May 10, 2007 – Expanding on its fifty-year history of developing new plays and cultivating new voices for the American Theater, The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, Executive Director Mara Manus) is proud to announce the creation of The Public Writers Initiative - a long-term initiative that will provide key support and resources for writers at every stage of their careers. With Time Warner as its founding sponsor, The Public Writers Initiative will begin its first phase in fall 2007 with the creation of The Emerging Writers Group. A unique and innovative program for the industry, The Emerging Writers Group will provide key resources and access to underrepresented talent selected through an open application process. In tandem with the expansion of The Public’s existing development and commissioning programs, The Public Writers Initiative will create a fertile community at The Public where writers can grow and learn from each other. Most importantly, it will also foster a web of supportive artistic relationships across generations of writers that will influence the future of contemporary American theater.

Many of today’s most honored and recognized playwrights such as John Guare, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Rabe, Chris Durang, Wallace Shawn, Ntozake Shange, Sam Shepard, Tony Kushner and Nilo Cruz have a long history developing their work at The Public. The Public has also produced some of today’s most important plays, such as Hair, Sticks and Bones, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, The Colored Museum, Topdog/Underdog, Caroline, Or Change, and A Chorus Line. The Publics Writers Initiative will ensure that The Public’s great tradition of supporting playwrights and playwriting will remain central to its future.

Artistic Director Oskar Eustis stated “The Public Theater was founded to give a stage for the full diversity of American voices. The Public Writers Initiative will allow us to provide a home to the writers we believe in, and encourage them to address the great issues of the time.”

Time Warner has been a long-time and invaluable corporate supporter of The Public Theater.

"We are honored to partner with The Public Theater to launch this ground-breaking program," said Lisa Quiroz, Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility. "Through the Writers Initiative, The Public is not just supporting individual writers at different stages in their careers, they are helping to build a community of diverse voices and creativity that will strengthen theater and storytelling and enrich our culture for generations to come."

The Public Writers Initiative will fall under the auspices of the LuEsther Lab, named for the late LuEsther T. Mertz, who was a major benefactor of The Public and Chair of its Board from 1973 to 1987. The LuEsther Lab provides creative and financial support for artists at all stages in their careers through commissions, residencies, readings and workshops that have proven fundamental to The Public’s artistic success.

The Emerging Writers Group

The Public will identify and cultivate relationships with promising writers who, at the beginning of their careers, do yet have access to The Public through traditional industry channels. In the Emerging Writers Group, these writers will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from more established writers, and learn about production issues by observing the production process at The Public. With an open application process, The Public will cast a wide net across the country annually to select twelve to fifteen writers to participate in the program, which will include a three thousand-dollar stipend; biweekly writers group administered by The Public Literary Department; in-house readings; master classes led by established playwrights; career development opportunities; and artistic and professional support from The Public’s artistic staff. Writers will be selected for placement beginning September 2007. Application guidelines will be available later this month.

Expanded Development and Commissioning Programs

In addition to the Emerging Writers, The Public Writers Initiative will also significantly increase the number of readings, workshops and commissions for writers at all stages of their careers. Artistic development of this nature is at the core of The Public’s mission and is critical to helping the institution and writers develop new work for the theater. By providing apprenticeships and master classes, inviting the community of writers to attend all in-house readings and workshops and participate in general field discussions, The Public will create additional points of intersection for writers across generations to interact, build relationships and find mutual creative inspiration.

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THE PUBLIC THEATER (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Mara Manus, Executive Director) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public’s mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe’s Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 40 Tony Awards, 138 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.

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The Public Theater is deeply grateful to The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust for its generous support of the 2006-2007 season.

Bank of America is the proud Sponsor of the 2007 Season of Shakespeare in the Park.

Time Warner is the Supporting Sponsor of The Public's 2006-2007 season. Leadership support is provided by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman, Carole Shorenstein Hays and The New York State Music Fund. We are also deeply grateful to The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for its leadership commitment to The Public Theater's Endowment Fund in support of new work.

Major support is provided by The Shubert Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The George T. Delacorte Fund at the New York Community Trust—Fund for Performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Warren Spector and Margaret Whitton and The Starr Foundation.

Additional generous support is provided by Debra and Leon Black, Bloomberg, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Susan Stein Shiva Foundation, Titan Worldwide, The New York Times, New York Public Radio—WNYC and Google Book Search. Public support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Continental Airlines is the official airline of The Public Theater.