Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director,

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

actor, and film director.

Biography

Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he was eight months old by a conservative Pennsylvania couple. His father was an FBI agent; his mother was a painter. She was born Jewish but suppressed the identity, which Lucas relates in his storytelling. He graduated in 1969 from

Conestoga High School Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place. Co ...

in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lucas became interested in the political left and discovered an attraction toward men. He is openly gay, and recalls that his coming out made it possible for him to develop as a playwright and as a person. In 1973, Lucas left Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and creative writing. His mentor

Anne Sexton Anne Sexton (born Anne Gray Harvey; November 9, 1928 – October 4, 1974) was an American poet known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book '' Live or Die''. Her poetry details h ...

urged him to move to New York City to become a playwright. He worked in many day jobs while performing in Broadway musicals including '' Shenandoah'', '' On the Twentieth Century'', '' Rex'', and '' Sweeney Todd''. Stephen Sondheim later told him he was a better writer than actor. Lucas met Norman René in 1979. Their first collaboration was '' Marry Me a Little'' in 1981. The two wrote a script incorporating songs that had been written for but discarded from Stephen Sondheim musicals, and René also directed. They followed this with the plays '' Missing Persons'' (1981) and '' Blue Window'' (1984); ''

Three Postcards 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 n ...

'' (1987), an original musical by Lucas and Craig Carnelia; and another play, ''

Reckless Reckless may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Reckless'' (1935 film), an American musical directed by Victor Fleming * ''Reckless'' (1951 film), a Spanish drama film directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde * '' The Reckless'', a 1965 Itali ...

'' (1983). In 1990, they had their biggest commercial and critical success with '' Prelude to a Kiss''. They also collaborated for the feature film '' Longtime Companion'' (1990), the 1992 film adaptation of ''Prelude to a Kiss'' with

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nich ...

and Meg Ryan, and the 1995 film version of ''

'' with

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera '' Peyton Place'' and gained further recognition for her subsequen ...

and

Mary-Louise Parker Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles ...

. Following his early work on romantic comedies, Lucas began to write more serious works about AIDS, including ''The Singing Forest'' (not to be confused with the film of the same name) and '' The Dying Gaul,'' the latter of which was made into a film that Lucas also directed. Lucas also wrote the book for the musical '' The Light in the Piazza'', and directed the world premiere at the Intiman Theater in Seattle. The Lincoln Center production, directed by Bartlett Sher, garnered him a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination. Lucas has also directed plays such as ''

Loot Loot may refer to: Film *''Loot'' (1919 film), a film by William C. Dowlan * ''Loot'' (1970 film), a British film by Silvio Narizzano * ''Loot'' (2008 film), a documentary * ''Loot'' (2011 film), an Indian film * ''Loot'' (2012 film), a Nepali fil ...

''. He directed '' Birds of America'', a film starring

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom '' Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' ...

and

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (199 ...

, in 2007. Lucas's play ''

Prayer for My Enemy Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...

'' premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in December 2008. The production was directed by Lucas's frequent collaborator Bartlett Sher and featured Victoria Clark, Michele Pawk and Jonathan Groff. The play ran from November 14 (previews) through December 21. In June 2013,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

's Regent Theatre hosted the world premiere (and Broadway try-out) of ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'', for which Lucas has provided the

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this phys ...

with a score by Marius de Vries. As of 2014, Lucas is no longer involved with this musical. '' Amélie'', a musical based on the award-winning film of 2001, premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Berkeley, California) In September 2015, with a book by Lucas, music by Daniel Messé (of Hem), lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Messé, and directed by Pam MacKinnon. The production had its pre-Broadway engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. It transferred to Broadway, starting previews on March 9, 2017 and closing on May 21, 2017, after 27 previews and 56 regular performances.

Awards

In 2001 Lucas received an Obie Award for his direction of Harry Kondoleon's ''

Saved or Destroyed Save, SAVE, or Saved may refer to: Places *Save (Garonne), a river in southern France *Save River (Africa), a river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique *Sava, a river in Eastern Europe also known as Save *Savè, Benin, a commune and city * Save, Govuro ...

'' at the Rattlestick Theater. He won the 2003 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay for '' The Secret Lives of Dentists''. His ''Small Tragedy'' was awarded an Obie as Best American Play in 2004. Lucas's other awards include the Excellence in Literature Award from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headq ...

; the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award; and Outer Critics Circle, L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Drama-Logue and

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted ...

s. Fellowships include those from the Guggenheim and

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Ca ...

s, the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...

