Personal life and education

Ludwig was born in York, Pennsylvania and entered Haverford College where he received his B.A. In 1970, while at Haverford, he penned a series of sketches under the title Class Nights.^[1] This production marked the first time Ludwig's work was produced and mounted for a theatrical audience. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Ludwig accepted a spot at the prestigious Harvard Law School where he earned a J.D., and subsequently completed his education at Cambridge University (LL.B.). He practiced law for several years with the firm of Steptoe & Johnson, where he remains Of Counsel.

During his eduation he was heavily exposed to Shakespeare by professor Ralph Sargent, and it was at Harvard where he studied musical theater under the guidance of Leonard Bernstein. Both subjects seem to have greatly influnced him as they feature prominently in his plays Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, Shakespeare in Hollywood, and Leading Ladies.

Ludwig currently resides in Washington, D.C.. He is married to Adrienne George and has two young children: Olivia and Jack.^[2] He is a founding member of the Shakespeare Theatre of Washington.

Success as a playwright

Ludwig's plays have received many honors including the Tony Award, Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, Helen Hayes Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award. The author himself has received many accolades including two Tony nominations. He was nominated in 1989 for Best Play (Lend Me a Tenor), and again in 1992 for Best Book of a Musical (Crazy For You). ^[3] Some further examples of his success include:

• Crazy For You, with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Ludwig, ran for four years at the Shubert Theater in New York City. It won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Los Angeles Critics Circle, and Helen Hayes Awards as Best Musical of the Year. It was also well received in London where the production won the Olivier Award for Best Musical. The musical was also filmed and broadcast nationwide on the PBS television series Great Performances.

• Lend Me a Tenor, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has proved to arguably be one of the most popular comedies of the past two decades. It has been translated into sixteen languages and produced in over twenty-five countries around the world. A favorite of regional theatres, including a 2005 revival at Northern Stage, the comedy initially had a run on Broadway. It was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Play, and won two. In addition, Lend Me a Tenor also earned four Drama Desks and three Outer Critics Circle Awards.

• Moon Over Buffalo is notable for marking Carol Burnett's return to the Broadway stage after a nearly 30 year absence. She starred opposite Philip Bosco. Subsequent Broadway casts included Lynn Redgrave and Robert Goulet. This production was nominated for two Tony Awards. It also played in London at the Old Vic where it starred Joan Collins and Frank Langella. ^[4]

Recent work

Ludwig is still active in the theatre and has continued producing plays. In 2001, his adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer appeared on Broadway with a one-hour children's version running at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The latter version toured the country for two years.

The 2003-2004 season saw a set of play by Ludwig receive their debut. Twentieth Century, his adaptation of the Hecht-MacArthur comedy, played to sold-out audiences on Broadway. It was produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company and starred stage regular Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche in the lead roles. Shakespeare in Hollywood, meanwhile, had its first production in the fall of 2003 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C where it won the Helen Hayes Award as Best Play of he Year. One of his latest plays, Leading Ladies, premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas under the author's direction and is now headed for Broadway.

Ludwig was asked by the estate of Thornton Wilder to complete Wilder’s adaptation of The Beaux’ Stratagem, a new version of the Restoration comedy by George Farquhar. The play will receive its world premiere production November 7 to December 31, 2006 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C under the direction of Michael Kahn and will be published by Theatre Communications Group.

Other plays include Sullivan & Gilbert (a co-production of the Kennedy Center and the National Arts Centre of Canada, voted Best Play of 1988 by the Ottawa critics); a new adaptation of Where’s Charley? for the Kennedy Center; the Off-Broadway hit Divine Fire; and a mystery, Postmortem.

Film and television

Ludwig has also dabbled in film. On television, he co-wrote the 1990 Kennedy Center Honors for CBS for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. He also penned a television pilot for Carol Channing. On film, he adapted his play Lend Me a Tenor for Columbia Pictures and All Shook Up for Touchstone Pictures and directior Frank Oz.

Additional awards and honors

Ludwig received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from York College of Pennsylvania.

He has also received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. He is a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, an Honorary Trustee of the Shakespeare Guild, and has served on the New Play Committees of the National Endowment for the Arts and the American College Theater Festival, where he annually chooses and presents the Mark Twain Award for outstanding comic performance. He has lectured on drama at various universities around the country.