Composer-lyricist Adam Gwon is the winner of this year’s Kleban Prize for lyricists and book writer-lyricist Michelle Elliott has won the Kleban for bookwriting, The awards carry a $100,000 cash prize for each (distributed over two years) and the artists will receive their honors in a ceremony to be held at ASCAP on June 27.
Gwon’s musical Ordinary Days played Off-Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Blackbox Theatre in 2009 and was seen in London earlier this year. His newest piece, The Boy Detective Fails, is part of the 2011-2012 season at Signature Theatre in Virginia. Among his other honors is the 2008 Fred Ebb Award for songwriting.
Elliott wrote the book for The Yellow Wood, which was seen at both NAMT and the New York Musical Theater Festival. Her newest piece is Cloaked, written with composer and co-lyricist Danny Larsen. In addition, she received the 2011Joanathan Larson grant.
The honors were established in 1988 under the will of the late lyricist Edward Kleban, who wrote lyrics for such shows as A Chorus Line.
The judges making the final determination this year were Stephen Flaherty, Michael Korie, and David Zippel.
