David Thompson (born September 29, 1956) is an American writer, playwright, and producer. His notable theater productions include ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

The Scottsboro Boys The Scottsboro Boys were nine African Americans, African American male teenagers accused of rape, raping two White American, white women in 1931. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with Racism in the United States, racism ...

The Prince of Broadway ''The Prince of Broadway'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by John Gorman and starring George Walsh, Alyce Mills, and Freeman Wood. Plot As described in a film magazine review, middleweight boxing champion George Burke leads a ...

,'' and ''

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

''. Thompson was born in La Grange, IL, and attended

Lyons Township High School Lyons Township High School (often referred to as LTHS or simply LT) is a public high school in Western Springs, Illinois (South Campus), and La Grange, Illinois (North Campus). Lyons Township is a coeducational high school and serves grades 9� ...

. Thompson is a graduate from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Thompson is a resident of

Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in southwestern Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey, and part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's ...

Early years

The son of two school teachers, Thompson was first introduced to theater through his family’s summer theater company, The Troupe (now known as Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre) in

Grand Lake, Colorado The Town of Grand Lake is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory town, statutory town located in Grand County, Colorado, Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 410 at the 2020 United States census. History Estab ...

. Started in the early 1960s by Thompson’s father, David L. Thompson, The Troupe presented musicals and straight shows in repertory. Thompson and his five siblings were involved in all aspects of production. After graduating from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, Thompson lived in Chicago and worked at St. Nicholas Theatre and the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. He then moved to New York, where he started his career at Circle Repertory Theater.

Career

BROADWAY AND WEST END: Librettos for: * 1997: ''Chicago'''','' Music and Lyrics by

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Cab ...

and

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...

, Directed by

Walter Bobbie Walter Bobbie (born November 18, 1945) is an American theatre director and actor. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City Center Encores! concert series. He di ...

, Choreographed by Anne Reinking. Tony Award, Best Musical Revival, longest running American musical (Script Adaptation) * 1997: ''

Steel Pier The Steel Pier is a 1,000-foot-long () amusement park built on a pier of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly the Trump Taj Mahal). Built in 1897 and opened in 1898, it wa ...

,'' Music and Lyrics by

and

, Directed by

Scott Ellis Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director. Life and career Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago.

, Choreographed by

Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...

. 11 Tony Nominations including “Best Book.” Richard Rodgers Theater * 2001: ''

Thou Shalt Not Thou Shalt Not may refer to: * "Thou shalt not", the initial phrase used in the King James Version of the Bible for most of the Ten Commandments * ThouShaltNot ThouShaltNot were an American electronic band formed in 1998. Their core lineup cons ...

,'' Music and Lyrics by

Harry Connick, Jr Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

., Directed and Choreographed by

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

* 2011: ''

,'' 12 Tony nominations including “Best Book,” Drama Desk Nomination, Outer Critics and Lucille Lortel Awards for “Best Musical,”

Hull-Warriner Award The Hull-Warriner Award is an award bestowed by the Dramatists Guild of America. The award is unique in that it is given by dramatists to dramatists. It is presented annually by the Dramatists Guild Council to an author, or team of authors, in reco ...

, Lyceum Theater and the

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 ...

* 2014: ''

,'' Music and Lyrics by

and

, Directed and Choreographed by

, winner of London’s Critic Circle Award, Evening Standard Award,

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

and the

Young Vic Theatre The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

* 2017: ''

Prince of Broadway ''Prince of Broadway'' is a musical revue showcasing the producing career of Harold Prince. Prince himself directed the production, his final Broadway credit. The show features a book by two-time Tony Award nominee David Thompson and is co-dir ...

'', Directed by

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th-century theatr ...

, Choreographed by

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp i ...

(Conceiver) * 2020: ''

Rags Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Wash rag, a small cloth used for bathing * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts ...

, ''Music by Charles Strousse, Lyrics by

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...

, London’s Park Theatre (New libretto) * 2023: ''

,'' Music and Lyrics by

and

, Additional Lyrics by

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

, Co-Written by Sharon Washington, Directed and Choreographed by

. St. James Theater OFF-BROADWAY/ REGIONAL: Librettos for: * 1988: '' Flora, the Red Menace, '' Vineyard Theater, Drama Desk nomination, (New libretto) * 1990: ''

70, Girls, 70 ''70, Girls, 70'' is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb and Norman L. Martin adapted by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander. The musical is based on the 1958 play ''Breath of Spring'' by Peter Coke, which was adapted for the ...

,'' Chichester Festival, (New libretto) * 1991 – 1992: '' And the World Goes ‘Round,''

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which ...

(Co-Conceiver), Winner of New York Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Circle Award * 1991 – 2019: ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

,''

McCarter Theater McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. It was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1963. A two-time Tony Award winner, the McCarter’s legacy traces back to ...

* 2018: ''The Beast in the Jungle,''

, Music by

, directed and choreographed by

. Outer Critics nomination TELEVISION credits for PBS include: * 1992: ''Sondheim – A Celebration at Carnegie Hall '' (Writer) * 1998: ''Razzle Dazzle, The Music of

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musical theatre, musicals, whi ...

'' (Writer) * 2018: ''

Harold Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th-century theat ...

– the Director’s Life'' (Co-Producer, Writer) CONCERT credits at Carnegie Hall include: * 1999: ''My Favorite Broadway/The Leading Ladies'' (Writer) * 2011: ''

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

’s ‘Perspective Series’'' (Producer, Writer)

Awards and nominations

* 1988: Drama Desk Award Nomination, '' Flora, the Red Menace'' * 1992: Winner of New York Drama Desk Award, '' And the World Goes 'Round'' * 1992: Winner

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 ...

, Outer Critics Circle Award, '' And the World Goes 'Round'' * 1992: Outer Critics Circle Award, '' And the World Goes 'Round'' * 1997: Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical, ''Steel Pier'' * 2010: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical, ''The Scottsboro Boys'' * 2011: Tony Awards nomination for Best Book of a Musical, ''

'' * 2011:

for Best Musical, ''

'' * 2014: London’s Critic Circle Award, ''

'' * 2023: Tony Awards nomination for Best Book of a Musical, ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, David American dramatists and playwrights Living people Medill School of Journalism alumni 1956 births