FOUNDERS' AWARD
The Founders' Award was created on the occasion of the company's 25th anniversary, in honor of the founders Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer, and Leslie Urdang's enduring commitment to nurturing writers at the earliest stages of their careers. Selected by a panel of former recipients, The Founders' Award winner receives a monetary award, an extended residency during the SAF Summer Season, and financial and administrative support for a project for which they are the sole curatorial voice.
MALEEK RAE | Founders’ Award Recipient
I am Maleek Rae(they/them) the great-grandchild of Joseph Gilbert. I’m a gender-free multidisciplinary artist and chain breaker from the Eastside of Detroit, MI, who births creative baptisms and ghetto liberation experiences. I am interested in the tales of the concrete, the mud, and the people who were birthed and bloomed in darkness. My creative practice centers around the stories of the gutter, or as I refer to as, the Guttah. Guttah is my play trilogy, beginning with "Ceremonies for Alligator Bait," which has received developmental support from The Tank and SPACE on Ryder Farm (Greenhouse Residency). My other works include "Ghetto Alchemy: A Lunchroom Survival Guide" and "Love Birds: Or How to Fix a Broken Heart in a Day." I am a member of The Tank’s LIT Council, a 2025 Laundromat Project Create Change Fellow, 2024 Gatekeeper Collective Learning to Love Fellow, Institute Fellow with Target Margin Theatre, and a Space Grant Resident at BAX. Outside of theater, I express myself through lyrical flows in my music, available on all streaming platforms. All glory be to God. https://maleekrae.univer.se/
PFAELZER AWARD
The Pfaelzer Award was created in honor of Johanna Pfaelzer’s twenty-year commitment to nurturing artists and their developing stories at SAF. Selected by a panel of former recipients, the Pfaelzer Award winner receives a monetary award, is invited to be in residence as a part of the SAF Summer Season to observe, incubate, or work on a project of their choosing, and has the opportunity for project mentorship from Johanna Pfaelzer.
SARAH SHIN | Pfaelzer Award Recipient
Sarah Shin is a Korean American theatre artist whose work lives at the intersection of cultural work, creative leadership, and community engagement. Most recently, she acted in the regional premiere of Endlings at Hedgerow Theatre, and has shared her as a director, actor, and producer at theaters such as the Public Theater, Chuang Stage, American Repertory Theater, Clubbed Thumb, Ma-Yi Theater, Central Square Theater, McCarter Theatre Center, Shakespeare & Co., and New York Theatre Workshop, as well as at universities across the Northeast. Her work has been supported by the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music, and Theatre, The Boston Foundation, NEFA Public Art for Spatial Justice Grant, and Asian American Arts Alliance WWYD Grant. She is also co-founder of the social collectives Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB) and Queer Asian Babes, and is a member of the fourth cohort of Roundabout Director’s Group.
DASHA EPSTEIN AWARD
New York Stage and Film offers the annual Dasha Epstein Fellowship to an emerging writer or director who is a student or alumni of Barnard College during the Summer Season. These young artists work with our staff and other professional mentors to hone their craft, and engage in their own creative projects within our vibrant artistic community.
BRIDGET BAIER | Epstein Fellow
Bridget Baier is a theatre artist both based in Los Angeles and New York City and a recent graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained in the Experimental Theatre Wing. Her work explores the intersections of mental health, psychology, and human connection through immersive storytelling, naturalistic dialogue, and ensemble-driven creation. Bridget is particularly interested in class dynamics and the emotional intimacy of shared space. She creates work that reflects the complexities of mental health care, both from the perspective of those receiving support and those offering it. At the end of her final year at NYU, she wrote and directed her senior thesis play, OH, BROTHER—a piece exploring the unspoken rules of group therapy and what happens when those boundaries are challenged or broken. She is currently preparing to apply to graduate programs in child psychology and is thrilled to be joining the New York Stage and Film community.
