Tony Kushner
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Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
'' which earned a
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
and 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 cer ...
. At the turn of the
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he became known for his numerous film collaborations with
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
. He received the
National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
from President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
in 2013. Kushner made his Broadway debut in 1993 with both '' Angels in America: Millennium Approaches'' and '' Angels in America: Perestroika''. He received the
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 ...
and the
Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non- musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...
. He then adapted it into a 2003 miniseries directed by
Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...
for which Kushner received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie. In 2003 he wrote the lyrics and book to the musical ''
Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
'' which earned Kushner Tony Award nominations for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. He has collaborated with director
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
on the films ''
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'' (2005), ''
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
'' (2012), ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
'' (2021), and ''
The Fabelmans ''The Fabelmans'' is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written and produced by Tony Kushner and Spielberg. It is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg's adolescence and first years as ...
'' (2022), the former two earning him nominations for the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...
.


Early life and education

Kushner was born in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, the son of Sylvia (née Deutscher), a bassoonist, and William David Kushner, a
clarinetist This article lists notable musicians who have played the clarinet. Classical clarinetists * Laver Bariu * Ernest Ačkun * Luís Afonso * Cristiano Alves * Michel Arrignon * Dimitri Ashkenazy * Kinan Azmeh * Alexander Bader * Carl Baermann * ...
and conductor. His family is
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, descended from immigrants from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. Shortly after his birth, Kushner's parents moved to Lake Charles,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, the seat of
Calcasieu Parish Calcasieu Parish (; french: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The p ...
where he spent his childhood. During high school Kushner was active in policy debate. In 1974, Kushner moved back to New York to begin his
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
college education at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Medieval Studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books ...
in 1978. He attended the
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
at NYU, graduating in 1984. During graduate school, he spent the summers of 1978–1981 directing both early original works (''Masque of the Owls'' and ''Incidents and Occurrences During the Travels of the Tailor Max'') and plays by Shakespeare (''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'' and '' The Tempest'') starring the children attending the Governor's Program for Gifted Children (GPGC) in Lake Charles. Kushner has received several
honorary degrees An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
: in 2003 from
Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...
, in 2006 an honorary doctorate from
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...
, in 2008 an honorary
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
from
SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges ...
College, in May 2011 an honorary doctorate from CUNY's
John Jay College of Criminal Justice The John Jay College of Criminal Justice (John Jay) is a public college focused on criminal justice and located in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). John Jay was founded as the only liberal arts c ...
and also an Honorary Doctorate from
The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
, and in May 2015, an honorary Doctor of Letters from
Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...
.


