Ojai Playwrights Announces Robert H. Egan Legacy Fund at 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala

Ojai Playwrights Conference announced the founding of the Robert H. Egan Legacy Fund at their 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala on June 4, 2022. Honoring the work of outgoing Artistic Director/Producer Robert Egan, the fund will support visionary OPC New Works Festival playwrights who are creating challenging new plays and imagining a better future for all. Egan leaves his role at OPC at the end of this year.

"I'm truly honored that the organization I've been involved with for 22 years has decided to create this fund in my name. My career goal has been to find and nourish playwrights as they build the work that illuminates our world. This fund will help make that continue to happen at OPC," says Egan.

The Gala show, "Caring and Daring Together," featured a look back at extraordinary work that has come out of OPC, and a hint of what is to come, with scenes and songs from "In the Continuum" by Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter, "Nine Circles" by Bill Cain, "Motherf**ker with the Hat" by Stephen Adly Guirgis, "Fun Home" by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz, "Hannah and the Dread Gazebo" by Jiehae Park, "John Proctor is the Villain" by Kimberly Belflower, and "Avaaz" by Michael Shayan, set to be developed in this summer's OPC New Works Festival August 7-14, 2022.

Performers included some who had previously performed their roles in fully produced productions, as well as others new to the works: Agyeiwaa Asante, Ben Feldman, Julie Garnyé, Christine Lahti, Raymond Lee, Jake Olson, Zharia O'Neal, John Ortiz, Tamberla Perry, Jeanne Sakata, Nikkole Salter, Michael Shayan, Andre Royo, Josh Stamberg, Rachel Ticotin, Jordan Villegas, Steven Weber, Michael Weston and Zakiya Young.

Luis Alfaro, Olga Garay-English and Kerry English (posthumously) were honored in emotional presentations with 2022 OPC Awards for their inspiration, commitment and passion.