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Terrence McNally Headshot

Terrence McNally

Birth Place: St. Petersburg, FL, USA

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BIO

McNally has had a remarkably far-ranging career spanning six decades. In 2018 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is a recipient of the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award. He has won four Tony Awards for his plays Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class and his musical books for Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime.


He has written a number of TV scripts, including "Andre's Mother," for which he won an Emmy Award. He has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, four Drama Desk Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, two Obie Awards, and three Hull-Warriner Awards from the Dramatists Guild. In 1996 he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
He wrote the libretto for the operas Great Scottand Dead Man Walking, both with music by Jake Heggie. Other plays include Mothers and Sons; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; The Lisbon Traviata; A Perfect Ganesh; The Visit; The Full Monty; Corpus Christi; Bad Habits; Next; The Ritz; Anastasia; It’s Only a Play; Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?; and The Stendhal Syndrome.

Photos

Productions

 
[Broadway, 2025]
Book
 
[Off-Broadway, 2024]
Book Writer
 
[US Tour, 2018] Cancelled [Replacement]
Book[Replacement]
 
[Broadway, 2015]
Book
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Playwright
 
[Broadway, 2014]
Plawright
 
[Williamstown, MA (Regional), 2014]
Playwright
 
[Broadway, 2014]
Playwright
 
[Broadway, 2000] Cancelled
Book Revisions
 
[New York, 1998]
Book Revisions
 
[Off-Broadway, 1995]
Adaptation

Writing

Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Bookwriter
Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Book Writer
Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Playwright
Bookwriter
Bookwriter
Bookwriter
Bookwriter

TV Shows

The Young and the Restless
Dr. Robert Lynch

Awards and Nominations

Tony Awards - 2020 - Best Revival of a Play

Terrence McNally, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune


winner
Tony Awards - 2019 - Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Terrence McNally

Drama Desk Awards - 2017 - Outstanding Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, Anastasia

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2017 - Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Terrence McNally, Anastasia

Drama League Awards - 2015 - Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play

Terrence McNally, It's Only a Play


winner
The Lortels - 2015 - Lifetime Achievement Award

Terrence McNally

Tony Awards - 2015 - Best Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, The Visit


winner
- 2014 - Legend of Off Broadway Honorees

Terrence McNally

Tony Awards - 2014 - Best Play

Terrence McNally, Mothers and Sons

Drama Desk Awards - 2007 - Outstanding Play

Terrence McNally, Some Me


winner
Helen Hayes Awards - 2004 - The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee and Gilbert Mead

Terrence McNally


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2002 - Outstanding Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, A Man of No Importance

Tony Awards - 2001 - Best Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, The Full Monty


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, The Full Monty


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1998 - Best Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, Ragtime

New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1998 - Best Musical

Terrence McNally, Ragtime


winner
Tony Awards - 1998 - Best Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, Ragtime


winner
Tony Awards - 1996 - Best Play

Terrence McNally, Master Class


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1995 - Outstanding Play

Terrence McNally, Love! Valour! Compassion!


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1995 - Outstanding Play

Terrence McNally, Love! Valour! Compassion!


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1995 - Best American Play

Terrence McNally, Love! Valour! Compassion!


winner
Obie Awards - 1995 - Playwriting

Terrence McNally, Love! Valour! Compassion!


winner
Tony Awards - 1995 - Best Play

Terrence McNally, Love! Valour! Compassion!

The Pulitzer Prize - 1994 - The Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Terrence McNally, A Perfect Ganesh


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 1993 - Best Musical

Terrence McNally, Kiss of the Spider Woman


winner
Tony Awards - 1993 - Best Book of a Musical

Terrence McNally, Kiss of the Spider Woman


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1992 - Outstanding New Play

Terrence McNally, Lips Together, Teeth Apart


winner
The Lortels - 1992 - Outstanding Body of Work

Terrence McNally

Drama Desk Awards - 1975 - Outstanding New American Play

Terrence McNally, The Ritz


winner
Obie Awards - 1974 - Distinguished Plays

Terrence McNally, Bad Habits

Videos

News


Video: RAGTIME Cast Performs Opening Number on GOOD MORNING AMERICA
by Josh Sharpe - Dec 4, 2025

To celebrate the hit revival of Broadway's Ragtime, Good Morning America visited the Vivian Beaumont Theatre for an exclusive performance of the musical's opening number. Watch as the company, including Joshua Henry, Nichelle Lewis, Brandon Uranowitz, and Caissie Levy, takes the stage for the rousing number.
Works & Process at the Guggenheim Unveils Spring 2026 Season
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 4, 2025

