Stephen Adly Guirgis is a Pulitzer Prize Winning American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He is a member and a former co-artistic director of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

LAByrinth Theater Company LAByrinth Theater Company is a non-profit, Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City. Led by Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz for many years, its artistic director is Ortiz. The New York Times described it in 2014 as "an ethnica ...

.Blake, Leslie (Hoban)
"Comin' Uptown"
''Theatermania'', 23 August 2002. His plays have been produced both

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

as well as in the UK. His play ''

Between Riverside and Crazy ''Between Riverside and Crazy'' is a 2014 play by playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor Stephen Adly Guirgis. The play won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2015 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the 2015 Lucille L ...

'' won the 2015

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 a ...

Early life

Guirgis is the son of an Egyptian father and an

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

mother.Fisher, Philip
Interviews: Stephen Adly Guirgis
''BritishTheatreGuide.info'', 2001 (sic). He was raised on

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. He attended school in nearby

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

and graduated from

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is on ...

in 1992. He studied theatre at

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency progra ...

Career

Writing

Guirgis' play ''

'' premiered

at the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their a ...

in July 2014 and closed on August 23, 2014.Hetrick, Adam and Purcell, Carey
"Stephen Adly Guirgis Premiere, 'Between Riverside And Crazy', Closes at the Atlantic"
playbill.com, August 23, 2014 It then was produced by Second Stage Theatre, opening in previews on January 16, 2015, officially on February 11, 2015. Directed by

Austin Pendleton Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor. He is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen who has appeared in films including '' Catch-22'' (1970); '' W ...

, the play featured

Stephen McKinley Henderson Stephen McKinley Henderson (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor and director. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to promin ...

. The play received a nomination for the 2015

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

, Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play. The play won the 2015 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. The play won the 2015

New York Drama Critics Circle Award The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

for Best Play. The play won the 2015

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

, Outstanding Play.

Artists Repertory Theatre Artists Repertory Theatre (Artists Rep) is a professional non-profit theatre located in Portland, Oregon, United States. The longest-running professional theatre company in Portland, since 1982 the company has focused on presenting the works of ...

, located in Portland, Oregon, staged ''Between Riverside and Crazy'' from March 4 to April 1, 2018. The show is slated to have its Broadway debut on November 30th, 2022. His play '' The Motherfucker With the Hat'' was nominated for seven TONY Awards and premiered on

in 2011 and featured

Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in '' Third Watch'', '' Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in '' Will & Grace'', which ...

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra and Yul Vazquez.Healy, Patrick
"Chris Rock Takes On Broadway in 'Hat'"
''The New York Times'' blog, October 22, 2010. It was also performed in San Francisco at San Francisco Playhouse in January 2013 where it received positive reviews. His award-winning most recent play "Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven", directed by John Ortiz in 20019 in a LAByrith Theater/Atlantic Theater co-production features a cast of eighteen plus a goat and garnered OBIE Awards for its two stars Liza Colon-Zayas and Elizabeth Rodriguez. ''The Little Flower of East Orange'', starring

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...

and directed by

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produc ...

, was produced Off-Broadway by the Labyrinth Theatre Company at The Public Theater, opening on April 6, 2008 and closing on May 4, 2008. The play was developed at the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has ...

's "6 @ 7" series. ''Judas Iscariot'' premiered Off-Broadway on March 2, 2005 at The Public Theatre and was directed by

. The play completed a critically acclaimed run in London at the Almeida Theater on May 10, 2008.Rees, Jasper
"Stephen Adly Guirgis: When Judas came to New York"
''The Telegraph'', 22 March 2008. His play ''Our Lady of 121st Street'' ran originally in an Off-Broadway production by the LAByrinth Theater at Center Stage/NY and then transferred to the Union Square Theatre from March 6, 2003 to July 27, 2003. The play was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The play received: 10 best plays of 2003; Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Best Play nominations. '' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train'', premiered Off-Broadway in a production by LAByrinth Theater Company in 2000. It was produced in London at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

in 2002, and was nominated for the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

, Best New Play for 2003, as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award. His play '' In Arabia We'd All Be Kings'' ran Off-Broadway in 1999. A production at the

Elephant Theatre Company The Elephant Theatre Company was a non-profit theatre company based in Hollywood. The company "built a reputation for championing new American plays" and ceased operation in September 2015. History The Elephant Theatre Company was created in ...

in Hollywood, California in 2007 received four LA Drama Critic's Circle Awards: Production, Writing, Scenic Design and Lighting Design. His play '' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot'' was produced Off-Broadway by LAByrinth in collaboration with The Public Theater in 2005, and was named one of the year's "10 best" plays by ''Time'' magazine and ''Entertainment Weekly''. His one-act play, ''Dominica The Fat Ugly Ho'', was directed by

Adam Rapp Adam Rapp (born June 15, 1968) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, musician and film director. His play ''Red Light Winter'' was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2006. Early life Rapp was born in Chicago to Mary Lee (née Baird; die ...

as part of the 2006 E.S.T. Marathon. In Film, Stephen has contributed to the work of Halle Berry. Television writing credits include ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', David Milch's short-lived CBS drama ''

Big Apple "The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sportswriter for the '' New York Morning Telegraph''. Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by th ...

