On March 1, the American Academy of Arts and Letters announced the three winners of its 2021 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater. Studio production awards went to The Monster by Chelsea Marcantel, Michael Mahler, and Alan Schmuckler; Oratorio for Living Things by Heather Christian; and TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix by EllaRose Chary and Brandon James Gwinn.
The Monster is a modern-day reimagining of Frankenstein, delving into its themes of creation and responsibility. Victoria launches software to bring communities into harmony online, but as the scope of the technology expands, she finds her moral center tested. Deep inside the recesses of the internet, there remains a trace of what makes us human — if only we can find it before our time runs out.
Oratorio for Living Things is a modern oratorio for 12 voices and orchestra that seeks to illuminate and beatify the time that blurs the line between scientific and spiritual revelation. The oratorio visits time on three scales: the quantum, the human, and the cosmic. Below is Christian singing “Hydrogen & Helium” at the Ars Nova Ball 2019.
T and L drive their convertible off a cliff and into the fantasy-driven, irreverent, queer, rock musical TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix, where strong female characters don’t “always gotta die.” They attempt to sort out their new identities, how those identities impact their relationships with each other, and seek the queer-happy ending they’ve always deserved. Below is Hannah Cruz singing “Put Up a Fight.”
The members of this year’s jury were chair David Lang, Lynn Ahrens, Kristoffer Diaz, Mindi Dickstein, Amanda Green, Michael R. Jackson, Richard Maltby Jr., and John Weidman. Former recipients include Nine; Rent; Lucky Stiff; Violet; Grey Gardens; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; and Hadestown.