James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist.

[5] At Yale University he wrote an adaptation of and directed Gertrude Stein's Photograph, which was produced Off-Broadway at the Open Space in SoHo in 1977.

[9] The pair developed Sunday in the Park with George: Lapine wrote the book and directed; Sondheim created the music and lyrics.

[18] They later worked together on Finn's musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2005 and later moved to Broadway.

The New York Times reviewer wrote of the Spelling Bee Broadway transfer that "Mr. Lapine has sharpened all the musical's elements without betraying its appealing modesty.

[23] He wrote a stage adaption of the Moss Hart autobiography Act One, which premiered on Broadway at the Lincoln Center Vivian Beaumont Theater in April 2014.

[25] The musical premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on November 11, 2021 in previews with the official opening scheduled for December 13.

He directed the film version of Anne Tyler's novel Earthly Possessions, starring Susan Sarandon and Stephen Dorff, for HBO in 1999.

The award is presented by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation "in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional achievement in the theatre.