Terrence McNally was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as “the bard of American theater” and “one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced,” McNally was the recipient of five Tony Awards.
McNally’s career spanned six decades, and his plays, musicals, and operas were routinely performed all over the world. Active in the regional and off-Broadway theater movements as well as on Broadway, he was one of the few playwrights of his generation to have successfully passed from the avant-garde to mainstream acclaim. His work centered on the difficulties of, and urgent need for, human connection.