About the Award
Each year, the Varsity Show presents the I.A.L. Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts to a Columbia or Barnard alumnus/a who has demonstrated continued commitment to and has found success in the arts.
The award, named in honor of I.A.L. Diamond, a Varsity Show and Hollywood legend, is the highest honor bestowed by the organization to Columbia alumni and is presented at an exclusive gala reception before a performance of that year’s Varsity Show.
I.A.L Diamond Biography
In 1941, I.A.L. Diamond became the only man to ever write four consecutive Varsity Shows. A talented and incisive comedy writer who used to pen articles for the Columbia Daily Spectator, he took New York by storm with the Varsity Show productions of his own: You’ve Got Something There (1938), Fair Enough (1939), Life Begins in ’40 (1940), and Hit the Road (1941).
After graduating from Columbia, Mr. Diamond moved to Hollywood and went on to pursue a successful career writing and producing screenplays including Love Nest (1951) and Monkey Business (1952). He teamed up with Billy Wilder to write Love in the Afternoon (1957), Some Like it Hot (1959), and the Academy Award winning screenplay, The Apartment in 1960.
The Columbia Daily Spectator named Mr. Diamond one of the 250 Greatest Columbians of all time in 2004, and the Varsity Show is honored to remember him as one of the greatest of our team. As an individual devoted to the art of writing comedy for screen and stage, I.A.L. Diamond embodied the Varsity Show’s commitment to entertainment.
History of the Award
In 2004, Terrence McNally, Columbia College Class of 1960, was the first recipient of the award. Mr. McNally, winner of four Tony Awards and author of Master Class, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Ragtime, wrote the 66th Annual Varsity Show, Streets of New York. Austin Quigley, Dean of Columbia College, presented the award to Mr. McNally before the 110th Annual Varsity Show.
Jeanine Tesori, Barnard College Class of 1983, received the award in 2005. Ms. Tesori, a three-time Tony nominee, is best known for her work on Twelfth Night, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Caroline, or Change. She was the music director for the 89th Annual Varsity Show and then returned a year later in 1985 to write the music for the 90th Annual Varsity Show, Lost in Place.
In 2006, Art Garfunkel, Columbia College Class of 1962, became the latest recipient of the award. Mr. Garfunkel is best known as half of the folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, known for such famous classics as “Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
In 2007 the award was presented to Tony Award nominee Brandon V. Dixon. Mr. Dixon, a member of the Columbia College community, received a Tony Award nomination for his performance of Harpo in the Broadway-hit, The Color Purple. He also originated the role of Simba in national tour of The Lion King. Mr. Dixon performed in the cast of the 107th Annual Varsity Show.
In 2008, the award will be presented to Tom Kitt CC'96 and Brian Yorkey CC'93. Their most recent work, "Next To Normal," was produced Spring 2008 by Second Stage Theatre (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. The duo wrote the music, lyrics and book to the 100th Annual Varsity Show, Angels at Columbia: Centennial Approaches.
