It has been a big couple of weeks for Issaquah’s Village Theatre. Huge, in fact.

On April 12 it was announced that Brian Yorkey, graduate of Issaquah High School and long time associate artistic director at Village Theatre, had won the most distinguished award in arts and writing — the Pulitzer Prize.

Yorkey, along with collaborator Tom Kitt, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for penning the lyrics to “Next to Normal,” a musical which was born and nurtured right here in Issaquah as part of Village Theatre’s new works program. “Next to Normal” went on to win three Tony Awards, and is currently a huge hit on Broadway.

The Pulitzer panel recognized Yorkey’s willingness to tackle the oft-avoided subject of mental illness. Rolling Stone magazine said the muscial “pushes Broadway in new directions.”

Established in 1917 in honor of American journalist and publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the Pulitzer Prize presents honors in 21 categories.

The award in drama, which includes a $10,000 prize, is “for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.”

Previous Pulitzer winners have included Ernest Hemingway, John F. Kennedy, Harper Lee, William Faulkner, Steven Sondheim, Tennessee Williams and Rodgers and Hammerstein — Yorkey joins elite company indeed. And the award will elevate the already renowned Village Theatre to new levels of recognition.

The good news continued for the theater last week with the announcement that the Bruce and Jolene McCaw Family Foundation had pledged to match contributions at Village Theatre’s annual fundraiser, ‘Raise the Paddle,’ on a one-to-one basis, up to $50,000.

This year, ‘Raise the Paddle’ will benefit Village Theatre’s new works program, Village Originals, the very same program that developed Next to Normal.

The Village Theatre auction and gala event will take place on May 8, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. For more information, contact Jessica Wright at 425-392-1942 x151 or jwright@villagetheatre.org.