'', and

Shane Salerno Shane Salerno (born November 27, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer, and Chief Creative Officer of The Story Factory. His writing credits include the films '' Avatar: The Way of Water'', ''Armageddon'', '' Savages,'' '' Shaft'', and the ...

's short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

series '' UC: Undercover''. Guirgis collaborated with Academy Award nominated director

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

on The Get Down, a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

Series about the birth of hip-hop in the 1970s.

Directing

He developed and directed Liza Colón-Zayas' play ''Sistah Supreme'' for Danny Hoch's Hip Hop Theater Festival in 2000 Marco Greco's award-winning ''Behind the Counter with Mussolini'' at the York Theatre (1998 in New York) and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

(1999 and 2002), and directed Melanie Maras' ''Kiss Me on the Mouth'' for InViolet Rep in 2009.

Acting

As an actor, Guirgis is currently a series regular portraying Frank Mariani on HBO's "Winning Time". He appeared in Brett C. Leonard's stage play ''Guinea Pig Solo'', produced by LAByrinth at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...

in 2004. He has had leading roles in films such as Todd Solondz's ''

Palindromes A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...

'' (2004), Brett C. Leonard's '' Jailbait'' (2004), and Kenneth Lonergan's ''

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

'' (2011). Other credits include the 1997 ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' episode "Terminal" and films such as '' Meet Joe Black'' (1998), '' Blackbird'' (2007), '' Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot'' (2007), ''

Noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...

'' (2007), ''

Synecdoche, New York ''Synecdoche, New York'' (pronounced ) is a 2008 American postmodern psychological drama film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman in his directorial debut. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as an ailing theater director who works on an incr ...

'' (2008), and Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut '' Jack Goes Boating'' (2010).

Controversy

In mid-2017 Guirgis was embroiled in a public copyright debate with a small theater in San Francisco who had produced a highly edited and altered version of ''The Last Days of Judas Iscariot''. While he was initially sympathetic to the issues surrounding the production, when the theater refused to provide a suitable insert in the show notes explaining their edits were made without the playwright's permission, Guirgis became incensed and had the show shut down.

Personal life

Guirgis has used improvisational theater to "teach

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

prevention, conflict resolution, and leadership" in prisons, schools, shelters, and hospitals. Guirgis was close professional and personal friends with late actor

with whom he was a frequent collaborator.

Awards, nominations, and honors

Guirgis was awarded a 2006

PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award The PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, commonly referred to as the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, is awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center). It annually recognizes two American playwrights. A medal is given ...

for a playwright in mid-career, a 2006

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and ...

, and a 2004 TCG fellowship. He attended the 2006 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, and was named one of 2004's 25 New Faces of Independent Film by ''

Filmmaker Magazine ''Filmmaker'' is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis. The magazine is now published by the IFP (Independent Fi ...

''. In 2014, Guirgis was awarded the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award. Guirgis is the recipient of new play commissions from

, Center Theater Group, and

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

. He is a member of New Dramatists, MCC's Playwright's Coalition, New River Dramatists, Primary Stages, and the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

Playwright/Directors Unit. He received the 2013 Windham–Campbell Literature Prize. He received the 2015

for ''Between Riverside and Crazy'' ''Our Lady of 121st Street'' received the Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director (Hoffman); 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, John Glassner Award; Drama Desk Award nomination, Director (Hoffman) and Outstanding Play"Listing"
lortel.org, accessed April 22, 2015 He received a 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 headqu ...

in May 2016.

Plays written by Guirgis

*''Race, Religion and Politics'' *''Den of Thieves'' *'' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train'' *''The Little Flower of East Orange'' *'' Our Lady of 121st Street'' *'' In Arabia We'd All Be Kings'' *'' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot'' *''Dominica the Fat Ugly Ho'' *'' The Motherfucker with the Hat'' *''

'' (Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama) *''Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven''

Filmography

*'' Jailbait'' (2004) *''

'' (2008) *''

'' (2011) *'' Funny Pages'' (2022)

Notes

External links

* *
Profile and photo
at LAByrinth Theater Company
Profile and Production History at The Whiting Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guirgis, Stephen Adly 1965 births 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American people of Irish descent American writers of Egyptian descent Living people Place of birth missing (living people) University at Albany, SUNY alumni Writers from New York City