FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: September 21, 2011 Casey De La Rosa 310.360.1981
[email protected] SUNDANCE INSTITUTE THEATRE PROGRAM AWARDS NEW PLAY COMMISSION Funds Allow Playwright Lemon Andersen to Complete ToasT New York, NY — The Sundance Institute Theatre Program has awarded a commission to playwright Lemon Andersen for completion of his new play, ToasT . The $4,500 commission represents a portion of support for Mr. Anderson, complementing his residency last season at the Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation. The grant represents a partnership with The Public Theater’s Under The Radar (UTR), which is also contributing to Mr. Lemon’s work, and is supported by a 2008-2011 grant to the Theatre Program from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Andersen began developing ToasT while at the 2011 Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. Andersen received a grant from UTR to attend the Retreat, where Sundance Institute provided travel, accommodations and creative support. “UTR realized the importance of supporting this artist and his project, and their initial funds enabled Andersen to participate in the Retreat where ToasT was born,” said Philip Himberg, Producing Artistic Director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. “We’re pleased to deepen our relationship with UTR through this commission. The model we’re exploring here, of collaborating with a like-minded organization to further the development of special projects, holds enormous potential for our program, moving forward, and is yet another example of how we support artists throughout the different stages of their creative process.” ToasT is about Willie Green, also known as “Dolomite,” the famous folklore hero from the old Black Narratives.