NEW YORK CITY: Atlantic Theater Company has announced the inaugural Judith Champion Launch Commissioning Program playwrights: Matthew Capodicasa, Gloria Majule, and Alex Riad. The new commissioning program supports early-career playwrights by providing funding to write a new play and the opportunity for a reading at the end of the process. The Atlantic also offers writers networking opportunities and other career supports, such as help finding an agent.

“Support what is most important to you,” said program underwriter Judith Champion in a statement, “and one thing that is important to me is to nurture playwriting talent so that theatre flourishes for future generations.”

Champion’s donation has allowed for the expansion of Atlantic’s Launch Commission, whose recipients include Sanaz Toossi, Kelley Nicole Girod, Abby Rosebrock, Lily Houghton, Amy Staats, Tori Sampson, Brian Otaño, David Mitchell Robinson, Paola Lázaro, Nikki Massoud, and Max Yu. The Atlantic hopes to build lasting relationships with playwrights, and has previously produced works from four of their commissioned writers.

Matthew Capodicasa is a New York-based writer and podcaster. His plays include: Noise in the Line, Next/Life, All the People You’ve Been, The City in the City in the City, The Scenarios, You Remind Me of You, Frelmetsch the Maneater, The City Of, and Chaos and Caesar Salad.

Gloria Majule is a Seattle-based playwright from Dodoma, Tanzania. Her plays include: Culture Shock, Fifteen Hundred, Life Sentence, Mala Aria, Uhuru, and Uncut.

Alex Riad is an Egyptian American playwright and screenwriter based in New York. His plays include: Of Alexandria, Quality Cellular, In Place, Heartbeat, Faster Horses, The Wild Parrots of Campbell, The Floor is Lava, If You Ever Come by Here, When You Go, and Standbys.

Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway performing arts organization dedicated to telling honest, human stories and exploring essential truths for a greater understanding of our world.