A committee of English department chairmen from three universities has awarded one of theatre criticism's most prestigious prizes to a well-known director and professor of English at Harvard.

Robert S. Brustein, the artistic director of the American Repertory Theatre (ART) and instructor of English 163, "Post-Modern Drama," received the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism for his recent book, "Who Needs Theatre," a collection of writings on theatre that originally appeared in The New Republic.

In a statement accepting the award, Brustein announced his intention to donate the $5000 prize money to the ART's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, a two-year program started last year to train young professionals in the fields of acting, theatrical design, directing and dramaturgy.

The Nathan prize, awarded annually for excellence in dramatic criticism by the chairmen of the English departments of Cornell, Princeton and Yale universities, is one of the most distinguished awards in the field of theatrical writing, said Stephen B. Boies, vice president of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, which administers the prize. "I don't know, offhand, of any other award like this," said Boies.

Brustein, who also received the Nathan Award in 1962, is the only person ever to win it twice.

"We felt we should set a precedent," said Emory Elliott, chairman of Princeton's English department and one of the judges. "We felt that he has continued to make a major contribution to American drama and dramatic criticism throughout his life."

"It was the feeling of the committee that he had only deepened his contributions to theatre since then," said Patricia M. Spacks, former chairman of the Cornell English department and also a judge. "It was entirely appropriate for someone of his achievements and contributions."

Brustein was dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1966 to 1979, during which time he was also artistic director of the Yale Repertory Theatre, said Jan G. Geidt, director of public relations for the ART. Brustein then moved to Harvard, where he founded the ART. He has written nine books and has been a regular contributor to The New Republic since the late 1950s.

"The reason he's the most distinguished critic in America is because nobody else has such a large and important critical body over a sustained period," said Arthur C. Holmberg, the ART's literary director.

Holmberg said that he considered Brustein's critical work is on a level with that of George Bernard Shaw and Kenneth Tynan. "What makes a critic great is the quality of his thought, and the quality of his style. No one comes close to Brustein in either area. He is a great master of English prose," he said.