Vineyard Theatre Names Whitney White Recipient of 2018 Susan Stroman Directing Award

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that the 2018 Susan Stroman Directing Award will be presented to Whitney White on Sunday, December 16 at The Vineyard's 2nd annual Open House from 3-7pm. This past July, White directed a Developmental Lab Production of THIS LAND WAS MADE by Tori Sampson at The Vineyard, and she is currently represented Off-Broadway with WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN by Aleshea Harris.

The Vineyard established the Susan Stroman Directing Award and residency in 2013, giving it biennially to a talented early or mid-career director to develop new work while in residence. Named after Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman, the award provides recipients with space, time, and support to develop projects and strike new collaborations, while creating opportunities for them to become part of the life of the company in an ongoing way. Previous recipients include Liesl Tommy (ECLIPSED, The Vineyard's KID VICTORY) and Lee Sunday Evans (DANCE NATION, INTRACTABLE WOMAN).

The Vineyard's Susan Stroman Directing Award is made possible through the generosity of The Tournesol Project.

The Vineyard's Open House is an opportunity for Vineyard supporters to learn more about the theatre through backstage tours and artist panels. Panels include a discussion with season artists Jeremy O. Harris ("Daddy") and Mara Nelson-Greenberg (DO YOU FEEL ANGER?); and Paula Vogel Playwriting Award recipients Antoinette Nwandu (PASS OVER) and Kate Tarker (THUNDERBODIES). Closing the event will be the presentation of the Susan Stroman Directing Award to Whitney White, with remarks from Susan Stroman. To learn more about the Open House, contact Jessie Pitluk, Director of Development, at development@vineyardtheatre.org.

Whitney White is a director and musician based in Brooklyn, New York. Recent work includes Aleshea Harris' WHAT TO SEND UP (The Movement, NYT Critics' Pick), RITA TAMBIEN RITA by Tony Meneses (Julliard), OTHELLO (Trinity Rep), and BR'ER COTTON by Tearrance Chisholm (Endstation). Her upcoming piece MACBETH IN STRIDE will be part of Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theatre. Associate Directing: MARVIN'S ROOM (Broadway), IF I FORGET (Roundabout), OTHELLO (NYTW). Upcoming: JUMP (Playmakers), CANYON (IAMA Theatre), AN ILLIAD (Long Wharf), THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES (Atlantic Theatre, Associate Director). Whitney is an Associate Artist at The Roundabout Theatre, and was recently a 2050 Fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop. This year she is in residency at Ars Nova as part of their 2018 Makers Lab where she is developing DEFINITION an original concert-play, and at the Drama League as part of their Next Wave Residency where she is developing an African American production of Anton Chekov's THREE SISTERS set to original music. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep, BA: Northwestern University. www.whitney-white.com

Susan Stroman's long and cherished relationship with The Vineyard began with the 1987 revival of FLORA, THE RED MENACE, giving Ms. Stroman her first professional choreography credit. She returned to The Vineyard in 2010 with the John Kander, Fred Ebb and David Thompson musical THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, which went on to a run on Broadway and the West End. Ms. Stroman most recently directed THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE and DOT on The Vineyard stage. Her other major credits include CONTACT, THE PRODUCERS, and BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, and THE MERRY WIDOW for the Metropolitan Opera. She is the recipient of five Tony Awards.

For more information, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

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