The George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism is administered by the

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

Department of English and presented "to the American who has written the best piece of drama criticism during the theatrical year (July 1 to June 30), whether it is an article, an essay, treatise or book." The prize was established by the prominent drama critic,

George Jean Nathan George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958) was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely with H. L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine ''The Smart Set'' to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and ...

, who instructed in his will that the net income of half of his estate be awarded to the recipient of the award. Today, the award amounts to about $10,000. Winners are selected annually by a committee composed of the heads of the English departments at Cornell University,

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. Drama specialists from each university now also contribute to the selection process. The first prize was awarded following the 1958–1959 theatrical year.

Recipients

Recipients of the George Jean Nathan Award are as follows: *2020–2021: Maya Phillips *2019–2020: Alexis Soloski *2018–2019:

Soraya Nadia McDonald Soraya Nadia McDonald is an American writer and culture critic. She was previously a reporter at ''The Washington Post'', and has been the culture critic for '' The Undefeated'' since 2016. McDonald was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for ...

*2017–2018: John H. Muse and Helen Shaw *2016–2017: Sara Holdren *2015–2016: Shonni Enelow *2014–2015: Brian Eugenio Herrera and Chris Jones *2013–2014:

Michael Feingold Michael E. Feingold (May 5, 1945 – November 21, 2022) was an American critic, translator, lyricist, playwright and dramaturg. He was the lead theater critic of ''The Village Voice'' from 1982 to 2013, for which he was twice named a Pulitzer Pri ...

*2012–2013: Scott Brown *2011–2012: Kenneth Gross and Jonathan Kalb *2010–2011: Jill Dolan *2009–2010: Charles McNulty *2008–2009: Marc Robinson *2007–2008: Randy Gener *2006–2007: H. Scott McMillin *2005–2006: Charles Isherwood *2004–2005: Raymond Knapp *2003–2004: Trey Graham *2002–2003: Hilton Als *2001–2002: Daniel Mendelsohn *2000–2001: Laurence Senelick *1999–2000: Albert Williams *1998–1999: Michael Goldman *1997–1998: Alisa Solomon *1996–1997:

Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...

, Elinor Fuchs, and

Todd London Todd London is a senior vice president at Walt Disney Motion Pictures. Films he has worked on include The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Saving Mr. Banks. He has worked on several series for HBO, including '' Carnivàle'', ''Rome'', and '' ...

*1995–1996: Michael Feingold *1994–1995: Robert Hurwitt *1993–1994:

Marvin Carlson Marvin Albert Carlson (born September 15, 1935) is an American theatrologist, currently the Sidney E. Cohn Distinguished Professor at City University of New York, and also previously the Walker-Ames Professor at University of Washington. A largely ...

and

John Lahr John Henry Lahr (born July 12, 1941) is an American theater critic and writer. From 1992 to 2013, he was a staff writer and the senior drama critic at ''The New Yorker''. He has written more than twenty books related to theater. Lahr has been ca ...

*1992–1993: David Cole *1991–1992: Kevin Kelly *1990–1991: Jonathan Kalb *1989–1990: Steven Mikulan *1988–1989: Eileen Blumenthal *1987–1988: Scott Rosenberg *1986–1987:

Robert Brustein Robert Sanford Brustein (born April 21, 1927) is an American theatrical critic, producer, playwright, writer, and educator. He founded both the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Ma ...

*1985–1986: Gordon Rogoff *1984–1985:

Jan Kott Jan Kott (October 27, 1914 – December 22, 2001) was a Polish political activist, critic and theoretician of the theatre. A leading proponent of Stalinism in Poland for nearly a decade after the Soviet takeover, Kott renounced his Communist P ...

*1983–1984: Bonnie Marranca *1982–1983:

Herbert Blau Herbert Blau (May 3, 1926 – May 3, 2013) was an American director and theoretician of performance. He was named the Byron W. and Alice L. Lockwood Professor in the Humanities at the University of Washington. Early life and career Blau earned ...

*1981–1982: Julius Novick *1980–1981: Carolyn Clay and Sylviane Gold *1979–1980: Sean Mitchell *1978–1979:

Jack Kroll John Kroll (''ca.'' 1926 – June 8, 2000) was a ''Newsweek'' drama and film critic. His career spanned 37 years – more than half the publication's existence. Biography Kroll was born in Manhattan. His mother was an Earl Carroll showgirl and ...

*1977–1978:

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

*1976–1977:

Bernard Knox Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox (November 24, 1914 – July 22, 2010Wolfgang Saxon ''The New York Times'', August 16, 2010.) was an English classicist, author, and critic who became an American citizen. He was the first director of the Center ...

*1975–1976: Michael Goldman *1974–1975: No Award Given *1973–1974: Albert Bermel *1972–1973:

Stanley Kauffmann Stanley Kauffmann (April 24, 1916 – October 9, 2013) was an American writer, editor, and critic of film and theater. Career Kauffmann started with ''The New Republic'' in 1958 and contributed film criticism to that magazine for the next fifty ...

*1971–1972: Jay Carr *1970–1971:

Richard Gilman Richard Martin Gilman (April 30, 1923 – October 28, 2006) was an American drama and literary critic. Early life On April 30, 1923, Gilman was born as Richard Martin Gilman in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Gilman's family is Jewish.

*1969–1970: John Simon *1968–1969:

*1967–1968:

Martin Gottfried Martin Gottfried (October 9, 1933 – March 6, 2014) was an American critic, columnist and author. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Biography Early career Gottfried was a 1959 graduate of Columbia College in New York City, and attended Columb ...

*1966–1967: Elizabeth Hardwick *1965–1966: Eric Russell Bentley *1964–1965: Gerald Weales *1963–1964:

Elliot Norton Elliot Norton (17 May 1903 – 20 July 2003) was a Boston-based theater critic who was one of the most influential regional theater critics in his 48-year-long career, during which he who wrote 6,000 reviews and became known as "The Dean of America ...

*1962–1963:

Walter Kerr Walter Francis Kerr (July 8, 1913 – October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theatre critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals as well as the author of several books, genera ...

*1961–1962:

*1960–1961: Jerry Tallmer *1959–1960: C.L. Barber *1958-1958:

Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS.

References

{{reflist Theatre criticism Awards established in 1959

Recipients

See also

References