TheaterWorks Hartford Receives Joyce C. Willis Equity In The Arts Award From Roberts Foundation For The Arts

TheaterWorks Hartford, led by Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, has received the Joyce C. Willis Equity in the Arts Award from the Roberts Foundation for the Arts to fund an artist residency, including the development of a new play that will have its world premiere during the organization's 2026/27 season.

The Joyce C. Willis Equity in the Arts Award is a new competitive grant from the Roberts Foundation for the Arts that is designed to foster creativity in the Greater Hartford region. The grant supports artists of color in the creation of new work, foster collaborations between artists of color and arts organizations that benefit the arts, the organization, and the community, and further the foundation's mission to support and encourage excellence in the arts in Hartford and immediately surrounding communities. The award is granted to one recipient per year. TheaterWorks Hartford is the sole recipient for this year's grant award.

The award from the Roberts Foundation for the Arts will support an artist residency at TheaterWorks Hartford during the summer of 2026 for Paloma Nozicka, a Mexican-American writer, actor, and award-winning filmmaker. During her residency, Nozicka will develop Both, a world-premiere play scheduled for TheaterWorks Hartford's 2026/27 season. The grant will also support continued development of the six-character work, including a workshop production created while she is in residence.

TheaterWorks Hartford has a long history of working with new and emerging playwrights and is committed to fostering new play development. The goal is to produce the play for a diverse audience, with select performances to include Spanish language captioning. This opportunity from the Roberts Foundation will allow TheaterWorks to reach a larger Spanish Speaking audience within the Greater Hartford Community.

“We are deeply grateful to the Roberts Foundation for the Arts for this wonderful award and generous support,” says TheaterWorks Hartford's Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero. “This gift makes a real and immediate impact—fueling TheaterWorks Hartford's commitment to champion emerging playwrights of color and to bring bold new voices to our stage. Support like this doesn't just fund a single work; it strengthens our future and allows us to grow with purpose and imagination.

We are especially excited to welcome Paloma to TWH for a residency in 2026 to further develop her new play, Both. We look forward to producing the play's world premiere during our 2026–27 season and to welcoming Paloma back throughout the rehearsal process.

True to our commitment to access and community connection, this residency and production will include Spanish-language outreach, translated materials, and additional initiatives designed to meaningfully welcome Hartford's Spanish-speaking communities into the experience. We also anticipate that Paloma's time at TWH, supported by the guidance of our artistic team, will help further her career and elevate her presence within the American theater.”

The Joyce C. Willis Equity in the Arts Award is a new competitive grant from the Roberts Foundation as of 2025. To learn more about the grant, please visit their website.