New Dramatists

New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

New Dramatists headquarters (2018)

The members of New Dramatists participate in seven-year residencies to build up their playwriting skills and develop their careers.[1] In addition to housing resident playwrights, New Dramatists also holds workshops for young authors.[2] The organization hosts an annual luncheon at which actors and producers who have made contributions to American theatre are honored.[3] Brian Stokes Mitchell,[4] Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep are among past honorees.[3]

The New Dramatists have a library that is open to the public on weekdays.[5]

Building

New Dramatists is located in a former church built in the 1880s in the Gothic Revival style. It was the location in turn of St. Matthew's German Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, the Lutheran Metropolitan Inner Mission Society, and, by the mid-1960s, the All People's Church.[6][7][8]

Alumni

New Dramatists' alumni include:

• Glen Berger[9]
• Kia Corthron[10]
• Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas[11]
• Carson Kreitzer[12]
• Tarell Alvin McCraney[13]
• Suzan-Lori Parks[14]
• Harrison David Rivers[15]
• Charles Smith, playwright[16]
• Charise Castro Smith, television writer and actor[17]
• Octavio Solis[18]
• Gaye Taylor Upchurch, who has directed plays at the Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.), the Summer Play Festival, and the Pacific Playwrights Festival[19]

References

1. "What is New Dramatists?". newdramatists.org. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
2. "New Dramatists". NYC-ARTS: The Complete Guide. Alliance for the Arts. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
3. Adam Hetrick (April 8, 2011). "New Dramatists to Honor Producer Roger Berlind May 17; Jim Dale and Brian Stokes Mitchell Set for Event". Playbill.com. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
4. "Brian Stokes Mitchell Honored by New Dramatists". TheaterMania.com. May 15, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
5. Eric Piepenburg (April 9, 2015). "In New York, Everywhere a Writing Nook". Retrieved February 18, 2016.
6. Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 10. ISBN 0-231-12543-7.
7. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot & Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
8. "Lutheran Church of the Redeemer" Daytonian in Manhattan
9. New Dramatists: Glen Berger
10. An Interview with Kia Corthron, The University of Iowa. Accessed November 27, 2019.
11. "Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
12. "Flutist, playwright at beach program Friday". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 28, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
13. "UK Theatre to Present 'In the Red and Brown Water". UKNow. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
14. "The Creative World of Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks". Retrieved November 27, 2019.
15. "Harrison David Rivers". Playwrights' Center. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
16. Charles Smith papers, DePaul University Special Collections and Archives. Accessed March 7, 2017.
17. Nancy Burns-Fusaro (February 11, 2016). "Trinity Rep presents Smith's 'The Hunchback Of Seville'". The Westerly Sun. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
18. "Octavio Solis's Journey to 'Mother Road'". Retrieved January 27, 2019.
19. "Real-Life Fiances Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario Lead THE LAST MATCH, Opening Tonight at The Old Globe". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved February 18, 2016.

External links

• New Dramatists website
• New Dramatists Records. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.