The American Theatre Wing Unveils Recipients of the 2024 National Theatre Company Grants
Five grants of $100,000 have been awarded to regional theatre companies.
The American Theatre Wing has revealed the recipients of ATW’s National Theatre Company Grants program. In recognition of the critical importance regional theatres play in the American theatre ecology and how the work of American Playwrights advances the artform and culture, five grants of $100,000 have been awarded to regional theatre companies that have demonstrated innovative new strategies to successfully present the work of American Playwrights. They are Mixed Blood Theatre, The Latino Theater Company, TheatreSquared, Camden Repertory Theater, and Baltimore Center Stage.
While the eligibility structure was purposely expansive to encourage innovation and create space for theatres to tailor the grant to their specific needs, the only requirement was for the grants to be awarded to regional theatres that will put the funds towards producing an American playwright’s work. Examples of eligible projects included: co-productions of world premieres, national not-for-profit tours of new work, regional or local debuts of work, fresh approaches to audience development and community outreach around new work, and educational or low-cost ticket initiatives that introduce younger and diverse audiences to new work. Through this program, ATW looks to emphasize work which supports living American Playwrights but will also consider the presentation of authors who are no longer living, whose work remains unknown or under-presented in The National Theatre canon. Applications opened in August 2024.
The 2024 panelists for The National Theatre Company Grant Recipients are Tony Award winning playwright David Henry Hwang (ATW Immediate Past Chair), eleventh chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Jane Chu (ATW Advisory Committee), Tony and Grammy Award winning producer Mara Isaacs (ATW Advisory Committee), Obie Award winning director Leigh Silverman (ATW Advisory Committee), Tony Award winning producer Amanda Dubois (ATW Advisory Committee), and Webby Award winning marketing strategist Ian Weiss (ATW Senior Director of Digital Content Marketing & Strategy).
ABOUT THE 2024 National Theatre Company GRANT RECIPIENTS:
Mixed Blood Theatre | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mixed Blood Theatre's 2025-26 season deepens its commitment to equity and community-driven storytelling through a series of innovative productions and initiatives. Highlights include “Equitable Dinners”, commissioning local BIPOC playwrights to create short plays paired with community discussions, and world premieres like “The Pasture”, exploring housing challenges for LGBTQ+ seniors, and a community-engaged play in Warroad, Minnesota, addressing issues of belonging and integration. The immersive U.S. premiere of “The Jungle” highlights the immigrant experience, while development begins on an Indigenous-focused housing play, all reflecting Mixed Blood’s mission to drive social change and foster radical participation.
Baltimore Center Stage | Baltimore, Maryland
Partners: Co-Producing Partner: Breaking the Binary Theatre (New York City, NY), Indiana Repertory Theatre (Indianapolis, IN), Diversionary Theatre (San Diego, CA), About Face Theatre (Chicago, IL), Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre (New York City, NY), Goodman Theatre (Chicago, IL)
“The Trans History Project”, created by Bo Frazier and co-produced by Baltimore Center Stage and Breaking the Binary Theatre, seeks to spotlight the histories of Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2S+) individuals through the commissioning of 10 new plays by TNB2S+ playwrights. Partnering with theaters nationwide, this initiative combines historical research, creative collaboration, and community engagement to establish a "Trans Canon" of works. By elevating untold stories, mentoring youth, and fostering connections between theaters and marginalized communities, the project aims to transform American theater into a more inclusive and representative space while inspiring long-term audience development.
The Latino Theater Company | Los Angeles, California
Partners: Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, Los Angeles Community College District
The Latino Theater Company (LTC) at The Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC) serves as a vital hub for artistic excellence, exploring the U.S. Latine experience while amplifying underrepresented voices across diverse communities. Through the "Circle of Imaginistas" project, LTC nurtures Latine playwrights to expand the canon of culturally specific works for the American stage by commissioning, developing, and producing Gabriel Rivas Gomez’s Level Up, Evelina Fernandez’s The Storyteller: A Memory Play, Luis Alfaros’ Earlimart, and Karen Zacarias’ Sisters. LTC's "Impact Initiative" provides cost-free theater subscriptions to underserved community college students, fostering a new generation of engaged theater-goers. Together, these initiatives blend tradition and innovation, empowering both artists and audiences to engage in meaningful cultural and social dialogues.
TheatreSquared | Fayetteville, Arkansas
TheatreSquared is seeking a National Theatre Company Grant to support the development and production of three new plays by underrepresented mid-American Playwrights. The grant will specifically support the world premiere of Jonathan Norton's “Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy's Chicken Shack in Harlem”. This play, along with other commissioned works by Candrice Jones and Satya Chávez, will be developed through TheatreSquared's Playwright Commission Program. The theater aims to foster new voices, diversify audiences, and strengthen its reputation as a leading force in new play development in the mid-American region.
Camden Repertory Theater | Camden, New Jersey
Camden Repertory Theater (CRT), founded in 2006, specializes in boundary-pushing theater that amplifies the voices of urban women of color. Their innovative programming includes immersive, site-specific performances in unconventional venues like rowhouses and salons, blending community engagement with groundbreaking storytelling. With the launch of “Camden FRESH” in 2025, CRT aims to nurture emerging playwrights through residencies, stipends, and professional mentorship, while expanding audiences nationwide by bringing theater directly into neighborhoods, creating transformative experiences that resonate deeply with diverse communities.
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