New York, NY — The Sundance Institute Theatre Program is now accepting submissions for the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, which will return to the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah for the first time since 2009. Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Producing Artistic Director, and Associate Director Christopher Hibma, the three-week Lab (July 9-29, 2012) is the centerpiece of the Theatre Program’s year-round work and is designed to develop emerging and established artists and to create a place where their original work can be effectively mentored and challenged.

“Returning to the Sundance Resort follows exciting renovations to our familiar and beloved environment in Utah,” said Producing Artistic Director Philip Himberg. “We have had two dynamic years off-site, creating labs in partnership with The Banff Centre, MASS MoCA and Governors Island in New York Harbor. We now look forward to bringing what we’ve learned ‘on the road’ back to our home at Sundance.”

The Theatre Lab provides rehearsal space, dramaturgical support, an acting company, stage management and accommodations/meals for playwrights, directors, choreographers, composers, solo performers and ensembles. The Lab’s unique day-on, day-off rehearsal structure provides Fellows the time to explore revising their work, without the pressure of daily rehearsals, as well as freedom from commercial attention. Fellows are supported by a team of creative advisors, dramaturgs and other colleagues who provide feedback on the material and process. The three-week residency culminates in a closed presentation of each project for Lab participants, followed by a collaborative feedback session.

Theatre Alumni and projects supported at previous Theatre Labs include Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation, Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge, Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Good Negro, Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ The Light in the Piazza, Lisa Kron’s Well, Stew’s Passing Strange, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s Spring Awakening, Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project and Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife.

“Our Theatre Program has established a rich legacy of identifying promising new projects and contributing to their success in immeasurable ways at a critical time in their development,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute. “We look forward to providing a creative and collaborative environment for the artists and projects at the 2012 Theatre Lab and to providing continued support for them as they make their way to the stage.”

Submission guidelines and the application are available at www.sundance.org/theatreapp. The deadline for submission is November 15, 2011. Applicants will be notified on or after April 1, 2012. A maximum of eight projects will be selected to participate.

In addition to the Theatre Lab at Sundance Resort, the Theatre Program hosts additional creative Labs throughout the year and around the world, including the Theatre Lab at White Oak for musicals and ensemble-generated/devised projects (by invitation only), Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation (by invitation only) and Sundance Institute East Africa.

Sundance Institute Theatre Program
The Sundance Institute Theatre Program is a program of Sundance Institute. Through its developmental activities at the Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation, the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at White Oak, Sundance Institute East Africa, the Program identifies and assists emerging theatre artists, contributes to the creative growth of established artists, and encourages and supports the development of new work for the stage. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director Philip Himberg, more than 90% of the work coming out of the Program’s Labs has found professional production at theatres across the United States, Mexico and Europe. Recent productions of Sundance Institute-developed work include: Passing Strange by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, which won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker and The Lily’s Revenge by Taylor Mac. www.sundance.org/theatre

Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org