Vineyard Theatre Announces Roth-Vogel New Play Commission and The Campaign for Right Now

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announced today, on what would have been The Vineyard's Annual Gala, the Roth-Vogel New Play Commission launched in partnership with 12-time Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, whose collaborations with The Vineyard have spanned over two decades. The annual commission will be awarded to a mid- to late-career playwright to create and develop a new play with The Vineyard. It will be dedicated to Roth's mother, Sylvia Connie Atkins, in the spirit of inspiring and supporting artists to be curious and brave and creative.

In a joint statement Roth and Vogel said, "We both have a deep loving relationship with The Vineyard that began with How I Learned To Drive and was book-ended twenty years later with Indecent, and continues to this day. We are grateful that our friends at The Vineyard chose to honor us at the 2020 Gala, and for the generous contributions made thus far to the event. Since the Gala is unable to happen, in its place we wanted to create something lasting and meaningful in appreciation of that recognition. We are proud to initiate the Roth-Vogel New Play Commission, to be given annually through Vineyard Theatre. We hope this will encourage and inspire work to emerge from these difficult times... Art matters."

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Sarah Stern and Douglas Aibel add, "We have looked forward to honoring the extraordinary accomplishments of our collaborators and friends Paula Vogel and Daryl Roth at The Vineyard's Gala, which would have taken place tonight. When it became clear the event could not proceed, Daryl and Paula proposed the possibility of something new and generative emerging in its place. We were moved and inspired by their vision, and are thrilled to partner with them to launch the Roth-Vogel New Play Commission at The Vineyard. With this new annual commission, we hope to recognize and invest in writers whose voices need more prominence in our changing world, and to support them with the time, space and attention to create the new work that they've hoped but not yet dared to write. Our relationship with Paula and Daryl - from our first collaboration on How I Learnt to Drive to our most recent with Indecent -- has been integral to The Vineyard, and we look forward with great anticipation to this next chapter and to the work that will emerge."

The Roth-Vogel Commission will be awarded annually to a mid- or late-career playwright, to provide time, support and inspiration to a playwright for a new play they have wished but not yet dared to write. The award seeks to recognize artists whose voices are important to hear in our changing world, and who will be able to attempt something with the award that they may not have otherwise. The first recipient will be announced this summer.

Forced to cancel its Gala and the remainder of its 2019-2020 season due to the pandemic, The Vineyard is also launching The Campaign for Right Now. The Vineyard has made a commitment to paying staff and artists' salaries and health benefits during this closure, and to continuing to develop new work with its artists and students in online rehearsal rooms, and this ambitious campaign will allow the company to meet these current challenges. The Campaign for Right Now begins today and has a goal of raising $100,000 by May 15 - a goal which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by generous lead donors.

As an added bonus, if (and only if!) that goal is met, Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Jeff Bowen from [title of show] will perform an online concert on May 30 with a special roster of surprise guests for everybody who gives $25 or more.

Contributors who wish to make a donation may do so through this link: https://donate.onecause.com/vineyardtheatre