SOPHIE SIMONS | Epstein Award Recipient
Sophie Simons is a queer playwright and technician based in NYC. She is an upcoming graduate (Fall 2025) of Barnard College of Columbia University, where she is a B.A. Candidate in English and Theatre. She is the Production Assistant Coordinator for Barnard’s Glicker-Milstein Theatre, where she specializes in audio. She currently serves as a Management Intern with DR Theatrical Management She was the Assistant Writer of Columbia’s 129th ANNUAL VARSITY SHOW and co-authored an adaptation of ANTIGONE in 2022. Her play, CROWD WORK, which she also directed, was produced at Columbia in 2023, and her new play TREATMENT HISTORY was recently developed and produced for The New York Theatre Festival. She is the recipient of the Helen Prince Memorial Prize for excellence in dramatic composition and is currently working on developing two new plays, one of which will be presented at The Tank in August for a reading as a part of Limefest. Sophie is excited and passionate about making art that focuses on highlighting close relationships in unconventional settings.
THE DRAMA LEAGUE
Since 2018, New York Stage and Film (SAF) has partnered with The Drama League – America’s only full-time, year-round career and creative development home for directors – in providing residencies for their annual fellowship recipients. In 2025, SAF will host the following artists:
IRVIN MASON JR. (he/him) | Drama League Fellow
Irvin Mason Jr. is a director, actor, poet, and teaching artist from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. His work blends expressive movement, live music, emerging technology, and Afro-Caribbean traditions to revitalize live storytelling. Irvin aims to create work that leaves residue—unapologetic theater that dismantles traditional foundations and opens space for new voices to tell their stories. He recently assisted in developing new plays and musicals at the Playwrights’ Center and Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor. Recent directing credits include: MARCUS; OR THE SECRET OF SWEET (Brooklyn College, upcoming), THE POSTMAN’S DAUGHTER (Forager Theater), SHORT NEW PLAY FESTIVAL (Red Bull Theater), AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, PIPELINE (Gallery Players), and STUCK (Chain Theatre). Associate/Assistant Directing credits include: CO-FOUNDERS (American Conservatory Theater, upcoming), AMERIKIN (Primary Stages), TWO TRAINS RUNNING (The Acting Company), THE GIN GAME (Park Square Theater), and GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HEATHER (AMAS). Directing observer credits include: THE WIZ (Broadway), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, RENT (The Muny, SDCF), and PUP! A CHEW STORY (NAMT). irvinmasonjr.com | @iirvinmason
AILEEN WEN MCGRODDY (she/her) | Beatrice Terry Recipient | LUCIA
Aileen Wen McGroddy is a Chinese- and Irish-American theatre director. She is a Co-Artistic Director of TUTA Theatre Chicago and Creative Producer for the Writing is Live Festival at Brown University. She has been a member of Roundabout Directors Group Cohort V, a 2050 Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop, and the BOLD Resident Director at Northern Stage. She holds an MFA in Directing from Brown/Trinity. Credits include: AKIRA KUROSAWA EXPLAINS...(upcoming at Woolly Mammoth Theatre); ATTEMPTS ON HER LIFE (TUTA); A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Trinity Rep); THE CHINESE LADY (Kitchen Theatre and Geva Theatre Center); SISTERS and SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Northern Stage); AIRNESS (Breckenridge Backstage Theatre); THE LATE WEDDING, THE DUMB WAITER, SUMMER AND SMOKE, and THE TEMPEST (Brown/Trinity); COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE, THROWBACK ISLAND, ON THE Y-AXIS (Writing is Live); MR. BURNS: A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY (Adelphi). She has directed readings for NYTW, The Bushwick Starr, Clubbed Thumb, New York Classical Theatre, The Yale Drama Prize, and Northern Stage.
