Weston Theater Company To Receive Grant From The National Endowment For The Arts

Weston Theater Company has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support their 2022 Original Works Programs.

Weston Theater Company's project is among 1,248 projects across America totaling $28,840,000 that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

"The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one that help support the community's creative economy," said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. "Weston Theater Company is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts."

Over the past decade, Weston has developed a nationally recognized New Works Program grounded in the belief that the author's voice is central to shaping conversations locally and nationally. The 2022 New Works Program includes the Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award, the Spring Artist Retreat, and ongoing commission projects.

"For over a decade, Weston has committed to deepening ties with theatrical writers and creators, supporting new play and musical development, and bringing a diverse range of artistic voices to our beautiful corner of Vermont," says Weston's Executive Artistic Director, Susanna Gellert. "This spring, we are thrilled to host seven extraordinary Weston artists as they explore their latest projects. These stories, some original and some based on well-loved classics, carry the imagination and innovation of the theater forward. We are proud to be supporting their development and look forward to seeing these musicals as they continue their journey to the stage."

Weston's spring artists retreat hosts artists working on three projects, including Julia Gytri and Yan Li (The Ghost Says "Boo", a depression-era story loosely based on a true Christmas Day tragedy); Megumi Nakamura and Jacob Brandt (A new musical adaptation of Twelfth Night); and Isabella Dawis, Tidtaya Sinutoke, and Nana Dakin (Sunwatcher, an experimental chamber musical inspired by classical Noh theatre).

THE GHOST SAYS "BOO" by Julia Gytri and Yan Li
Loosely based on a tragically true story, The Ghost Says "Boo" unpacks the cruel world of the depression-era American south through the eyes of Arthur Lawson and the animals of the Lawson farm. Together they explore the complications of extreme wealth disparity, economic oppression, and the inaccessibility of the American Dream and reveal what we all already know through a harrowing new lens: hard work can only achieve so much, and the status quo is the ultimate ruler of fate.

Yan Li (Composer) was seen on the Weston stage as a Muse and served as Music Director of An Iliad (2021) and Music Director of The Fantasticks (2019). His musicals Made in China was a New York Times Critis Pick and Sweet Nothings was a Eugene O'Neill Center National Music Theatre Conference Finalist. Li is currently on faculty at AMDA.

Julia Gytri (Lyricist) is a recent recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant in 2019 with Avi Amon with whom she wrote Salonika, which she worked on at previous Artists Retreats at Weston in 2016 and 2018. She has previously worked on Blind with Yan Li.

TWELFTH NIGHT, Adapted by Jacob Brandt and Megumi Nakamura
Weston regulars Jacob Brandt and Megumi Nakamura bring a new musical adaptation of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's comedy of mistaken identity and love triangles.

Jacob Brandt (Musical Adaptation) was seen in Weston's Ring of Fire in 2021 as Luther and played banjo, guitar, drums, and more. He also was Andrej in Once in 2017, showcasing more of his musical talents on-stage. He is the creator and lead performer/composer of the indie-folk musicals 1969: The Second Man and HANG ON: A Subway History-Concert.

Megumi Nakamura (Writer) has been seen in multiple roles at Weston including Zaneeta Shinn in The Music Man in 2017, Rosalia in West Side Story in 2018, The Mute in The Fantasticks in 2019, and June Carter in Ring of Fire (2021) Megumi was also a contributor to Weston's Postcard Plays project in 2020.

SUNWATCHER By Isabella Dawis and Tidtaya Sinutoke, Nana Dakin Director
An experimental chamber musical inspired by classical Noh theatre, SUNWATCHER intertwines the story of two women -- the astronomer and "hidden figure" Hisako Koyama (1916-1997), and the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. SUNWATCHER celebrates this underrecognized Asian woman in science and her extraordinary dedication to ordinary observation.

Isabella Dawis (Writer/Lyricist) was a winner of Weston's 2020 New Musical Awards for Half The Sky with Tidtaya Sinutoke. As a team, Dawis and Sinutoke were the winners of the Fred Ebb award in 2021, recognizing excellence in musical theatre songwriting and earlier this year, Dawis won the Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist.

Tidtaya Sinutoke (Composer) was a winner of Weston's 2020 New Musical Awards for Half The Sky with Isabella Dawis and the 2022 Fred Ebb Award with Dawis as well. Sinutoke was also a reciepient of the Jonathan Larson Grant in 2017 with Ty Defoe. She received a City Artist Corps Grant in 2021 for her new musical Dear Mr. C.

Nana Dakin (Director) directed Dawis and Sinutoke's Half The Sky at Weston in 2020. She directed White Pearl at The Royal Court Theatre in London and was Assistant Director of Wild Goose Dreams at The Public Theater and Camelot - Benefit Concert at Lincoln Center Theater.

Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theatre and high impact events; enrich the theatre-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theatre through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westonplayhouse.org or for more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Weston Theater Company is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact that the performing arts makes on its community.

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