Theater News

Nottage, Shamieh, West, et al. Receive Second Stage Commissions

Lynn Nottage
Lynn Nottage

Playwrights Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Zakiyyah Alexander, J. Holtham, Rajiv Joseph, Sandra Tsing Loh, Lynn Nottage, Sung Rno, Betty Shamieh, Cheryl L. West, and Tracey Scott Wilson are the initial recipients of “The Time Warner Commissioning Program at Second Stage Theatre.” As a result of this financial gift, the writers will be able to develop new plays over the next two to five years that can be produced by the popular theater company.

“This generous support enables Second Stage to further our goal of creating new American plays,” says the theater’s executive director, Carole Rothman, who chose the writers along with three members of her staff. “I am now in the truly enviable position to not only being reunited with playwrights with whom I’ve worked over the years, but also to embark on new creative partnerships with exciting young writers. This is a very exciting moment for Second Stage Theatre, and as we steer these plays through to full productions, an ultimately exciting moment for the American theatre.”

Said Lisa M. Quiroz, Time Warner’s senior vice president of Corporate Responsibility: “Creativity is at the core of all of our businesses, so we know that providing ongoing assistance for development is critical to the process of bringing stories to life. And fostering the rich diversity of voices reflected in the works of these storytellers is vital to sustaining art that is rich, vibrant, and relevant.”