Independent Arts News Reporting Two Nonprofit Theater Companies Launch New Developmental Grant for Emerging Playwrights
Reported on Monday, April 10, 2025.
Pictured Above: Laura Darrell, one of the recipients of the inaugural Curtain Rising grant. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Recipients of the Curtain Rising grant receive a 29-hour AEA development workshop, with a creative team carefully chosen to bring their work to life; an opportunity to develop and ultimately present their work before an audience of industry leaders; and a financial stipend of $1500.
New York, NY – Two of New York’s most dedicated non-profit theater companies, NewYorkRep (Gayle Waxenberg, Founder, Executive Director) and Sea Dog Theater (Christopher Domig, Co-Founder, Artistic Director; Dan Swern, Managing Director) join forces to launch Curtain Rising, a play development initiative committed to fostering bold new voices in playwriting. Recipients of the Curtain Rising grant are given a creative team, a financial stipend, and an opportunity to develop and present their work before an audience at the Curtain Rising Festival on Saturday, April 26 at 3PM at Sea Dog Theater at St. George’s Episcopal Church (209 E. 16th Street, NYC). An award reception will follow the presentation. For reservations and information, visit www.NewYorkRep.org/Curtain-Rising.
The recipients of the inaugural Curtain Rising grant are Laura Darrell for her play Oregon, and PJ O’Neal for his play Stinger. Laura Darrell’s Oregon follows three generations of women as they navigate end-of-life care for their 88-year-old matriarch, confronting the emotional and ethical complexities of medically assisted death. Guided by a compassionate hospice nurse, they find strength through reflection, humor, and love in the face of impending loss. PJ O’Neal’s Stinger tells the story of a formerly incarcerated and renowned chef who sets out to coach high school dropouts in his restaurant. He must navigate newfound fame, family, childhood trauma, and the horrors of mass incarceration, all the while posing as a formidable mentor.
Pictured Above: Logo for “Curtain Rising”. Photo Credit: Contributed.
With a deep commitment to developing socially urgent, thought-provoking and perspective-challenging works, NewYorkRep and Sea Dog Theater created the Curtain Rising grant and play reading festival to provide early-stage playwrights with critical artistic and financial support. Recipients of the Curtain Rising grant receive a 29-hour AEA development workshop, with a creative team carefully chosen to bring their work to life; an opportunity to develop and ultimately present their work before an audience of industry leaders; and a financial stipend of $1500.
“It has long been the goal of NewYorkRep to develop and champion original plays that address urgent social issues, and produce new works with real-world impact” says Gayle Waxenberg, Founding Executive Director of NewYorkRep. “We are excited to partner with our friends at Sea Dog Theater in our shared mission to ensure that powerful new voices in theater are heard, nurtured, and celebrated. Laura Darrell and PJ O’Neal are extraordinary playwrights who you will, no doubt, be hearing more from in theater seasons to come. We could not be more excited about our two inaugural Curtain Rising Grant recipients.”
“At Sea Dog Theater, we believe in the power of intimate, site-specific storytelling to ignite conversation and bring urgent social issues to light,” says Chris Domig, Artistic Director of Sea Dog Theater. “Partnering with NewYorkRep allows us to further our commitment to amplifying new voices that challenge, inspire, and provoke meaningful dialogue. Laura Darrell and PJ O’Neal and are remarkable playwrights with stories that deserve to be heard, and we are honored to support their work. This collaboration is a reflection of our shared dedication to theater that not only entertains but also makes a lasting impact.”
Laura Darrell (Playwright, Oregon) is an actress, playwright, and producer based in NYC and Portland, Maine. Oregon is her first full length play. As an actor she has performed internationally, Off-Broadway, and regionally, as well as on multiple cast albums, two recurring roles on television, and multiple feature films. As a producer, she’s released an EP of alternative folk music with Mad Attic Records, as well as co-produced three festival favorite short films with director/producer Pete Rohan of Rohan Audio. She is currently co-producing and directing an animated series starring Malin Akerman, Dan Fogler and Eddie Kaye Thomas called Anything Animated Series (a micro budget Family Guy). She’s also developing a new musical with award winning writer and filmmaker, Marc Brener and her second full length play about the destruction that occurs when probate law restricts idealized dreams of inheritance.
PJ O’Neal (Playwright, Stinger) [he/him] is a multi-hyphenate artist, playwright, food writer, and educator. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and The Tank NYC’s Lit Council 2023 – 2025 for male playwrights of color. His other work includes CODE RED a solo play, and DANTE’S 2 TRAIN, which are both available on the New Play Exchange website. His published food writing can be found in national publications such as Allrecipes, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Spruce Eats, as well as literary magazines. He is currently in Hunter College’s MFA Playwriting program.
Pictured Above: New York REP. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NewYorkRep is a dynamic theater company dedicated to developing and producing new plays and musicals that inspire social change. By exploring humanity’s complexities and ethical dilemmas through compelling storytelling, NewYorkRep fosters empathy, compassion, and inclusion, using art as a powerful tool to illuminate critical social issues and spark meaningful dialogue. Recent recognition includes the Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for “New American Play,” Off-West End award nomination for “Best Production” at the Southwark Playhouse, the Bergen Record Top 10 productions of the year, and the Off-Broadway Alliance nomination for “Best New Play.” www.NewYorkRep.org
Pictured Above: Sea Dog Theater. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Sea Dog Theater tells stories of alienation and reconciliation, producing and devising plays that explore personal, communal, and existential struggles. Sea Dog Theater examines how reconciliation happens—not just through art, but by bringing artists and audiences into meaningful dialogue. Sea Dog Theater believes in theater’s power to spark conversation, foster empathy, and challenge perspectives. Their work has earned the NYIT Awards for Best Director and Best Revival (Danny and the Deep Blue Sea) and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival (Tuesdays with Morrie). www.SeaDogTheater.org
