Michael Lupu, ASC M.A. 1978, awarded Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas' Highest Honor

Saturday, July 22, 2006

---

On July 22, Annenberg alumnus Michael Lupu, M.A. '78, was awarded the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas' Highest Honor, the Lessing Award. The award, rarely given, recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of dramaturgy and literary management. There have only been two previous recipients: Anne Cattaneo and Arthur Ballet.

The award is named for Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781): playwright and resident critic at the Hamburg National Theatre, and, by most accounts, the first officially appointed dramaturg.

Lupu was a theater and film critic in his native Romania, and worked in dramaturgy for over a decade (1960-1971) at the Bulandra Theater of Bucharest before emigrating to the United States in 1972, before studying at the Annenberg School.

Since 1981 Lupu has been part of the Guthrie Theater artistic staff, initially as outreach director (1981-1984) and then working in the dramaturgy department under the leadership of artistic directors Liviu Ciulei, Garland Wright, and Joe Dowling. Over the years, he had the opportunity to collaborate with many notable stage directors. For the last ten years he has been the Guthrie’s Senior Dramaturg.