"In honor of the talents of Sir Noël Coward, who often served as the writer-composer-lyricist for his musicals, the York Theatre Company — with the endorsement of the Noël Coward Foundation — will be administering the Noël Coward Prize to a promising librettist-composer-lyricist whose work best exemplifies the 'triple threat' standards set by Coward. The winning artist will receive an honorarium and a special one-night-only staged concert of the musical submitted to the contest produced by The York Theatre Company."
The Noël Coward Prize is made possible through a generous donation by The Noël Coward Foundation.
After receiving submissions, a panel of industry professionals will select the winning entry. The panel includes Nancy Ford, John Kander, Richard Maltby, Mel Marvin, Brian Murray, Susan H. Schulman, Joseph Stein and Tony Walton. The first winner will be announced Nov. 17, and will receive the award at a concert celebrating the late Noël Coward on his birthday, Dec. 17.
Submissions will be accepted through Aug. 28 at 6 PM. For submission guidelines, visit http://www.yorktheatre.org.
* The York Theatre Company was nominated for five 2009 Drama Desk Awards, four Lucille Lortel Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Drama League Awards for its productions of Enter Laughing, The Musical and My Vaudeville Man! last season. York Theatre Company is one of the only companies in the city committed to developing and producing new musical theatre works and rediscovering musical gems from the past. Winner of a special Drama Desk Award for developing and producing new musical theatre, York's "intimate, imaginative style of producing both original and classic musicals has resulted in critical acclaim and recognition from artists and audiences alike for almost four decades." Under the guidance of artistic director James Morgan since 1997, the York has focused exclusively on new musicals in its Mainstage Series — most of them world, American or New York premieres — by some of the field's most esteemed creators and has also helped launch the careers of many talented new writers.
