The American Academy of Arts and Letters has named new musicals Far From the Tree and Lighthouse the recipients of the 2024 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater. 

The awards, endowed by the late legendary composer Richard Rodgers, present composers and playwrights with funds toward their show's presentation at a New York City non-profit theatre. Past recipients include Jonathan Larson's Rent, Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's Violet, Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1898, and Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown. 

Far From the Tree has won the 2024 Richard Rodgers Studio Production Award. Based on Andrew Solomon's non-fiction book of the same name, the musical weaves together stories of parents raising profoundly different children. The work features a libretto by Justin Warner, music by Robert Maggio, and lyrics by Kristin Maloney. 

Pop-country musical Lighthouse has won the 2024 Richard Rodgers Staged Reading Award. Featuring a story by abs wilson and Veronica Mansour, book and lyrics by wilson, and music by Mansour, the musical follows Bus, an 18-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to escape her small Minnesota town. The work explores life with anxiety and O.C.D., and the lives of women in rural, conservative communities. 

The members of this year's jury include David Lang (chair), Lynn Ahrens, Mindi Dickstein, Amanda Green, Michael R. Jackson, Richard Maltby, Jr., and John Weidman. The Richard Rodgers Awards will be presented at the American Academy of Arts and Letters' annual ceremony in May. 

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