New Black Fest Announces Playwriting Fellows

The New Black Fest begins its third year with the announcement of The New Black Fellows-a playwriting fellowship that provides a $1000 stipend, rehearsal space and support for a new or existing projects. The inaugural playwriting fellows include Glenn Gordon, Mfoniso Udofia and Kevin R. Free.

The New Black Fest is a black theater collective that's dedicated to celebrating the diverse voices and aesthetics from the African Diaspora. Pulitzer Prize winners Lynn Nottage and Suzan-Lori Parks sits on the advisory board.

The New Black Fellows are a part of The New Black Fest's Development Initiative that aims to provide support through commissions, workshops, international exchanges in order to help artists reach their full potential and get closer to production.

The first project of the Development Initiative was a workshopped presentation of Helen Merrill award winner Radha Blank's(Seed) one-person play HappyFlowerNail, directed by Tony Award nominee and playwright Colman Domingo. The presentation was in collaboration with 651 ARTS at Mark Morris Dance Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The New Black Fest Fellows will have a portion (or all) of their projects presented during the Time Warner-sponsored New Black Fest in Fall 2012.

The New Black Fellows:
Mfoniso Udofia is a New York-based actor, playwright, slam-poet and teaching?artist. She attended Wellesley College and later obtained her Master's in?Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California.?While in the Bay Area she pioneered a youth initiative, The Nia Project, which?provided artistic outlets for youth residing in Bay View/Hunters Point. Mfoniso?is excited to have made her film debut in Fred and she is currently completing a trilogy chronicling the lives of a traditional Nigerian family who find themselves planted in America. Follow her on Twitter @mfudofia and mfonisoudofia.com

??Kevin R. Free is a writer-performer who has told stories on NPR, the Soundtrack?Series and on the mainstage at The Moth. An alumnus of the New York?Neo-Futurists, he wrote over 60 plays for Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go?Blind and co-wrote their new full-length, You are in an?open field (www.nynf.org). One of nytheatre.com's People of the Year in?2010, his full-length plays Face Value and A Raisin in the Salad: Black Plays?for White People, were published by indietheaternow.com . For more info?follow him on Twitter @kevinrfree and kevinrfree.com ?Glenn Gordon- is an actor originally from Baltimore, MD. He is co-founder?of The Continuum Project, Inc. as well as a member of Universes Theatre?Company. Glenn received his BFA in acting from Howard University. His?most recent works include *Henry V, Ameriville, American Schemes, Waiting?For Godot, Deep Azure, and Rhyme Deferred*. He was last seen in his own?solo piece called *Re:Definition*, which deals with the discovery of his?African ancestry. Glenn was recently named Prince NSangou by the Tikar?people of Cameroon, whom he shares ancestry.

Visit our website at http://thenewblackfest.org.