-Warriner, Loewe, Horton Foote, Lanford Wilson and Flora Roberts Awards. Recipients will be announced at a later date.