Career

Kushner's best known work is ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
'' (a play in two parts: ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika''), a seven-hour epic about the AIDS epidemic in Reagan-era New York, which was later adapted into an
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
for which Kushner wrote the screenplay. His other plays include ''Hydriotaphia'', '' Slavs!: Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness'', '' A Bright Room Called Day'', ''Homebody/Kabul'', and the book for the musical ''
Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
''. His new translation of
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
's ''
Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...
'' was performed at the Delacorte Theater in the summer of 2006, starring
Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
and directed by George C. Wolfe. Kushner has also adapted Brecht's ''
The Good Person of Szechwan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (german: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berlau ...
'', Corneille's '' The Illusion'', and
S. Ansky Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (1863 – November 8, 1920), known by his pseudonym S. Ansky (or An-sky), was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, polemicist, and cultural and political activist. He is best known for his play ' ...
's play ''
The Dybbuk ''The Dybbuk'', or ''Between Two Worlds'' (russian: Меж двух миров ибук}, trans. ''Mezh dvukh mirov ibuk'; yi, צווישן צוויי וועלטן - דער דִבּוּק, ''Tsvishn Tsvey Veltn – der Dibuk'') is a play by ...
''. In the early 2000s, Kushner began writing for film. His co-written screenplay ''
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'' was produced and directed by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
in 2005. In January 2006, a documentary feature about Kushner entitled '' Wrestling with Angels'' debuted at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
. The film was directed by Freida Lee Mock. In April 2011 it was announced that he was working with Spielberg again, writing the screenplay for an adaptation of historian
Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of several U.S. presidents, including ''Lyndon Johnson and the American Drea ...
's book '' Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln''. The screenplay for ''Lincoln'' would go on to receive multiple awards, in addition to nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay at the
Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
and
The Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. In a 2015 interview actress/producer
Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...
revealed she had hired Kushner to write an as yet untitled biopic about the life of
Barbara Jordan Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-A ...
that she planned to star in. In 2016, Kushner worked on a screenplay version of
August Wilson August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's play ''
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''; the resulting film ''
Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...
'', directed by
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
, was released in December 2016. Kushner is famous for frequent revisions and years-long gestations of his plays. Both ''Angels in America: Perestroika'' and ''Homebody/Kabul'' were significantly revised even after they were first published. Kushner has admitted that the original script version of ''Angels in America: Perestroika'' is nearly double the length of the theatrical version. His newest completed work, the play ''
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures ''The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures'' is a 2009 play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The title was inspired by George Bernard Shaw's '' The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and C ...
'', began as a novel more than a decade before it finally opened on May 15, 2009. In 2018, it was announced that Kushner was working on a script of a remake of ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
'' for Spielberg to direct. In 2023, with his Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for Caroline, Or Change, Kushner became one of the few writers in history nominated for all four major American entertainment awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.


Political views

Kushner's
six-word memoir ''Six-Word Memoirs'' is a project and book series created by the U.S. based online storytelling magazine ''Smith Magazine.'' History In November 2006, ''Smith's'' editors Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser asked ''Smith'' readers to tell their ...
was "At least I never voted
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
." His
criticism of the Israeli government Criticism of the Israeli government, often referred to simply as criticism of Israel, is a subject of journalistic and scholarly commentary and research within the scope of international relations theory, expressed in terms of political science. ...
's treatment of
Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
and the increased
religious extremism Religious fanaticism, or religious extremism, is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm which is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism which cou ...
in
Israeli politics Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...
and culture has created some controversy with American Jews, including some opposition to his receiving an honorary doctorate at the 2006 commencement of
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...
. During the controversy, quotes critical of
Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...
and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
made by Kushner were circulated. Kushner said at the time that his quotes were "grossly mischaracterized". Kushner told the '' Jewish Advocate'' in an interview, "All that anybody seems to be reading is a couple of right-wing Web sites taking things deliberately out of context and excluding anything that would complicate the picture by making me seem like a reasonable person, which I basically think I am." In an interview with the ''Jewish Independent'', Kushner commented, "I want the state of Israel to continue to exist. I've always said that. I've never said anything else. My positions have been lied about and misrepresented in so many ways. People claim that I'm for a
one-state solution The one-state solution, sometimes also called a bi-national state, is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, according to which one state must be established between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean. Propone ...
, which is not true." He later stated that he hopes that "there might be a merging of the two countries because hey'regeographically kind of ridiculous looking on a map", although he acknowledged that political realities make this unlikely in the near future. Kushner has received backlash from family members due to his political views of Israel. On May 2, 2011, the Board of Trustees of the
City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...
(CUNY), at their monthly public meeting, voted to remove (by tabling to avoid debate) Kushner's name from the list of people invited to receive honorary degrees, based on a statement by trustee Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld about Kushner's purported statements and beliefs about Zionism and Israel. In response, the ''CUNY Graduate Center Advocate'' began a live blog on the "Kushner Crisis" situation, including news coverage and statements of support from faculty and academics. Three days later, CUNY issued a public statement that the Board is independent. On May 6, three previous honorees stated they intended to return their degrees:
Barbara Ehrenreich Barbara Ehrenreich (, ; ; August 26, 1941 – September 1, 2022) was an American author and political activist. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she was a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She was a widely read and awar ...
,
Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is a senior lectur ...
, and
Ellen Schrecker Ellen Wolf Schrecker (born August 4, 1938) is an American professor emerita of American history at Yeshiva University. She has received the Frederick Ewen Academic Freedom Fellowship at the Tamiment Library at NYU. She is known primarily for her ...
.Tony Kushner row deepens as supporters renounce honorary degrees
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', May 6, 2011
Wiesenfeld said that if Kushner would renounce his anti-Israel statements in front of the Board, he would be willing to vote for him. The same day, the Board moved to reverse its decision. Kushner accepted the honorary doctorate at the June 3 graduation for the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.


