Southern Rep Theatre Announces Breath Project, A New Play Initiative

The Breath Project, a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black people, announced the recipients of the New Play Commission Initiative.

Building on the success of last fall's inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival, which featured 24 world premiere works-all 8 minutes and 46 seconds in length-from multidisciplinary theater artists of color from around the country, the New Play Commission Initiative will provide five of those works with $17,000 commissions each to develop full-length plays based on or inspired by their original festival submission. A sixth commission will be awarded in spring 2021. In addition, each recipient will receive dramaturgical and new play development support from Southern Rep Theatre or one of The Breath Project's other partner theaters.

"We are forever grateful to the generous donors who have allowed The Breath Project to expand opportunities for theater artists of color and further our mission of building a more equitable theater community," said Chasten. "With assistance from our nationwide partner theaters, we are thrilled these selected artists are able to expand on their original works and experience the new play development process firsthand. We look forward to seeing the finished projects on stage soon."

"Giving BIPOC artists agency to tell their stories is both a mission and passion of mine. Said Grandoit. In the words of Lynn Nottage, "We've been present throughout history, but our voices have been neglected." Now is the time, more than ever, to have history be told from our creative lenses and perspectives. Now is the time for our voices, for our words, to be spoken, read, heard, and celebrated" - Sacha Grandoit, Breath Project Curator.