Long Wharf Theatre Receives Award From The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in Support of UNIVERSES

Long Wharf Theatre has received an award from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of UNIVERSES, the New York-based ensemble of multidisciplinary writers and performers of color who fuse theatre, poetry, dance, jazz, hip hop, politics, down home blues, and Spanish boleros to create moving, challenging, and entertaining works for the stage. The award will support the multidimensional involvement of UNIVERSES founders as participants in Long Wharf Theatre's inaugural commissioned artistic collective. This collective will fulfill a years-long commitment to commission and develop new plays that represent the kaleidoscope of the human experience, building a new American theatre repertoire that vigorously includes the voices of artists of color.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's National Playwright Residency Program has awarded Long Wharf Theatre $492,500 to support the residency and artistic development of Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp-founders and artistic directors of UNIVERSES. The support will be used to add Steven and Mildred to the LWT staff, where they will work closely with artistic director Jacob G. Padrón to develop creative projects for and with members of the Greater New Haven community. During their three-year residency, Steven and Mildred will produce an original work that will premiere at Long Wharf Theatre.