GMTWP Alum Sarah Hammond (Cycle 23), a recipient of the 2018 Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist
GMTWP Alum Sarah Hammond (Cycle 23) was announced as one of two recipients of the 2018 coveted Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist. A tie was declared this year for Most Promising Lyricist.
The 2019 prizes will be presented on Monday, February 4, 2018, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) hosted by ASCAP and BMI at ASCAP.
Since its inception, Kleban Prize winners have been selected by judging panels comprised of the theatre's most respected artists and administrators. The judges making the final determination this year were Tony© nominated actor Alison Fraser, (The Secret Garden; Romance, Romance), Tony© nominated composer lyricist Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody, Bring It On The Musical), and Artistic Director of The Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA and Tony© nominated director Eric Schaeffer (Follies). The Kleban Foundation was established in 1988 under the will of Edward L. Kleban, best known as the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning lyricist of the musical A Chorus Line. Kleban's will made provisions for annual prizes, which in recent years have totaled $100,000 each, payable over two years, to be given to the most promising lyricist and librettist in American Musical Theatre. For 29 years, The Kleban Prize, which has recognized and honored some of the American musical theatre's brightest developing talents, is unique in that it is bestowed not just for an artist's previous achievements, but for the promise of creativity to come.