2012-2014 Huntington Playwriting Fellows Announced

Huntington Theatre Company announces its 2012-2014 cohort of Huntington Playwriting Fellows: Lila Rose Kaplan, Walt McGough, and Lenelle Moïse. This artistically diverse group of writers began their two-year residency in September. They follow in the footsteps of renowned past Huntington Fellows Lydia R. Diamond (Stick Fly), Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro (Before I Leave You), Kirsten Greenidge (The Luck of the Irish), Melinda Lopez (Sonia Flew), Ronan Noone (The Atheist, Brendan), and Ryan Landry (the upcoming "M") to name a few.

Through the Huntington Playwriting Fellows program, the Huntington fosters the talents of local playwrights at all stages of their careers from emerging talents to established professionals and encourages and facilitates conversations among Boston's playwriting community. Fellows are awarded two-year residencies during which they are provided a modest grant, participate in a bi-weekly writers' collective, and benefit from access to the artistic staff and to the resources of the Huntington. Select Fellows are invited to participate in the Huntington's Summer Workshop, a two-week new work retreat funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The three 2012-2014 Fellows were selected from more than 50 applicants. The Huntington Playwriting Fellows program is supported by the Stanford Calderwood Fund for New American Plays, the Harry Kondoleon Playwriting Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Lila Rose Kaplan writes bittersweet comedies that delve into the mysteries of human relationships. Her play Wildflower made its Off-Broadway debut in 2009 at Second Stage Uptown and was published by Dramatists Play Service. Her other works include We All Fall Down, Home of the Brave, 100 Planes, Entangled, Bureau of Missing Persons, and Tink. Her plays have been seen and/or developed at Second Stage, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Vic, Chalk Rep, Perishable Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Theatreworks, PlayPenn, and The Lark. Awards include The National Science Award in Playwriting, The International Women's Playwriting Award, The Shank Playwriting Fellowship, and the I.J. Kapstein Award in Playwriting. She was selected as an Old Vic/New Voices T.S. Eliot Exchange Playwright, and one of her short plays debuted at the Old Vic in London 2010. Ms. Kaplan has been in residence at Cornerstone Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. She is a graduate oF Brown University and received her MFA in Playwriting from UC San Diego. She has taught at UC Santa Barbara, Westmont College, Dartmouth College, and Primary Stages. Ms. Kaplan lives in Cambridge and will be teaching at Lesley University and The Gamm Theatre this coming year. She is a proud founding member of The Playwrights Union in Los Angeles. www.lilarose.org