Personal life

Kushner and his partner, Mark Harris, held a commitment ceremony in April 2003, the first same-sex commitment ceremony to be featured in the Vows column of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. In summer 2008, Kushner and Harris were legally married at the town hall in
Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...
. Harris is an editor of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' and author of ''Pictures at a Revolution – Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood''. He is close friends with theatre director Michael Mayer, whom he met while studying at NYU.


List of works


Plays

* “Incidents and Occurrences During the Travels of the Tailor Max” Lake Charles, Louisiana, Governor’s Program For Gifted Children, 1980. * ''The Age of Assassins,'' New York, Newfoundland Theatre, 1982. * ''La Fin de la Baleine: An Opera for the Apocalypse,'' New York, Ohio Theatre, 1983. * ''The Heavenly Theatre,'' produced at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, 1984. * ''The Umbrella Oracle,'' Martha's Vineyard, The Yard, Inc.. * ''Last Gasp at the Cataract,'' Martha's Vineyard, The Yard, Inc., 1984. * ''Yes, Yes, No, No: The Solace-of-Solstice, Apogee/Perigee, Bestial/Celestial Holiday Show,'' produced in St. Louis, Imaginary Theatre Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, 1985, published in ''Plays in Process,'' 1987. * ''Stella'' (adapted from the play by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
), produced in New York City, 1987. * '' A Bright Room Called Day,'' first produced in New York, Theatre 22, April 1985. Published in ''Plays By Tony Kushner'',
Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Broadway Play Publishing Inc (BPPI) was established in New York City in 1982 to publish and license the stage performance rights of contemporary American plays. The Broadway Play Publishing Inc catalog consists of over 1,000 plays and nearly 400 ...
* ''In Great Eliza's Golden Time,'' produced in St. Louis, Missouri, Imaginary Theatre Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, 1986. * ''Hydriotaphia'', produced in New York City, 1987 (based on the life on Sir
Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...
) * '' The Illusion'' (adapted from
Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...
's play L'illusion comique; produced in New York City, 1988, revised version produced in Hartford, CT, 1990),
Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Broadway Play Publishing Inc (BPPI) was established in New York City in 1982 to publish and license the stage performance rights of contemporary American plays. The Broadway Play Publishing Inc catalog consists of over 1,000 plays and nearly 400 ...
, 1991. * ''In That Day (Lives of the Prophets),'' New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, 1989. * (With
Ariel Dorfman Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman (born May 6, 1942) is an Argentine-Chilean-American novelist, playwright, essayist, academic, and human rights activist. A citizen of the United States since 2004, he has been a professor of literature and Latin American ...
) ''Widows'' (adapted from a book by Ariel Dorfman), produced in Los Angeles, CA, 1991. * ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part One: Millennium Approaches'' (produced in San Francisco, 1991), Hern, 1992. * ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part Two: Perestroika,'' produced in New York City, 1992. * ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (includes both parts)'', Theatre Communications Group (New York, NY), 1995. * '' Slavs!: Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness'', Theatre Communications Group, 1995 & acting edition,
Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Broadway Play Publishing Inc (BPPI) was established in New York City in 1982 to publish and license the stage performance rights of contemporary American plays. The Broadway Play Publishing Inc catalog consists of over 1,000 plays and nearly 400 ...
* ''Reverse Transcription: Six Playwrights Bury a Seventh, A Ten-Minute Play That's Nearly Twenty Minutes Long,'' Louisville, Humana Festival of New American Plays, Actors Theatre of Louisville, March 1996. * '' A Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds'' (adapted from
Joachim Neugroschel Joachim Neugroschel (13 January 1938—23 May 2011) was a Multilingualism, multilingual Translation#Literary translation, literary translator of French language, French, German language, German, Italian language, Italian, Russian language, Russi ...
's translation of the original
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
play by
S. Ansky Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (1863 – November 8, 1920), known by his pseudonym S. Ansky (or An-sky), was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, polemicist, and cultural and political activist. He is best known for his play ' ...
; produced in New York City at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, 1997), Theatre Communications Group, 1997. * ''The Good Person of Szechuan'' (adapted from the original play by
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
), Arcade, 1997. * (With
Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian ( hy, Էրիկ Բոգոսյան; ; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and a ...
and others) ''Love's Fire: Seven New Plays Inspired by Seven Shakespearean Sonnets'', Morrow, 1998. * ''Terminating, or Lass Meine Schmerzen Nicht Verloren Sein, or Ambivalence, in Love's Fire,'' Minneapolis, Guthrie Theater Lab, January 7, 1998; New York: Joseph Papp Public Theater, June 19, 1998. * ''
Henry Box Brown Henry Box Brown (c. 1815 – June 15, 1897) was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For a short tim ...
, or the Mirror of Slavery'', performed at the National Theatre, London, 1998. * ''Homebody/Kabul,'' first performed in New York City, December 2001. * ''
Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
'' (musical), first performed in New York at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, 2002. * ''Only We Who Guard The Mystery Shall Be Unhappy'', 2003. * Translation with "liberties"—but purportedly "not an adaptation"—of
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
's ''
Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...
'' (2006) * ''
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures ''The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures'' is a 2009 play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The title was inspired by George Bernard Shaw's '' The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and C ...
'' Minneapolis, Guthrie Theater, 2009. * ''Tiny Kushner'', a performance of five shorter plays, premiered at the
Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...
, Minneapolis, 2009 The stage performance rights to most of these plays are licensed by
Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Broadway Play Publishing Inc (BPPI) was established in New York City in 1982 to publish and license the stage performance rights of contemporary American plays. The Broadway Play Publishing Inc catalog consists of over 1,000 plays and nearly 400 ...


