Wicked's Stephen Schwartz Named Recipient of Tony Awards' 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced Stephen Schwartz as this year’s recipient for the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, which is presented annually to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations.

Stephen Schwartz will be presented with the award in recognition of his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent through his work with ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP Foundation, and helping develop new partnerships as president of the Dramatists Guild.

"Stephen’s successes span far beyond the Broadway stage through his commitment to fostering the next generation of musical-theater actors, lyricists, and composers. We are thrilled to celebrate his countless triumphs with this honor," Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, president of the American Theatre Wing, said in a statement.

Schwartz is known for his music and lyrics for such shows as Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked. For the past six years, he has served as president of the Dramatists Guild, working to strengthen and protect the rights of American dramatists, including battling censorship and piracy and improving the relationship between writers and directors, actors, and producers.

As a long-standing board member of the ASCAP Foundation, he has served as artistic director of the musical-theater workshops in New York and Los Angeles for more than 20 years and also brought the ASCAP workshop to cities around the country.

The 2015 Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7 at 8pm ET.