American Theatre Wing Awards Grant to Cutting Ball Theater

San Francisco's cutting-edge Cutting Ball Theater is pleased to announce that the American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, is awarding the company with one of the 2013 National Theatre Company grants. Created by American Theatre Wing to recognize and support the most promising emerging theater companies from around the country, the National Theatre Company grant honors 10 theaters annually. Companies chosen to receive the $10,000 grant have articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen and demonstrate the quality, diversity, and dynamism of American theater. More information about the National Theatre Company grants can be found at http://americantheatrewing.org/grants/.

"The recognition from the American Theatre Wing is a tremendous honor," said Rob Melrose, Artistic Director of Cutting Ball Theater. "We at Cutting Ball are extremely honored to receive this national grant from the American Theatre Wing. This grant will allow us to realize the many plans we have for our 15th season, including a World Premiere, an American Premiere, two World Premiere translations, and five new plays in our RISK IS THIS...new works festival. We thank the American Theatre Wing for this important recognition of our work."

Best known for creating The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, the American Theatre Wing's reach extends beyond Broadway and beyond New York, with educational and media work that offers the best in theatre to people around the world. Dedicated to celebrating excellence and supporting education in the theatre, ATW has been an integral and influential part of the theatrical community for nearly 100 years. For more information about all of the American Theatre Wing programs, go to americantheatrewing.org. ATW can be followed on Facebook.com/TheAmericanTheatreWing and Twitter.com/TheWing and additional, unique video can be found at YouTube.com/AmericanTheatreWing.

Co-founded in 1999 by theater artists Rob Melrose and Paige Rogers, Cutting Ball Theater presents avant-garde works of the past, present, and future by re-envisioning classics, exploring seminal avant-garde texts, and developing new experimental plays. The company has commissioned, developed, and produced new experimental plays, and has partnered with Playwrights Foundation, and the Magic Theatre/Z Space New Plays Initiative to commission new experimental works. In addition to producing West Coast Premieres and re-imaging various classics, Cutting Ball Theater has produced nine World Premieres and seven World Premiere translations. Cutting Ball received the 2008 San Francisco Bay Guardian Goldie award for outstanding talent in the performing arts, and was voted "Best Theater Company" in the 2010 San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of the Bay issue. The company also earned the Best of SF award in 2006 and "Best Experimental Theater Company" in 2012 from SF Weekly, and was selected by San Francisco magazine as Best Classic Theater in 2007. Cutting Ball Theater was featured in the February 2010 and 2012 issues of American Theatre Magazine. In 2012, Cutting Ball was awarded a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a three-year residency for resident playwright Andrew Saito.

Cutting Ball opens its 15th season in October with the World Premiere of Basil Kreimendahl's absurdist-Western romp through gender queerness,SIDEWINDERS, directed by M. Graham Smith, followed by Alfred Jarry's provocative UBU ROI in January, directed by Yury Urnov, in a new translation by Rob Melrose. RISK IS THIS...THE CUTTING BALL NEW EXPERIMENTAL PLAYS FESTIVAL returns in February with five new works in staged readings that push the boundaries of what theater can be. Rounding out the main stage season in April, Cutting Ball presents the American Premiere of Samuel Galett's COMMUNIQUÉ N°10, in a World Premiere Translation, and directed by, Rob Melrose.

For more information about Cutting Ball Theater, or for tickets to upcoming productions, the public can visit cuttingball.com or call 415-525-1205.

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