The Juilliard Drama Division's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program

The Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, created in 1993, has been directed by Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang since 1994. (Other esteemed playwrights to have led Juilliard's up-and-coming writers include John Guare and Terrence McNally, who co-created the program with the Juilliard Drama Division, as well as Jon Robin Baitz and Romulus Linney.) Now in its 16^th year, the program offers one-year, tuition-free, graduate level fellowships to five new writers each year - Joshua Allen, Sofia Alvarez, Jonathan Caren, Maria Fernanda Coppel and Nick Jones - - and as many as four returning writers - - currently Andrea Ciannavei, Greg Keller, Molly Metzler, and Marco Ramirez. Juilliard's Playwrights Program is purposely small and allows the young artists to focus on the practical aspects of dramatic writing while at the same time they are encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of resources within Juilliard's walls, and those afforded via the School's prime location on Broadway - the greater New York City theater scene. Students may take any class in the Drama Division and are supported in attending productions by receiving free or discounted tickets to many events. The Playwrights Program's weekly workshop/seminars with the co-directors are specifically tailored for that season's group of young writers. In addition, twice monthly lab readings of the students' work allow the writers, with the help of Juilliard acting students and alumni, to tackle the practical aspects of creating a new play. The workshops culminate at year's end when students in the playwrights residency, like their peers from the acting program, present their work to professionals from New York and around the country in a showcase evening. The intention is that these events will create a bridge for these young artists between Juilliard and the larger theatrical community. Alumni of the program already have put this bridge to good use, their work garnering considerable recognition, including productions, commissions, publications, and awards, such as the prestigious Pulitzer Prize - for David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007 - and for David Auburn's Proof in 2001.

The 2009-2010 season is a busy one for the graduates of the program, with several off-Broadway plays opening.  Nathan Jackson's play Broke-ology ran at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City and had its world premiere on July 9, 2008 at Williamstown. The production, directed by Thomas Kail, featured alumni Francois Battiste and Wendell Pierce. Cusi Cram's play A Lifetime Burning, directed by Pam MacKinnon, was produced by Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. The world premiere of Daniel Goldfarb's play, The Retributionists, ran at Playwrights Horizons. The production featured alumnus Adam Driver and was directed by Leigh Silverman.  Next January, the world-premiere of Adam Rapp's play, The Metal Children, will run at the Vineyard Theatre.

David Adjmi's play Stunning, featuring alumnus Danny Mastrogiorgio, was produced at the Duke on 42nd Street in New York City as part of LCT3, Lincoln Center Theater's program that produces new work by emerging artists. The production, directed by Anne Kauffman, ran in June 2009.  In October 2009, Mr. Adjmi was one of the inaugural recipients of the Steinberg Playwright Awards. Additionally, he received the Kesselring Fellowship and the Bush Fellowship.  Mr. Adjmi's collection of plays "Stunning and Other Plays" is being published by TCG, and he has begun writing his memoir for Harper Collins.   Other publishing activity includes Brooke Berman's memoir, "No Place Like Home" and the Faber and Faber mass market release of Jenny Schwartz's play¸ God's Ear.

Internationally, Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop opened on London's West End. Ms. Hall was named the 2009-10 recipient of the Playwrights of New York Fellowship, the Lark Play Development Center's annual award which provides financial support and housing for a year of full-time writing as well as creative support from the Lark's Playwrights Workshop.   Also in London, Mike Batistick's play Bodega Lung Fat was produced this summer at Hackney Empire.  Filmed during the summer at various locations in New York City, Mr. Batistick's Ponies, directed by Nick Sandow and produced by Greenbox Entertainment, stars John Ventimiglia (The Sopranos), Kevin Corrigan (Goodfellas, Departed), and Tonye Patano (Weeds).  And in Australia, Hilary Bell's preparing play, The Mysteries, opens at Sydney Theatre Company. 

David Lindsay-Abaire's adaptation of the DreamWorks hit, Shrek, played on Broadway throughout 2009 and begins its road tour in Chicago; the play featured Juilliard alumnus Daniel Breaker.  Mr. Lindsay-Abaire's screenplay, an adaptation of his Pultizer Prize winning play Rabbit Hole, began filming, starring Nicole Kidman. Mr. Lindsay-Abaire currently is set to adapt The Guardians of Childhood for a new DreamWorks Animation feature film.

Emily Schwend's Carthage was selected for July's National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.  Also in July, the world premiere of Noah Haidle's What is the Cause of Thunder? was directed by Justin Waldman at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.   Additionally, Mr. Haidle's Saturn Returns opened at South Coast Repertory featuring alumnus Graham Michael Hamilton.  Also, at South Coast Repertory, the world-premiere of Julia Cho's The Language Archive will open this Spring.  It will be directed by Mark Brokaw.  In August, Zayd Dohrn's play Sick was directed by playwriting alumnus David Auburn at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and has continued to be produced regionally.  It featured current playwriting fellow and actor, Greg Keller, as well as alumna Rebecca Brooksher and alumnus Michael Gill.  Mr. Dohrn's Magic Forest Farm won the Sky Cooper prize and had its world premiere at Marin Theatre Company in April 2009, and Rebounding was part of the Summer Play Festival at The Public Theater.

In November, Deborah Laufer's End Days played at the Next Theatre in Chicago and will open in January 2010 in Iowa City at the Riverside.  This past year, End Days opened at EST in New York City, winning the American Theatre Critics' Steinberg Citation.  Last February, Ms. Laufer's Out of Sterno premiered at Portland Stage in Maine.  Her play, Sirens, will open at Humana Festival at the Actor's Theatre of Louisville next Spring.  Ms. Laufer won the 2009 Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, as did Bathsheba Doran.  Ms. Doran's play, Parents' Evening will be produced by Flea Mainstage this coming April and her children's play Ben and The Magic Paintbrush will run at South Coast Repertory at the same time.  Other award recipients include Steve Harper, named one of the writers at the 2009 New Professional Theatre Writers Festival in New York City for his play The Escape Artist's Children.  Throughout the year, Beau Willimon's Farragut North and Tanya Barfield's Blue Door have continued to be produced nationally.

Several Juilliard graduates have gone on to work in television: Ron Fitzgerald (Friday Night Lights); Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives); Etan Frankel (Friday Night Lights); Kara Corthron (Kings); and Julia Cho (Big Love); Nathan Jackson (Southland) and Adam Syzmkowicz (House of Payne), among others.