The Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation was a foundation started in 1996 by the family and friends of

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright, most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent (musical), Rent'' and ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of mult ...

, composer of the musical ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

''. From 1997 to 2008, the foundation awarded grants to

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

s and book writers. Following the 2008 grants, the program was shifted to the

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 ...

, where it continues as th
Jonathan Larson Grants

Notable Events and Activities

"Today 4 U" Benefit Concert (1997)

On March 3, 1997, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation presented a benefit concert titled "Today 4 U". The event featured performers who had been involved in Jonathan Larson's various projects throughout his career. The concert showcased a selection of songs from Larson's wider catalogue, including material from his musicals '' tick, tick...BOOM!'', early versions of ''

'', ''Sacred Cows'', ''Away We Go!'', and his unproduced musical '' Superbia''.

Setlist

The following songs were performed at the concert: * "Johnny Can't Decide" – performed by

Anthony Rapp Anthony Deane Rapp (born October 26, 1971) is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway theatre, Broadway production of ''Rent (musical), Rent''. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, he ...

* "Therapy" – performed by

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as ''There's Something About Mary'' (1998), ' ...

* "See Her Smile" – performed by Fredi Walker * "No More" – performed by Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Mark Setlock * "Eden" – performed by Wilson Jermaine Heredia,

Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time recipient of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performances in ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' and '' ...

, Mark Setlock, Darius de Haas, Shayna Steele, and Shelly Dickinson * "Destination Sky" – performed by Byron Utley * "Ever After" – performed by Marin Mazzie and Scott Burkell * "Come To Your Senses" – performed by

Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie (October 9, 1960 – September 13, 2018) was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre. Mazzie was a three-time Tony Award nominee, for her performances as Clara in '' Passion'' (1994), Mother in ''R ...

* "Over It" – performed by

Gilles Chiasson Gilles Chiasson (born November 1, 1966) is an American producer, director, composer, writer and actor. While he first came to prominence as an actor, particularly in the original cast of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning RENT, Chiasson ...

and Shelley Dickinson * "Open Road" – performed by Jesse L. Martin * "Pura Vida" – performed by

Fredi Walker Fredi Walker-Browne (née Walker) is an American actress. Life and career She is an alumna of New York University. Her Broadway debut was the role of Joanne Jefferson, the high-class lawyer and lover of Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel), in the ...

, Shelly Dickinson, Aiko Nakasone, and Shayna Steele * "You Call My Name" - performed by

Taye Diggs Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (né Berry; born January 2, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals '' Rent'' and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', the TV series '' Private Practice'' (2007–2013), '' Murder in ...

and

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in Musical theatre, musicals on Broadway theatre, Broadway, she has been Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed the "Queen of ...

* "Out of My Dreams" - performed by

Daphne Rubin-Vega Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the 1996 premiere of the Broadway musical '' Rent'' and Lucy in the ...

, Darius De Haas, and Shayna Steele * "All For Now" - performed by Richie Havens * "Louder Than Words" – performed by Anthony Rapp and Jesse L. Martin * "I Won't Close My Eyes" – performed by

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

* "Without You" - performed by

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary Chapin Carpenter (born February 21, 1958) is an American country and folk music singer-songwriter. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C.-area clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records. Carpenter's firs ...

* "Love Heals" - performed by Gwen Stewart and the Original Broadway Cast of Rent * "Why" – performed by Gilles Chiasson

Annual Grant Presentations (1997-2008)

From 1997 to 2008, the Foundation held annual events, often luncheons, to award its grants. These presentations consistently featured musical performances, often showcasing the work of past and current grant recipients. Over the years, established Broadway performers also participated in these ceremonies, performing works by grantees or paying tribute to Larson. For example, the 2002 ceremony included guest artists Raul Espárza, Molly Ringwald, and Daphne Rubin-Vega , and the 2003 event featured performances by Esparza, Herndon Lackey, and

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Next to Normal'' (2009 T ...

