Terrence McNally Foundation Launches To Support Emerging Playwrights, LGBTQ+ Causes
deadline.comTom Kirdahy, Broadway producer and husband of the late theater icon Terrence McNally, announced today the creation of the Terrence McNally Foundation, “continuing the legendary playwright’s singular legacy of mentorship and activism.” Today would have been the playwright’s 84th birthday.
He died of complications from Covid at age 81 on March 24, 2020. The nonprofit organization will be committed to supporting what today’s announcement describes as “bold new voices in the American Theatre” by providing financial and institutional support to early-career playwrights.
In addition, the Terrence McNally Foundation is committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life. “Art and activism were central to Terrence’s life,” said Kirdahy in a statement. “At a time when living as an out gay man came at great professional cost, Terrence wrote and loved fearlessly.
Terrence was a truth teller who never wrote in code. His groundbreaking plays and musicals fundamentally shaped the way a generation of Americans talked about LGBTQ+ issues.