Throughout spring 2026, Works & Process will present a full slate of dynamic programs at Guggenheim New York, along with a special Martha Graham Dance Company performance at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice on May 8, coinciding with the opening of the Venice Biennale.
Donja R. Love Names Andrew Russell Recipient of the 2025 Write It Out! Prize
by Stephi Wild - Dec 2, 2025

Donja R. Love has announced Andrew Russell as the 2025 recipient of the Write It Out! Prize for playwrights living with HIV and AIDS. Learn more about Russell and the prize here!
Video: Watch RAGTIME Perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
by Josh Sharpe - Nov 27, 2025

Earlier this morning, the cast of Ragtime, currently running on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, hit the stage on 34th Street to perform at the 99th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Led by Joshua Henry and Nichelle Lewis, the cast performed 'Wheels of a Dream' and the musical's title number. Watch the full performance here.
Review: MASTER CLASS at Roustabouts And Scripps Ranch Theatre
by ErinMarie Reiter - Nov 22, 2025

'Master Class,' running through December 14 in a co-production between The Roustabouts Theatre Company and Scripps Ranch Theatre, revisits Maria Callas in the final chapter of her performing life; when her voice had faded, yet her fervor for her art had not.
RAGTIME 2025 Broadway Cast Recording Will Be Released in January
by Stephi Wild - Nov 21, 2025

The 2025 Broadway cast recording of Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of Ragtime, directed by Lear deBessonet, will be released digitally on January 9, 2026.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Movie Soundtrack Now Available on CD
by Stephi Wild - Nov 21, 2025

Kiss of the Spider Woman – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is now available on CD. The album was released in streaming and digital platforms last month and will be available on Friday, December 19.
Hermitage Artist Retreat Receives $300,000 in National and Regional Grants for Artist Programs
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 17, 2025

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has been awarded a series of grants totaling over $300,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows.
Review: FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE at The Gamm Theatre
by Christopher Verleger - Nov 12, 2025

The man and woman featured in Gamm Theatre’s marvelous, endearing production of Terrence McNally’s 1982 play, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” are both unmistakably struck by Cupid’s arrow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ready or even expected to live happily ever after.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Sets November Digital Release
by Josh Sharpe - Nov 10, 2025

Kiss of the Spider Woman, the 2025 adaptation of the Broadway musical, will arrive on digital platforms on November 11, 2025. The digital release will retail for $14.99 in standard definition and $19.99 in high definition. 
Photos: FRANKIE & JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE at The Gamm Theatre
by Gillian Blum - Nov 10, 2025

Check out photos from Terrence McNally's Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune, which is now running at the Gamm Theatre in Rhode Island through November 30.
RAGTIME Extends on Broadway Due to Demand
by Stephi Wild - Nov 6, 2025

Lincoln Center Theater’s 2025 revival of Ragtime, directed by Kewsong Lee Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, has extended performances by popular demand through June 14, 2026.
Review: DEAD MAN WALKING, London Coliseum
by Gary Naylor - Nov 6, 2025

A confession. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine to read the death notices on Wikipedia - I am my mother’s son after all and, without the columns of classifieds in the Liverpool Echo, where else is there to look?
Review: DEAD MAN WALKING, ENO, London Coliseum
by Gary Naylor - Nov 5, 2025

Leads, Christine Rice and Michael Mayes, can seldom have been bettered in the long history of this house
Conundrum Theatre Company To Present RAGTIME At The Broadwater Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 4, 2025

Conundrum Theatre Company will continue its tradition of community-driven, high-quality theatre with a new production of Ragtime, running December 5–14, 2025, at the Broadwater Theater in Hollywood.
Broadway World Previews the U.S. Premiere of AN ORCHARD FOR CHEKHOV at Upstream Theater
by James Lindhorst - Oct 31, 2025

When Upstream Theater’s new production of An Orchard for Chekhov opens it will pair two of the finest regional actors working in theater today. Houstonian Sally Edmundson and St. Louisan J. Samuel Davis will star in the U.S. premiere of Pedro Bricio’s comedic drama. Upstream Theatre’s artistic director Philip Boehm tapped Steven K. Smith to translate Bricio’s script from Portuguese to English. Boehm will direct. Edmundson, Davis, and Boehm sat down with Broadway World to talk about bringing An Orchard for Chekhov to the stage.
Citywide James Ijames Pass Celebrates Philadelphia-Based Playwright
by Stephi Wild - Oct 29, 2025

