Pulitzer Prize for Drama

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were awarded that year. (No Drama prize was given, however, so that one was inaugurated in 1918, in a sense.)<!--any restriction on personnel such as US playwright or director?-->

Until 2007, eligibility for the Drama Prize ran from March 1 to March 2 to reflect the Broadway "season" rather than the calendar year that governed most other Pulitzer Prizes.

The drama jury is composed of four members and a chair. Typically, these are three or four critics, complemented by academics or playwrights. The jury reviews scripts submitted by New York and regional theater productions, taking the production of the play into account. The jury makes recommendations to the Pulitzer board, which the board is not required to accept. This can result in the prize being awarded to another play, or in no prize being awarded.

Rejections of the jury's recommendations

In 1924, the board's selection of Hell-Bent Fer Heaven over the jury's recommendation of George Kelly's The Show-Off caused a minor scandal as the recipient of the award, Hatcher Hughes, taught at Columbia, which oversees the award. The jury resigned.

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was selected for the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama by that year's jury. However, the jury 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. The jurors, John Gassner and John Mason Brown, resigned, calling the decision "a farce."

Critic Dan Sullivan criticized both the board, for ignoring the jury of experts and refusing to acknowledge the avant-garde auteur Wilson, and the jury, for not selecting other plays as finalists, such as Aunt Dan and Lemon by Wallace Shawn or The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer.

Awards and nominations

In its first 106 years to 2022, the Drama Pulitzer was awarded 91 times; none were given in 15 years and it was never split.

The most recipients of the prize in one year was five, when Michael Bennett, James Kirkwood, Jr., Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamlisch, and Edward Kleban shared the 1976 prize for the musical A Chorus Line.

| Zona Gale

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1922

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Anna Christie

| Eugene O'Neill

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1923

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Icebound

| Owen Davis

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1924

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Hell-Bent Fer Heaven

| Hatcher Hughes

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1925

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| They Knew What They Wanted

| Sidney Howard

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1926

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Craig's Wife

| George Kelly

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1927

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| In Abraham's Bosom

| Paul Green

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1928

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Strange Interlude

| Eugene O'Neill

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1929

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Street Scene

| Elmer Rice

|}

1930s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

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! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1930

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Green Pastures

| Marc Connelly

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1931

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Alison's House

| Susan Glaspell

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1932

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Of Thee I Sing

| George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1933

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Both Your Houses

| Maxwell Anderson

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1934

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Men in White

| Sidney Kingsley

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1935

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Old Maid

| Zoë Akins

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1936

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Idiot's Delight

| Robert E. Sherwood

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1937

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| You Can't Take It with You

| Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1938

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Our Town

| Thornton Wilder

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1939

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Abe Lincoln in Illinois

| Robert E. Sherwood

|}

1940s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1940

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Time of Your Life

| William Saroyan

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1941

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| There Shall Be No Night

| Robert E. Sherwood

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1942

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1943

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Skin of Our Teeth

| Thornton Wilder

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1944

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1945

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Harvey

| Mary Coyle Chase

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1946

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| State of the Union

| Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1947

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1948

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| A Streetcar Named Desire

| Tennessee Williams

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1949

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Death of a Salesman†

| Arthur Miller

|}

1950s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1950

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| South Pacific*

| Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1951

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1952

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Shrike

| Joseph Kramm

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1953

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Picnic

| William Inge

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1954

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Teahouse of the August Moon†

| John Patrick

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1955

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof≠

| Tennessee Williams

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1956

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Diary of Anne Frank†

| Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1957

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Long Day's Journey into Night†

| Eugene O'Neill

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1958

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Look Homeward, Angel≠

| Ketti Frings

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1959

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| J.B.†

| Archibald MacLeish

|}

1960s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1960

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Fiorello!*

| Jerome Weidman, George Abbott, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1961

