Michael R. Jackson | |
|---|---|
 Jackson at the75th Tony Awards in 2022 | |
| Born | 1981 (age 43–44) Detroit, Michigan |
| Occupation | Playwright, composer, and lyricist |
| Education | New York University (BFA,MFA) |
| Notable awards | Whiting Award, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award, Lambda Literary Award for Drama, Drama Desk Award, Obie Award |
Michael R. Jackson (born 1981)[1] is an American playwright, composer, and lyricist, best known for his musicalA Strange Loop, which won the 2020Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2022Tony Award for Best Musical. He is originally from Detroit.
Jackson interned for a time at ABC, working on daytime programming, specificallyAll My Children. Jackson has described himself as "a huge soap person," and wanted to originally write for soaps.[2]
Jackson wrote the book and lyrics forOnly Children with composer Rachel Peters, which was presented atNYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre.[3]
He also wrote lyrics and co-wrote the book, with Anna K. Jacobs, for the musical adaptation of the 2007 indie filmTeeth.[4] He sang "Lonesome of the Road" on a tribute album forElizabeth Swados.[5][6]
In 2019, his song cycle,The Kids on the Lawn, was published inThe New York Times Magazine'sculture issue. The issue, organized around the theme "America 2024", imagines what America will be like five years into the future.[7]
Jackson's musical,A Strange Loop, received its world premiere atPlaywrights Horizons in New York City in 2019.[8] After a six-week run at theWoolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., in 2021,A Strange Loop opened on Broadway at theLyceum Theatre in April 2022.[9][10]
His musicalWhite Girl in Danger began previews at theTony Kiser Theater on March 15, 2023, and opened on April 10, 2023. The musical explores the intersections of race, class, and identity in daytime soap operas.[11]
| Year | Title | Music | Lyrics | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A Strange Loop | Michael R. Jackson | ||
| 2023 | White Girl in Danger | Michael R. Jackson | ||
| 2024 | Teeth | Anna K. Jacobs | Michael R. Jackson | Anna K. Jacobs & Michael R. Jackson |
In 2017, Jackson received a Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing[12] and was one of 11 winners of the 2017 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.[13] He was also a Sundance Theatre Institute Composer Fellow and a 2016–2017 Dramatist Guild Fellow.[14]
Jackson was named one of the "Black Male Writers for our Time" byThe New York Times in 2018.[15] In 2019, he received aWhiting Award for drama and a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting.[16][17] In 2020, Jackson was awarded thePulitzer Prize for Drama forA Strange Loop, becoming the first black musical theatre writer to win the award.[18] He was also the winner of theLambda Literary Award for Drama[19] and aFred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters.[20] Additionally, Jackson received twoDrama Desk Awards, twoObie Awards, twoOuter Critics Circle Award Honors, and an Antonyo Award for Best Book forA Strange Loop.[21]
In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQPride parade,Queerty named him among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".[22][23] In 2022, Jackson was featured in the book50 Key Figures in Queer US Theatre, with a profile written by theatre scholar Aviva Helena Neff.[24]
In March 2021, Jackson was awarded theWindham–Campbell Literature Prize for drama.[25]
At the75th Tony Awards, Jackson's musicalA Strange Loop was nominated for 11 awards, winningBest Musical andBest Book of a Musical.[26]
Jackson studied atCass Technical High School and attended New York University.[27] He is openly gay.[28]
