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Neil LaBute

Birth Place: Detroit, MI, USA

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BIO

Neil LaBute received his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre. Films include In the Company of Men (New York Critics Circle Award for Best First Feature, Filmmakers’ Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, Possession, The Shape of Things — a film adaptation of his play by the same title — The Wicker Man, Lakeview Terrace and Death at a Funeral. Plays include bash: reasons to be pretty, latter-day plays, The Shape of Things, The Distance From Here, The Mercy Seat, Autobahn, This Is How It Goes, Some Girl(s), Wrecks, In a Dark Dark House, Helter Skelter, The Furies and The War on Terror. LaBute is the author of several fictional pieces that have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar and Playboy, among others. A collection of his short stories was published by Grove/Atlantic.

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Productions

The Way We Get ByThe Way We Get By
 
[Off-Broadway, 2015]
Playwright
The Money ShotThe Money Shot
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Writer
Reasons to be HappyReasons to be Happy
 
[Off-Broadway, 2013]
Director
Fat PigFat Pig
 
[Broadway, 2012] Cancelled
Director
Reasons to Be PrettyReasons to Be Pretty
 
[West End, 2011]
Director
Wrecks
 
[Off-Broadway, 2006]
Director
The Mercy Seat
 
[Off-Broadway, 2002]
Director
The Shape of Things
 
[Off-Broadway, 2001]
Director

Writing

Some Girl(s)
Playwright
Wrecks
Playwright
Fat Pig
Playwright
The Mercy Seat
Playwright

Awards and Nominations


winner
The Lortels - 2013 - Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee

Neil LaBute

Drama Desk Awards - 2009 - Outstanding Play

Neil LaBute, reasons to be pretty

Olivier Awards - 2009 - Best New Comedy

Neil LaButeFat Pig

Tony Awards - 2009 - Best Play

Neil LaBute, Reasons to Be Pretty


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2001 - Outstanding Play

Neil LaBute, The Shape of Things

Videos

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News


Yeva Sevriukova To Star In LARA'S JOURNEY In A Benefit Reading For The Center at West Photo
Yeva Sevriukova To Star In LARA'S JOURNEY In A Benefit Reading For The Center at West Park
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 15, 2025

Joanna Pickering's new one-woman play, Lara's Journey, completes casting and announces Ukrainian actress Yeva Sevriukova. Sevriukova, who stars in the title role, is a seasoned stage and TV actress in Kyiv, Ukraine. She came to the USA when her career was halted due to the Ukraine war.
Joanna Pickering's LARA'S JOURNEY to Have Benefit Reading at The Center for West Park Photo
Joanna Pickering's LARA'S JOURNEY to Have Benefit Reading at The Center for West Park
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 12, 2025

Joanna Pickering's one-act play, Lara's Journey, will be performed in a benefit staged reading on World Refugee Day. The reading will be held at the Center for West Park, June 20th at 8 p.m.
Tom Felton Will Reprise Role of Draco Malfory in HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD on Photo
Tom Felton Will Reprise Role of Draco Malfory in HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD on Broadway
by Team BWW - Jun 5, 2025

Tom Felton, who for over a decade played the role of Harry Potter’s arch-nemesis “Draco Malfoy” in all eight Harry Potter films, will join the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach Will Make Broadway Debuts in DOG DAY AFTERNOON Photo
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach Will Make Broadway Debuts in DOG DAY AFTERNOON
by Nicole Rosky - Jun 4, 2025

DOG DAY AFTERNOON, a new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, based on the legendary true crime story, will open on Broadway in the spring of 2026. We have all of the details here!
Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN to Continue The 'From A To Zoo' Staged Reading Series Photo
Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN to Continue The 'From A To Zoo' Staged Reading Series In Teaneck
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 30, 2025

In association with The Estate of Edward Albee, Black Box will present a staged reading of Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN (1991). Learn more and see how to attend.
Review: HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS, Park Theatre Photo
Review: HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS, Park Theatre
by Cindy Marcolina - Apr 23, 2025

All great plays have a moral dilemma buried at the centre. Loyalty, truth, justice, et cetera. The greatest playwrights narrow down these big juicy themes and shape them into a story, making the personal universal and challenging the audience by turning their views against them – it’s a difficult balance to establish. The core of How To Fight Lonelinesshas so much potential. Neil LaBute builds this project around a collection of major arguments, hardly making his characters acknowledge the empirical decisions they face directly. People talk about nothing, saying everything, for over two hours. Assisted suicide, spirituality, lawfulness are the lining of How To Fight Loneliness. Unfortunately, the final product is a redundant show, meaty in its subject but largely exasperating and uninspiring.
Review: Neil Labute's COMFORT Smartly Depicts a Torn Family Relationship Photo
Review: Neil Labute's COMFORT Smartly Depicts a Torn Family Relationship
by Marina Kennedy - Apr 22, 2025

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) continues their successful season of year-round theatre with Comfort, a gripping world premiere by the award-winning writer, Neil LaBute. 
ENTERTAIN AND DINE-NJ Style Photo
ENTERTAIN AND DINE-NJ Style
by Marina Kennedy - Apr 17, 2025

Garden State shows promise to please theatergoers this spring.  Here are some of the top performances that are happening and be sure to pair your trip to the theatre with a restaurant visit for a great day or evening out.
ENTERTAIN AND DINE-NJ Style Photo
ENTERTAIN AND DINE-NJ Style
by Marina Kennedy - Apr 17, 2025

