Announcing the New Play Development Program Selections!

Here you go! The selections have finally been made public. I should give you a couple of pieces of context for what's listed below. First, you recall that there were two panels, one for each category. And readers of this blog know that the conversations were rich and rigorous.  It was pretty inspiring to witness the panelists in action.  More on them in another post. 

Both panels separately came to the conclusion that they needed a mechanism for singling out more projects than just the ones selected for the money.  Each panel decided to name a group of 9 Finalists, and from that list name the actual winners.  So, you'll find all 18 projects listed here.  We are now working on ways to fold the Finalists into more of the activities of the program going forward.  I'll say more on that when there's something definitive to be said.

You'll also read here (soon) more about exceptional projects in the pool that haven't yet been recognized.  I've asked each panelist to write a post about applications that stuck out to them for particular elements of their proposals.  And I've arranged for one panelist for each category to do a longer piece about each pool.  Next I'm working on a full white paper on the whole applicant/participant pool and what it reveals about New Play Development in America at the end of 2008.

But let's start here.  The winners are:

NEA OUTSTANDING NEW AMERICAN PLAY -- SELECTIONS

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph
Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles, CA)

The Brother/Sister Plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney
McCarter Theatre Center (Princeton, NJ)


NEA DISTINGUISHED NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS -- SELECTIONS

John Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven by Octavio Solis
California Shakespeare Theater (Berkeley, CA)

Happy End to Everything by Lloyd Suh
The Children’s Theatre Company (Minneapolis, MN)

Detour/South Bronx by Claudia Rankine
The Foundry Theatre (New York, NY)

Agnes Under the Big Top, A Fairy Tale by Aditi Brennan Kapil
Lark Play Development Center (New York, NY)

I’ve Never Been So Happy by Kirk Lynn
Rude Mechanicals (Austin, TX)


NEA OUTSTANDING NEW AMERICAN PLAY -- FINALISTS

The Hard Weather Boating Party by Naomi Wallace
Actors Theatre of Louisville (Louisville, KY)

26 Miles by Quiara Alegraia Hudes
Alliance Theatre (Atlanta, GA)

Concerning Western Devices from the Distant West by Naomi Iizuka
Berkeley Repertory Company (Berkeley, CA)

Sons by Oni Faida Lampley
The Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis, MN)
Developed in collaboration with New Dramatists (NY)

Inked Baby by Christina Anderson
Playwrights Horizons (New York, NY)

The Wrestling Patient
Inspired by the letters and diaries of Etty Hillesum
written by Kirk Lynn in collaboration with Anne Gottlieb and Katie Pearl
Produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company (Boston, MA)
with Boston Playwrights' Theatre and FortyMagnolias Productions

Looking for the Pony by Andrea Lepcio
Vital Theatre Company (New York, NY)
Produced as part of a rolling premiere with Synchronicity Performance Group (GA)


NEA DISTINGUISHED NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT -- FINALISTS

Dartmoor Prison by Carlisle Brown
Goodman Theatre (Chicago, IL)

Justice Cycle Bridge Show by Naomi Izuka
Cornerstone Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)

Kingdom by Aaron Jefferis
The Old Globe (San Diego, CA)

Victoria's Sarah by Lydia Diamond
Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago, IL)

Project descriptions of the Selections can be found here:
http://www.nea.gov/news/news08/NPDP2.html