Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the recipients of the 2023-25 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards will allow 12 productions extra time for development and rehearsal in the hopes of extending the life of the play.
Awardees include Furlough’s Paradise by a.k. payne at the Alliance Theatre; A Mirror by Sam Holcroft at the Almeida Theatre; Infinite Life by Annie Baker at Atlantic Theater Company and the National Theatre; Black Cypress Bayou by Kristen Adele Calhoun at the Geffen Playhouse; Female Troubles by Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan, with music by Curtis Moore and lyrics by Amanda Green, at the Goodman Theatre; Highway Patrol, created by Dana Delany, Mike Donahue, Dane Laffrey, and Jen Silverman, also at the Goodman; Untitled Unauthorized Hunter Thompson Musical by Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss, with music and lyrics by Iconis, at La Jolla Playhouse; Sumo by Lisa Sanaye Dring at La Jolla and Ma-Yi Theater Company; Babbitt by Joe DiPietro at La Jolla; Redwood by Tina Landau, with music by Kate Diaz and lyrics by Diaz and Landau, based on an idea conceived by Landau and Idina Menzel, at La Jolla; Nye by Tim Price at the National Theatre in a co-production with the Wales Millenium Centre; and Hell’s Kitchen by Kristoffer Diaz with music and lyrics by Alicia Keys at the Public Theater.
“As we navigate the compounding crises facing our theatre ecology, the Edgerton Foundation’s forward-thinking commitment to new plays is more vital than ever,” TCG executive director Teresa Eyring said in a statement. “As theatres rebuild their audiences, the foundation’s backing of extended rehearsal periods is a true game-changer. Recipients can ensure that new plays receive the necessary resources—not only for successful inaugural productions, but for numerous subsequent performances in theatres nationwide.”
TCG also announced the recipients of the THRIVE! Indigenous Theatre Grants. Four theatres will each receive an award of $10,000.
The awardees include American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) in New York City; the production company Natives of the Apocalypse, based in New Mexico; Seattle theatre company Red Eagle Soaring; and New York’s Spiderwoman Theater, the longest-running Native women’s theatre in the Americas.
“We’re excited to shine a light on these companies,” Emilya Cachapero, TCG’s director of grantmaking programs, said in a statement. “They’re invaluable resources for their chosen communities, and at the same time they are amplifying stories that are not often heard on stages across the U.S.”
On Nov. 27, the Lilly Awards held their annual awards ceremony honoring women in the American theatre. The ceremony was hosted by Kathy Nijimy and Amanda Green.
The awards were presented to St. Ann’s Warehouse founding artistic director Susan Feldman; hair and makeup designer Cookie Jordan; actor and playwright Liza Colón-Zayas; actor Kathleen Chalfant; actor Ruthie Ann Miles; and actor Laura Benanti. Producer Stacey Mindich also sponsored multiple awards, including the Go Work on Theatre Awards, presented to playwright Jacquelyn Reingold and to Support Black Theatre executive director Sophina Brown; the Go Write a Play Award, presented to Kristen Greenidge; and the Go Write a Musical Award, presented to Georgia Stitt. The surprise award for Miss Lilly 2023 was presented to costume designer Clint Ramos, and the organization also honored executive director Julia Jordan, who produced the ceremony with Jane Abramson.
The Lilly Awards also announced that Brittani Samuel and Sarah Rose Leonard, co-editors of 3Views, will take over as co-executive directors of the awards in 2024.
