2024 Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund For New Work Recipient Announced

For 40 years the Undermain Theatre has been bringing new work for the theater to the Undermain stage in Dallas and beyond. In 2019, after the passing of Undermain's founding Artistic Director and guiding force Katherine Owens, Producing Artistic Director, Bruce DuBose, and the Undermain Theatre Board of Trustees established the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work.

Its mission is to carry on Katherine's lifelong commitment to thought-provoking, language driven new work and provide a continuing influence in the American Theater scene by funding theater artists in their pursuit of creating new works for the American stage. 

In celebration of Katherine Owens' birthday, Undermain Theatre has announced playwright Gracie Gardner as the 2024 recipient of $10,000 from the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work for her ongoing work in the American Theater with an eye towards a future production of a new play for the Undermain stage.

Gracie Gardner is an American playwright. Her play, Athena was recently produced at Undermain Theatre and during the same time period her play Banya premiered at Theatrelab in New York City. Her play Pussy Sludge was selected for Theatertreffen Stückemarkt in Berlin and previously received the Relentless Award. It was developed by Less Than Rent at HERE Arts Center, and The Old Vic in London. Her play Athena (New York Times Critics' Pick) was presented by The Hearth at JACK. Gracie is the recipient of the Theater of the Future Fellowship, McKnight National Residency and Commission, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Foundation Commission, the James E. Michael Award, the James Stevenson Prize, and she is a Samuel French OOB Festival winner. She's a proud member of New Dramatists, Ars Nova Play Group, Youngblood, and she has received commissions from Clubbed Thumb, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She's also worked as a video game writer for Annapurna Interactive.

Funding comes from the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work to continue the work Katherine fostered during her 36 years as Undermain Theatre's founding Artistic Director.