New York, NY – The Dramatists Guild of America is proud to announce further recipients for their 2022 Awards. The Awards for both 2021 and 2022 recipients will be presented at Joe’s Pub on Monday, July 25, 2022.  

“The Guild is excited to honor such a brilliant and diverse group of dramatists; from new and necessary voices to writers who have been leading the way for many years, the slate of award recipients this year is one to celebrate,” shared Amanda Green, President of the Dramatists Guild Council. 

The Horton Foote Award, sponsored by the Richenthal Foundation, is presented to a dramatist whose work seeks to plumb the ineffable nature of being human. The recipient of this year’s award is Sanaz Toossi (English). 

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.  The 2022 award will be given to Jeanine Tesori for her work on Kimberly Akimbo. 

The DLDF Defender Award is presented by the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund’s board to recognize an individual or group’s efforts in support of free expression in the dramatic arts. The recipient of this year’s award is Alice Childress. 

The Lanford Wilson Award was established by the estate of Lanford Wilson and is presented by the Dramatists Guild Council to a dramatist based primarily on their work as an early career playwright. The 2022 award will be shared by Nancy Garcia Loza and Ren Dara Santiago. 

This year, the Dramatists Guild will also award Lifetime Achievement Awards to Pearl Cleage and Tina Howe. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the Dramatists Guild Council in recognition of distinguished lifetime achievement in theatrical writing. Previous recipients include Adrienne Kennedy, A.R. Gurney, John Guare, Micki Grant, Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally, Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, Lanford Wilson, Joseph Stein, Horton Foote, August Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Neil Simon, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Edward Albee, and Arthur Miller. Career Achievement Awards have also been presented to Marsha Norman and Stephen Schwartz.    

These awards join the following previously announced awards: 

The Flora Roberts Award, administered by the Dramatists Guild Foundation, is presented to a dramatist in recognition of distinguished work in the theatre and to encourage the continuation of that work. The recipient of this year’s award is Kirsten Childs. 

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. This year’s Hull-Warriner Award recipient is Martyna Majok for her play Sanctuary City. 

The finalists for this year’s Hull-Warriner Award are Where We Stand by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, All the Natalie Portmans by C.A. Johnson, Selling Kabul by Sylvia Khour, Suicide Forest by Haruna Lee, and Endlings by Celine Song. 

The 2021 Dramatists Guild Awards recipients include the following: Sharai Bohannon received the DLDF Defender Award; William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. received the Flora Roberts Award; and Mariam Bazeed and Rhiana Yazzie received the Lanford Wilson Prize. The Horton Foote Award was shared by Carla Ching, Kia Corthron, Aleshea Harris, Donja R. Love, and Mfoniso Udofia. The Dramatists Guild also honored Adrienne Kennedy with a Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Since its inception in 1919, The Dramatists Guild of America has been the professional association for playwrights, librettists, lyricists, and composers writing for the American stage. With over 8,000 members around the world, the Guild is guided by a governing council of writers who each give their time, interest, and support to advance the rights of dramatists everywhere, including the right for dramatists to own and control their own copyrighted work. The Guild’s advocacy, programs, events, publications, and other services provide dramatists with the resources, the community, and the support they require to protect their property, their livelihoods, and their unique voices in the American theatre.