LUMBERYARD and BAM Announce Collaboration for BAM Next Wave Festival

BAM and LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts are pleased to announce a new collaboration through which LUMBERYARD will provide production residencies to artists readying new works for premiere in the BAM Next Wave Festival. Three artists, selected by BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo for presentation in the 2018 Festival-David Neumann, Kimberly Bartosik and Kaneza Schaal-will each receive a $10,000 development fee, dramaturgical support, full LUMBERYARD technical crew, design support, production materials and equipment, housing, meals, local transportation, and professional documentation. These vital residencies will culminate in out-of-town premieres, which are widely seen as integral to the development of Broadway-bound theater productions but are infrequent for works of dance and contemporary performance. The productions in development at Lumberyard are David Neumann's Because Science (Working Title); Kimberly Bartosik's I hunger for you,(Working Title); and Kaneza Schaal's Jack & Jill.

Joseph V. Melillo, BAM Executive Producer, said, "The opportunities and support provided by Lumberyard will enable three unique artists to fully realize the work they envision, providing ample preparation before bringing their work to BAM's stage. We look forward to a fruitful creative collaboration with Adrienne Willis and her colleagues."

Adrienne Willis, Executive and Artistic Director of LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts, said, "This collaboration demonstrates that LUMBERYARD's production residency program is a vital asset for the field at large-providing much-needed support to this country's foremost presenting institutions, artists, and audiences. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with our friends at BAM to bring these three exciting projects to fruition for the 2018 Next Wave Festival."

The collaboration marks the first time BAM has launched a formal relationship with an established residency partner. The initiative builds upon considerable acclaim for LUMBERYARD's residency program, which the organization launched to address a well-documented need among artists in the field for resources, time, and space to more fully develop new works in advance of their national or New York premieres. Since it established the program in 2011, LUMBERYARD has provided residencies to a wide range of artists whose projects have gone on to premiere at BAM, including Wendy Whelan, Jock Soto, and David Neumann; Steven Reker; Urban Bush Women; Brian Brooks; Zvi Gotheiner; Jodi Melnick; David Dorfman; and Ivy Baldwin.

LUMBERYARD is developing a state-of-the-art facility in Catskill, New York, including a 5,500-square foot flexible performance space with multiple configurations to replicate New York City stages. When it opens in the spring of 2019, the four-building facility on the Hudson River waterfront will allow the organization to drastically expand its activities, especially its residency program. Each year in Catskill, LUMBERYARD will present a summer season consisting of out-of-town premiere performances by professional artists and companies. From October through April, the facility will be available for commercial rentals and community programming.

More about LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts

In addition to providing critical support to a wide range of artists, LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts welcomes audiences of all experience levels into the inner world of the contemporary performing arts, giving them opportunities to witness the creation, as well as the performance, of new work.

Among LUMBERYARD's varied and ever-expanding offerings are its acclaimed residency program; its LUMBERYARD in The City festival; and the Solange MacArthur Award for New Choreography.

LUMBERYARD's four-building facility on the Hudson River waterfront will make a significant contribution to the revitalization of Catskill, New York. The complex consists of a main Lumberyard building in Catskill and three large adjacent barns along Catskill Creek. There will be a large, column-free, flexible theater, a lobby, administrative offices, housing for up to 20 resident artists, an artist lounge and a public courtyard. Phase II will encompass the three adjacent structures, which LUMBERYARD will develop in collaboration with the Village of Catskill and in line with the Village's Downtown and Waterfront Revitalization Strategy.

Each year in Catskill, LUMBERYARD will present a summer season consisting of premiere and work-in-progress performances by celebrated professional artists and companies, serving local residents and attracting tourists from across New York and beyond. From October through April, the facility will be available for collaborative residencies, subsidized and commercial rentals and community programming.

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About BAM

Brooklyn Academy Of Music (BAM) is recognized internationally for its innovative programming of dance, music, theater, opera, and film. Its mission is to be the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas. BAM presents leading national and International Artists and companies in its annual Winter/Spring Season and highlights groundbreaking, contemporary work in the performing arts with its Next Wave Festival each fall. Founded in 1983, the Next Wave is one of the world's most important festivals of contemporary performing arts. BAM Rose Cinemas features new, independent film releases and BAMcinématek-a curated, daily repertory film program. In 2012, BAM added a third venue,the Richard B. Fisher Building, to its campus, providing an intimate and flexible 250-seat performance venue-the Fishman Space-as well as the Hillman Studio, a rehearsal and performance space.

BAM serves New York City's diverse population through community events, literary series, and a wide variety of educational and family programs. BAM, America's oldest performing arts center, has presented performances since 1861, and attracts an audience of more than 750,000 people each year. The institution is led by President Katy Clark and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo. Visit BAM.org.