Amy Herzog is an American playwright. Her plays are character-driven and focus on relationships and the human experience. She has received a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award.
Her play 4000 Miles, which ran Off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.Gans, Andrew. Disgraced' Wins 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama" Playbill, April 15, 2013 Her play Mary Jane, which ran Off-Broadway in 2017, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Herzog adapted revivals of the Henrik Ibsen plays A Doll's House (2023) and An Enemy of the People (2024), both of which earned her Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play nominations and wins for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation.
Early life and career Herzog's grandfather is songwriter Arthur Herzog Jr. She grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey and was the valedictorian of her 1996 graduating class at Highland Park High School.
Herzog received a Bachelor's degree from Yale College and a Masters in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. Her teachers included Richard Nelson and John Guare. Jim Nicola, producer of Belleville at the New York Theatre Workshop, said that "the distinction of Herzog's work is her belief 'that private, individual experience is always inseparable from public, historical processes, when she explores human lives.Soloski, Alexis. "Amy Herzog balances the political and the personal in her dialogue-rich plays" Theatre Communications Group, March 2012, accessed May 26, 2013 Herzog teaches at Yale as a lecturer in Playwriting."Amy Herzog Biography, Finalist 2016-2017" blackburnprize.org, retrieved March 7, 2017"Amy Herzog" drama.yale.edu, retrieved March 7, 2017
Career 2010–2016: Early work Her play After the Revolution had its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Massachusetts, from July 22 to August 1, 2010.Jones, Kenneth. "After the Revolution, Amy Herzog's Intergenerational Family Portrait, Unveiled Oct. 21" Playbill, October 21, 2010 The play premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in October 2010 (in previews) and ran through December 12, 2010. The play concerns the young granddaughter continuing her "family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her blacklisted grandfather." The play was directed by Carolyn Cantor and the cast featured Mare Winningham, Lois Smith (as Vera), Peter Friedman and Katharine Powell. The play received nominations for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actor and Actress, as well as the Outer Critics Circle Award, John Glassner award."Listing" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed May 23, 2013 Charles Isherwood, in his review for The New York Times called the play "smart, engrossing", and wrote: it "strikes a fresh note in being set among a family of exotic beings".Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review; 'After the Revolution The New York Times, November 10, 2010 Herzog won the "New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award" for this play; the award carries a prize of $5000.Kepler, Adam W. "Theater Prize Awarded" The New York Times, December 2, 2012
Her play The Great God Pan opened at Playwrights Horizons in December 2012 and closed on January 13, 2013.The Great God Pan' Listing" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed May 23, 2013 Directed by Carolyn Cantor, the cast featured Becky Ann Baker, Peter Friedman, Jeremy Strong (Jamie), Keith Nobbs (Frank) and Joyce Van Patten.Jones, Kenneth. "Amy Herzog's 'The Great God Pan' To Star Becky Ann Baker, Joyce Van Patten, Peter Friedman and More Off-Broadway" Playbill, August 29, 2012 The play concerns a journalist, Jamie, age 32. Jamie is told by his old friend Frank that Frank is suing his own father for sexual abuse; Frank suspects that Jamie was also abused. Although Jamie denies this, his life and relationships are thrown into turmoil. Herzog said that the play is "not about abuse, it's about memory and self-discovery."Simonson, Robert. "Playbill Brief Encounter With Amy Herzog, the Playwright of 'The Great God Pan' and 'Belleville Playbill, January 10, 2013 Charles Isherwood, reviewing in The New York Times, wrote: Herzog "has emerged in the past few years as one of the bright theatrical lights of her generation. ... She writes with a keen sensitivity to the complex weave of feelings embedded in all human relationships, with particular attention to the way we tiptoe around areas of radioactive emotion. Ms. Herzog makes quietly captivating dramas of our instinct to avoid drama, noting how momentous events in our lives can pass by almost without registering on the surface."Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review; 'The Great God Pan,' by Amy Herzog, at Playwrights Horizons" The New York Times, December 18, 2012 The play received a 2013 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Peter Friedman).Hetrick, Adam and Gans, Andrew. "Billy Porter, Andrea Martin, 'Pippin', 'Matilda', 'Vanya and Sonia' Win Drama Desk Awards" Playbill, May 19, 2013
Belleville had its world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in October through November 2011, directed by Anne Kauffman."Belleville" yalerep.org, accessed May 24, 2013 This play was commissioned by Yale Rep.Hetrick, Adam. "Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller Star in Belleville, New Amy Herzog Drama, Opening Off-Broadway March 3" Playbill, March 3, 2013"Amy Herzog Biography" yalerep.org, accessed May 24, 2013 The play then opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop from March 3, 2013, to April 14, 2013.Belleville' Listing" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed May 23, 2013 Again directed by Anne Kauffman, the cast featured Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller.Hetrick, Adam. April in Paris': New York Theatre Workshop Extends Amy Herzog's 'Belleville' An Additional Two Weeks" Playbill, March 4, 2013 Belleville opened in London at the Donmar Warehouse on December 14, 2017. Directed by Michael Longhurst, the cast featured James Norton and Imogen Poots.Franklin, Marc J. "The London premiere, starring James Norton and Imogen Poots, will open December 14" Playbill, December 14, 2017
