Playwrights Dominique Fishback & Amy E. Witting Tapped for Abingdon's Inaugural Residency Program

In an ongoing mission to nurture and develop new work by emerging artists, Abingdon Theatre Company proudly announces Dominique Fishback & Amy E. Witting as recipients of its inaugural Residency Program.

Over the course of the 2016-2017 Season, each early-career playwright will receive free rehearsal and office space, supplies, access to printing, mentorship, dramaturgical support, and a modest stipend to develop a new play from scratch. The Residency will culminate in a work-in-progress showing at the end of the season for the general public.

"I am overjoyed to welcome to Abingdon these two extraordinarily dynamic artists whose work I have followed closely this past year," says Artistic Director Tony Speciale, who selected the playwrights for the yearlong program. "Dominique and Amy each have unique perspectives and theatrical voices that demand to be heard. We are honored to support them and look forward to the new work they create during their residencies."

Dominique Fishback is a TV, film, and stage actress, playwright, and poet from Brooklyn, East New York. Her TV credits include: HBO's Show Me a Hero as "Billie Rowan," The Affair (Showtime), Blue Bloods (CBS), Royal Pains (USA), and is wrapping production on the first season of HBO's The Deuce in the series regular role of "Darlene." Ms. Fishback's theatre credits include original work for Girl Be Heard, including events with the United Nations and tours to England, Switzerland, The White House, The Chicago Theater, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Texas. She is the writer and performer of her own original one-woman show, Subverted, which was nominated for an Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.

Playwright Amy E. Witting is from New Jersey and now resides in Sunnyside, New York. Some of her plays include The House on the Hill (Atlantic Theater LAUNCH Commission, Kennedy Center MFAPW, Unicorn Theater Workshop Reading); There's Never a Gavin: The True Story of a Disco Roller Skater (Atlantic Theater Amplified Reading Series, nominated 2016 Weissberger Award); The Midnight Ride of Sean & Lucy (Roundabout Underground Reading Series); A Bad Night (2015 Jerome Emerging Artist Fellowship); Day 392 (Kennedy Center ACTF/NNPN MFAPW, Nominated Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.) She currently works as a Teaching Artist with Roundabout Theatre Company, received her MFA at Hunter College and is a member of Pipeline's 2016 PlayLab, Mission to dit(Mars) Propulsion Lab, and The Dramatists Guild.

Abingdon's season-long Residency Program is by invitation only. Eligibility requirements include: American artists who are in their early careers, have a vested interest in being part of a community of artists, and are passionately active in developing new work.

Abingdon Theatre Company recently announced its upcoming mainstage season, which will include the world premiere of The Mother of Invention by James Lecesne; Chess Match, a world premiere conceived and directed by Anne Bogart, with text arranged by Jocelyn Clarke from public conversations with John Cage, and created by Siti Company; and the new musical The Boy Who Danced on Air by Tim Rosser (music) and Charlie Sohne (book and lyrics). Performances begin in January 2017 in the June Havoc Theatre.

On October 24, Abingdon celebrate its 2016-2017 Season with a gala benefit reading of Orson Welles' legendary radio play War of the Worlds. The one-night-only event, directed by Tony Speciale, is to be held at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place). The company includes Mario Cantone, Erin Davie, Matt Doyle, Dominique Fishback, David Greenspan, Kevin Mambo, Lindsay Mendez, Martin Moran, Elizabeth Morton, Krysta Rodriguez, Stark Sands, Sally Ann Triplett, Michael Urie, and Rob Yang.

Abingdon Theatre Company is dedicated to developing and producing new American work by emerging and established artists. Under the artistic direction of Tony Speciale, the company provides a safe home where playwrights, directors and actors can collaborate within a supportive and nurturing environment. Abingdon searches for stories about the human experience that reflect our social, political, historical and cultural diversity. To date, the company has collaborated with more than 200 playwrights, produced 87 New York and world-premiere plays, presented more than 700 readings, staged over 175 ten-minute plays, and commissioned 6 one-act plays. Notable artists who have worked with Abingdon Theatre Company include Carl Andress, Bryan Batt, Reed Birney, Robert Brustein, Mario Cantone, Maxwell Caulfield, Dick Cavett, John Epperson, Jane Greenwood, Arthur Kopit, Ralph Macchio, Roberta Maxwell, Iddo Netanyahu, Nancy Opel, Austin Pendleton, Sam Pinkleton, Marcia Rodd and Mark Waldrop. Abingdon's 2014 production of Brian Richard Mori's Hellman v. McCarthy, directed by founding artistic director Jan Buttram, was filmed and presented by WNET as part of its inaugural Theatre Close-Up series.

For more information about Abingdon Theatre Company, visit abingdontheatre.org.

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