The American Theatre Wing Reveals Recipients of the 2025 Jonathan Larson Grants

The American Theatre Wing has revealed the recipients of the 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant, the annual prize awarded to exceptional emerging musical theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists, or writing teams.

This year’s winners are multimedia artist Fouad Dakwar (Fouad of Nazareth); playwright and songwriter Dan Fishback (Rubble Rubble); award-winning writing partners Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie (Ceildh); composer, lyricist, and librettist Adam J. Rineer (A Trip to the Moon); and playwright, songwriter, and educator abs wilson (Lighthouse The Musical). Each person or duo will be awarded a $20,000 unrestricted grant in addition to a $2,500 Saw Island Foundation Recording Grant to support the production of new demo recordings that better represent the artist’s vision.

Two special presentations showcasing the work of this year’s Jonathan Larson® Grant winning artists will be held on March 23 at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, at 6:30 p.m. (invite only) and 9:00 p.m. (open to the public). Tickets for the 9:00 p.m. concert are available now on a pay-what-you-can system. Past Jonathan Larson Grant winner Rona Siddiqui will host this year’s celebration, Patrick Sulken will serve as music director, and the concert producer is Jenny Gorelick. Tickets can be purchased here.

The 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant recipients were selected by an expert panel consisting of Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Patrick Catullo; creative director, designer, and producer Clint Ramos; and actress, singer, writer, and teacher Grace McLean.

The American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grants are awarded annually to exceptional emerging musical theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists, or writing teams. Recipients are given a platform to amplify stories and free rein in the application of the grant, which serves as pivotal support to take their professional development to the next level and, in many cases, their work from creative concept to stage. The grants—named for seminal composer Jonathan Larson, who posthumously won a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards—regularly serve as an indicator of who will be the next great theater-makers and culture-shapers. Past recipients include such luminaries as Pasek & Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal), Shaina Taub (Suffs), Chad Beguelin and Matt Sklar (The Prom, Elf), Amanda Green (Bring It On, Mr. Saturday Night), Nell Benjamin (Mean Girls, Legally Blonde), Matt Gould (Lempicka, Invisible Thread), Laurence O’Keefe (Heathers, Legally Blonde), Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder), Glenn Slater (Sister Act, School of Rock), Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), Kait Kerrigan (The Great Gatsby), Bree Lowdermilk (The Mad Ones), and more.