Introduction
Michael R. Jackson is an American playwright, composer, and lyricist. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and holds a BFA in Playwriting and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Career
Jackson wrote the book and lyrics for Only Children with composer Rachel Peters, which was presented at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theatre. He also wrote lyrics and co-wrote book, with Anna K. Jacobs, for the musical adaptation of the 2007 indie film Teeth.
In 2019, his song cycle, The Kids on the Lawn, was published in The New York Times Magazine's culture issue. The issue, organized around the theme "America 2024," imagines what America will be like five years into the future.
Jackson's musical, A Strange Loop, received its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 2019.
Awards and recognition
In 2017, Jackson received a Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing and was one of 11 winners of the 2017 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. He was also a Sundance Theatre Institute Composer Fellow and a 2016-2017 Dramatist Guild Fellow.
In 2018, Jackson was named one of the "Black Male Writers for our Time" by The New York Times.
In 2019, Jackson received a Whiting Award for dramaand a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting.
Personal life
Jackson is openly gay.