Press Release

NY’s Summer Play Festival announces Donmar Playwright Residencies for 2009

New York’s premier play festival, the Summer Play Festival (SPF), is partnering with London’s Donmar Warehouse for the fifth year in a row to create an international playwriting program for emerging writers.  The Donmar Warehouse / SPF Residency Program brings together professional theatre makers from the highly acclaimed Donmar to work with selected SPF playwrights in a focused collaboration of classroom experiments, workshops, and rehearsals, culminating in a full reading of their play.   The writers will spend up to three weeks in London becoming immersed in the local theatre scene, and exchanging ideas and techniques with professional artists. The Donmar staff will guide and support the writers throughout their time in London, offering them a unique insight into the dynamics and complexities of the British theatre industry.

This year’s selected playwrights are Sylvia Reed (SPF 2008, The Ones That Flutter) and Stephen Brown (SPF 2008, Future Me).

The Donmar Warehouse, located in the heart of London’s West End, has a reputation as one of the UK’s leading producing theatres.  Since 1992, Donmar-generated productions have received 30 Olivier Awards, 15 Critics’ Circle Awards, 19 Evening Standard Awards, and 13 Tony Awards from nine Broadway productions.  This spring Mary Stuart, a Donmar production directed by Phyllida Lloyd, will open on Broadway.  

Previous SPF / Donmar Residents include Beau Willimon (SPF 2007, Lower Ninth), Rob Handel (SPF 2006, Milicent Scowlworthy), and Victoria Stewart (SPF 2006, Hardball).

Since its inception in 2004, the Summer Play Festival has produced over 70 original works, and has provided an opportunity for writers to present their material and craft in a protected environment, guided by established professionals, with full financial support.  The Summer Play Festival has had tremendous success in helping to identify talented, emerging artists, and many of our writers have enjoyed Broadway, off-Broadway, international and regional productions. Others are now developing projects with film and television companies.

Sylvia Reed Biography
http://www.spfnyc.com/festival/profile/sylvia_reed/

Steven Brown Biography
http://www.spfnyc.com/festival/profile/stephen_brown/

Donmar Warehouse
http://www.donmarwarehouse.com

Summer Play Festival
http://www.summerplayfestival

About Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar Warehouse, under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical acclaim at home and abroad. The theatre has a diverse artistic policy that includes new writing, contemporary reappraisals of European classics, British and American drama and small scale musical theatre. Over the last 16 years the theatre has created reputation associated with artistic excellence: it has showcased the talent of some of the industry’s premier creative artists, and built an unparalleled catalogue of work.

About the Summer Play Festival

The Summer Play Festival (SPF) stages original new plays and musicals by emerging writers during the summer months at the legendary Public Theater in New York City. Since its inception in 2004, SPF has invested millions of dollars in emerging theatre artists, produced over 500 public performances, and has provided an opportunity for 75 writers, as well as hundreds of directors, designers, actors, stage managers, and interns to present their work in a protected environment.

Founded by Broadway producer Arielle Tepper Madover, SPF is also committed to providing a low ticket price of only $10 to bring in new audience members. As a result, the Festival has sold out its four-week performance schedule for each of the past five years and has attracted a diverse audience of over 45,000 theatre patrons, the majority under the age of 35.

SPF playwrights have gone on to receive productions on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. Their work has been presented at institutions such as Lincoln Center Theater, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theater Club, the Atlantic Theater Company, and Playwrights Horizons in New York City; the Royal National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse in London; and dozens of acclaimed theatres across the United States and around the world.

Press Contact
Jennifer Taylor
Marketing Manager
(212) 279-404
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