New Jewish Theatre Projects

Overview

PLEASE NOTE: Due to market conditions, the Foundation's Board of Directors has determined that grants for New Jewish Theatre Projects cannot be awarded in 2009. If you would like to be notified of the application's availability, please e-mail grants@jewishculture.org to be added to the (E)mailing list. Please note that the Foundation does not fund individual projects outside of our established programs.

New Jewish Theatre Projects provides grants of up to $5,000 to national, nonprofit theater companies for the commissioning of new plays, musicals or multimedia works of Jewish significance. Since its inception in 1994, the program has commissioned 81 new plays that have been produced at theaters across the country. A New Jewish Theatre Projects grant supports play or performance development, which can include commissioning fees, playwright’s residency expenses, and research or workshop costs. Awards are distributed directly to the venue where the work is to be presented unless special arrangements are made in advance.

Eligibility

Applicants must

• Be a nonprofit organization with United States federal tax-exempt status;
• Have completed at least two seasons of public performances (student productions are not eligible); and
• Commit to presenting the proposed play to the public within one year of receiving the commission. A workshop production, staged reading, or first production is acceptable, and must include a forum for public discussion.
  

Application and Guidelines

Please review our guidelines prior to completing the application.

Deadlines

As of Monday, March 24, 2008, the application deadline has passed. Please e-mail grants@jewishculture.org to be added to the application mailing list.

2008 Grantees

In the 2008–2009 season, grants will support:

InterAct Theatre Company, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia, PA) for The Last by Warren Hoffman

Intersection for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) for Angry Black White Boy by Dan Wolf

Victory Gardens Theater (Chicago, IL) for an untitled commission by Laura Jacqmin

Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT) for Rathaus Shiva by Rebekah Maggor.

Click here for a complete list of past grantees.

2008 Panelists

The Foundation created a selection panel of leading professionals in the theatrical field to evaluate all submissions. Panelists in 2008 included:

Dan Fishback, Six Points Fellow and Playwright

Kayla Gordon, Executive Director of the Association of Jewish Theatre

Adam Greenfield, Literary Manager, Playwrights Horizons

Adrienne Kapstein, Artistic Director, Sabooge Theater

Ellen Schiff, Author and Scholar

The panel weighed the strength of the samples submitted, the clarity of the artistic vision, and the scope and impact of their Jewish dimension, among other criteria.

Program Funders

The New Jewish Theatre Projects program has received generous support from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arnow, Mr. and Mrs. Shearn Platt, the Judd A. and Marjory Weinberg Family Foundation, the Joseph and Anna Gartner Foundation, the Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, and the Winnick Family Foundation.