National Alliance for Musical Theatre Reveals 2023/2024 Writers Residency Grant Recipients

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced the NAMT Member Theatre and Writer Recipients for the 2023/2024 Writers Residency Grants, part of the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals. The Frank Young Fund is a major funding program to support the development and production of new musicals. Writers Residency Grants encourage collaborations between NAMT Member theatres and writers at the earliest stages of a project. 

“We are pleased to announce the latest round of Writers Residency funding for NAMT Member Organizations in recognition of their steadfast dedication to enhancing the whole musical theatre field by cultivating writers and fostering growth of new musicals,” says Betsy King Militello. “Witnessing our Members’ tenacious commitment to supporting artists and providing vibrant homes for creative development reinforces our determination to continue investing in their efforts.” 

The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals has awarded each of the following member organizations $500 to $2,000 for Writers Residency Grants for the 2023/2024 Cycles:

The 5th Avenue Theatre (Seattle, WA) for Emerald Jett by SassyBlack

Ars Nova (New York, NY) for Elsewhere by Wesley Olivier AKA Klondyke

La Jolla Playhouse (La Jolla, CA) for UNTITLED MILCK PROJECT by Sam Chanse, MILCK (Connie K. Lim) and Adrianne Gonzalez

Live & In Color (New York, NY) for We Start in Manhattan: A New Queer Musical by Sav Souza & Ariella Serur

The Morrison Center (Boise, ID) for Take Two (Working Title) by Leta Harris Neustaedter

New York Theatre Barn (New York, NY) for SKYWARD: An Ending Elegy by Truth Future Bachman

Olney Theatre Center for the Arts (Olney, MD) for Built for This by Hallie Gordon, Kira Stone & Lauren Gunderson

Playwrights Horizons (New York, NY) for Mother, Tree by Kuhoo Verma

ZACH Theatre (Austin, TX) for Zapata: A Superhero Folklórico Musical by Jesse J. Sanchez 

The next application cycle for the Writers Residency Grants will open April 30th, 2024, for projects slated to take place between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. For more information, visit namt.org/wrg. Applicants must be U.S.-based NAMT member not-for-profit theatre organizations. For more information on membership, visit namt.org/membership.

 The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals is overseen by NAMT New Works Director Frankie Dailey, and the recommended Grant Recipients for the Writers Residency Grants are selected by the New Works Committee, a distinguished panel of industry leaders from across the country. The 2023/2024 New Works Committee was co-chaired by Eric Keen-Louie of La Jolla Playhouse (CA), Aislinn Frantz of Chicago Shakespeare Theater (IL) and Hattie Andres of Seattle Rep (WA). Committee members include Margot Astrachan of Margot Astrachan Production (NY); Jaime Bartolett of Shea Theatricals (NY); Bill Berry of The 5th Avenue Theatre (WA); Victoria Bussert, Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music (OH); Snehal Desai of Center Theatre Group (CA); Kate Galvin of Constellation Stage & Screen (IN); Marguerite Hannah of Horizon Theatre (GA); Ray Hogg of The Musical Stage Company (ON); Brandon Ivie of Village Theatre (WA); Elizabeth Kensek, WaterTower Theatre (TX); Justin Lucero of Theater Latté Da (MN); Tom Morrissey of Theatre Now New York (NY); Alan Paul of Barrington Stage Company (MA); Aaron Thielen of Broadway Across Borders (IL); Amber Wallace of Ogunquit Playhouse (ME); and Adam Yankowy of Michigan State University (MI).

The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals has provided over $800,000 of funding to new musicals over the last 15 years, including Lizard Boy by Justin Huertas (NAMT Fest ’20) at Prospect Theater Company; Days of Wine and Roses by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas at Atlantic Theater Company; TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix by EllaRose Chary and Brandon James Gwinn (NAMT Fest ’21) at Diversionary Theatre; A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (NAMT Fest ’19) at Playwrights Horizons; Oratorio for Living Things by Heather Christian (NAMT Fest ’22) at Ars Nova; Eight-Sixed by Sam Salmond and Jeremy J. King at Diversionary Theatre; Soft Power by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori at both Center Theatre Group and The Public Theater; The Band’s Visit by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses (NAMT Fest ’12) at Atlantic Theater Company; When We’re Gone (fka Mortality Play, NAMT Fest ’16) by Alana Jacoby and Scotty Arnold at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Bella: An American Tall Tale by Kirsten Childs (NAMT Fests ’98 & ’12) at Playwrights Horizons and Dallas Theater Center; Ordinary Days (NAMT Fest ’08) by Adam Gwon (NAMT Fests ’08, ’11 & ’14) at Adirondack Theatre Festival; and Southern Comfort (NAMT Fest ’12) by Julianne Wick Davis (NAMT Fests ’12 & ’19) and Dan Collins (NAMT Fest ’12) at all three grant levels, at Playwrights Horizons, CAP21 and Barrington Stage Company; among many others.