Sundance Institute Begins Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation With Bruce Norris, Georgia Stitt, et al.

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program has begun the 2012 Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation. The 13^th annual writing colony at the 20,000-acre working cattle ranch outside of Sheridan, Wyo. takes place through February 24 and provides a supportive environment for artists to create new work and receive guidance and reactions to it at an early stage.

Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Producing Artistic Director of the Theatre Program, and Associate Director Christopher Hibma, the Playwrights Retreat is made possible through the generosity of Ucross Foundation.

As previously announced, the seven artists selected for the 2012 Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation are:

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig

Writer

Frances’ play Lidless received the Yale Drama Series Award, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, the Keene Prize for Literature, and the David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize. She has been a finalist for the Blackburn Prize, received residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell, Ragdale, and the Santa Fe Art Institute, and is under commission from South Coast Rep and Seattle Rep. Her plays have been produced at Trafalgar Studios 2 on the West End, Interact Theatre, the Walker Space in New York, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival; and developed at the Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival, Seattle Rep, PlayPenn, the Alley Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Ojai Playwrights Conference, the Playwright’s Foundation and Yale Rep. Frances received an MFA in Writing from the James A. Michener Center for Writers at UT Austin, a BA in Sociology from Brown University, and a certificate in Ensemble Created Physical Theatre from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. Her work has been published by Glimmer Train, Methuen Drama, and Yale University Press. Frances was born in Philadelphia, and raised in Northern Virginia, Okinawa, Taipei and Beijing.

Nathan Jackson

Writer

Nathan is an alum of Kansas State University and did his graduate work at The Juilliard School. His plays include Broke-ology, When I Come to Die (Lincoln Center in 2011), The Mancerhios, and The Last Black Play. At Kansas -State, he was actively involved with the Ebony Theatre both as a  director and as president, and participated in The Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive. He has twice won the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, is the recipient of the Mark Twain Comedy Playwriting Award, and was awarded the Kennedy Center’s Gold Medallion. Nathan has written for television as well, with credits for Southland (NBC), Lights Out (FX), and Shameless (Showtime).

Brett Neveu

Writer

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