The Flea Theater Forms The Gurney Playwrights Fund

The Flea Theater has announced the establishment of THE GURNEY PLAYWRIGHTS FUND. The Fund, a $100,000 annual gift to The Flea, will support playwrights as well as their productions in equal measure throughout the season.

"This incredible gift from an incredible playwright," said The Flea's Producing Director, Carol Ostrow, "will enable The Flea to provide a significant fee to writers whose work we produce and will furnish productions an added oomph and vigor too. "

In making the gift Mr. Gurney has said, "I want the playwright to use the money as he or she sees fit, to go to Europe on a lark or stay home and write a new work. It's my way of saying, you've worked hard and you've earned the right to enjoy being a writer for the theater."

Gurney has had a long relationship with The Flea, where eight of his plays have had their world premieres, including O Jerusalem(2003), Mrs. Farnsworth (2004), Screenplay (2005), Post Mortem(2006), A Light Lunch (2008), Office Hours (2010), Heresy (2012) and Family Furniture (2013). His frequent collaborator, The Flea's Artistic Director, Jim Simpson, will be mounting a production of What I Did Last Summer for Gurney's season at The Signature Theater this spring.

The first recipient of THE GURNEY PLAYWRIGHTS FUND is Cory Finley. Cory Finley's world premiere play, The Feast, is currently running at The Flea through April 5. The Flea Theater is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.