Books

* ''A Meditation from Angels in America'' (1994) Harper, San Francisco, * ''Thinking about the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness: Essays, a Play, Two Poems, and a Prayer'' (1995) Theatre Communications Group, New York, NY *
Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he wa ...
(1995) ''
Stuck Rubber Baby ''Stuck Rubber Baby'' is a 1995 graphic novel by American cartoonist Howard Cruse. He created his debut graphic novel after a decades-long career as an underground cartoonist. It deals with homosexuality and racism in the 1960s in the southern U ...
'', introduction by Kushner, Paradox Press, New York. * David B. Feinberg (1995) ''Queer and Loathing: Rants and Raves of a Raging AIDS Clone,'' introduction by Kushner, Penguin, New York. *
David Wojnarowicz David Michael Wojnarowicz ( (September 14, 1954 – July 22, 1992) was an American painter, photographer, writer, filmmaker, performance artist, songwriter/recording artist, and AIDS activist prominent in the East Village art scene. He incorp ...
(1996) ''The Waterfront Journals,'' edited by Amy Scholder, introduction by Kushner, Grove, New York. * "Three Screeds from Key West: For Larry Kramer," (1997) in ''We Must Love One Another or Die: The Life and Legacies of Larry Kramer,'' edited by Lawrence D. Mass, St. Martin's Press, New York, pp. 191–199. * Moises Kaufman (1997) ''Gross Indecency,'' afterword by Kushner, Vintage, New York, pp. 135–143. * ''Plays by Tony Kushner'' (New York: Broadway Play Publishing, 1999), . Includes: ** ''A Bright Room called Day'' (First published 1994) ** ''The Illusion'', freely adapted from
Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...
's ''L'Illusion comique'' ** '' Slavs!: Thinking About the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness'' * ''Death & Taxes: Hydrotaphia, and Other Plays,'' (1998) Theatre Communications Group (New York, NY), . Includes: ** ''Reverse transcription'' ** ''Hydriotaphia: or the Death of Dr. Browne'', (adaptation of ''
Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial ''Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial, or, a Discourse of the Sepulchral Urns lately found in Norfolk'' is a work by Sir Thomas Browne, published in 1658 as the first part of a two-part work that concludes with ''The Garden of Cyrus''. The title is Greek f ...
'', a fictitious, imaginary account of Sir Thomas Browne's character not based upon fact) ** ''
G. David Schine in Hell ''G. David Schine in Hell'' is a one-act play written by Tony Kushner. It was first published in the ''New York Times Magazine'' in 1996 under the title "A Backstage Pass to Hell". It was published as a part of the Kushner anthology ''Death and Tax ...
'' ** ''Notes on Akiba'' ** ''Terminating'' ** ''East Coast Ode to
Howard Jarvis Howard Arnold Jarvis (September 22, 1903 – August 12, 1986) was an American businessman, lobbyist, and politician. He was a tax policy activist responsible for passage of California's Proposition 13 in 1978. Early life and education Jarvis ...
'' * '' Brundibar'', illustrated by
Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...
, Hyperion Books for Children, 2003. * ''Peter's Pixie'', by
