The cast of ‘A Strange Loop.’ (Photo: Joan Marcus)
The Pulitzer Prize Board has postponed the announcement for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The original date for the announcement was to be on April 19, 2020; that date has now been pushed to June 11 at 1 p.m. ET, about two months after the previously scheduled date. The Drama category will not be the only one announced on that day; prizes for Journalism, Books, and Music will also be shared on June 11. This decision to push back the date was to give the board members the chance to safely convene and discuss the competing awardees in person.
This year’s Drama prize will encompass theatrical productions that were scheduled to open between January 1 and December 31, 2020, and competitors can include dramatic works postponed or canceled due to the pandemic, as well as productions performed outside, online or in other unique venues. Productions that opened within that time frame can delay submitting their work and present it for later consideration.
Typically, a winner is announced along with a small number of finalists. Some years have featured finalists with no title taking the top honor. Last year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons, produced in association with Page 73 Productions. It was the only musical to win the award without a Broadway run.
A Strange Loop is among just ten musicals total to have won the Pulitzer Prize, the others being, in alphabetical order: A Chorus Line, Fiorello!, Hamilton, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Next to Normal, Of Thee I Sing, Rent, South Pacific, and Sunday in the Park with George.
