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David Lindsay-Abaire

デイヴィッド・リンジー=アベア

Deividdo Rinjī-Abe a

Aliases: David Abaire

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1969-11-30 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
South Boston → Brooklyn, Ditmas Park

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Lyricist, Screenwriter
Active Years
1997-2024
Affiliations
Manhattan Theatre Club, Juilliard School
Influenced By
Christopher Durang, John Guare, Tina Howe, Georges Feydeau, Eugène Ionesco, Joe Orton
Nominations
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Shrek the Musical), Tony Award for Best Play (Good People)

Education

Sarah Lawrence College
Theatre
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: United States
concentrated in theatre
Juilliard School
Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program
Degree: GrDip
Period: 1996-1998
Year of Graduation: 1998
Country: United States

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2007
Work: Rabbit Hole
Organization: Columbia University
Result: Won
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
2023
Work: Kimberly Akimbo
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: Won
Tony Award for Best Original Score
2023
Work: Kimberly Akimbo
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Rabbit Hole

2006 Drama

A play about a couple grieving the loss of their son in an accident.

LossFamilyGrief
Adaptations
  • [Film] Rabbit Hole / John Cameron Mitchell (2010)

Kimberly Akimbo

2000 Drama

Story of a teenage girl with progeria and her dysfunctional family.

IllnessFamilyYouth
Adaptations
  • [Musical] Kimberly Akimbo (2021)

Fuddy Meers

1999 Black Comedy

Chaotic family with an aphasic mother.

FamilyAmnesiaHumor

Good People

2011 Drama

Working-class woman reconnects with successful ex-boyfriend.

ClassFriendshipPast

Shrek the Musical

2008 Musical

Broadway musical based on the Shrek film.

AdventureFriendshipPrejudice

Bibliography

  • A Devil Inside
  • Fuddy Meers
  • Snow Angel
  • Kimberly Akimbo
  • Wonder of the World
  • Rabbit Hole
  • Good People
  • Ripcord

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Dark comedyAbsurdismDialogue-driven
Recurring Motifs
Dysfunctional familiesLoss and recoveryClass differences

Legacy

Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning American playwright influential in contemporary theatre.

Quotes

  • I don't think there's been a piece written about me that hasn't mentioned the fact that he and I live in the same world.
    Source: New York Times interview (2000)

Trivia

  • Born David Abaire.
  • Known for elaborate Halloween displays in Ditmas Park.