Donn Kushner Donn Jean Kushner (March 29, 1927 – September 15, 2001) was an American-born Canadian scientist and writer. He taught biology at the University of Ottawa and Toronto from 1965 to 1992 and authored both adult and children's books, some of whic ...
, illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault, introduction by Tony Kushner, Tundra Books, 2003 * ''The Art of Maurice Sendak: 1980 to the Present'', 2003 * ''Save Your Democratic Citizen Soul!: Rants, Screeds, and Other Public Utterances'' * ''Wrestling with
Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Names ...
: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,'' with Alisa Solomon, Grove, 2003.


Essays

* "The Secrets of Angels". ''The New York Times'', March 27, 1994, p. H5. * "The State of the Theatre". ''Times Literary Supplement'', April 28, 1995, p. 14. * "The Theater of Utopia". ''Theater'', 26 (1995): 9-11. * "The Art of the Difficult". ''Civilization'', 4 (August/September 1997): 62–67. * "Notes About Political Theater," ''Kenyon Review'', 19 (Summer/Fall 1997): 19–34. * "Wings of Desire". ''Premiere'', October 1997: 70. * "Fo's Last Laugh--I". ''Nation'', November 3, 1997: 4–5.
"Matthew's Passion"
''Nation'', November 9, 1998 * "A Modest Proposal". ''American Theatre'', January 1998: 20–22, 77–89. * "A Word to Graduates: Organize!". ''Nation'', July 1, 2002. * "Only We Who Guard The Mystery Shall Be Unhappy". ''Nation'', March 24, 2003.


Films

* ''
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
'', a film by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
(2005) – screenplay (co-written by
Eric Roth Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — for ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case o ...
) * ''
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
'', a film by Steven Spielberg (2012) – screenplay * ''
Fences A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary. Fence or fences may also refer to: Entertainment Music * Fences (band), an Amer ...
'', a film by
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
(2016) – screenplay (uncredited, co-written by
August Wilson August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
), co-producer * ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
'', a film by Steven Spielberg (2021) – screenplay, executive producer * ''
The Fabelmans ''The Fabelmans'' is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written and produced by Tony Kushner and Spielberg. It is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg's adolescence and first years as ...
'', a film by Steven Spielberg (2022) – screenplay (co-written by Spielberg), producer


Television

* ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
'', a miniseries by
Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...
(2003) – teleplay


Opera

* ''La Fin de la Baleine: An Opera for the Apocalypse'', (opera) – 1983 * ''St. Cecilia or The Power of Music,'' (opera libretto based on
Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays '' Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', ''The Broken Jug'', ''Amph ...
's eighteenth-century story ''Die heilige Cäcilie oder Die Gewalt der Musik, Eine Legende'') * ''Brundibar,'' (an opera in collaboration with Maurice Sendak)


Director

* ''Helen'', written by Ellen McLaughlin, produced at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, 2002.


