BMI Foundation Presents 2016 Musical Theatre Awards

BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop Administrator Frederick Freyer, Jerry Harrington Award winners Clay Zambo, Jessica Penzias, and Alex Ratner, BMI Foundation's Pat Cook, Jean Banks Award winner Eric Allen, Jerry Harrington Award winner George Steel, Jean Banks Award winner Laurel Haines.

BMI Foundation's Pat Cook with Jerry Harrington Award winner Jessica Penzias.

BMI Foundation's Pat Cook with Jerry Harrington Award winner Clay Zambo.

BMI Foundation's Pat Cook with Jerry Harrington Award winner George Steel.

Jean Banks Award winner Eric Allen, BMI Foundation's Pat Cook, Jean Banks Award winner Lauren Haines.

Ellen Schwartz Award winner Mary Liz McNamara with BMI Foundation's Pat Cook.

Jerry Harrington Award winner Alex Ratner with BMI Foundation's Pat Cook.

Members of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop gather for the presentation of the 2016 BMI Foundation Musical Theatre Awards.

The BMI Foundation has announced seven members of the Tony-honored BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as the winners of its annual Musical Theatre Awards, encompassing the Jerry Harrington Awards For Outstanding Creative Achievement in Musical Theatre, the Jean Banks Award, and the Ellen Schwartz Award for Outstanding Literary Merit in Lyric Writing. The awards were presented by BMI Director of Musical Theatre and BMI Foundation Board Member Pat Cook during a ceremony held on June 13, 2016 at Broadcast Music, Inc.’s headquarters in New York City.

The 2016 award winners are:

• Eric Allen - Second Year Workshop, Jean Banks Award for “Mr. Lemon”

• Laurel Haines - Second Year Workshop, Jean Banks Award for “Mr. Lemon”

• Mary Liz McNamara - Advanced Workshop, Ellen Schwartz Award for Outstanding Literary Merit in Lyric Writing

• Jessica Penzias - Librettists Workshop, Jerry Harrington Award

• Alex Ratner - First Year Workshop, Jerry Harrington Award

• George Steel- Second Year Workshop, Jerry Harrington Award

• Clay Zambo - Advanced Workshop, Jerry Harrington Award

The Jerry Harrington Awards were established in 2000 by BMI Foundation Board Member Evelyn Buckstein in honor of her late friend and colleague Jerry Harrington, who was an avid supporter of musical theatre. Awards totaling $2,600 are presented annually for the works judged “most outstanding” in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a program that is widely regarded as the premiere training ground for emerging musical theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists.

The Jean Banks Award was created by the BMI Foundation in 2012 to honor the legacy of former BMI Senior Director of Jazz and Musical Theatre and BMI Foundation Secretary Jean Banks. A $500 prize is presented each year for the best ten-minute musical written in the Musical Theatre Workshop.

Established in 2015, the Ellen Schwartz Award commemorates the life and career of the late songwriter, Ellen Schwartz. A $1,000 award is given annually to a Second or Third Year Workshop participant whose lyric writing demonstrates exceptional literary merit.