Ars Nova News

The McKnight Foundation and Playwrights' Center are continuing to invest in the future of theater by supporting some of today's most promising playwrights through the McKnight National Residency and Commission and McKnight Fellowships in Playwriting. The awards are all the more pertinent as many theater-makers face unprecedented challenges during this moment of crisis.

Building on over 40 years of producing powerful contemporary theatre, Studio Theatre is pleased to announce its largest class ever of commissioned artists to Studio R&D, its incubator to support the creation of new work. Studio will award grants to 10 artists-playwrights, directors, and multidisciplinary creators-investing in its future while supporting theatre-makers and expanding the idea of what it means to be a generative artist. For the first time, Studio R&D commissions are being awarded to support the creation of audio plays, as Studio explores alternate modes of theatrical storytelling in response to the present moment.

Hannah Cruz (Hamilton), Dylan Hartwell (Newsical), Greg Sullivan (Naked Boys Singing) and Ellen Winter (36 Questions Podcast) star in quarantine-made web-musical by Dramatists Guild Fellows, Ars Nova Uncharted, & Rhinebeck Writers Retreat alum writing team EllaRose Chary (TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix, The Doll Maker's Gift) & Brandon James Gwinn (TL;DR, Small Town Story, Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts). 

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced this year's six recipients of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Initiative commissions. The commissioned writers are Kate Attwell, Mia Chung, Noah Diaz, Julia Izumi, Ife Olujobi, and Stacey Rose.

Ars Nova has announced The Ars Nova Forever Telethon, a 24 hour livestream featuring over 100 artists celebrating Ars Nova's past and present while raising funds to propel the organization into its future.

Nothing can stop BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge from bringing you interviews with your favorite Broadway stars! Tune in right here today, May 15 (12pm), as he chats with Julia Murney and Andrew Lippa!

2020 Jonathan Larson Grant recipients Abigail and Shaun Bengson share what this grant means to them in a virtual acceptance speech.

In lieu of a ceremony, 2020 Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Benjamin Velez shares what this grant means to him in a virtual acceptance speech.

After the success of THE DUCKS in April with an all-star cast of 18, Justin Sayre regales the masses with another wild and witty play PUSSY FRIGHT! to Livestream on May 24, 2020, at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST, directed by Tom DeTrinis. The virtual showing will be live-streamed on Sayre's YouTube Channel and viewers will be able to donate to support The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and The Ali Forney Center in New York for a second time.

Theater in Quarantine is a new performance laboratory from writer/director/performer Joshua William Gelb dedicated to the exploration of the theatrical experience inside the digital space.

As the shutdown continues, BroadwayWorld is keeping you up to date on the latest announcements and updates from New York's Off-Broadway theatres. 

Multi-Hype focuses on blossoming the professional artist as a whole.

Slave Play Playwright Jeremy O. Harris took to twitter on Thursday evening to live tweet the newest episode of The Good Fight on CBS All Access. The episode was inspired by his Slave Play, and Harris began his live tweeting by saying, 'About to do a live watch of the ⁦@thegoodfight ⁩SLAVE PLAY episode. Who wants to join? #SlavePlayGoodFight.'

IAMA Theatre Company has named playwright Ryan J. Haddad as the 2020 recipient of the Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission. The commission, sponsored by award-winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal), was created to help grow and nourish budding playwrights and artists.

Edmund Bagnell, 1st Violinist & vocalist of the internationally acclaimed group Well-Strung, will star in a summer-long run of the new solo show He Plays The Violin at Provincetown's Art House Theatre, set to open on June 30, 2020.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, Artistic Director Designate Tim Bond, and Executive Director Phil Santora announced changes to TheatreWorks's 2020-21 Season, which is now scheduled to begin in October 2020.

Long recognized for its dedication to creating new work for the theater, Los Angeles-based Echo Theater Company is uniquely positioned to nurture the next generation of playwrights during the current public health crisis.

Liberation Theatre Company (LTC) has named four early career playwrights to participate in their Writing Residency Program for 2020-2021.

Mario Cantone will host this year's Lucille Lortel Awards, which are being presented as a virtual broadcast and benefit for The Actors Fund on Sunday, May 3, at 7pm. The online event will bring together theatre performers, industry veterans, and fans worldwide in a celebration of Off-Broadway.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the May Panel Not-for-Profit Theater in a Challenging World: How to Survive and Thrive on Thursday, May 21, 2020 via Zoom. Networking begins at 7pm and the panel starts at 7:30pm. Reserve a spot on the event page at https://truonline.org/events/not-for-profit-theater/ or by emailing TRUStaff1@gmail.com and you will be put on a list to receive the Zoom link.