Theater News

Cherry Lane Theatre Announces 2015 Mentor Project Lineup

The developmental program adds three titles to its 17th season.

Stephanie Ybarra, producing artistic director of the Mentor Project.
Stephanie Ybarra is the producing artistic director of the Cherry Lane Theatre's Mentor Project.

The Cherry Lane Theatre has announced its 2015 lineup for the Mentor Project, the cornerstone of Cherry Lane Theatre’s development programs.

Now in its 17th season, this year's Mentor Project plays include peerless (March 4-14), written by Jiehae Park and mentored by playwright, actor, and CenterStage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah; King Lear (March 25-April 4) re-envisioned and directed by Jesse Jou and mentored by author and Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein; and The Idea of Me (April 15-25), written by Kristina Poe and mentored by actor and artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater Chay Yew.

"This year we’re continuing to build on the incredible legacy of the Mentor Project, not only by creating a home for playwrights, but for early-career directors as well," said Mentor Project Producing Artistic Director Stephanie Ybarra. "Jiehae, Jesse, and Kristina each have a unique authorial voice that I’m certain will reverberate throughout the American Theatre, and I’m proud that Mentor Project can server as an amplifier."

Founded by Angelina Fiordellisi and Susann Brinkley in 1998, the Mentor Project engages leading dramatists in one-on-one mentoring relationships with emerging artists. Each Mentor Project Fellow receives a $5,000 stipend, a team of professional collaborators, rehearsal support, and a workshop production at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre.