Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas Announces Grant Recipients and New Grant Cycles

LMDA is pleased to announced the latest recipients of its 2016-17 grants and awards programs, as well as the opening of the submission period for 2017-18 grants and awards cycle.

LMDA annually gives over $30,000 in funds directly to individual dramaturgs in support of their creative projects. This year, under the leadership of Board Chair Brian Quirt, President Ken Cerniglia, and VP Grants & Awards Brad Rothbart, LMDA has expanded eligibility to dramaturgs worldwide, and seen its application numbers triple in size.

Submissions Are Now Being Accepted for:

· The 2017 Bly Creative Fellowship and The Bly Creative Capacity Grant

· The 2018 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy

Through the inspiration and generosity of Mark Bly, one of North America's trailblazers in the field of theatrical dramaturgy, LMDA seeks exceptional projects that are exploring and expanding the boundaries of dramaturgy in the Americas. For the fourth year in a row, LMDA will award grants between $5,000 and $20,000 for individual projects (Fellowships) and for individual and institutional partnerships (Creative Capacity Grants). Applications are being accepted through September 15, 2017.

Named in honor of Elliott Hayes, the former dramaturg and literary manager at The Stratford Festival and a dual citizen of Canada and the USA, The Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy recognizes excellence in dramaturgical work on a specific project over the past two years. Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, production, season planning and implementation, educational programming, or advocacy for the profession. The recipient of the 2018 Elliott Hayes Award will receive $1000. Applications will be accepted through October 6, 2017

Full guidelines and submission information can be found at lmda.org.

The 2017 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy

The recipient of the 2017 Elliott Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy is Dr. Nandita Dinesh, for her project Information for/from Outsiders: Chronicles from Kashmir. Inspired by Griselda Gambaro's Information for Foreigners, Dinesh's work on this project began in 2013, as part of her doctoral work that investigated the use of theatre practice to engage across the 'victim'/ 'perpetrator' binary in the Kashmir Valley. Dinesh uses (auto) ethnography as a methodology with which to frame the play, using the characters of two Guides -- a Kashmiri and a non-Kashmiri -- to link otherwise fragmented scenes that occur in different spaces, as a Promenade Theater piece. Dinesh and the Ensemble Kashmir Theater Akademi are currently working on the first 24 hour manifestation of the performance for an audience of non-Kashmiris, in Maharashtra (western India). Images from this project can be seen here.

Dr. Dinesh will receive $1000.

Runners-up are:

Nanako Nakajima, for her work on From Archivists to Users: The Dramaturgy of the DAB Project -- in which seven contemporary dance makers in Japan created an "Archive Box" of their works, which were transported to artist from the Asia-Pacific region from which to create response pieces..

Hanna Slättne, for her work on Reassembled, Slightly Askew, an autobiographical, audio-based immersive artwork about acquired brain injury and the process of recovery by Shannon Yee. Audiences experience Reassembled via headphones, while on hospital beds wearing eye masks. The piece is touring internationally to theaters, hospitals and medical conferences.

The 2017 Dramaturgy Driven Grant

This grant of $1000 is given annually to support a project initiated by a dramaturg and with dramaturgy as its focus.

The recipient is Amy Jensen for her proposal on Dramaturging Reading Aloud. When adults read aloud, children benefit greatly, but some adults need support in reading. This project includes workshops and videos (in Spanish and English) that will coach adults in vocal performance skills, conveying emotion while reading, and asking questions for comprehension and making connections. It will also connect adults to community resources such as local library cards, reading lists and websites.

Runners-up are:

Tyler Crumrine, for A Guide to Contemporary Poets' Theatre.

Megan Johnson, for Dramaturging Accessibility: a training lab for dramaturgs on creating accessible spaces and practices

For more information on all of these dramaturgs and their projects, visit lmda.org.

For more information about Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, visit our Web site at http://www.lmda.org/ or contact our administrative offices at admin@lmda.org.