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| All the Way Home≠

| Tad Mosel

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1962

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*

| Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1963

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1964

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1965

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Subject Was Roses†

| Frank D. Gilroy

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1966

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1967

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| A Delicate Balance≠

| Edward Albee

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1968

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1969

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Great White Hope†

| Howard Sackler

|}

1970s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1970

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| No Place to Be Somebody

| Charles Gordone

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1971

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

| Paul Zindel

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1972

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1973

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| That Championship Season†

| Jason Miller

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1974

|- style="background:

|

|

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1975

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Seascape≠

| Edward Albee

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1976

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| A Chorus Line*

| Michael Bennett, Nicholas Dante, James Kirkwood, Jr., Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1977

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Shadow Box†

| Michael Cristofer

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1978

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| The Gin Game≠

| Donald L. Coburn

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1979

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Buried Child

| Sam Shepard

|}

1980s

{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"

|- style="background:#bebebe;"

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:45%;"| Production

! style="width:44%;"| Author

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1980

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Talley's Folly≠

| Lanford Wilson

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1981

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Crimes of the Heart≠

| Beth Henley

|-

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 1982

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| A Soldier's Play

| Charles Fuller

|-

! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 1983

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| night, Mother≠

| Marsha Norman

|-

| True West

| Sam Shepard

|-

! rowspan="4" style="text-align:center" | 1984

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Glengarry Glen Ross≠

| David Mamet

|-

| Fool for Love

| Sam Shepard

|-

| Painting Churches

| Tina Howe

|-

! rowspan="4" style="text-align:center" | 1985

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Sunday in the Park with George≠

| James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim

|-

| The Dining Room

| A. R. Gurney

|-

| The Gospel at Colonus

| Lee Breuer and Bob Telson

|-

! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 1986

|- style="background:

|

|-

| Circle Jerk

| Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley

|

|-

| Stew

| Zora Howard

|

|-

! rowspan="4" style="text-align:center" |2022

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

| Fat Ham≠

| James Ijames

|

|-

| Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

| Kristina Wong

|

|-

| Selling Kabul

| Sylvia Khoury

|

|-

!rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" |2023

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

|English≠

|Sanaz Toossi

|

|-

|The Far Country

|Lloyd Suh

|

|-

|On Sugarland

|Aleshea Harris

|

|-

!rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" |2024

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

|Primary Trust

|Eboni Booth

|

|-

|Here There Are Blueberries

|Amanda Gronich and Moises Kaufman

|-

|Public Obscenities

|Shayok Misha Chowdhury

|

|-

!rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" |2025

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

|Purpose†

|Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

|

|-

|The Ally

| Itamar Moses

|

|-

|Oh, Mary!≠

| Cole Escola

|

|-

!rowspan=4 style="text-align:center" |2026

|- style="background-color:lightyellow;"

|Liberation≠

|Bess Wohl

|

|-

|Bowl EP

| Nazareth Hassan

|

|-

|Meet the Cartozians

| Talene Monahon

|

|}

Notes

Musicals

Ten musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, roughly one per decade from the 1930s to the 2020s¹. They are: George and Ira Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing (1932), Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (1950), Bock & Harnick's Fiorello! (1960), Frank Loesser's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood, Jr., and Nicholas Dante's A Chorus Line (1976), Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George (1985), Jonathan Larson's Rent (1996), Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt's Next to Normal (2010), Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton (2016), and Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop (2020). Though it did not win for Drama, Oklahoma! was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944.

Of note, South Pacific won the 1950 Pulitzer for Drama but its source material, James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, also won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Similarly, non-musical All the Way Home by Tad Mosel won the 1961 Pulitzer and was based on James Agee's 1957 Pulitzer winning novel A Death in the Family.

Sunday in the Park with George and Next to Normal are the only musicals that won the Pulitzer Prize and did not also win the Tony Award for Best Musical; the latter won the authors Tonys for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. Of Thee I Sing opened before the Tony Awards existed.

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 book writer are generally the recipients. An exception to this was the 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.

Additionally, since 1983, when the identity of finalists was first disclosed, five musicals have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. They are: Lee Breuer and Bob Telson's The Gospel at Colonus (1985); Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes' In the Heights (2009); Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron's Fun Home (2014); Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2017); and David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's Soft Power (2020).

External links