The commissioned writers include Rachel Bonds, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig and Jackie Sibblies Drury as well as PigPen Theatre Company, a group of actors, musicians, and storytellers.
They will join Adam Bock (A Small Fire) and Justin Levine (Bonfire Night), who were commissioned last year to collaborate on the creation of a new musical, as well as Thomas Bradshaw, Samuel D. Hunter and Sharyn Rothstein, who continue to work on their Writer’s Room Commissions from last year.
"The Writer's Room is a multi-year partnership between MTC and Ars Nova drawing on each organization's strengths and areas of expertise to create a unique, collaborative developmental program for advancing new works from commission through production," press notes state. "The Writer's Room feeds the programming of The Studio at Stage II – Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series, where bold new work meets bold new audiences."
Each year, MTC and Ars Nova jointly select four playwrights or writing teams to receive Writer's Room Commissions. The commissioned writers then come together to participate in a program designed to offer extensive developmental support.
Rachel Bonds' plays have been developed or produced by Ars Nova, New Georges, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Roundabout Underground, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Stage & Film, The McCarter, The Arden, and DC's Studio Theater, among others. Her works include At The Old Place, Anniversary, The Noise and Michael & Edie. Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's plays have been produced by Trafalgar Studios 2 [West End], Crowded Fire, Page 73 Productions, Interact Theatre, Borderlands Theatre and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Her work includes The World of Extreme Happiness. Jackie Sibblies Drury's work has been featured at PRELUDE'11, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Victory Gardens 2010 Ignition Festival, American Theater Company's 10 x 10 Festival and The Magic Theatre's Virgin Play Festival. Her work includes We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. PigPen Theatre Co. have produced their original plays Off-Broadway and at regional theatres around the country. Their plays include The Nightmare Story, The Mountain Song and The Old Man and The Old Moon. Visit ManhattanTheatreClub.com and ArsNovaNYC.com for more information.
