2021 Inaugural Cohort Of ReImagine Grantees To Develop New Plays For Young Audiences At 8 Theatres Across The US This Fall

ReImagine: New Plays in TYA, a groundbreaking initiative to support the development and visibility of new works for young audiences written by artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), announced today that each of the awarded playwrights of 8 compelling new projects have selected host theatres for developmental workshops to take place this fall.

In an effort to reimagine the new play development process and power structure in the TYA field, the awarded playwrights led the process of selecting an organizational partner to support the development of their new plays. Theatres from across the country applied for the opportunity to host one of the awarded playwrights, while the playwrights interviewed a range of theatres before selecting the right fit.

ReImagine: New Plays in TYA provides development support to the playwright and the host theatre for a workshop to explore the play with a cast and creative team. All of the awarded playwrights and projects will be featured and showcased for the national TYA field as part of the TYA/USA Festival & Conference this coming December.

Announcing the ReImagine: New Plays in TYA Playwrights, Projects, and Host Theatres:

• Heart Strings by Lee Cataluna, to be developed at Atlantic Theater Company (New York, NY)

• jelly beans by Christin Cato, to be developed at MS 51/Piper Theatre (Brooklyn, NY)

• ZEQ by Ramón Esquivel, to be developed at Oregon Children's Theatre (Portland, OR)

• Pia's Wondrous Adventures in Tlaxlandia by José Cruz González, to be developed at In Other People's Shoes (Pasadena, CA)

• DragonSoul Offline by Samantha Miller, to be developed by StageOne Family Theatre (Louisville, KY)

• ¡Lotería: Game On! By Mabelle Reynoso, to be developed by Teatro Bravo (Phoenix, Arizona)

• Capture the Flag by Doug Robinson, to be developed by Chicago Children's Theatre (Chicago, IL)

• Kaleidoscope Crown by Ashleigh Akilah Rucker, to be developed by Center of Creative Arts (COCA) (St Louis, MO)

Responding to the crises of COVID and industry-wide calls for racial justice, the ReImagine program is a national TYA field movement that aims to both expand the presence of BIPOC-led projects presented to young audiences across the country, while re-envisioning the play development process to center the perspective of the lead artist.

"We are so delighted that each of the inaugural ReImagine Grantees have chosen their ideal home to incubate their plays. These eight compelling, timely and joy-inducing projects will transform the landscape of TYA, and we are excited to see how they evolve in their upcoming development journeys," said the ReImagine Advisory Council in a joint statement. "We were also delighted to see the range of applications that came from theatres across the country interested in hosting this work. Their enthusiasm and dedication to reimaging how they create work energizes us for all the work ahead."

The program and selection process was guided by an Advisory Council of five leaders and artists from the field of TYA: Aurelia Clunie, Miriam Gonzales, Idris Goodwin, Min Kahng, and Johamy Morales.

Along with the Advisory Council, additional leaders and artists participated as readers in the selection process:

Ricky Araiza, Childsplay

Nakeisha Daniel, College of Charleston

Tiffany Maltos, Seattle Children's Theatre

Anita Menon, Anjali School of Dance

Allison Mui, New 42/New Victory Theater

Bob Shyrock, Oklahoma City University

Pirronne Yousefzadeh, Geva Theatre