Just announced: Tracy Letts wins, as widely expected, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the magnificent August: Osage County. This is such a huge honor for Tracy and Steppenwolf Theatre of course, but also for the city of Chicago’s vibrant, bustling, supportive, energetic, and courageous theater community. As the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones notes in his blog entry announcing the win, this is the first time that a playwright living in Chicago has won the country’s highest and most prestigious dramatic honor for a play that originated in Chicago. As a sidenote, I find it interesting that this year’s drama prize judges did not include Chris or the New York Times’ Charles Isherwood, who have both served on the panel previously, but who have been the most vocal supporters of this legendary work, but instead includes Peter Marks, the Washington Post’s theater critic who wrote a much derided (by bloggers) negative review of the play. Talent ultimately prevails!
Apr 07
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