Interviews

* Gerard Raymond, "Q & A With Tony Kushner," ''Theatre Week'' (December 20–26, 1993): 14–20. * Mark Marvel, "A Conversation with Tony Kushner," ''Interview,'' 24 (February 1994): 84. * David Savran, "Tony Kushner," in ''Speaking on Stage: Interviews with Contemporary American Playwrights,'' edited by Philip C. Kolin and Colby H. Kullman (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1996), pp. 291–313. * Robert Vorlicky, ed., ''Tony Kushner in Conversation'' (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998). * Victor Wishna, "Tony Kushner," i
''In Their Company: Portraits of American Playwrights''
Photographs by Ken Collins, Interviews by Victor Wishna (New York: Umbrage Editions, 2006). * Jesse Tisch, "The Perfectionist: An Interview with Tony Kushner,"
Secular Culture & Ideas
'' 2009. *Christopher Carbone, Q & A With Tony Kushner, L Style G Style, (May/June 2011)

* Michał Hernes, "Kushner: Polityczna dusza Amerykanów została okaleczona" i
Polityczna dusza Amerykanów została okaleczona''
May 17, 2012.


Awards and nominations

;Awards * 1990 Whiting Awards, Whiting Award * 1993
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The award was initially introduced in 1955 as the Ver ...
– '' Angels in America: Millennium Approaches'' * 1993
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 ...
– ''Angels in America: Millennium Approaches'' * 1993
Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non- musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first year ...
– ''Angels in America: Millennium Approaches'' * 1994 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play – '' Angels in America: Perestroika'' * 1994 Tony Award for Best Play – ''Angels in America: Perestroika'' * 2002
PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for 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 * 2004
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award for O ...
'' * 2007
Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1 ...
– ''
Caroline, or Change ''Caroline, or Change'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music. The show ran both Off-Broadway and on Broad ...
'' * 2008 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award * 2011
Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship The Puffin Prize for Creative Citizenship is an American award given jointly by Type Media Center (a nonprofit media organization previously associated with ''The Nation'' magazine) and the Puffin Foundation. The annual $100,000 award honors artis ...
* 2012 St. Louis Literary Award from the
Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...
Library Associates * 2012
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay is an annual film award given by the New York Film Critics Circle. The most successful in this category were Woody Allen, Robert Benton, Ingmar Bergman, Kenneth Lonergan, Paul Mazursky, Qu ...
– ''
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
'' *2012
Paul Selvin Award The Paul Selvin Award is a special award presented by the Writers Guild of America. It is given to the script that "best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties which are indispensable to the survival of free write ...
– ''
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
'' * 2013 Elected Member,
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
; Nominations * 2004
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. For two years, in addition to the award ...
– ''Caroline, or Change'' * 2004
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligib ...
– ''Caroline, or Change'' * 2004
Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical theatre, musical or Play (theatre), play in that year. The score consists of music and/or lyrics. To be ...
– ''Caroline, or Change'' * 2005
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...
– ''
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
'' * 2005
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Acad ...
– ''Munich'' * 2012
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...
– ''Lincoln'' * 2012
AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay The AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay is an accolade given by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achi ...
– ''Lincoln'' * 2012
BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been presented to its winners since 1968, when the original category (BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay) was split into two awards, the other being the BAF ...
– ''Lincoln'' * 2012
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Acad ...
– ''Lincoln'' * 2012
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is one of the three screenwriting Writers Guild of America Awards, focused specifically for film. The Writers Guild of America began making the distinction between an original screenpl ...
– ''Lincoln'' * 2021
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is one of the three screenwriting Writers Guild of America Awards, focused specifically for film. The Writers Guild of America began making the distinction between an original screenpl ...
– ''West Side Story'' * 2023
Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay The Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Acad ...
– ''The Fabelmans'' * 2023
Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award is generally given to the album producer, principal vocalist(s), and the composer and lyricist if they have written a new score which comprises 51% or more play ...
– ''Caroline, Or Change'' ; Other *
Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standar ...
*
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 ...
*
New York Drama Critics' Circle 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 ...
* American Academy of Arts and Letters Award * Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest Fellowship * National Foundation of Jewish Culture, Cultural Achievement award


