The 2015 TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund Awards have been announced. This year’s recipients — Dallas Theater Center and Kitchen Dog Theater — will each receive $50,000.
According to Donna Wilhelm, “Our hope with these New Works grants is to provide support for a transformational project, one that will serve as a catalyst for the organization to take the next step in its journey of artistic excellence.”
The Dallas Theater Center will use its grant “for the development and world premiere of a new play, Deferred Action, the second part of a planned trilogy that began with The Dreamers: A Bloodline… Performances are schedule from April 29 to May 15, 2016, in the Wyly Theatre’s Potter Rose Performance Hall.”
Kitchen Dog Theater Company’s grant will be used “for two National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premieres: The Thrush and the Woodpecker and Blackberry Winter…Performances of both plays will take place May 20 to June 25, 2016 at The Green Zone, 161 Riveredge Drive, Dallas.”
It is the fourth year of the funding thanks to the TACA Wilhelm Award Works Fund.
The decision was made by “an impressive jury comprised of national arts practitioners who judged each submission based on level of innovation, impact on the discipline and impact on the originator of the work.” That group included Matt Albert (Artist-in-Residency) of Southern Methodist University, Stephen Brown-Fried (Artistic Associate/Casting Director) of Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Rachel Chavkin (Artistic Director) of The TEAM, Kenneth Foster (Director of Arts Leadership) of Thornton School of Music at USC, Greg Fulkerson (Violin Professor) of Oberlin College, Dean Gladden (Managing Director) of The Alley Theatre, Melanie Rios Glaser (Executive and Artistic Director) of the Wooden Floor, Kimberly Grigsby (Musical director, conductor, arranger and musician), Parisa Khobdeh (Dancer) of Paul Taylor Dance Company,
Cassie Meador (Artistic Director) of Dance Exchange, Roche Schulfer (Executive Director) of The Goodman Theatre, Kara-Lynn Vaeni (Director of Theatre and Opera, and Literary Manager) of New Georges and Paul Walsh (Associate Professor of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism, Yale School of Drama).
“We are excited to announce this year’s beneficiaries, and we look forward to seeing their innovative work come to life in our community and have an impact on a national level,” said TACA’s Carlson President/Executive Director Becky Young. “We applaud and sincerely thank Donna Wilhelm for her family’s investment of support for the creation and development of new work in the Dallas community.”