EMILY MOLER (she/her) | Next Stage Recipient | AGE OF MARY
Emily Moler is a multidisciplinary director of theater, film, and voiceover performance. Selected theatrical credits include: THE GROWN-UPS (Baby Teeth), BITCH BOXER (Krank Brooklyn), THE WINTER GUARD PLAY (Skidmore College), DANCE NATION, NONNA KILLS THE PRESIDENT, PROMITHES PROMITHES, UNCLE VANYA, AS YOU LIKE IT, MEN ON BOATS, END DAYS, and IRONBOUND (UCSD); AND WE’RE LIVE and COFFEE BREAK (Actors Theatre of Louisville); CHAMBER MUSIC, UNTITLED AMERICAN FLAG CRAFT PROJECT, and GOOD CRY (self-produced). She has developed new plays with The New Harmony Project, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Orchard Project, Chautauqua Theater Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre LA, The Associates Theater Ensemble, Joe’s Pub, Chance Theater, IAMA Theatre Company, SITI Company, The Duplex, The Geffen, The Tank, and Pipeline Theatre Company. She holds a B.S. from Skidmore College and an M.F.A. from UCSD.
KENG S. MEATEANUWAT (he/they) | Next Stage Special Residency Recipient | KHAM [CROSSING]
Keng S. Meateanuwat (เก่ง สัณหวิชญ์ เมธีอนุวัตร) is a Thai theatre director, writer, translator, and storyteller based in New York City and Bangkok. Recent directing credits include LUNGS (LifeStudio Bangkok), KHAM (CROSSING) (ART/NY), LANNA DREAM (The Den Chicago), THE ADVENTURE OF SKY AND FRIENDS (New Victory LabWorks), A SISYPHEAN DREAM (Pan Asian Rep’s NuWorks 2023), and THE REVOLUTIONISTS (Heartland Theatre Company). Assistant directing credits include TRANSITIONAL LOVE STORIES (TheatreLab NYC), SANCTUARY CITY (Seattle Rep), and BIG HUNK O' BURNIN' LOVE (Roundabout Theatre Company). Keng’s adaptation WALK TO THE STARS is a semifinalist for the 2024 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Keng is also Co-Executive Director of the Thai Theatre Foundation US. M.F.A. in Directing from Illinois State University. Website: www.kengsm.com
DANICA SELEM (she/her) | Beatrice Terry Special Residency Recipient | I SAW YOUR MAMA DANCIN' AT CLAREMONT LOUNGE
Danica Selem is a Croatian-born, New York-based theater and film director, architect, and educator. She is currently a 2050 Directing Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop. She founded Bodies Intersect Buildings, a working group exploring the intersection of architecture, performance art, and ecology, and spent three years as a Visiting Professor at Cornell University’s Department of Architecture, where her teaching focused on the social and political aspects of spatial design and its relationship to theater and the performing arts. Her work has been supported by Cornell University, LMCC, Columbia University, and NYTW, and shared at venues including Pioneer Works, IPADÉ – A Prelude to The Shed, the American Institute of Architects, Dixon Place, Theater at the 14th Street Y, and The Tank, among others. Select directing credits include: PHAEDRA’S LOVE (Columbia University), I SAW YOUR MAMA DANCIN’ AT CLAREMONT LOUNGE(NYTW – development workshop), VERITY SITS IN HER APARTMENT (LimeFest at The Tank), and upcoming productions LA COCINA (New School) and MAD FOREST – A PLAY FROM ROMANIA (Montclair University). She recently directed two short films: PARALLEL, a sci-fi musical parody that won 1st place at Sci-Fi-London, and MOTHERS AND LOVERS, a short narrative film starring Esco Jouléy and Or Schraiber, currently in post-production and scheduled for completion in March 2025. Danica holds a BA in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Zagreb, an MA in Architecture from Pratt Institute, and an MFA in Theater Directing from Columbia University School of the Arts. She has trained with Anne Bogart, Brian Kulick, Katie Mitchell, Saheem Ali, Rachel Chavkin, and Ivo van Hove, among others. She is an Associate Member of SDC.
GREY BEESON | Beatrice Terry Special Residency Support | I SAW YOUR MAMA DANCIN' AT CLAREMONT LOUNGE
I am honored and thrilled to be working with Danica Selem and Siting Yang on this journey.
