Playwrights Collective, Round Two

TimeLine is overjoyed to announce the four playwrights who will be in residence during 2017 and 2018 with the Playwrights Collective, our new-play incubator.

Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Maureen Gallagher, and Calamity West ave been named to the Playwrights Collective, joining the ranks of inaugural Playwrights Collective members Alice Austin, John Conroy, Emily Dendinger, Frances Limoncelli, Susan McLaughlin Karp, and Brett Neveu, who were in residence from 2013 to 2016.

The TimeLine Playwrights Collective extends our ongoing commitment to developing, supporting, and featuring new work by providing an encouraging environment to playwrights who share an affinity for TimeLine’s mission of presenting stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues.

A diverse group of emerging and established writers are selected by TimeLine’s Company Members to participate in the Playwrights Collective, under the leadership of Literary Manager Ben Thiem. The group meets regularly, and playwrights choose their own projects that fit TimeLine’s mission to work on throughout the two-year residency. Together the group reads and hears scenes from work under development, asks questions, discusses challenges and shares progress with peers. TimeLine provides support throughout the process, including readings, and any works developed during the program may be considered for future development and production at TimeLine.

“Being a playwright is often very solitary work without regular opportunities for structured feedback and support. By providing these writers with an artistic home for the next two years, they’ll have the time, space and resources to explore and write exciting and challenging new stories that will engage audiences in conversations about history.”
— Ben Thiem, Literary Manager

“Each of these dynamic writers possesses a unique voice and a keen interest in examining history,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, TimeLine’s commitment to nurturing new plays continues to deepen, and the Playwrights Collective, under Ben’s leadership, provides an opportunity to support these Chicago-based writers as they create new scripts that explore how the past connects with social and political issues of today.”

“We greatly admire these four artists and I couldn’t be more excited to work with them as they each develop a new play that fits our unique mission,” said Thiem. “Being a playwright is often very solitary work without regular opportunities for structured feedback and support. By providing these writers with an artistic home for the next two years, they’ll have the time, space and resources to explore and write exciting and challenging new stories that will engage audiences in conversations about history.”

Stay tuned for insight into each playwright’s process, what inspires them, and more as the program continues! #PlaywrightsCollectiveTL