For the first time in the region, three leading theaters are launching a multi-theater pass dedicated to a single contemporary playwright. Learn more about the James Ijames pass here!
The History of Feminist Plays That Came Before LIBERATION
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Oct 28, 2025

As the fight for women to have equal rights and opportunities has evolved, so has the presence of plays telling these stories. When I wrote my book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers, I researched many musicals that are in this genre as well.
ANASTASIA The Musical at the Regent Theatre Casts Four Youth Performers In the Title Role
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 25, 2025

Producers of Anastasia The Musical have announced the young Melbourne actors sharing the role of Little Anastasia in the upcoming Australian production.
Chita Rivera Was Originally Set to Appear in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Movie
by Josh Sharpe - Oct 23, 2025

Before her passing in 2024, Broadway legend Chita Rivera was originally attached to appear in the film adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman, which hit theaters earlier this month. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Terrence McNally written?

Terrence McNally has written 41 shows including The Lady of the Carnellias (Playwright), Maggie May (Playwright), And Things That Go Bump in the Night (Playwright), Here's Where I Belong (Bookwriter), Sweet Eros/ Witness (Playwright), Adaptation/ Next (Playwright), Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone? (Playwright), Broadway, Broadway (Bookwriter), The Rink (Bookwriter), It's Only a Play (Playwright), Urban Blight (Bookwriter), The Lisbon Traviata (Playwright), Bad Habits (Playwright), Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Playwright), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Bookwriter), A Perfect Ganesh (Playwright), Love! Valour! Compassion! (Playwright), Love! Valour! Compassion! (Playwright), Master Class (Playwright), By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea (Playwright), Ragtime (Bookwriter), Corpus Christi (Playwright), The Visit (Bookwriter), The Full Monty (Bookwriter), A Man of No Importance (Bookwriter), Frankie And Johnny In The Clair De Lune (Playwright), Short Talks on the Universe (Playwright), The Stendhal Syndrome (Playwright), Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams (Playwright), Catch Me If You Can (Bookwriter), Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (Bookwriter), The 24 Hour Plays 2006 (Playwright), Some Men (Playwright), Deuce (Playwright), The Ritz (Playwright), Golden Age (Playwright), Mothers and Sons (Playwright), In Your Arms (Story), Anastasia (Book Writer), Fire and Air (Playwright), Pride Plays (Author).

What awards has Terrence McNally been nominated for?

Best Revival of a Play (Tony Awards) for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (Tony Awards), Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Anastasia, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Anastasia, Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play (Drama League Awards) for It's Only a Play, Lifetime Achievement Award (The Lortels), Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for The Visit, Legend of Off Broadway Honorees (), Best Play (Tony Awards) for Mothers and Sons, Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Some Me, The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee and Gilbert Mead (Helen Hayes Awards) for , Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for A Man of No Importance, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for The Full Monty, Outstanding Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for The Full Monty, Best Book of a Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for Ragtime, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Ragtime, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Ragtime, Best Play (Tony Awards) for Master Class, Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Love! Valour! Compassion! , Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Best American Play (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Playwriting (Obie Awards) for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Best Play (Tony Awards) for Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Pulitzer Prize for Drama (The Pulitzer Prize) for A Perfect Ganesh, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Best Book of a Musical (Tony Awards) for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Outstanding New Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Outstanding Body of Work (The Lortels), Outstanding New American Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Ritz and Distinguished Plays (Obie Awards) for Bad Habits.

What awards has Terrence McNally won?

Terrence McNally has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. He was honored with Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre and the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Lortels. He is also recognized as a Legend of Off Broadway Honoree. Additionally, McNally received The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee and Gilbert Mead, from the Helen Hayes Awards. His exceptional work on musicals earned him Outstanding Book of a Musical from the Drama Desk Awards for A Man of No Importance and The Full Monty, as well as Best Book of a Musical honors from both the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Ragtime. He won Best Play at the Tony Awards for Master Class and Outstanding Play from the Drama Desk Awards for Love! Valour! Compassion! The same play also earned him Best American Play from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, the Playwriting Obie Award, and Best Play at the Tony Awards. Kiss of the Spider Woman received Best Musical from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards and Best Book of a Musical from the Tony Awards. He was recognized with Outstanding New Play by the Drama Desk Awards for Lips Together, Teeth Apart, and received Outstanding Body of Work from The Lortels. Furthermore, the Obie Awards honored him with Distinguished Plays for Bad Habits.

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