Rhinebeck Writers Retreat Receives NEA Grant

Created in 2011, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat received its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the amount of $10,000. Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans said, "It's hard for me to believe that this organization was just an idea five years ago. I am so proud to have this recognition of the work of our Board of Directors, Sounding Board of artistic advisors, and donors, all for the benefit of the talented musical theatre writers who have developed their musicals with us. We have hosted over 40 musical theatre writing teams with 40 individual weeklong retreats, whose musicals have been seen across the country at The Public Theater, Second Stage, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Theatre Festival, and numerous developmental venues including The O'Neill Music Theatre Conference, Yale Institute for Musical Theatre, and National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festivals of New Musicals. This award allows us to continue and expand our programs. I can't wait to see who will be with us next summer."

The NEA grant will help support all 2016 programs. There will be 8 consecutive weeklong residencies in July and August for 8 musical theatre writing teams, selected by a panel of experts. Each writing team will live in a private home in Rhinebeck, New York, where all they do is write their new musical. Thanks to this grant and the support of all donors, the writers pay nothing to participate and all expenses are covered, including the home, travel, food, transportation, and a $400 stipend for each writer. Additionally, a new program started this year will continue in 2016 -- a hybrid residency/staged reading for alumni writers, which was awarded in 2015 to Joe Iconis, Lance Rubin, and Jason SweetTooth Williams for their new musical, "Annie Golden: Bounty Hunter, Yo!"

Applications for the weeklong residencies for 2016 will open in January on www.rhinebeckwriters.org

Created in 2011, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat provides a sanctuary for musical theatre writers to develop their musicals in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Past participants include Kirsten Childs, Michael Friedman, Itamar Moses, Duncan Sheik, Stew, Heidi Rodewald and Sam Willmott. All costs for the retreats are covered by contributions, including major support from The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, Liz Armstrong, Rick Farrar and Jeff Zadroga, Amy Faxon, Michael A. Jenkins, John Levin and Diane Keefe fund, Stacey Mindich Productions, Steve Reynolds, Peter Risafi and Steven Wheeler; The Harry, Cathy, Gabriella, and James Rubin Foundation, and Alec Stais and Elissa Burke.

In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. This month, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016. The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.