See also

*
Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
* Dramatic license *
LGBT culture in New York City New York City is home to one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the world and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of ''Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day,'' wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most power ...
* List of LGBT people from New York City


References


Further reading

* ''Contemporary Literary Criticism,'' Gale (Detroit), Volume 81, 1994. * Bloom, Harold, ed., ''Tony Kushner'', New York, Chelsea House, 2005. * Brask, Anne, ed., "Ride on the Moon", Chicago, Randomhouse, 1990. * Brask, Per K., ed., ''Essays on Kushner's Angels'', Winnipeg, Blizzard Publishing, 1995. * Dickinson, Peter. "Travels with Tony Kushner and David Beckham, 2002-2004." ''Theatre Journal'', 57.3 (2005): 429–450.Fisher, James, ''The Theater of Tony Kushner'', London, Routledge, 2002. * Fisher, James, ed., ''Tony Kushner. New Essays on the Art and Politics of His Plays'', London, McFarland & Company, 2006. * Geis, Deborah R., and Steven F. Kruger, ''Approaching the Millennium: Essays on Angels in America,'' University of Michigan Press, 1997. * Klüßendorf, Ricarda, "The Great Work Begins". Tony Kushner's Theater for Change in America, Trier, WVT, 2007. * Lioi, Anthony, "The Great Work Begins: Theater as Theurgy in Angels in America", in CrossCurrents, Fall 2004, Vol. 54, No 3 * Solty, Ingar, "Tony Kushners amerikanischer Engel der Geschichte", in Das Argument 265, 2/2006, pp. 209–2

* Wolfe, Graham, "Tony Kushner's ''The Illusion'' and Comedy's 'Traversal of the Fantasy'." ''Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism'' 26.1 (2011): 45–64. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_dramatic_theory_and_criticism/v026/26.1.wolfe.html *


External links

* * * * * * * * * *
Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner
documentary film website, an
associated website
at Public Broadcasting Service, PBS POV
Biography
at the Steven Barclay Agency
Profile and Production History at The Whiting Foundation

Keynote Speech at 2013 Whiting Awards

Tony Kushner: ''Homophobia's Reach''
originally published by ''The Washington Post''
Tony Kushner on Ruslan Sharipov and Human Rights in Uzbekistan
Press Release,
PEN American Center PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of liter ...
(2004)
Finding aid to Tony Kushner papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
;Interviews *
Writing the Playwright
interview by Frederic Tuten, ''Guernicamag.com'', June 2005

Craig Young, ''AfterElton.com'', October 12, 2006
Of angels and agnostics
Steve Dow, ''SteveDow.com.au'', undated * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushner, Tony 1956 births 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American health activists American male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Columbia College (New York) alumni American gay writers HIV/AIDS activists Jewish activists Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Jewish theatre directors Jews and Judaism in Louisiana Juilliard School faculty Lambda Literary Award for Drama winners LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT Jews LGBT people from New York (state) Living people Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Primetime Emmy Award winners Princess Grace Awards winners Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Tisch School of the Arts alumni Tony Award winners United States National Medal of Arts recipients Writers from Lake Charles, Louisiana Educators from New York City Educators from Louisiana Writers from Manhattan 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers