2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

#1

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:16pm

The official announcement comes Monday.

Last week, Playbill.com ran an article with their guesses:

- TIME STANDS STILL by Donald Margulies
- CLYBOURNE PARK by Bruce Norris
- MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno
- THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS by Fred Ebb and John Kander
- THE ALIENS by Annie Baker
- RED by John Logan
- AFTER THE REVOLUTION by Amy Herzog

Any others you think might make it on the list?

SPIRIT CONTROL by Beau Willimon?
ME, MYSELF & I by Edward Albee?
HIGH by Matthew Lombardo?
No award this year?

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"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

Updated On: 4/16/11 at 11:16 PM

#2

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:24pm

I'm thinking the finalists will be:

Time Stands Still
The Scottsboro Boys
Red

I tend to think Red or Time Stands Still will win.

#3

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:38pm

I know it's unlikely that a musical could win two years in a row, but I would love for "The Scottsboro Boys" to win. I think "Time Stands Still" will win, but would prefer to see "Scottsboro" or "Red" honored.

#4

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:40pm

I would be shocked if Time Stands Still and Red weren't at least finalists. My guess is that the 3rd finalist will be After the Revolution or Clybourne Park (both of which I disliked but the critics loved). I am praying that Time Stands Still will win. I would be really bummed if Red won.

#5

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:42pm

How many finalists are there each year? Only three? Does that include the recipient?

#6

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:49pm

I will be thrilled if either SCOTTSBORO BOYS or TIME STANDS STILL wins. I found RED to be mundane.

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"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards

#7

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/16/11 at 11:56pm

A jury nominates up to three Finalists. Then the judges decide on a recipient, and can choose either one of the Finalists, one that is not a Finalist, or choose not to give the award at all.

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"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

#8

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:00am

Thanks for the info. So last year, the judges opted not to choose a finalist, but to go for Next to Normal instead, right?

#9

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:06am

Correct.

From the Pulitzer website:

- Nominated Finalists are selected by the Nominating Juries for each category as finalists in the competition. The Pulitzer Prize Board generally selects the Pulitzer Prize Winners from the three nominated finalists in each category. The names of nominated finalists have been announced only since 1980. Work that has been submitted for Prize consideration but not chosen as either a nominated finalist or a winner is termed an entry or submission. No information on entrants is provided.

- Since 1980, when we began to announce nominated finalists, we have used the term "nominee" for entrants who became finalists. We discourage someone saying he or she was "nominated" for a Pulitzer simply because an entry was sent to us.

- The Pulitzer Prize Board may elect to bestow No Award in a category in any given year.

- On rare occasions The Pulitzer Prize Board will award a Special Award or Citation to a work or an individual of particular merit.

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"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

#10

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:26am

I think Good People has a shot at a nom, but I'm really rooting for Scottsboro Boys!

#11

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:37am

Good People didn't premiere until this year, so it's not eligible until next year.

#12

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:44am

Given that several of the (at least nominees) in recent years have been left-field choices without New York productions, I'm not making any bets.

If I had to pick a New York show though, I would love to see it go to Clybourne Park.

#13

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:45am

^ Oh, you're right! It'll be interesting to see what they nominate, but I'd be shocked if Time Stands Still wasn't considered.

#14

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 4:05am

The Pulitzer Prize is an award as meaningless/meaningful as any other...one person's opinion is as good as anothers. So what if 20 or so people decided that Time Stands Still is the best drama of the year? I'm sure there are at least 20 people here who would give it to Scottsboro Boys, and their opinion is as valid to me as the Pulitzer Board's is. And do the same board decide all 21 of the awards? The Pulitzers just have pretensions to superiority, but really the whole thing is a load of crap.

Of the posters who've stated their hopes/predictions...were you really saying what you actually thought was the best, or just what is deemed "serious" enough to be considered?

That said, they're still fun!

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Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$

Updated On: 4/17/11 at 04:05 AM

#15

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 7:25am

I'm all for Scottsboro or Time Stands Still this year. If After the Revolution gets nominated I'll be sad, because that I had such a hard time understanding how critics liked it...it's about a girl who has a bunch of different conversations with a bunch of different people about her grandfather...there's just about zero plot.

#16

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 7:58am

I'm not sure if hope has been given up yet, but if Scottsboro happens to win do you think that may give it the final push to coming back to the great white way?

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Jealous? I ain't jealous. I can take on these fellas whateva.

#17

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 9:09am

I really hope Clybourne Park wins.

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"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body

#18

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 9:13am

Kander and Ebb were never nominated for a Pulitzer before, were they?

What a lovely posthumous tribute that would be for Fred Ebb.

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#19

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 10:53am

I'd be happy with either Time Stands Still or Scottsboro Boys winning. If I had to pick one though, I'd say TSS, if only because I saw it twice and love it both times.

#20

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 11:37am

I'd be thrilled if it went to Time Stands Still. I saw it in January and was blown away. Fantastic writing, direction, and performances from everyone involved.

#21

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:05pm

I truly have a feeling its going to be SCOTTSBORO BOYS.

The Pulitzer committee already gave a prize to one of Margulies' "people-talking-about-having-emotions-instead-of-having-them" dramas.

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"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ Muhammad Ali

#22

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:22pm

I think the Pulitzer committee will award Albee another prize before he dies, to make up for the Virginia Woolf debacle. So I think Me, Myself & I will be a finalist, if not the winner.

#23

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 12:42pm

I hope it's not Time Stands Still. What a boring, lifeless play. There was nothing theatrical or interesting about it. It raised one interesting point, but had nothing else to offer.

I think Scottsboro Boys was brilliant. The staging was beautiful, the songs were great, and the format was interesting. I doubt it will win though.

#24

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 11:32pm

I have a silly question: is this the kind of news that will break at midnight or just sometime during the day tomorrow?

#25

2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalists

Posted: 4/17/11 at 11:37pm

It usually comes out at around 3pm.

I think it will be "Red".

It's a lot more interesting than "Time Stands Still" and Margulies already has a Pulitzer.

"Clybourne Park" strikes me as a real possibility as well.