PORTLAND, ORE.: Artists Repertory Theatre has announced that playwright Andrea Stolowitz will receive funding for five years from Ronni Lacroute, a longtime Artists Rep sponsor and Portland arts patron. For at least two of those years, Stolowitz will be the Lacroute Playwright-in-Residence at Artists Rep.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for Andrea and for Artists Rep made possible by the visionary support of Ronni Lacroute,” said managing director Sarah Horton in a statement. “With targeted, game-changing support like this, individual arts patrons like Ronni can personally impact the work of playwrights and the future of theatremaking in America.”

During the residency, Stolowitz will receive an annual salary and discretionary funds to support the development of new work. Artists Rep will also offer Stolowitz an office at the theatre, where she currently serves as a resident artist. She received Artist Rep’s $25,000 Fowler/Levin New Play Prize for her play Ithaka, which premiered at the theatre in 2013. She has served on the faculties at Willamette University, the University of Portland, Duke University, and University of California—San Diego. She received her MFA in playwriting from UCSD.

“This opportunity to be a playwright-in-residence is a dream come true,” said Stolowitz in a statement. “I have the chance to be embedded in the organization where I already have a longtime affiliation. As a playwright this is fairly unique since normally our relationships with theatres are determined by when our work is being produced. In this scenario, I will have an artistic home where I can work, create, and continue to grow as an artist over an extended period of time.”