by Ronee Penoi, New Play Senior Producing Fellow
It is my personal pleasure to introduce Karen Zacarías as Arena Stage’s first Resident Playwright. Today is Day 1 of her 3 year-residency, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds. No doubt many of you are already familiar with Karen’s work. Her Legacy of Light premiered at Arena this past spring, and other notable productions of hers around town include The Book Club Play and Mariela in the Desert, among others. Karen will eventually be one of three resident playwrights at Arena – the other two, to be announced in February, will begin in July of 2010. Karen will receive an Arena Stage commission, annual stipend, and health benefits as part of her residency, as well as a budget to cover collaboration and development expenses. I will personally be supporting Karen by line-producing any new play development activities (readings, workshops, etc) she might require. Karen is beginning her residency by returning to The Book Club Play, and is working with dramaturg Jocelyn Clarke. Karen and Jocelyn are united again after a fruitful collaboration on Legacy of Light.
The playwright residency is one of the activities of the American Voices New Play Institute at Arena. The objective of the Institute is to test and develop promising advances in new play development around the country, with the intention of advancing the effectiveness of the infrastructure for new plays and new voices nationwide. The Residencies’ intention is to advance professional outcomes for the participating writers as well as to help Arena test and develop best practices for such residencies in theaters around the country. Involvement in the life of Arena Stage will be designed by Karen, and the other resident playwrights. Ultimately, Arena is attempting to make the case for the power, practicality, and impact of resident playwrights in regional theaters nationwide.
We’re thrilled that Karen will be helping us build this first residency. (We here already consider her part of the Arena family!)
It will be great to watch Mariela In The Desert, i have bought tickets from
http://ticketfront.com/event/Mariela_In_The_Desert-tickets looking forward to it.
Posted by: Maroussia | January 22, 2010 at 06:45 AM
Wonderful to hear of this residency! And now two questions:
1. are all Arena's opportunities still restricted to US citizens or permanent residents only; and
2. can residencies be applied for or are they bestowed? Thanks
Posted by: Christine | February 11, 2010 at 08:07 PM
Hello, Christine. The only opportunities at Arena restricted to US citizens are those of the NEA New Play Development Program-- it's an NEA eligibility issue still. The Institute residencies are not restricted in that way. They are not an open application process, however. You can read more on that on the New Play Blog: http://npdp.arenastage.org/playwright-residencies/
Posted by: David Dower | February 12, 2010 at 07:57 AM