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New York– Winners of the 2010 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theatre announced by the American Academy of Arts and Letters


The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama has won a prestigious award for musical theatre.
The 2010 Richard Rodgers Awards has been presented to the staff and students of the MA Musical Theatre programme for their production of the new musical Rocket Science.
Professor Maggie Kinloch, Vice Principal of the Academy, said: “"We are honoured to have worked on the development of Rocket Science. This award has worldwide prestige and the contribution of our students and staff to its success is a matter of real pride to us. Our musical theatre training has always included a commitment to the development of new work and this success story will tell the world about the quality of that contribution. We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Stephen Weiner, Patricia Cotter and Jason Rhyne.”
 
Rocket Science, which was developed by director Andrew Panton and Amy Shackcloth Musical Director, along with the students of the Musical Theatre MA programme, was presented at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival to rave reviews and sell out audiences.
And Andrew Panton, Head of Musical Theatre at the Academy, added: This is great news for the Academy and our New Musical Development strand, which we launched in 2008. The RSAMD will be credited with the development of Rocket Science in all of its productions worldwide which is a real endorsement of our commitment to new Musical Theatre.”
 
The Richard Rodger Award was established in 1983, by Dorothy Rodgers in honor of her late husband Richard Rodgers.
The intent of the Richard Rodgers Award is to nurture the careers of talented composers and playwrights, and to have their musicals produced in New York City. Former award recipients include Maury Yeston (Nine), Jonathan Larson (Rent), Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal (Juan Darien), Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff), and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley (Violet). Since 1980 sixty-six works have been produced. This year's jury included Stephen Sondheim (chair), Lynn Ahrens, John Guare, Sheldon Harnick, David Ives, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Rocket Science, based on the HBO movie by Jeffrey Blitz, tells the tale of sixteen-year-old Hal Hefner, life-long stutterer and oddball, and his determination to risk everything for love. Hal enters the world of high school speech and debate and learns what it means to find one’s true voice.
Richard Rodgers, elected to the Academy in 1955, endowed these awards in 1978. The awards provide financial support for productions, studio productions, or staged readings of original musicals by nonprofit theaters in New York City. The Richard Rodgers Awards are the Academy's only awards for which applications are accepted. Applications for the Richard Rodgers Awards may be downloaded here.
Winner Biographies
Patricia Cotter (book, Rocket Science) has written the book for several musicals, including Break Up Notebook: The Lesbian Musical, based on her play, Break Up Notebook (music and lyrics by Lori Scarlett); Fat (book and lyrics co-written with Kevin M. Mitchell) and Mulan, Jr. (stage adaptation of the Disney film Mulan). Her plays include Three: Best/Worst Flawed; The Girls; and Poison. Ms. Cotter has written for film and television and has received a Daytime Emmy Award for her writing.
Jason Rhyne (lyrics, Rocket Science), a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, has studied musical theater at Ithaca College. Credits include lyrics for a musical adaptation of the HBO film Rocket Science (music by Stephen Weiner, book by Patricia Cotter), which was featured in the Village Theatre's 2009 Festival of New Musicals; music and lyrics for the The MacGuffin, presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival; and book, music and lyrics for an adaptation of the children's novel Littlejim. Jason is a former member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, and recipient of a 2008 Jonathan Larson Award as a composer-lyricist.
Stephen A. Weiner (composer, Rocket Science) was the 2003 Richard Rodgers Award winner for Once Upon A Time in New Jersey (book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo). Steve received a Jonathan Larson Development Grant for The Hudsucker Proxy (book and lyrics by Glenn Slater). Along with Rocket Science, he has composed the scores for Iron Curtain (book by Susan DiLallo, lyrics by Peter Mills); newyorkers (lyrics by Glenn Slater), and Spittin’ Image (book by Karin Kasdin, lyrics by Laura Szabo Cohen). He is also the recipient of the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. He has been nominated for Drama Desk, Obie, Lucille Lortel and Chicago Jeff Awards. He is a member of ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild.
 

Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010



Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Formerly known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

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