Past theater work includes:
THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH, PATSY JOHNSON, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland,
6 Seasons with The American Shakespeare Repertory Co, Theater 22, NYC. Dir Janet Farrow
Highlights includes A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, TITANIA, TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT, by Christopher Marlowe, ZENOCRATE, ROMEO AND JULIET, LADY CAPULET
Other work includes:
GRAVEN IMAGES, Brandy, 78th St Theater Lab, NYC,
RUDE AWAKENING, Diedra, Second Studio, NYC,
NO GAS, Jane, Bach D’or Theater, NYC,
KING ME, Katie, Bach D’or Theater, Trenton Michigan,
SOUTHERN RAPTURE, 2nd cast, Sarah, The Met Theatre, Los Angeles, Ca.
Many thanks to The Drama League and The New York Stage and Film organization for the opportunity to share our story.
AVERY DEUTSCH | Next Stage Support | AGE OF MARY
Avery Deutsch is a playwright and actor from Katonah, New York. She is the winner of Clubbed Thumb’s 2022 Biennial commission, The Hearth’s 2024 Virtual Retreat and a recipient of a 2023-2024 EST/ Sloan commission. She just completed her M.F.A. in Playwriting at The University of Texas at Austin.
SITING YANG | Beatrice Terry Special Residency Support | I SAW YOUR MAMA DANCIN' AT CLAREMONT LOUNGE
Siting Yang is a theatermaker and PhD student of literature from Beijing, China. Her work focuses on dramaturgy, documentary theater, material culture, and the interplay between non-fiction, history, and theatricality from modernism to the present. In her creative practice, she explores documentary theater through investigative interviews, literary adaptation, and non-fiction material. Her credits include THE CHERRY ORCHARD, THE SEA DOES NOT REACH NAPLES, WARD NO. SIX, SKY OR DARKNESS (all 2022, New York), and V.A.B.E.L. (2022, Augsburg). Academically, she has lectured at Columbia University, Flame University, Central Academy of Drama (Beijing, 2022), and Serendipity Arts (New Delhi, 2023) on documentary performance. A graduate of Columbia University (MFA in Dramaturgy) and Peking University (B.A. in History and German Studies), she is now pursuing her PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.
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CLARA
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LOIS WALDEN
Lois Walden is an author, librettist, singer, songwriter, performer, and teaching artist, whose life and music have been profiled on CBS Sunday Morning and Good Morning America.
In addition to CLARA with composers Joseph Joubert and Hannah Tobias, Lois was co-librettist of the opera MILA: THE GREAT SORCERER, with the late Jean-Claude van Itallie and composer Andrea Clearfield, which showcased at the 2019 PROTOTYPE Festival.
Lois is also founder of the popular gospel group, SISTERS OF GLORY, who performed at Woodstock '94 and for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, and which at various times featured Thelma Houston, Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Mavis Staples, Phoebe Snow, Albertina Walker, Diane Reeves, and Lois Walden.
Lois’ novel, ONE MORE STOP (Arcadia, 2010) was a Lambda Literary Awards finalist and a Waterstone's New Voices finalist. She is the author of the novel AFTERWORLD (Arcadia, 2013) and has recently completed the manuscript of a memoir in essays. She is also co-author, with Barry Kleinbort, of a new play in 2025: THE LAST CARD.
Her years of teaching work for The Acting Company helped teens in rural towns and inner-city schools tap into their creativity through classic works in theatre and literature, which Lois continues for adults through programs at Vassar and Bard Colleges.
ELIZABETH ARCHER | HORSE GILRS: THE MUSICAL
A proud Ukrainian-Canadian, Elizabeth was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and holds an MFA in Writing for Screen+Stage from Northwestern University. Her plays include TROLL, APE LEADER, and CAN’T UNSEE. Her hyper-theatrical work occurs at the intersection of our online and offline lives and examines how social media and the internet shapes and changes us as human beings, and how technology snakes into our minds, bodies, and souls. Elizabeth co-founded Fraud & Phony Theatricals in Chicago and was selected as one of three fellows in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ Confluence Regional Writers’ Project (2019-2022). She and her writing partner, Rebecca Gilman, are currently under commission from the Goodman Theatre to create two new works. They are currently developing a new musical with Emmy-winning composers Doug Rockwell and Tova Litvin, to be directed by the Goodman’s Artistic Director, Susan Booth. eaarcher.com
REBECCA GILMAN | HORSE GIRLS: THE MUSICAL
Rebecca Gilman’s plays include SWING STATE, LUNA GALE, BOY GETS GIRL, TWILIGHT BOWL, SPINNING INTO BUTTER, BLUE SURGER, THE GLORY OF LIVING, THE SWEETEST SWING IN BASEBALL, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, DOLLHOUSE, THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH, and A WOMAN OF THE WORLD. Her plays have been produced by (among others) the Goodman Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, Audible Theater, the Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Hampstead Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Acting Company, New York Theatre Workshop, and MCC Theater.
