NEW THEATRE WORKS INITIATIVE (NTWI)

View 2011 NTWI Recipients Press Release

2012 APPLICATION GUIDELINES

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Begun in 2010, Independence Foundation's New Theatre Works Initiative (NTWI) is a three-year pilot program to encourage the development and production of new theatrical performance work in the Philadelphia region.  

The New Theatre Works Initiative will provide two (2) three-year grants in each year of the pilot to regional nonprofit theatre companies in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware or Montgomery counties to support the creation of new artistic theatre performances.   Selected organizations with a strong and consistent track record of producing new work will be invited, based on annual budget size, to submit proposals.  One grant per year will be awarded at each of these funding levels: 

• organizations with annual operating budgets between $250,000 and $1,000,000 may apply for a grant of up to $75,000 over three years (at $25,000 per year); and
• organizations with annual operating budgets greater than $1,000,0000 may apply for a grant of up to $150,000 over three years (at $50,000 per year).

The New Theatre Works Initiative is designed to assist in the development of theatre works by established companies.  Rather than limit its scope to a single form, genre or developmental structure, these grants  accommodate the numerous creative styles and unique perspectives of theatre groups by allowing them to design their own approach to developing new work, whether it is engaging in interdisciplinary work, solo performance or various approaches to play-making.

A New Theatre Works grant will fund play, musical or multidisciplinary performance development, which may include full productions of new work, commissioning fees, playwright/creator residency expenses, dramaturgical sessions, research, staged readings, fully-produced developmental workshops or workshop productions, or other works-in progress presentations.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must:

• Be a nonprofit arts organization with 501c3 federal tax-exempt status

• Have completed at least three seasons of public performances

• Be invited to submit a proposal

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION AND REVIEW PROCESS

Each application is reviewed according to following criteria:

• Clarity of artistic vision;

• Qualifications of the playwright/creative team selected by the organization's artistic team;

• Feasibility of the company to manage the proposed program.

• Clarity of artistic vision;

All applications will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished professionals with vast knowledge of the Philadelphia area theatre community. Final decisions will be made by the Board of Directors of the Independence Foundation.