2000 Recipient

Mario Fratti is an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic. Author of such works as Suicide, The Cage, The Return, and The Bridge, he is best known for his musical Nine, which in its original production in 1982 won the O'Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, and five Tony Awards. In its 2003 revival, Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards. In addition to his writing achievements, he is a professor of Italian Literature at Hunter College in New York, and he serves as New York drama critic for nine European newspapers.