National New Play Network Receives $425,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK RECEIVES $425,000FROM THE Andrew W. Mellon FOUNDATION WASHINGTON, DC - The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays,has received a grant of $425,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its programs overthe next three years.

The gift - far and away the largest received by NNPN in its history - was approved by the Trustees of the Foundation on September 24, 2010. "NNPN's 26 member theaters have already been instrumental in changing the culture around new plays in this country," said Jason Loewith, NNPN's Executive Director. "This extraordinarygift ensures NNPN's place as a leading innovator for new plays and playwrights."

The giftsupports the expansion of NNPN's pioneering Continued Life of New Plays Fund, enhancement of new and existing partnership efforts, and infrastructure support."We are thrilled that The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has renewed its funding of our work,"said Ryan Rilette, Producing Director of Marin Theatre Company and President of NNPN. "We simply would not be able to support new plays and playwrights to the extent we do withouttheir ongoing, generous support. I think that's probably true of the majority of new playorganizations in the country at this point - the new play universe would be much bleaker without the Foundation's commitment to new plays."

CONTINUED LIFE OF NEW PLAYS FUNDNNPN's flagship program, the Continued Life of New Plays Fund (CLNPF), supports three or more theaters which choose to mount the same new play within a twelve-month period. The result is a "rolling world premiere" through which the playwright develops a new work withat least three different creative teams, for three different communities of patrons, ensuring the resulting play is of the highest possible quality. To date, NNPN has championed the continued life of 23 new plays in nearly 100 productions, with nearly a half million dollars in grants.

Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation over the next three years will increase boththe number of rolling world premieres NNPN supports as well as the amount of support each participating theater receives. Current and upcoming rolling world premieres include LuisAlfaro's Oedipus El Rey, Steve Yockey's Afterlife, Allison Moore's Collapse, and Kara Hartzler'sArizona: No Roosters in the Desert.

NEW AND EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS

A passionate belief in the value of institutional collaboration is the strength behind NNPN and its programs. Support in this area from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will allow NNPN toenhance current programs that exemplify this belief, and create new ones, thereby expandingpipelines for new plays and playwrights of merit. Existing programs receiving Foundationsupport include the MFA Playwrights Workshop at the Kennedy Center, the Playwright-in-Residence program, and a continuing partnership with the Lark Play Development Company.

NNPN will also develop new programs: a "venture capital" Collaboration Fund for pioneeringefforts in support of new play production, and a Producer-in-Residence program created inpartnership with Arena Stage's American Voices New Play Institute.

ABOUT NNPN

The National New Play Network (NNPN) is the country's alliance of leading non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned over a dozen playwrights, providedthirteen MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported over 100 productions nationwidethrough its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates "rolling worldpremieres" of new plays. Through these activities and others, NNPN has granted more than a half million dollars to theaters and playwrights.

Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts in the 24 regions of the country where NNPN member theaters arelocated. In addition to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NNPN receives substantial supportfrom the Boeing Company, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.NNPN's 26 member theaters are: Actor's Express Theatre (Atlanta), Actor's Theatre ofCharlotte (Charlotte, NC), Borderlands Theater (Tucson), Curious Theatre Company (Denver),Florida Stage (Manalapan), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota), Fountain Theatre (LA), HorizonTheatre Company (Atlanta), InterAct Theatre Company (Philadelphia), Kitchen Dog Theater(Dallas), Magic Theatre (San Francisco), Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley, CA), Mixed BloodTheatre Company (Minneapolis), New Jersey Repertory Company (Long Branch), NewRepertory Theatre (Watertown, MA), New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL), Orlando ShakespeareTheater (Orlando), Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI), Phoenix Theatre(Indianapolis), Playwright's Theatre of New Jersey (Madison), Prop Thtr Group (Chicago), SaltLake Acting Company (Salt Lake City), Southern Rep (New Orleans), Unicorn Theatre (KansasCity, MO), Victory Gardens (Chicago), and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company (Washington,DC)

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