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

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 ''On the Twentieth Century'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Based partly on the 1932 play ''Twentieth Century'' and its 1934 film adaptation, the musical is part operetta, part farce an ...

'', '' Rex'', and ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

''. Stephen Sondheim later told him he was a better writer than actor. Lucas met

Norman René Norman René (1951 – May 24, 1996) was an American theater and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwright Craig Lucas. Biography René was born in Bristol, Rhode Island. He studied psychology for a year at J ...

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 A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

'' (1981) and '' Blue Window'' (1984); '' Three Postcards'' (1987), an original musical by Lucas and

Craig Carnelia Craig Carnelia (born 1949) is an American musical theater composer and singer, known for his collaboration on the musicals '' Working'' and ''Sweet Smell of Success''. Biography Carnelia grew up in Floral Park, New York. He was exposed to Broadw ...

; and another play, '' Reckless'' (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 ''Longtime Companion'' is a 1989 American romantic drama film directed by Norman René and starring Bruce Davison, Campbell Scott, Patrick Cassidy, and Mary-Louise Parker. The first wide-release theatrical film to deal with the subject of AIDS, ...

'' (1990), the 1992 film adaptation of ''Prelude to a Kiss'' with Alec Baldwin and

Meg Ryan Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap oper ...

, and the 1995 film version of '' Reckless'' 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 subsequent ...

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 i ...

. 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'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

,'' 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 Bartlett B. Sher (born March 27, 1959) is an American theatre director. '' The New York Times'' has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but also in the international world of opera" ...

, 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''. 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 '' St ...

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'' (1992 ...

, in 2007. Lucas's play '' Prayer for My Enemy'' premiered Off-Broadway at

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

in December 2008. The production was directed by Lucas's frequent collaborator Bartlett Sher and featured

Victoria Clark Victoria Clark (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, musical theatre singer and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her soprano voice can also be heard on innu ...

Michele Pawk Michele Pawk (born November 16, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is also an associate professor for theatre. Biography Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pawk attended Allegheny College and the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, ...

and

Jonathan Groff Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer . He began his career on Broadway, rising to prominence for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in the original production of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006-2008), for which h ...

. 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 met ...

's Regent Theatre hosted the world premiere (and

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 ...

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 physical arr ...

with a score by

Marius de Vries Marius de Vries (born 1961) is an English music producer and composer. He has won a Grammy Award from four nominations, two BAFTA Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award. Education Marius de Vries was educated at St Paul's Cathedral School, Bedfor ...

. As of 2014, Lucas is no longer involved with this musical. ''

Amélie ''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume L ...

'', a musical based on the award-winning film of 2001, premiered at the

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

(Berkeley, California) In September 2015, with a book by Lucas, music by Daniel Messé (of

Hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

), lyrics by

Nathan Tysen Nathan Tysen (born January 15, 1977) is a Grammy-nominated American songwriter whose musicals have appeared on Broadway and the West End. Musicals with composer Chris Miller include ''Tuck Everlasting'', ''The Burnt Part Boys, Fugitive Songs'', ' ...

and Messé, and directed by

Pam MacKinnon Pam MacKinnon (born January 9, 1968) is an American theatre director. She has directed for the stage Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. She won the Obie Award for Directing and received a Tony Award nomination, Best Director, for ...

. 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 The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for his direction of

Harry Kondoleon Harry Kondoleon was a gay American playwright and novelist. He was born on February 26, 1955. He died of AIDS' companion infections in New York City on March 16, 1994, aged 39.Saved or Destroyed'' at the Rattlestick Theater. He won the 2003

New York Film Critics Circle Award The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...

for Best Screenplay for ''

The Secret Lives of Dentists ''The Secret Lives of Dentists'' is a 2002 drama film directed by Alan Rudolph. The screenplay was written by Craig Lucas, based on the novella ''The Age of Grief'' by Jane Smiley. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festiv ...

''. 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 headqu ...

; the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award; and

Outer Critics Circle The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

, 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 i ...

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 Carneg ...

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 federal ...

, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. 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 Paradise Square is a Georgian square in the City of Sheffield, England. Located to the northwest of Sheffield Cathedral, the square is set on a slope and was formerly used for public meetings. History Paradise Square was built in the 18th c ...

(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 a ...

for ''Prelude to a Kiss''.

Works

Broadway

As an actor

*'' Shenandoah'' (1975) – musical – actor *'' Rex'' (1976) – musical – actor *''

'' (1978) – musical – actor *''

'' (1979) – musical – actor

As a playwright

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

Nomination for Best Play,

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

Nomination for Outstanding New Play *'' God's Heart'' (1997) – play *'' Reckless'' (2004) – play *'' The Light in the Piazza'' (2005) – musical – bookwriter – Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (2007) – revival of a play *''

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...

'' (2014) – musical – bookwriter *''

'' (2015) – musical – bookwriter *''

'' (2022) — musical — bookwriter (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 Larry Kirwan (born 1954, Wexford) is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the rock band, Black 47, and conceiver/co-writer of Paradise Square, the Broadway Musical for which he received a Tony Award nomina ...

) – 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 prof ...

, 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") ...

's ''Letters I Never Mailed'')'' (1982) – two-act play *'' Reckless'' (1983), revised (1988) – two-act play *''Blue Window'' (1984) – one-act play *''Credo'' (1995) – *''

'' (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-winning ...

) *''This Thing of Darkness'' (2002) – play – (with David Schulner) *''Small Tragedy'' (2004) – play *''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' 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 p ...

(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 for Best New Play of 1984 *''Three Postcards'' (1987) – musical – Premiered at

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 ...

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

*''Marry Me A Little'' (1988) – musical revue – Songs by Stephen Sondheim, conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and

*'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (1988) – play – Commissioned and premiered by

*''God's Heart'' (1995) – play – produced at

Trinity Repertory Company Trinity Repertory Company (commonly abbreviated as Trinity Rep) is a non-profit regional theater located at 201 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1963, the thea ...

*''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 seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. *'' Prayer for My Enemy'' (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

*''

'' (1990) – screenwriter *'' Prelude to a Kiss'' (1992) – screenwriter *'' Reckless'' (1995) – screenwriter *''

'' (2002) – screenwriter *''

'' (2005) – screenwriter/director *'' Birds of America'' (2008) – director

Opera

*'' Two Boys'' 2011 – Libretto *'' Orpheus in Love'' 1993 – Lyrics

Miscellaneous

* ''Savage Light'', a play (with David Schulner) that was supposed to premiere at the

Humana Festival of New American Plays Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this festival showcases new theatrica ...

, 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