The play involves two young married Americans, Zack and Abby, living in Paris in a "funky bohemian apartment in up-and-coming Belleville". Zack's "noble mission [is] to fight pediatric AIDS." The play received nominations for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director (Anne Kauffman) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Ben Stanton).Hetrick, Adam. Dogfight', 'The Whale' and 'The Piano Lesson' Are Lortel Award Winners" Playbill, May 5, 2013 The play also received 2013 Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play (Maria Dizzia). Herzog, for Belleville, was a finalist for the 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize."2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize" blackburnprize.org, March 19, 2013, accessed May 23, 2013"Blackburn Prize Finalists (e-k)" blackburnprize.org, accessed August 31, 2015Rickwald, Bethany. "Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Laura Marks, and More Among Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalists" theatermania.com, March 2, 2013
2017–present: Mary Jane and adaptations Her play Mary Jane premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, from April 28 to May 20, 2017, directed by Anne Kauffman.Paulson, Michael. "Yale Rep to Debut Works by Amy Herzog and Sarah Ruhl" The New York Times, March 11, 2016Mary Jane yalerep.org, retrieved September 23, 2017 Mary Jane was a finalist for the 2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.Clement, Olivia. "Susan Smith Blackburn Playwriting Prize Awarded March 6" Playbill, March 6, 2017 The Yale Rep production featured Emily Donahoe (Mary Jane) and Kathleen Chalfant (Ruthie, Tenkei). Mary Jane opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on September 6, 2017 (previews) and closed on October 29, 2017. The Off-Broadway production, directed by Anne Kauffman, featured Carrie Coon (Mary Jane), Brenda Wehle (Ruthie, Tenkei), and Liza Colón-Zayas.Mary Jane nytw.org, retrieved September 23, 2017 Mary Jane focuses on a single mother (Mary Jane) who is raising an ill child, helped by female friends. The Off-Broadway cast was new, and director Kaufman had "the chance to reexamine it from a new angle."McHenry, Jackson. "First Look: Carrie Coon Returns to Theater in NYTW's 'Mary Jane Vulture, September 15, 2017
Mary Jane won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play on May 3, 2018. The play received six 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards nominations: Outstanding Director (Anne Kauffman), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play (Carrie Coon), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Liza Colón-Zayas), Outstanding Scenic Design (Laura Jellinek), Outstanding Lighting Design (Japhy Weideman) and Outstanding Sound Design (Leah Gelpe).McPhee, Ryan. KPOP', 'Bella', 'Mary Jane' Lead 2018 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations" Playbill, April 4, 2018 The play received two 2018 Drama Desk Award nominations: Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play (Carrie Coon).McPhee, Ryan. "Carousel, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mean Girls Lead 2018 Drama Desk Award Nominations" Playbill, April 26, 2018
Herzog adapted a new version of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House directed by Jamie Lloyd. It played in 2023 at the Hudson Theatre, starring Jessica Chastain. Her adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People opened on Broadway, March 18, 2024, directed by her husband, Sam Gold.
Style and themes Tim Sanford, former artistic director of Playwrights Horizons, noted that Herzog is willing "to take on 'ideas and history, which not everyone believes in anymore.' He also praises the sophistication of her structures and characters. 'You can see the affinity for Richard Nelson, who was her teacher,' Sanford points out, referring to the veteran playwright and teacher at Yale School of Drama."
Richard Nelson said: "She has great, great facility for dialogue ... It's clean, it's simple, it's evocative, it's witty. It's alive and easily spoken. Very, very actable. That's a given talent." John Guare noted "Amy came fully formed" Guare also mentioned her "warm-hearted, cold-eyed sympathy for her characters."
Herzog based several characters in her plays on family members. The character of Vera Joseph in 4000 Miles is based on Herzog's grandmother, Leepee. Vera initially appeared in her play After the Revolution. Leo in 4000 Miles is based on her cousin who lost a good friend. The "Josephs" in her plays are also partially based on her father's stepfamily.
Personal life She is married to stage director Sam Gold.Jones, Chad. "Amy Herzog gets mileage out of grandma" sfgate.com, January 13, 2013 Although Herzog and Gold had two children, their eldest daughter Frances was born with nemaline myopathy and died at age 11 in 2023.https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-amy-herzogs-mournful-lullaby-mary-jane-comes-to-broadway-with-rachel-mcadams_1737981/#:~:text=Mary%20Jane%20works%20within%20a%20well%2Destablished%20genre,muscular%20condition)%20in%20the%20summer%20of%202023. Herzog's semi-autobiographical play Mary Jane is based on a mother's struggle in caring for a medically-compromised child and the community she gathers in support of her challenges.
Stage credits Year Title Role Venue 2010 After the Revolution Playwright Williamstown Theatre Festival; Playwrights Horizons 2011 4000 Miles Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center 2011, 2013 Belleville Yale Repertory Theatre; New York Theatre Workshop 2012 The Great God Pan Playwrights Horizons 2017, 2024 Mary Jane Yale Repertory Theatre; New York Theatre Workshop;Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (Broadway) 2023 A Doll's House Adaptation Hudson Theatre 2024 An Enemy of the People Circle in the Square Theatre
Awards and honors