By Adam Hetrick
21 Oct 2008

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program is one of four theatre organizations to receive a 2008 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

In addition to Sundance, the Mellon Foundation has also named the New York-based Lark Play Development Center and New Dramatists, as well as Minneapolis' Playwrights' Center as organizations that will receive grants ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000 over the course of the next three to five years in support of new work.

The Mellon Foundation issued the following statement regarding the 2008 grant recipients: "These centers have a distinguished history of providing support for artists and of collaborating successfully with regional theaters across the U.S. in producing new works that have been developed at their labs. While different in terms of programming, all share a goal of bringing new voices to the American theatre repertoire."

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program was awarded a $600,000 grant that will be issued over the course of three years. Sundance intends to use the funds to develop and deepen its models of new play development; increase commission and playwright stipend funding and outreach; and create a Phase II Theatre lab, which would offer Sundance alumni increased opportunity to develop their work.

Sundance will also host a play development summit in New York this December, including the Lark Play Development Center, New Dramatists, Playwrights' Center, Arena Stage, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and Playwrights' Foundation.