. The 2005 luncheon was emceed by

Jason Biggs Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, alongside nominations for a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award ...

and included performances by Jen Chapin, Julia Murney,

Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and '' The Facts of Life'' (both 1979–1980) before being nominated for ...

, and Michael Winther, among others.

Performances of Larson's Works

A significant feature of the first several annual presentations was the performance of Jonathan Larson's own compositions, sometimes drawing from his extensive archive of unpublished songs or material from his earlier, unproduced, or lesser-known musicals. These performances frequently involved artists who had a personal or professional history with Larson. Known songs by Jonathan Larson performed at these events include:

= 1997

= * "One Song Glory" - Performed by Daphne Rubin-Vega. (From ''Rent'') * "LCD Readout" – Performed by

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award nomination ...

. (From ''Superbia'') * "Hosing the Furniture" – Performed by Diane Fratantoni. (From ''Sitting on the Edge of the Future'') * "All For Now" – Performed by

Timothy Britten Parker Timothy Britten Parker (born February 8, 1962), also known as Toby Parker, is an American actor. Background Parker was born in Iowa City, Iowa, the eldest son of Barbara (née Keck) and Stephen Parker. They divorced and his mother married Paul ...

. (An unpublished ballad) * "Destination Sky" – Performed by Molly Ringwald. (From ''Away We Go!'')

= 1998

= * "See Her Smile" - Performed by Roger Bart. (From ''tick, tick... BOOM!'') * "Pale Blue Square" - Performed by Sara Knapp. (From ''Superbia'') * "Johnny Can't Decide" - Performed by Anthony Rapp. (From ''tick, tick... BOOM!'') * "Why" - Performed by Giles Chaisson. (From ''tick, tick... BOOM!'') * "I Won't Close My Eyes" – Performed by Marin Mazzie, with piano accompaniment by Tim Weil. (From ''Superbia'')

= 2001

= * "Valentine's Day" - Performed by Daphne Rubin-Vega, Molly Ringwald, and Raul Esparza. (From ''Prostate of the Union'') ''This list is incomplete and requires further sourced additions.''

''Rent 10th Anniversary Benefit Concert'' (April 2006)

On April 24, 2006, a significant benefit concert, "''Rent 10"'', was held at the Nederlander Theatre to mark the 10th anniversary of ''Rent'' on Broadway. The event featured a reunion of the original Broadway cast, including Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, and Jesse L. Martin, among others. Proceeds from this one-night-only concert benefited the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation, Friends In Deed, and

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theater noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it h ...

Grant Recipients

The following is a list of composers, lyricists, book writers, and nonprofit theatre companies that received funding through the Jonathan Larson grant while the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation was active.

2008

* Gaby Alter * Susan DiLallo * Jordan Mann * Jeff Thomson * Joel New * Jason Rhyne * City Theatre for An Infinite Ache by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda

2007

* Matt Gould * Melissa Li and Abe Rybeck * Robert Maddock * J. Oconer Navarro * Benj Pasek and

Justin Paul Justin Noble Paul (born January 3, 1985) is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing songs for films such as ''La La Land'' (2016) and ''The Greatest Showman'' (2017), and the stage musical ''Dear Evan Hansen'', all of which he c ...

* Mike Pettry * St. Ann's Warehouse for Must Don't Whip 'Um by

Cynthia Hopkins Cynthia Hopkins is an American performance artist, composer, and musician. Review of Hopkins' performance of ''Accidental Nostalgia'' at the Edinburgh Festival. Performance work She has written, composed, and performed five works of performance ...

2006

* Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman * Lance Horne * Joseph Iconis * Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk * Alison Loeb * Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda *

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions are ...

for Passing Strange by Mark Stewart and Heidi Rodewald

2005

* Neil Bartram * Nathan Christensen and Scott Murphy * Michael Cooper and Hyeyoung Kim * Steven Lutvak * Glenn Slater and Stephen Weiner * Lark Play Development Center for Barnstormer by Doug Cohen and Cheryl Davis

2004

* Jim Bauer and Ruth Bauer * Mark Campbell *

Amanda Green Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history. Early life and edu ...

