Jerome Lawrence

Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert E. Lee collaborated for more than fifty years and were among the most prolific playwriting teams in the American theatre. In addition to their Pulitzer-nominated Inherit The Wind, their other major stage works include the comedy hit Auntie Mame, the books for the musicals Mame and Dear World, and the plays The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail, The Gang’s All Here and First Monday in October. In 1990, they became members of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center and were inducted into the National Theatre Hall of Fame.

In addition to receiving recognition for their work in the theatre, they have also been honored for their contributions as writers for radio, television and film. Master craftsmen and teachers of playwriting, Lawrence and Lee communicated to their students a passionate belief that the theatre must be a forum for ideas and issues of social significance. The Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, established at The Ohio State University, houses an outstanding growing collection of memorabilia and personal papers of theatre artists from all over the world.