Theater News

Stacey Luftig and Daniel Goldstein Receive 2016 Kleban Prizes

The pair were honored as rising stars of musical-theater writing.

Editorial Staff
Off-Broadway
Stacey Luftig has received this year's Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theater Lyricist.
Stacey Luftig has received this year's Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theater Lyricist.

Musical-theater writers Stacey Luftig and Daniel Goldstein have been awarded the 26th annual Kleban Prizes. The honors will be presented Monday, February 8, in a private ceremony hosted by ASCAP and BMI at ASCAP.

Luftig received the prize for Most Promising Musical Theater Lyricist. Her shows include My Heart Is the Drum, That's Life, Understood Betsy, Story of an Hour, and Jinxed. Goldstein, who received the award for Most Promising Musical Theater Librettist, is the book writer of Unknown Soldier and Row, as well as the director of several off-Broadway and Broadway productions including the 2011 revival of Godspell.

This year's judges were two-time Tony winner Judith Ivey, Goodspeed Musicals' former executive director Michael Price, and casting director and vocal coach Andrew Zerman. The Kleban Foundation, named for A Chorus Line scribe Edward Kleban, was established in 1988 with provisions for two 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 Theatre.