TV Producer Shonda Rhimes Named IAMA Theatre Company's 'Patron of the Arts'

IAMA Theatre Company announces world-renowned television producer and creator Shonda Rhimes as the first ever "Patron of the Arts" for the critically acclaimed theater company.

The nonprofit organization is made up of an ensemble of theater artists seeking to connect and cultivate a new generation of audiences by promoting new artists and developing new works that challenge and entertain as well as stimulate honest dialogue and sustain the future value of theater within the Los Angeles community.

The endowment will fund, among other things, the RHIMES UNSUNG VOICES PLAYWRITING COMMISSION. The objective of the commission will be to help grow and nourish the theater community in Los Angeles for budding playwrights and artists, allowing writers the chance to develop new plays with one of Los Angeles's most exciting young theater companies. Funding will have special emphasis on cultural inclusion - all with the goal of showcasing fresh, creative, thought-provoking work. Those chosen will join artists such as Leslye Headland, Jon Caren, D.G. Watson, Bess Wohl, Max Posner, and others who have developed their plays with IAMA.

"We could not be more honored for Ms. Rhimes's contribution to our company," stated Christian Durso, the Co-Artistic Director for IAMA. "She is a trailblazing storyteller in the 21st century and a champion for underrepresented voices. She fits perfectly with our mission to grow a new generation of theater artists and engage a passionate Los Angeles theater audience."

"I chose IAMA because attending their shows has brought me so much joy," said Ms. Rhimes. "Their productions made me FINALLY feel the way one does when exploring the New York Off-Broadway world of theater. Fresh voices filled with creativity. And they've accomplished it all on a shoe-string budget. That ends now."

IAMA is an ensemble of theater artists seeking to connect and cultivate a new generation of audiences. By promoting new artists and developing new works that challenge and entertain, we hope to produce vibrant, voyeuristic theater that stimulates honest dialogue and sustains the future value of theater within our diverse Los Angeles community.

Founded in 2007, by Katie Lowes, Stefanie Black, Sarah Utterback, Amy Rosoff, Laila Ayad, Adam Shapiro, Brandon Scott and Wes Whitehead this dynamic group is making its mark on the industry, having won the 2014 Ovation Award for Best Intimate Theatre in Los Angeles (The Recommendation). Plays generated at IAMA have gone to Off-Broadway, Second Stage, The Roundabout Underground, regionally, and internationally. IAMA members have been featured in numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films, and have performed in a vast array of theatre and live performances all over the country. IAMA is breaking the mold by getting the cord cutter generation to come back out to the theatreagain- you can't DVR theatre.

The Rhimes Family Foundation was established in 2016 by writer/producer Shonda Rhimes and her family. The foundation was created to support arts, education, and activism with a focus on promoting cultural inclusion, fighting for equality and standing up against bigotry of any kind. The Rhimes Family Foundation proudly supports the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Beyond 12, the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and now, the IAMA Theatre Company.

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