Check out some of the great performances that are happening in New Jersey and pair your trip to the theatre with a restaurant visit for a great day or evening out
Amanda Seyfried Recalls Intense Stage Fright During Off-Broadway Play Photo
Amanda Seyfried Recalls Intense Stage Fright During Off-Broadway Play
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 16, 2025

In a new interview, Amanda Seyfried talked about her experience in the off-Broadway play The Way We Get By, sharing the intense stage fright she felt during the production.
Neil LaBute's COMFORT is Coming to New Jersey Repertory Company This Month Photo
Neil LaBute's COMFORT is Coming to New Jersey Repertory Company This Month
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 16, 2025

New Jersey Repertory Company will continue its 28th season with Neil LaBute’s Comfort, directed by Evan Bergman. See who is starring and learn how to purchase tickets.
Natalia Kholodenko To Present Joanna Pickering's Play LARA'S JOURNEY Photo
Natalia Kholodenko To Present Joanna Pickering's Play LARA'S JOURNEY
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 15, 2025

TV psychologist Natalia Kholodenko will present Lara's Journey for her Ukraine seminar on April 22nd in a collaboration with leading artists. From heartbreak to hope, TV psychologist Natalia Kholodenko has become the guiding light for millions of Ukrainian women navigating the devastation of war.
STAR WARS On Stage: A Guide to Broadway Stars in a Galaxy Far, Far Away Photo
STAR WARS On Stage: A Guide to Broadway Stars in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 11, 2025

With the highly anticipated second season of Andor arriving in a few short weeks, we have compiled a list of the most noteworthy Star Wars actors to have graced the Broadway stage over the years.
Interview: Neil LaBute and COMFORT at NJ Rep in Long Branch Photo
Interview: Neil LaBute and COMFORT at NJ Rep in Long Branch
by Marina Kennedy - Apr 10, 2025

'Comfort' is a new play by award-winning writer, Neil LaBute. The two-hander will be performed at New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) in Long Branch from April 17 to May 11 with Matinee and evening shows available. 
Amanda Seyfried Reveals Broadway Is Her Biggest Fear Photo
Amanda Seyfried Reveals Broadway Is Her Biggest Fear
by Josh Sharpe - Apr 3, 2025

Actor Amanda Seyfried recently revealed that performing live theatre remains her biggest fear despite her successful film career, including musical roles in Mamma Mia! and Les Misérables.
Amanda Seyfried Reflects on LES MISERABLES Live Singing: 'The Process Was Infuriating Photo
Amanda Seyfried Reflects on LES MISERABLES Live Singing: 'The Process Was Infuriating'
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 21, 2025

In a new interview, Amanda Seyfried reflected on her time singing live in the 2012 blockbuster adaptation of Les Miserables, a process which she called 'infuriating.'
Full Cast Set For UK Premiere of HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS Photo
Full Cast Set For UK Premiere of HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS
by Stephi Wild - Mar 6, 2025

The full cast has been announced for the UK première of Neil LaBute’s How to Fight Loneliness at Park Theatre. Stratford East’s newly appointed Artistic Director, Lisa Spirling directs.
Video: Amanda Seyfried Confirms New Musical Film ANN LEE Is Coming in 2025 Photo
Video: Amanda Seyfried Confirms New Musical Film ANN LEE Is Coming in 2025
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 5, 2025

Amanda Seyfried reveals details about her 2025 musical film ANN LEE and hints at Mamma Mia 3 developments during her appearance on The Tonight Show.
Neil LaBute's COMFORT Begins This April At NJ Rep Photo
Neil LaBute's COMFORT Begins This April At NJ Rep
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 27, 2025

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJRep) continues its 28th season with Neil LaBute's Comfort, directed by Evan Bergman. The production runs from April 17 to May 11, 2025.
Jane Lynch, Sharon Lawrence, Gina Torres, John Ross Bowie And More Set For PARENTS IN Photo
Jane Lynch, Sharon Lawrence, Gina Torres, John Ross Bowie And More Set For PARENTS IN CHAINS World Premiere
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 21, 2025

Ensemble Theatre Company has announced additional casting for an add-on production to its season, the world premiere of a new comedy, PARENTS IN CHAINS, written by Emmy and Peabody award-winner Jay Martel and directed by Andy Fickman.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Neil LaBute written?

Neil LaBute has written 17 shows including The Shape of Things (Playwright), The Mercy Seat (Playwright), The Distance From Here (Playwright), Escape: 6 Ways to Get Away (1) (Playwright), Fat Pig (Playwright), Escape: 6 Ways to Get Away (2) (Playwright), This Is How It Goes (Playwright), Some Girl(s) (Playwright), Wrecks (Playwright), In a Dark Dark House (Playwright), reasons to be pretty (Playwright), The Break of Noon (Playwright), Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays (Playwright), Reasons to be Happy (Playwright), The Way We Get By (Playwright), Reasons to be Pretty Happy (Playwright), All the Ways to Say I Love You (Writer).

What awards has Neil LaBute been nominated for?

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee (The Lortels), Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for reasons to be pretty, Best New Comedy (Olivier Awards) for Fat Pig, Best Play (Tony Awards) for Reasons to Be Pretty and Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Shape of Things.

What awards has Neil LaBute won?

Neil LaBute has been honored as a Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee by The Lortels and has won the Outstanding Play award at the Drama Desk Awards for The Shape of Things.

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