Samuel D. Hunter to be Honored at Page 73 2026 Gala
Hunter made his Broadway debut last year with Little Bear Ridge Road starring Laurie Metcalf.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 03, 2026
Page 73 has named Samuel D. Hunter as the honoree for its 2026 Gala on April 27. Hosted at the historic Joe's Pub, the evening cabaret will honor Hunter's indelible mark on the American theatrical canon while raising crucial funds for Page 73's artistic programs.
Hunter began his relationship with Page 73 in 2009 during a summer residency. The following year, Page 73 produced the play he had been developing, Jack's Precious Moment, marking Hunter's Off-Broadway debut.
“Once Page 73 produced one of my plays, suddenly I wasn't an unproduced playwright anymore – and that was a really big deal,” Hunter shares. “This unspoken thing happened – suddenly it was OK to put my plays into full production.”
Hunter's career has since soared with productions throughout NYC and the world, garnering prestigious awards and nominations, including Obies, Oscars, and a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. He made his Broadway debut last year with Little Bear Ridge Road starring Laurie Metcalf.
“Sam's writing has always moved me, and seeing his newest work among a Broadway audience for the first time last year was especially meaningful,” says Page 73 Artistic Director Michael Walkup. “His career is a quintessential example of what Page 73's mission is all about. We provide serious resources to playwrights at the start of their careers. As their reputation grows and their talent earns them further opportunities, they are prepared to make the most of them, artistically and professionally. Sam's sustained excellence over the past fifteen years is an inspiration to all of the writers currently in our development programs working on their craft.”
The 2026 Page 73 Gala will feature an exclusive pre-show cocktail hour, followed by dinner and entertainment – lineup to be announced.
Ticket and table purchases for this year's Gala will provide Page 73 with much-needed funds to pursue its crucial work, which continues with Ro Reddick and the triumphant return of her play-with-music, Cold War Choir Practice, in a co-production with MCC Theater and Clubbed Thumb, running February 21-March 29.
About Samuel D. Hunter
Samuel D. Hunter grew up in Moscow, Idaho and lives in New York City. His full-length plays include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play), A Case for the Existence of God (New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, Hull-Warriner Award), Little Bear Ridge Road (Broadway run; Jeff Award, Best New Work), Grangeville (Drama Desk and Outer Critics nomination for Best Play), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Greater Clements (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play, Outer Critics Circle Honoree), Lewiston/Clarkston (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Few, A Great Wilderness, Rest, Pocatello, The Healing, and The Harvest, among others. The film version of The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, was nominated for the 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received two Oscars, including Best Actor. He was also a writer and producer on all four seasons of FX's Baskets. He is the recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, a 2012 Whiting Writers Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho. His work has been presented on London's West End, Broadway, and Off-Broadway in New York City by Lincoln Center Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, LCT3, Signature Theatre, Page 73 Productions, Clubbed Thumb, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. Elsewhere, his work has been produced by Theatre Royal Bath, Theatre Rotterdam, Dallas Theatre Center, Seattle Rep, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, and Victory Gardens, among others. Two published anthologies of his work are available from TCG Books, and another is forthcoming. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and a current Resident Playwright at the Signature Theatre in New York City. He holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, The Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard.
Videos