, and the

Pew Charitable Trusts The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent ...

. He has received the

nomination for the books of: ''An American in Paris'' (2015), ''Light in the Piazza'' (2005), ''Prelude to a Kiss, and Paradise Square (2022).'' He was nominated for the 1991

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 ...

for ''Prelude to a Kiss''.

Works

Broadway

As an actor

*'' Shenandoah'' (1975) –

– actor *'' Rex'' (1976) – musical – actor *'' On the Twentieth Century'' (1978) – musical – actor *'' Sweeney Todd'' (1979) – musical – actor

As a playwright

*'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (1990) – play –

Nomination for Best Play, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding New Play *''

God's Heart In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

'' (1997) – play *''

'' (2004) – play *'' The Light in the Piazza'' (2005) – musical –

bookwriter {{unreferenced, date=January 2014 The book writer is the member of a musical's team who creates the book—the musical's plot, character development, and dramatic structure. Essentially, the book writer is the playwright of the musical, working ver ...

– Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (2007) – revival of a play *'' An American in Paris'' (2014) – musical –

*'' Amélie'' (2015) – musical –

*'' Paradise Square'' (2022) — musical —

(with Christina Anderson,

Marcus Gardley Marcus Gardley (born 1977/1978) is an American poet, playwright and screenwriter from West Oakland, California. He is an ensemble member playwright at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago and an assistant professor of Theater and Performance Stud ...

and Larry Kirwan) – Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical

Off-Broadway

*''Missing Persons'' (1981), revised (1995) – two-act play – produced

Off-Off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...

, at Production Company *''Alec Wilder: Clues to a Life (adapted from

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") b ...

's ''Letters I Never Mailed'')'' (1982) – two-act play *''

'' (1983), revised (1988) – two-act play *''Blue Window'' (1984) – one-act play *''Credo'' (1995) – *'' The Dying Gaul'' (1998) – play *''Stranger'' (2000) – play (

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981. It is best known for its productions of the Tony award-winnin ...

) *''This Thing of Darkness'' (2002) – play – (with David Schulner) *''Small Tragedy'' (2004) – play *'' Miss Julie'' adaptation originally written by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty ...

(2005), at the Rattlesticks Playwrights Theater *''I Was Most Alive With You'' (2018) - Playwrights Horizons

Regional

*''Blue Window'' (1984) – play –

George and Elizabeth Marton Award George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

for Best New Play of 1984 *''Three Postcards'' (1987) – musical – Premiered at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California *''Marry Me A Little'' (1988) – musical revue – Songs by Stephen Sondheim, conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (1988) – play – Commissioned and premiered by South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California *''God's Heart'' (1995) – play – produced at Trinity Repertory Company *''The Singing Forest'' (2004) – play – Premiered at the

Intiman Theatre Intiman Theatre Festival in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 1972 as a resident theatre by Margaret "Megs" Booker, who named it for August Strindberg's Stockholm theater.

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Washington. *''

'' (2007) – play – Premiered at the

Intiman Theatre Intiman Theatre Festival in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 1972 as a resident theatre by Margaret "Megs" Booker, who named it for August Strindberg's Stockholm theater.

, Washington.

Films

*'' Longtime Companion'' (1990) – screenwriter *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (1992) – screenwriter *''

'' (1995) – screenwriter *'' The Secret Lives of Dentists'' (2002) – screenwriter *'' The Dying Gaul'' (2005) – screenwriter/director *'' Birds of America'' (2008) – director

Opera

*'' Two Boys'' 2011 – Libretto *''

Orpheus in Love Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jason ...

'' 1993 – Lyrics

Miscellaneous

* ''Savage Light'', a play (with David Schulner) that was supposed to premiere at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, was deemed "too sexually explicit to stage".

References

Sources

Biography
at ''Playbill'' Online

from the

Intiman Theatre Intiman Theatre Festival in Seattle, Washington, was founded in 1972 as a resident theatre by Margaret "Megs" Booker, who named it for August Strindberg's Stockholm theater.

website
Biography
at the Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Queer Culture.
''Cast Out: Queer Lives in Theater''
(U. Michigan Press, edited by Robin Bernstein) contains Lucas's essay "Making a Fresh Start."

External links

Playwrights Horizon
* * *
Craig Lucas
– ''Downstage Center'' interview at

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Craig 1951 births Living people Writers from Atlanta People from Chester County, Pennsylvania Writers from Seattle American adoptees 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American gay writers LGBT film directors LGBT theatre directors LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBT screenwriters Lambda Literary Award for Drama winners Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century LGBT people