* Cynthia Hopkins * Gihieh Lee * Raw Impressions Theatre *

Village Theatre Village Theatre is a small community theatre located in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. The theatre was founded in Issaquah, Washington, in 1979 and built a second l ...

for Feeling Electric (now Next to Normal) by Tom Kitt and

Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Early life Yorkey ...

2003

* Nell Benjamin * John Didrichsen * Jeffrey Stock * Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller * New Georges Theatre for Magic Kingdom by Jake-ann Jones and Bruce Purse *

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is a 120-seat Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Founded in 1981 by Barbara Zinn Krieger, the Vineyard states that its goal is "to give ...

for Miracle Brothers by Kirsten Childs

2002

* Debra Barsha * Peter Jones * Julia Jordan * Michael Korie * Peter Mills * Lark Theatre Company for Normal by Cheryl Stern, Tom Kochan and Yvonne Adrian * Page 73 Productions * Signature Theatre Company for The Unknown by Janet Allard, Jean Randich and Shane Rettig

2001

John Bucchino John Bucchino (born 1952) is an American songwriter of both lyrics and music, an accompanist, a cabaret performer, and a teacher. He has been called "super-talented". Stephen Schwartz said his songs have "insightful lyrics and gorgeous melo ...

Mindi Dickstein Mindi Dickstein is an American lyricist and librettist. Dickstein wrote the lyrics for the 2005 Broadway musical production ''Little Women'', based on the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. It began previews at The Virginia Theater ...

and Daniel Messé * Laurence O'Keefe *

Robert Reale Robert Reale (born 1956) is an American composer with a long list of credits in film, TV and theater. He is also the owner o4 Elements Musican8118 Music Reale regularly works with younger brother Willie Reale. In 2003 he was nominated for a Tony ...

and

Willie Reale Willie Reale is an American lyricist who has received Academy Award nominations for best song category for his work as a lyricist on the movie ''Dreamgirls'' and has won 3 Emmy awards (in 2010, 2011) as one of the writer/producers for ''The Electri ...

* Scott Davenport Richards * Amanda Yesnowitz *

Children's Theatre Company The Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is a regional theater established in 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young. The theater is the largest theater for multigenerational audien ...

for The Snow Queen by Ruth Mackenzie * Theatreworks/USA

2000

* Beth Blatt and Jenny Giering * Chad Beguelin and Matt Sklar * Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel * David Kirshenbaum * John Mercurio * David Simpatico * Adobe Theatre Company for A Fish Story by Erin Purcell, Gregory Jackson and Michael Garin * American Music Center Musical Theatre Works for The Girl Most Likely to... by Zina Goldrich, Marcy Heisler, Denis Markell and Douglas Bernstein * O'Neill Musical Theatre Conference

1999

* Kirsten Childs * Sam Davis * Peter Foley * Ricky Ian Gordon *

Steven Lutvak Steven Jaret Lutvak (July 18, 1959 – October 9, 2023) was an American composer who worked in musical theatre, film, and television. He was best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the musical ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love ...

* Musical Theatre Works * San Diego Repertory Theatre for The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea by Karole Foreman and Andrew Chukerman * Seattle Childrens Theatre * West Coast Ensemble Theatre for The Vanishing Point by Rob Hartmann, Scott Keys and Liv Cummins

1998

* Paul Scott Goodman * Jeffrey Lunden and Arthur Perlman * Adirondack Theatre Festival * Vineyard Theatre

1997

* 52nd Street Project Theatre

References

{{Reflist

External links

Jonathan Larson Grants
Arts foundations based in the United States Arts organizations established in 1997 1997 establishments in the United States Jonathan Larson