The Robert Chesley Awards for Lesbian and Gay Playwriting honor the legacy of playwright Robert Chesley (1943–1990), whose 1984 play Night Sweats was the first produced full-length work to address the AIDS crisis.
For many years, these awards were presented at the Publishing Triangle’s ceremony. After 2007, administration shifted fully to the Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Foundation, which continues to support queer playwrights through new initiatives rather than public award presentations. Today, the foundation recognizes writers making significant contributions to LGBTQ theater by offering residencies at the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico.
During the period when the Chesley Awards were presented alongside the Publishing Triangle Awards, the foundation honored playwrights in multiple categories, including emerging talent and lifetime achievement.
The winners in this era were:
2007
Lifetime Achievement, Eric Bentley
Emerging Playwright, Chris Weikel
2006
Playwriting, Kathleen Warnock
Playwriting, Megan Terry
2005
Lifetime Achievement, Michael Kearns
Emerging Playwright, Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas
2004
Playwriting, Rebecca Ranson
Playwriting, Jane Shepard
2003
Playwriting, H.M. Koutoukas
Playwriting, Rev. Alvin Carmines Jr.
2002
Emerging Talent, Christopher Shinn
Emerging Talent, Shelia Callaghan
2001
Lifetime Achievement, María Irene Fornés
2000
Playwriting, Jeff Weiss
1999
Playwriting, Madeleine Olnek
1998
Playwriting, Chay Yew
1997
Playwriting, Paula Vogel
1996
Lifetime Achievement: Robert Patrick
Lifetime Achievement, Susan Miller
1995
Playwriting, Victor Lodato
1994
Playwriting, Lisa Kron
Lifetime Achievement, Doric Wilson