James Magruder (born 1960) is an American playwright, author, and translator. Magruder received his doctorate in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism at the

Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in ...

. He is best known for his work 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 Stre ...

where he wrote the book for the musical Triumph of Love ”For writer, bust proves a real blessing”
The Baltimore Sun, January 11, 2004. and adapted

Jeff Whitty Jeffrey Daniel Whitty (born September 30, 1971) is an American playwright, actor, and screenwriter. For the stage musical '' Avenue Q'', he won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. For his work on the Fox Searchlight film '' Can You Ever ...

's original book for the

mounting of the musical Head over Heels.Q & A with James Magruder
Baltimore Fishbowl, July 26, 2018. His translation, ''Three French Comedies'' (Yale University Press, 1996) was named an "Outstanding Literary Translation of the Year" by the American Literary Translators Association. His translation/adaptation of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...

was staged by the

Yale Repertory Theatre Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stud ...

in 1999. He has also published a short story collection, ''Let Me See It'' (2014), and three novels, ''Sugarless'' (2009), ''Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall'' (2017) and ''Vamp until Ready'' (2021). Sugarless was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelists Award and the 2010 William Saroyan International Writing Prize.James Magruder, Macdowell Colony
/ref> His book, ''The Play's the Thing'', on the first fifty years of the

was published in 2024. He is a six-time recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award and a five-time fellow of the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire. The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDo ...

. He has taught at the

and

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

Bibliography

References

External links

James Magruder, Yale University
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magruder, James 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American novelists Writers from Baltimore David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni Cornell University alumni Living people 1960 births 20th-century American translators French–English translators David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University faculty Swarthmore College faculty