Charly Evon Simpson’s "Behind the Sheet," an acclaimed Ensemble Studio Theatre/ Sloan commissioned play about the controversial father of modern gynecology and the enslaved black women he experimented on, premiered in January 2019. The play was a New York Times critics pick and was extended three times due to its popularity.
Program Goal
Encourage leading playwrights to explore scientific or technological themes and write plays featuring scientists, mathematicians, and engineers as characters; support theaters that commission, develop, and produce plays with dramatically engaging high-quality science content.
About
Over the past fifteen years, the Foundation has developed a nationwide theater program with participants in many regions anchored by two acclaimed New York City partners—Ensemble Studio Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club. This seminal program has backed such early Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning works as Proof and Copenhagen and is today recognized as the leading supporter of science plays in the country.
In addition to its two main partners, the Foundation recently awarded a pilot grant to the National Theatre in London and in the past has worked with New York-based Playwrights Horizons to develop and stage new works.To date the theater program has received over 2000 submissions for new plays, has commissioned more than 250 works, and has staged more than 60 plays in New York City alone, with dozens travelling to more than 30 theaters across the country and internationally.
Strategy
Grantmaking focuses on forging strategic partnerships with theaters that aim to
- Encourage emerging and established playwrights to engage with scientific themes in their work;
- Promote the production of commissioned, science-themed plays in New York and in regional theaters around the country;
- Expand public engagement with science-themed theater through panels, readings, and special events.
To enhance the reach of the program, a partnership with LA Theatre Works supports recording the best Sloan-supported plays with A-list actors, broadcasting them on public radio, and distributing them to schools and libraries.
Structure
Current partnerships include:
Upcoming Events
News
See All-
BroadwayWorld
Ensemble Studio Theatre Announces World Premiere Of LAS BORINQUENAS, April 3-28
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BroadwayWorld
Full Cast Revealed For the West End Run of DR SEMMELWEIS, Starring Mark Rylance
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Ensemble Studio Theater
EST's "What You Are Now" Available to Stream for Free
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Financial Times
Mark Rylance and Tom Morris on the torment of a doctor ahead of his time
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Broadway World
Ensemble Studio Theatre to Present the World Premiere of WHAT YOU ARE NOW
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Broadway World
L.A. Theatre Works Relativity Series Presents FRANKLINLAND
Resources
Catalog of Supported Theater
A list of mainstage productions supported by Sloan and produced by our Theater partners.
Apply
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited plays, treatments or pitch letters. For consideration of your script or treatment, contact the individual organizations whose programs we support directly.