WP Lab Renamed as Heidi Thomas Initiative WP Lab With Applications Open Now
The Lab is for early to mid-career theater professionals, who are eager to deepen their understanding of how to develop work with new collaborators.
WP Theater has revealed that The Paul and Jenna Segal Family Foundation has committed to sponsoring the WP Lab, which will be renamed as the Heidi Thomas Initiative WP Lab. Their donation will fund the program for the next 10 years.
The Heidi Thomas Initiative WP Lab is for early to mid-career theater professionals, who are eager to deepen their understanding of how to develop work with new collaborators while also learning how to best leverage given resources. Applications open today, January 12, and will remain open through February 20. Applications can be submitted at wptheater.org/lab/call-for-applications/.
“It has been my good fortune to earn the friendship of Heidi Thomas, OBE—who, in my estimation, is writing some of the most poignant work of women’s history today for stage and screen,” said Jenna Segal. “From the Ballet Shoes film, to Gigi on Broadway, to 16 Seasons of ‘Call the Midwife’, Heidi connects audiences deeply with the issues shaping women’s lives for centuries. It is an honor to continue the next iteration of Heidi Thomas Initiative in New York with WP Theater. I hope Heidi serves as a shining example for us all that women’s storytelling is very much commercial—and built for worldwide viewership.”
“This extraordinary commitment from the Segal Family Foundation is transformational for WP Theater and for the generations of artists the WP Lab serves,” said Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Managing Director Michael Sag. “Renaming the Lab in honor of Heidi Thomas recognizes an incredible individual and her advocacy for Women+ in the arts. We are deeply grateful to Jenna Segal and the PJSF for their generosity and partnership, which will ensure the continued strength and impact of this program for years to come.”
The artistic heart of WP Theater, the two-year Lab residency for playwrights, directors and producers has served over 350 artists since its founding as The Director’s Forum in 1983. The program provides rising talents in the industry with a vital professional network, entrepreneurial and leadership training, rehearsal space, and most significantly, tangible opportunities for the development and production of bold new work for the stage. As the culmination of the Lab, the Pipeline Festival presents a unique opportunity for audiences and industry to access five new plays at various stages of development, and serves as a pipeline to funnel exceptional Women+ artists and their work to the forefront of American theater.
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