By Andrew Gans
02 Jul 2008

David Lindsay-Abaire

Manhattan Theatre Club announced July 2 that the three recipients of the first Bank of America Playwright Commissioning Program are Noah Haidle, Liz Flahive and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire.

Bank of America has provided a grant to MTC for the three-year program. First drafts of the plays will be given in-house readings at MTC's Creative Center. Final scripts will be evaluated for "potential production at one of MTC's three performance spaces," according to a press statement.

MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow and MTC director of artistic development Jerry Patch will oversee the commissions.

In a statement Patch said, "We are thrilled to be able to commission these deserving American writers and so grateful to Bank of America for making this possible. We look forward to working with our commissioned playwrights and are hopeful we'll see the Bank of America commissions on our stages."

Rena DeSisto, global arts and culture executive for Bank of America, added, "Bank of America is dedicated to helping the arts flourish, particularly American arts and artists. We are pleased to present this opportunity for new American plays to be developed and to contribute to the canon of American theater."

David Lindsay Abaire is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Rabbit Hole, which premiered at MTC's Biltmore Theater. He is also the author of Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World and A Devil Inside and is currently penning the book and lyrics for the Broadway-bound Shrek the Musical. Noah Haidle, the author of Persephone, Mr. Marmalade, Princess Marjorie and Rag and Bone, will be represented Off-Broadway this fall with Saturn Returns at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater. Liz Flahive's From Up Here recently premiered at MTC and received the John Gassner Playwrighting Award from the Outer Critics Circle.