Works & Process to Present Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions in April 2026
Craig Lucas and Jake Brasch will present scenes at the Peter B. Lewis Theater in the Guggenheim, joined by Johanna Day, Dennis Boutsikaris, and more.
Works & Process announces the participants joining Terrence McNally Recovery Commission playwrights Craig Lucas and Jake Brasch for a weeklong residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center culminating in a first look presentation on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 7PM at the Peter B. Lewis Theater in the Guggenheim. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased now.
The residency participants are Johanna Day, Robin Bartlett, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jordan Lage, Everett Sobers, Florencia Lozano, Sky Smith, Tina Chilip, Denny Bess, Maggie Bofill, RUSSELL NORRIS, Madison Figuera-Diaz, Sean Daniels and GT Upchurch.
The April 20 event will invite audiences to experience selected scenes from both new plays alongside a discussion moderated by Sean Daniels, Executive Director of Recovery Arts Project, and Tom Kirdahy, Tony & Olivier Award-winning producer, together with the playwrights exploring their artistic processes, recovery journeys, and the role of storytelling in healing. To continue the conversation, all are invited to a reception in the museum rotunda.
The Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions award two annual $10,000 new play commissions - one to an emerging playwright and one to an established playwright - each identifying as being in recovery from a substance use condition. Reflecting the spirit of sponsorship, the commissioned artists serve as resources for one another throughout a yearlong process, supported by the Recovery Arts Project.
The commissions are underwritten by the Terrence McNally Foundation and named in honor of Terrence McNally, whose own journey in recovery began with a life-changing moment at Stephen Sondheim's birthday party, where Angela Lansbury, with love and concern, encouraged him to face his struggles with alcohol. McNally later shared this story in the documentary Every Act of Life, believing in the power of being part of a supportive public community.
The inaugural recipients of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions are Jake Brasch, who makes their Off-Broadway debut this season with The Reservoir at the Atlantic Theater Company, and Craig Lucas, Obie Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
This project is underwritten by the Terrence McNally Foundation and supported by the Recovery Arts Project, who taps into the transformative power of art and artists to change the national conversation about addiction and recovery in order to save lives.
This project will receive a Works & Process Residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, supported by The Ziegfeld Club's Needlepoint Bob Grant. The Ziegfeld Club's 2026 Needlepoint Bob Grant is dedicated to the memory of Bob DiNapoli, a beloved member of the club community. DiNapoli was known affectionately as "Needlepoint Bob" in meeting spaces for members of addiction recovery programs in New York City, because he was never without a needlepoint project.
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