Sundance Institute Selects Acting Company and Creative Advisors for 2014 THEATRE LAB

Sundance Institute today announced the acting company and creative advisors that are participating in its 2014 Theatre Lab, which is now taking place and runs through July 27 at the Sundance Resort in Utah. The Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community and is one of 10 residential Labs hosted by Sundance Institute this summer, collectively representing 15 weeks of residency support and mentorship for the most promising new independent theatre and film projects from the United States and around the world.

Under the supervision of Theatre Program Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the three-week Lab supports emerging and established playwrights and directors developing new work for the stage. The Institute provides rehearsal space, dramaturgical support, and an acting company, creating an immersive environment where artists can experiment, see their work take shape and collaborate with creative advisors, dramaturgs, actors and Institute staff to address the compelling needs of their text. The Lab's unique day-on, day-off rehearsal structure provides Fellows additional time to explore revisions and new writing between rehearsals. The Lab culminates in a closed presentation of each project for Lab participants, followed by a collaborative feedback session.

This year's participants include:

Acting Company
Phillip James Brannon (Belleville), Blair Brown (Copenhagen, Fringe), Dan Butler (Frasier), David Cale (Palomino), Amari Cheatom (Newlyweeds, Django Unchained), Jarlath Conroy (The Seagull, The Weir), Daniel Davis (The Nanny), Flora Diaz, Ramsey Faragallah (Betrayed), Wendell Franklin, Lynda Gravatt (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Doubt), Maria Helan, Annie Henk, Alex Hurt, Louisa Krause (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Flick), Jennifer Lim (Chinglish), Nikiya Mathis (Milk Like Sugar), James McDaniel (NYPD Blue, Detroit 187), Emily McDonnell, Brian Mendes (Cook County Theatre Department), Dearbhla Molloy (Dancing at Lughnasa), Keith Nobbs (Bronx Bombers, Lombardi), Socorro Santiago (Adoration of the Old Woman), Micah Stock (It's Only A Play), Mickey Theis, Heather Velazquez, Johnny Wu (Chinglish)

Creative Advisors
Amy Freed, Indhu Rubasingham (Artistic Director, Tricycle Theatre, London)

Dramaturgs
Alex Barron, Mame Hunt, Janice Paran, Liesl Tommy

Kennedy Center Playwright Observer
Briandaniel Oglesby

Artists-In-Residence
Sheila Callaghan, Andia Kisia (Nairobi, Kenya)

Stage Management
Cynthia Cahill, Amy Ehrenberg, Carol A. Simon, Amanda Spooner

Production Assistants
Eliza Anastasio (Sarah Lawrence College), Kailee Ayyar (NYU),
Zachary Davidson (CalArts), Sarah Kachel (CalArts)

Special Guest
Lucien Bourjeily (Beirut, Lebanon)

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program is supported by an endowment from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with generous additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, John and Marcia Price Family Foundation, Time Warner Foundation, LUMA Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, Inc., The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and Karen Lauder.

The Theatre Program has been a core component of Sundance Institute since Robert Redford founded the Institute in 1981. The Theatre Program identifies and assists emerging theatre artists, contributes to the creative growth of established artists, and encourages and supports the development of new work for the stage. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the Theatre Program is one of the leading play development programs in the United States. Titles such asAppropriate, Fun Home, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Circle Mirror Transformation, An Iliad, The Lily's Revenge, The Good Negro, The Light in the Piazza, Passing Strange, Stuck Elevator, Spring Awakening, The Laramie Project and I Am My Own Wife have gone from Theatre Program Labs to production from coast to coast and internationally, garnering multiple Pulitzers, Tonys, OBIEs and other recognition. The Theatre Program's East Africa initiative is the only professional program of its type on the continent, offering Labs, cross-cultural exchange, mentorship and exposure to artists in six African countries and now expanding to include the MENA region. The Theatre Program's newest initiative is the Theatre Directors Retreat in France. sundance.org/theatre

Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to connect audiences to their work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling as art and as a compelling and powerful way to inform, inspire and unite people. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

To post a comment, you must register and login.