Paula Vogel, Daryl Roth Honored With New Dramatists Distinguished Achievement Award

On Tuesday, May 16, the New Dramatists will honor 10-time Tony Award�-winning producer Daryl Roth and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel with their 2017 Outstanding Career Achievement Awards at its 68th Annual Spring Luncheon tribute.

The event, to be held at the New York Marriott Marquis, will feature performances by the stars of "Kinky Boots," Killian Donnelly and J. Harrison Ghee; and a performance from "Indecent;" as well as special tributes by award-winning playwrights Nilo Cruz and Sarah Ruhl, and Tony Award-winning actress Cherry Jones.

"We are profoundly fortunate that these two outstanding theater professionals have committed their careers to this art form," says Emily Morse, Artistic Director of New Dramatists. "We are grateful that their paths crossed somewhere around 1997, a fateful encounter that began a sustained and fruitful relationship between an influential American Playwright and a visionary new play Producer. In addition to celebrating their individual and combined successes, honoring them at this year's annual Luncheon tells the story of New Dramatists in a particular way. The longevity of their partnership echoes the founding of New Dramatists; it speaks to our present as more playwrights partner with creative producers to forge sustainable models for future new play productions. Paula and Daryl both lead by example, and it is a tremendous honor to recognize them and their contributions to our field in the company of our vital and supportive New Dramatists community."

Each year, New Dramatists salutes individuals who have made an outstanding artistic contribution to the theater community. Past luncheon honorees include Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Susan Stroman, Seth Gelblum, Bernadette Peters, Roger Berlind, Julie Taymor, Horton Foote, Edward Albee, Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Glenn Close, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Jerry Herman, Terrence McNally, Barbara Cook, John Kander & Fred Ebb, August Wilson, and Gwen Verdon.

Paula Vogel's most recent project is "Indecent," a play commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival's American Revolutions and Yale Repertory Theatre. In close collaboration with director Rebecca Taichman, and co-produced by La Jolla Playhouse, "Indecent" was developed at the Sundance Theatre Lab in 2013. It has been produced at Yale Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse in Fall 2015. Having opened at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2016, the play transferred to Broadway in April 2017.

Daryl Roth is honored to hold the singular distinction of producing seven Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Paula Vogel's "How I Learned to Drive"; "Anna in the Tropics"; "August: Osage County" (2008 Tony Award); "Clybourne Park" (2012 Tony Award); "Proof" (2001 Tony Award); Edward Albee's "Three Tall Women"; and "Wit."

This season, she is producing the Broadway premiere of Paula Vogel's "Indecent," bringing their collaboration full circle. Roth is the proud recipient of ten Tony Awards and London's Olivier Award, her over 100 award-winning productions both on and off-Broadway. Current Broadway productions include "Groundhog Day"; "Hello, Dolly!"; "Present Laughter"; and "Sunset Boulevard."

Currently in development: a new musical "Between the Lines," based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, and a film adaptation of Charles Busch's "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife." Film credits include "My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story," a documentary exploring the relationships of well-known New Yorkers and their dogs.

Roth is an Honorary Trustee for Lincoln Center Theatre and was twice included in Crain's "100 Most Influential Women in Business." Recent honors include: The Order of the Golden Sphinx Award from The Harvard Hasty Pudding Institute; New York Living Landmarks Award; Humanitarian Award from the Women's Division and Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Broadway Association Visionary Leader Award; Family Equality Council Family Award; Live Out Loud Humanitarian Award; and the Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award.