Scots Duo Noisemaker are Recipients of the 2025 Jonathan Larson Grant
The winners were selected by an expert panel
By: Natalie O'Donoghue Feb. 19, 2026
The American Theatre Wing (ATW), led by President and CEO Heather Hitchens, is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025 Jonathan Larson® Grant, the esteemed 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/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 23rd at Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, at 6:30pm (invite only) and 9:00pm (open to the public). Tickets for the 9:00pm concert are available now, on a pay-what-you-can system. Past Jonathan Larson Grant winner, Rona Siddiqui will be hosting this year’s celebration and Patrick Sulken will music direct with Jenny Gorelick as concert producer. Tickets can be purchased here.
“Each year, the Jonathan Larson Grants remind us just how bold and inventive the future of musical theatre is. This year’s recipients are singular storytellers with unmistakable voices, and we’re honored to support them at this pivotal moment in their artistic journeys” says Heather Hitchens. “We’re also profoundly grateful to our dedicated panelists, whose insight and care make this program so meaningful. We can’t wait to gather on March 23rd to celebrate these extraordinary artists and share their work with the community.”
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; 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 (…The Great Comet), Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman’s Guide …), Glenn Slater (Sister Act, School of Rock), Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), Kait Kerrigan (The Great Gatsby), Bree Lowdermilk (The Mad Ones), and more.
ARTISTS’ WEBSITES:
Noisemaker's hit musical Scots returns in March for a Scottish tour. Details can be found here.
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