Raven Theatre Announces New Play Development Initiative

Raven Theatre has announced a new $25,000 play development initiative, supporting up to three commissions over the next three years. Tyla Abercrumbie has been chosen as the inaugural recipient. In addition to financial support, playwrights will benefit from workshops with actors and private or public readings during the development process. The new initiative is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Raven Board Member Stephen Johnson.

Comments Raven Artistic Director Cody Estle, "We hope to weave incredible new plays into the fabric of the American theatre through this exciting new initiative. It wouldn't be possible without Stephen Johnson's generous gift, for which the theatre and I are extremely grateful. I'm thrilled to have commissioned playwright Tyla Abercrumbie to kick off this initiative. She is an artist of extreme depth who tackles each project with vulnerability, grace and humility. I cannot wait to read what she writes."

Tyla Abercrumbie is a playwright, actor and director. Her plays include Relentless, Who's Afraid of Deepak Chopra, Asylum (aka Life), Psychological Terrorism, Only Women Bleed, Naked and Raw, Affair of Ambiguity, Normality and The Straw. Abercrumbie's work has been produced by Timeline Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwright's Theatre, MPAACT Theatre and Chicago Cultural Center. She is a recipient of the Timeline Theatre Playwright Collective Fellowship 2016 where she is also an active company member. She has appeared on stages: Huntington Theatre, Court, Goodman, Northlight, Victory Garden, CST, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Milwaukee Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Television credits include The Chi, Utopia, Proven Innocent, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Shrink, Empire, Easy, Crisis, Mob Doctor, Detroit 187, Chicago Code, Shameless and Private Practice. You may also have seen her at comedy clubs around town testing jokes for her stand-up show, Naked & Raw 3 (The Takers and the Tooken). Her book Red Wine and the Bles'sed Monkey, a collection of prose and poetry, established her as a respected poet invited to showcase her work at venues, events and media outlets around the country, presenting before respected keynote speaker The Reverend Jesse Jackson and radio and media mogul Cathy Hughes. Tyla holds a BA degree from Columbia College.