Peter Duchan is an American playwright and screenwriter, best known for the film Breaking Upwards and the musical Dogfight. He was also personal assistant to actor-director-producer Bob Balaban.[1] He graduated from Northwestern University, where he participated in the Creative Writing for Media Program.[2]
He was Associate Producer of Breaking Upwards, which he co-wrote with director Daryl Wein and actress Zoe-Lister Jones.[3][4] The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival (March, 2009) and was released in theaters by IFC Films on April 2, 2010.[5][6] His short film Unlocked, also a collaboration with Wein, was an Official Selection of numerous festivals, including the Gijon International Film Festival in 2006 and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007.[7][8]
He wrote the book of the stage musical adaptation of Dogfight, Nancy Savoca's 1991 film starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor.[9][10][11] The musical, featuring a score by the team, Pasek and Paul, premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre on July 16, 2012, after previews from June 27. It was directed by Joe Mantello and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli.[12]
The production earned two 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Choreographer (Christopher Gattelli).[13] It was nominated for five 2013 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding Book of a Musical.[14] Additionally, the show was nominated for Drama League Awards for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and Distinguished Performance (Lindsay Mendez), as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Lindsay Mendez).[15][16] During its development, the musical was the recipient of the 2011 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[17]
