Choir Boy Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney Wins 2013 MacArthur Fellowship

Tarell Alvin McCraney, a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble in Chicago and writer of Manhattan Theatre Club's recently commissioned production of Choir Boy, has been named one of the 2013 MacArthur Fellows.

After receiving a B.F.A. from DePaul University in 2003 and an M.F.A. from Yale University in 2007, McCraney served as the International Writer in Residence for the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2008-2010 and a Hodder Fellow at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University in 2009. In addition to Choir Boy, which received its American premiere at MTC in 2013, his other plays include Wig Out!, The Brother/Sister Plays, American Trade, and Head of Passes.

McCraney's work, best known for exploring the rich diversity of the African-American experience, has been presented at a number of prestigious venues, including the The Public Theater, the McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University, Young Vic Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre. As a MacArthur Fellow, McCraney will receive $625,000 (distributed over a period of five years) to further his creative pursuits.