Kate Tarker Will Be Honored with Vineyard's 2016-17 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award

The Vineyard Theatre's Annual Emerging Artists Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, June 6 from noon-2:30pm at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan. The event will feature the presentation of the 2016-2017 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award by Paula Vogel to Kate Tarker (THUNDERBODIES), who began her residency last fall.

Kate Tarker is the ninth recipient of Vineyard Theatre's Paula Vogel Playwriting Award named in honor of playwright and teacher Paula Vogel, whose plays INDECENT (Tony Award nomination), HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE (Pulitzer Prize for Drama) and THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME premiered at The Vineyard. The residency-based award is given each year to an emerging writer of exceptional promise and comes with a cash prize and artistic development support. Previous recipients of the award include Boo Killebrew, Clare Barron, Christopher Chen, Erika Sheffer, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kara Lee Corthron, Rajiv Joseph, and Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Kate Tarker's play LAURA AND THE SEA, (2016 Kilroys List; 2016 L. Arnold Weissberger Award finalist; 2016 Princess Grace Award finalist) was presented this past fall as part of The Vineyard's Reading Series and will receive further development this summer in a Developmental Lab production at The Vineyard. More details to follow at a later date. Other plays include THUNDERBODIES (nominee, 2017 L. Arnold Weissberger Award), and AN ALMANAC FOR FARMERS AND LOVERS IN MEXICO (2015 Kilroys List). Ms. Tarker's plays have been developed by The Lark, Ars Nova, NYTW, and The O'Neill, among others. She is the recipient of a Jerome Fellowship and National Science Playwriting Award, and residencies at MacDowell Colony, Tofte Lake Center, and SPACE at Ryder Farm. Ms. Tarker is currently a part of Ars Nova Play Group, a New Georges Affiliated Artist, and a Playwrights' Center Core Writer. She has commissions from The Wilma and Theater Masters (The Visionary Playwright Award) and collaborations with Pig Iron and Siti Company. She received her MFA from Yale School of Drama.

The Vineyard's Paula Vogel Playwriting Award is made possible through the generosity of The Tournesol Project.

The Emerging Artists Luncheon celebrates Vineyard Theatre's commitment to cultivating talent in our own backyard. From local public high school students to next year's Tony Contenders, artistic development and education programs provide artists with support and resources to develop new plays and musicals, as well as offering free arts learning opportunities for community youth.

Tables for the Emerging Artists Luncheon are $2,500/$5,000 (premium seating and in-event signage recognition) and individual tickets are $250/$500. For more information about the event, please contact Jessie Pitluk at 212-353-3366 x1227 or email development@vineyardtheatre.org. For more information about Vineyard Theatre, visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

Dedicated to the creation and production of daring new plays and musicals, Vineyard Theatre has consistently premiered provocative, groundbreaking works, including Paula Vogel and Rebecca Taichman's INDECENT which is now playing on Broadway, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Pulitzer Prize finalist GLORIA, which transferred to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in January; last season's DOT by Colman Domingo; Nicky Silver's THE LYONS; Marx, Lopez and Whitty's Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q; Kander and Ebb's THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS; Bell and Bowen's [title of show]; Paula Vogel's HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE (1998 Pulitzer Prize); Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN (1994 Pulitzer Prize); Tarell Alvin McCraney's WIG OUT!; Becky Mode's FULLY COMMITTED; Jenny Schwartz' GOD'S EAR; Will Eno's MIDDLETOWN; and many more. The Vineyard's productions have been honored with two Pulitzer Prizes, three Tony Awards, and numerous Drama Desk, Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel awards.

The Vineyard Theatre's leadership includes Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern and Managing Director Suzanne Appel.

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