Orchard Project's Expands, Moves to Saratoga Springs, NY

The Orchard Project, the eight-year-old program that has served as a starting place for major, award-winning shows that have debuted in theaters across the United States and world, is pulling up roots and transplanting itself to Saratoga Springs, NY this summer. In addition to continuing to serve as a laboratory for theater teams and companies, the Orchard Project will now be able to offer public performances, adding a theatrical component to the vibrant cultural life of Saratoga, which presently provides summer homes to the New York City Ballet, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In its former home in Hunter, NY, the Orchard Project supported more than 500 artists and 100 shows - including this year's All the Way (Broadway), The Object Lesson (BAM Next Wave Festival), and I Promised Myself to Live Faster (Humana Festival) - and has grown to become a world-renowned accelerator for new theater development. In Saratoga Springs, the Orchard Project will be able to support even more artists and deepen its public impact through a performance program that will give audiences sneak peak access to innovative new theatrical work.

"One of the reasons we started the Orchard Project was to push the theatrical form and encourage innovative artists and companies to embrace constant re-evaluation and evolution," said Ari Edelson, the founder and artistic director of the Orchard Project. "After the staggering success of the past eight years - including cultivating 100 shows that have pushed boundaries and won awards from TONYs to Obies - we believe it's time for us to grow and evolve."

Hundreds of theater companies and creative artists from around the United States and world have applied each year to develop their big ideas at the Orchard Project. Writers, teams, and ensembles join the Orchard Project for overlapping residencies, during which they are provided with free rehearsal space, room and board, and the support of fellow artists. The Orchard Project reads no scripts as part of its application process and demands no public showings for projects in its accelerator program. It is this faith in artists that attracts leaders in the industry who are interested in developing their boldest ideas - whether their ideas are brand new or in later stages. By even the most conservative estimate, these shows have been seen by more than 450,000 people in New York, London, and as far afield as Tokyo and Stockholm. Companies supported include The Royal Court, the Public Theater, Tectonic Theatre Project, The Atlantic Theater Company, Pig Iron, The Rude Mechs, American Repertory Theater, Paines Plough, The TEAM, Mabou Mines, and many others. The plays supported at the Orchard Project have graced stages from Broadway to the West End to small theaters around New York City and around the world, and have gone on to win awards including Obies, Drama Desks, Olivier Awards and this year's TONY Award for Best Play for All The Way, which was written at the Orchard Project in 2010 and 2011.

In Saratoga Springs, the Orchard Project's accelerator program, which serves between 15 and 20 teams and companies a year, will run in parallel with a new public program, which will feature workshop productions, cabarets, and other events and readings. This will be the first time that the Orchard Project has opened its doors to the public, providing advantaged sneak peaks for audiences and enabling artists to have valuable public interactions. (Artists admitted to the Orchard Project will not be required to participate in the public programming; rather the Exchange will curate a special series of public events that feature Orchard Project artists and alumni.)

The summer program will be based in and around downtown Saratoga from late May through early July. Companies, students from the Orchard Project's Core Company, and other guest artists and will be housed in homes around downtown. Artist offices and workspace will be at Regent Springs and Empire State College, and performances will be held at Universal Preservation Hall, an 1871 church that was converted into a performing arts venue in downtown Saratoga Springs.

"We are thrilled to have The Orchard Project in residency at Universal Preservation Hall in 2015," said Teddy Foster, the President of the Board of Directors of Universal Preservation Hall. "For five weeks this summer, our beautiful UPH will be the creative place for aspiring artists and theater professionals to hone their craft and, in turn, delight the residents and visitors of Saratoga Springs with their fresh, cutting edge performances. The energy between the two organizations is amazing and we look forward to hosting The Orchard Project for years to come."

"We're honored and incredibly excited to have Saratoga Springs named as the new home of the Orchard Project," Todd Shimkus, the President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, said. "Our city has one of the most vibrant downtowns and we've become a global destination for tourists and talent so I'm sure the Orchard Project's artists will fall in love with their new home. Our focus on health, history, and horses have attracted people to our city for more than 150 years - and now we can say they are coming here to accelerate new play development as well."

Applications for the coming summer are now open and can be found on the Exchange's website at www.exchangenyc.org.

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