NEW YORK CITY: The Dramatists Guild Fund (DGF) has announced the expansion of its Fellows Program, a nine-month intensive offered to both playwrights and musical theatre writers. The expansion will allow the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., New York Stage and Film (NYSAF) in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat (RWR) in Rhinebeck, N.Y., to offer a residency program to one playwright or writing team from the 2015-16 DGF program.
“It is vital we support the coming generations of writers and provide tangible opportunities in their development if we want and expect there to be a thriving American theatre,” said DGF president Andrew Lippa in a statement. “Partnering organizations like the O’Neill, New York Stage and Film, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat ensure dramatists have the experiences to continue their training and establish their unique voices in the theatre.”
The fellows selected for this year’s development programs are Jerome A. Parker (New York Stage and Film), France-Luce Benson (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center); and brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour (Rhinebeck Writers Retreat).
Parker will participate in NYSAF’s summer residency at Vassar College‘s Powerhouse Theater. Benson will participate as a playwright observer during the O’Neill’s National Playwrights Conference. Daniel and Patrick Lazour will go on a weeklong retreat at the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, where they will develop new work.
On Sept. 19, DGF will host its annual presentation of new work by fellows at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. The presentation will feature excerpts from the work of the 2015-16 class, including work by Parker, Benson, Patrick Lazour, and Daniel Lazour.
The Dramatists Guild Fund is the public charity arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. Its mission is to aid and nurture writers for the theatre; to fund non-profit theatres producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theatre across the country.
