Page 73 Productions receives NEA Grant To Support Development Initiatives

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman announced on November 17th that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. Page 73 Productions is one of the grantees and will receive $10,000 to support their three development initiatives for early-career playwrights. The 863 grant awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Page 73 Productions provides three development programs. The Interstate 73 Writers Group is composed of eight playwrights who meet every other week to develop new plays with their peers; at his/her request, each writer receives a closed or public reading. During the week long Yale Residency, Page 73 hosts three to four writers on the Yale University campus for one week of intensive work on a new play, offering free housing, a weekly stipend, group dinners, access to the university’s academic resources, and development support for the project. Finally, the prestigious P73 Playwriting Fellowship is awarded to one playwright each year who receives a $5000 honorarium as well as support for the development of one or more new plays. All of these programs are specifically geared toward early-career playwrights who have never had a professional production of their work in New York City.

“Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA,” said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. “And I’m pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects included in this announcement. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities.”

“These programs provide opportunities to a group of talented yet unknown artists who need our support,” said Page 73 Productions Executive Director Liz Jones. “The resources Page 73 provides can make an enormous difference to both the artistic work and professional futures of early-career playwrights, and in turn make a big impact on our field as a whole.”

In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges. Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov. For more information about Page 73 Productions, visit p73.org.