In addition to the money, The New Colony will receive consultation with the Broadway In Chicago executive team "to create and support a marketing package valued at over $64,000 that includes advertising in the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago."

The award was created in 2007 "to encourage, support and promote emerging theatres in Chicago that have demonstrated great ability and promise, artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility in business practices," according to Broadway in Chicago.

The New Colony was selected by a majority vote of their peers — member companies of the League of Chicago Theatres.

The New Colony is a non-profit "devised-work" theatre company formed in 2007 in Chicago, IL. Currently at work on their ninth full-length world premiere production, the company members are "bringing together the Chicago traditions of improvisation and theatre to create a continuously fresh slate of bold new works that speak honestly about the world as we live in it."

According to New Colony mission notes, "For our Mainstage productions, [the creation of a show] starts in the form of a short story with rough character sketches. The production's ensemble and creative team are selected based on the needs of the story, and together they and the company embark on a four-to-six-month process that will result in a full-scale production." "This is insanely humbling and a tremendous honor for such a young company," The New Colony artistic director Andrew Hobgood said in a statement. "But it only confirms our belief that Chicago is the home of original theatre. When a company that only produces world premieres can receive this kind of support from our city and theater community — you know you're working somewhere exciting. And we're thrilled that this award will help us find more ways to introduce Chicagoans to new theatre. We can't thank Broadway In Chicago, the League of Chicago Theatres, their members and our community enough."

Visit thenewcolony.org for more information.