Itamar Moses

American dramatist

Itamar Moses (born 1977) is an American playwright, author, producer and television writer. He gained acclaim for writing the book for the Broadway musical The Band's Visit (2017) receiving the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. He wrote the play Completeness (2011) earning a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. He wrote
books for the musicals Nobody Loves You (2012), and Fortress of Solitude (2014). His latest play The Ally (2024) about a college teacher teacher conflicted about signing a petition debuted at The Public Theatre. Moses started his television career writing for the TNT comedy drama Men of a Certain Age (2010–2011), and the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire (2011), the later of which earned him nominations for two Writers Guild of America Awards. He also served as a writer and producer for the WGN drama series Outsiders in 2017 and the Showtime drama series The Affair from 2018 to 2019.

Moses grew up in a Jewish family in Berkeley, California, earned his bachelor's degree at Yale University, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University. He has taught playwriting at both Yale and New York University.

Moses wrote the play Completeness (2011) which premiered at the South Coast Repertory Theatre before transferring to Playwrights Horizons, New York City. The play revolves around young people, in the Computer Science and Biology Departments of a university, talking about love, molecular biology and computer science, while going through a variety of partners. Bob Verini of Variety in a mixed review praised his writing declaring, "[Moses] writes Completeness for both genders — quite well, too — with an unexpectedly fine ear for contempo sexual politics’ dizzying conversational loops". The play went on to receive a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. He has written for the TNT comedy drama Men of a Certain Age (2010–2011) and HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire (2011), the latter of which earned him nominations for two Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2014 he wrote the book to the musical The Fortress of Solitude with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. The musical premiered at The Public Theatre starring Adam Chanler Berat, Andre de Shields, Brian Tyree Henry, and Rebecca Naomi Jones. The musical is a coming of age story about teenagers in 1970s Brooklyn. Marilyn Stasio of Variety praised the production but questioned its Broadway potential writing, "Is there an audience for this extraordinary show? Yes. Is there a Broadway audience? Maybe not" she added, "Make no mistake about it; this is no nostalgia piece, but the tragedy of friends who lost touch with one another and the music they grew up with." His most prominent work, the musical The Band's Visit, opened on December 8, 2016 at the Atlantic Theater Company. That production won the 2017 Obie Award for Musical Theatre Off Broadway. After closing on January 9, 2017, the musical moved to Broadway. It began previews on October 7, 2017 and officially opened on November 9, 2017 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. For his work on The Band's Visit, Moses won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. In 2024 Moses wrote the comedy drama The Ally starring Josh Radnor as a Jewish college professor who deals with the moral quandary of being asked to sign a petition involving the denouncement of the state of Israel. The play was originally conceived during the Obama years and was slated to premiere in 2020 but was halted due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The production directed by Lila Neugebauer has received positive reviews with Sara Holdren of Vulture praising the performances and writing adding, "Pulsing ominously at the heart of The Ally is a question — a truly frightening one for artists, for scholars, for critics — about the more perilous face of nuance." In a mixed review from Jesse Green of The New York Times he wrote that while "Moses’s play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli Palestinian conflict" it lacks certain narrative stakes adding, "I felt the need for more wisdom than craft".

Year Title Role Venue Ref. 2001 Dorothy and Alice Playwright Short play at Manhattan Theatre Source 2002 Bach at Leipzig Playwright Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York 2003 Outrage Playwright Portland Center Stage 2005 Authorial Intent / Idea Playwright Manhattan Theatre Source, New York 2006 Celebrity Row Playwright Portland Center Stage 2007 The Four of Us Playwright San Diego Old Globe Theatre 2007 Szinhaz Playwright Duke Theater, New York City 2008 Back Back Back Playwright San Diego Old Globe Theatre 2011 Playwrights Horizons, New York City 2012 Nobody Loves You Book by San Diego Old Globe Theatre 2013 Second Stage Theatre 2014 The Fortress of Solitude Book by The Public Theater, New York City 2016 The Band's Visit Book by Atlantic Theatre Company, New York City 2017 Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway 2022 Donmar Warehouse, West End 2024 Dead Outlaw Book by Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City 2024 The Ally Playwright The Public Theatre, New York City

Year Title Writer Producer Notes Ref. 2010–2011 Men of a Certain Age Writer 2 episodes 2011 Boardwalk Empire Writer 12 episodes 2017 Outsiders Writer 2 episodes; Co producer 5 episodes 2018–2019 The Affair Writer 2 episodes; Consulting producer 7 episodes 2020 Brave New World Consulting producer 2 episodes

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.2012 Writers Guild of America Awards Dramatic Series Boardwalk Empire Episodic Drama 2012 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Completeness 2017 New York Drama Critics Circle Best Musical The Band's Visit Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Book of a Musical Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical 2018 Tony Award Best Book of a Musical Drama League Award Outstanding Production of a Musical