John Cariani
2025 National Impact Award Honoree
John Cariani is an actor and a playwright. As an actor, he has appeared in plays and musicals on and off-Broadway and at regional theaters across the country. He’s been nominated for a Tony Award (Fiddler on the Roof), two Grammy Awards (Something Rotten! and Caroline, or Change), and appeared in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical The Band’s Visit. Well known for his work in televison, John has had recurring roles on TV’s Law & Order, Numb3rs and The Onion News Network, and he has appeared in several films.
As a playwright, John is best known for his first play, Almost, Maine, which has become one of the most popular plays in the world. It has received nearly 6000 productions to date and has been translated into over a dozen languages. His other plays (LOVE/SICK, cul-de-sac, and Last Gas) have been produced over 500 times around the world and have also been translated into several languages. His newest play, Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars, had its world premiere at Portland Stage Company this past spring.
As an artist, John is passionate about making room for the people who made him what he is: rural Americans. Rural Americans are woefully underrepresented in contemporary theatre. When they do appear on stage, they are too often portrayed as sad, addicted, and uneducated. But they are so much more than that. John’s plays explore the hopeful, joyful parts of hardscrabble lives. And they take a loving look at what it is to grow up queer—like he did—in rural America.
Melinda Lopez
2025 National Impact Award Honoree
Melinda Lopez (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, performer, and educator based in Boston. She received the 2019 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Achievement, honoring her two decades of impact on the American theater. Her plays include Mala (winner of the Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play), Stir, Mr. Parent, Black Beans Project, Becoming Cuba, and Sonia Flew—all produced at major theaters nationwide, including the Huntington, the Old Globe, and ArtsEmerson. Mala is also available on Audible in both English and Spanish.
Melinda has been a Mellon Foundation Playwright-in-Residence and is currently working on two commissions: a bilingual adaptation of Twelfth Night and a new piece called Power Trio. Her work has been seen internationally and translated into Spanish.
As an actor, she’s appeared onstage at the Huntington Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage, the Guthrie, and others. She also features in the film Fever Pitch (and yes, became a meme).
Melinda teaches playwriting at Northeastern and Boston University and has been a panelist for the NEA. A proud Cuban-American, she serves on the board of Friends of Caritas Cuba and was recognized by President Obama in his historic Cuba address. In 2016, Boston declared October 29 “Melinda Lopez Day.”
When not writing or performing, she enjoys marathon running, playing ukulele, and camping under the stars in the American Southwest.
Jeffrey Roberson
2025 Community Impact Award Honoree
Jeffery Roberson (aka Varla Jean Merman) was named as one of OUT Magazine’s most influential people of 2024.
Jeffery has starred in the films Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte, Girls Will Be Girls, Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads, and most recently, Big Easy Queens. He played the recurring character of Rosemary Chicken on ABC’s All My Children. Jeffery played the role of Mary Sunshine on Broadway in the revival of Chicago and in the First National Touring Company. He also won Boston’s Elliot Norton Award for Best Musical Performance in Ryan Landry’s Phantom of the Oprah.
His 30 one-woman shows have sold out cabaret venues across the globe, as well as filling international concert halls including the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall.
Jeffery has been an ardent supporter of philanthropic causes he passionately believes in. In Provincetown alone, Jeffery has helped raise thousands of dollars for The Aids Support Group, CASAS, and has hosted the GLAD summer party every year for nearly a decade.
Look for his latest show Varla Jean’s The Drowsy Chappell Roan is running at the Crown and Anchor in Provincetown all summmer.
Tom Kirdahy
2025 Community Impact Award Honoree
Tom, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning producer, has long been a champion of
Provincetown’s artistic legacy.His deep ties to the town were cemented through his late husband, playwright Terrence McNally, whose work “Love! Valour! Compassion!” was staged at the Provincetown Theater in 2018. That same summer, McNally received the inaugural Provincetown American Playwright Award, underscoring the couple’s commitment to nurturing theater in the very place where American drama found its roots. ​The Provincetown Independent
Kirdahy continues to invest in Provincetown’s cultural scene. This September, he will serve as lead producer for the world premiere of The Jack of Hearts Club, a new musical by Jon Richardson, at the Provincetown Theater. This production not only highlights Kirdahy’s dedication to fostering new talent but also reinforces Provincetown’s role as a vital incubator for groundbreaking theater.​
While Kirdahy's Broadway achievements include acclaimed productions
like Hadestown, The Inheritance, and recent revivals of Just In Time and the Tony-Award Nominated Gypsy, his enduring impact on Provincetown exemplifies his belief in the transformative power of theater to enrich communities.​
Featuring Entertainment by Obie-award Winner
James Jackson, Jr.
James Jackson, Jr. is an Obie Award–winning performer and proud board member of the Provincetown Theater. A dynamic presence on and off the stage, James brings his passion for bold storytelling, equity, and community engagement to his work with the Theater.
Best known for his role in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning musical A Strange Loop, James is also a celebrated cabaret artist with performances across the country, including Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Club Oberon, and Carnegie Hall. In Provincetown, he’s performed at The Provincetown Theater, Post Office Cabaret, The Wilde, and with the Juneteenth Provincetown Committee.
As an arts educator, James has taught at Westfield State University (his alma mater), Manhattanville University, and the University of South Florida. His stage credits include White Girl in Danger, Dreamgirls, The Wild Party, and Whistle Down the Wind. His debut album, Birth, is set for release in summer 2025.