The Kleban Foundation has announced the recipients of its 36th annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre. Eric Price was named most promising musical theatre lyricist and Phillip Christian Williams the most promising musical theatre librettist. The prizes will be presented by Kleban board members Richard Maltby Jr. and Maury Yeston in a private ceremony at the offices of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers on Feb. 2.
The Kleban Prize is named for Edward L. Kleban, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist of “A Chorus Line.” In his will, Kleban made provisions for the annual prizes, which in recent years have totaled $100,000 each, payable over two years, to be given to the most promising lyricist and librettist in American musical theater. Over the years, the Kleban Prize has awarded over $6,000,000 to 84 artists.
“Ed Kleban recognized that theatrical wordsmiths have the hardest time supporting themselves while honing their craft, and so the Kleban awards are specifically for librettists and lyricists,” Maltby said in a statement. He also noted that the award is not given to celebrate work that the writers have already produced. “Instead, it is given for work yet to be written.”
Price, who has also won the Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Writing and a Dramatists Guild Musical Theatre Fellowship, has penned the lyrics and book for “The Violet Hour,” “Radioactive,” “Around the World,” “Presto Change-O” and “Emma: A Pop Musical,” and contributed additional material for “Clue,” which has been performed around the world. His show “Hello Out There” has been developed by Goodspeed Musicals, Playwrights Horizons, Adirondack Theatre Festival and the Village Theatre. For many years, Price worked as the assistant to Tony-winning producer/director Harold Prince.
Smith is a playwright, actor and director. His plays include “Some Charter School Presents the Medea,” “A Handbag Is NOT a Proper Mutha,” “Riverside Drive,” “The Last Temptation of Matthew Shepard” and “We Can’t Breathe.” Smith is a resident member of New Dramatists 2023-2030, a Sloan Commission Playwright at Ensemble Studio Theater, a Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, a Fire This Time Festival Playwright, a Tennessee Williams Scholar at Sewanee and a Playwrights Realm and Lambda Literary Fellow.
Smith and Price were chosen by a trio of judges including Tony-nominated actors Eden Espinosa and Amber Gray and Tony-nominated director Anne Kauffman.
The award presentation on Feb. 2 will include performances from Smith’s and Price’s works.