Alongside her writing partner, Elizabeth Archer, Rebecca is currently under commission from the Goodman Theatre to create two new works. In addition to the project they are developing at New York Stage and Film, they are working with the Goodman’s Artistic Director, Susan Booth, and Emmy-winning composers Doug Rockwell and Tova Litvin on a new musical.
HORSE GIRLS: THE MUSICAL
INDIGENOUS VOICES OF THE NORTHEAST
KAILI TURNER, THEA HOPKINS, MARTHA REDBONE, and RHIANA YAZZIE
SIDDHARTHA'S
SOPAN DEB, RALPH PEÑA, ANULA NAVLEKAR, LIPICA SHAH, and SATHYA SRIDHARAN
THE MALTESE FALCON
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BETTY SHAMIEH | Book | THE MALTESE FALCON
Betty Shamieh (she/her) is the author of sixteen plays. Her six New York premieres include the off-Broadway productions of ROAR and MALVOLIO, a sequel to TWELFTH NIGHT, which were both New York Times Critics Picks. A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, Shamieh was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and named a UNESCO Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue. She is currently the Mellon Playwright-in-Residence at the Classical Theatre of Harlem and working on a tv pilot based on ROAR with support from Pop Culture Collab. Her debut novel, TOO SOON, was selected as a PEOPLE Magazine's Book of the Week, 2025 Indie Next Pick, and an NPR Book of the Day. Her work has been translated into seven languages. http://www.bettyshamieh.com
THE PAINTER AND THE THEIF
NGOZI ANYAWU | Book | THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
Ngozi Anyanwu is a playwright, storyteller, and most recently a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award winner. Anyanwu will have a world premiere of her newest play LEROY and LUCY this coming fall of 2024 at The Steppenwolf Theatre. Previous productions include LAST OF THE LOVE LETTERS (Atlantic Theater Company) GOOD GRIEF (Vineyard Theatre in NYC / Center Theatre Group in LA) and THE HOMECOMING QUEEN (sold-out world premiere run at the Atlantic Theatre). GOOD GRIEF was on the Kilroys List 2016 and a semi finalist for the Princess Grace Award, and won the Humanitas Award. THE HOMECOMING QUEEN was on the Kilroys List 2017 and was a Leah Ryan Finalist. Her play NIKE… (Kilroys List 2017) was workshopped at The New Black Fest in conjunction with The Lark and The Strand Festival in conjunction with A.C.T and Space on Ryder Farm. Ngozi also has commissions with NYU, The Old Globe, Two Rivers Theatre, The Atlantic Theatre, and Steppenwolf. Anyanwu has also received residencies from LCT3, Space on Ryder Farm, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The New Harmony Project, New York Stage and Film and Page 73. She attended Point Park University (BA) and received her MFA in Acting from University of California, San Diego.
RYAN DOBRIN | Director | THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
Ryan Dobrin (he/him) is one of the Producing Artistic Leaders of Obie-winning The Movement Theatre Company. Directing includes: Billy McEntee & Grier Mathiot's THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD (2025 Drama Desk Nomination, Theatrely Best of 2024, St. Lydia's), Ryan Drake's you don't have to do anything (Vulture Best of 2024; HERE Arts Center), Harrison David Rivers and Ted Shen's WE SHALL SOMEDAY (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Sondheim and Lapine's INTO THE WOODS (Yale), MARIA FRIEDMAN & FRIENDS (re-staging direction at Tufts), Eboni Booth's CONFERENCE ROOM B (Atlantic Acting School), Billy McEntee & Cam Cronin's GERALDINE REALIGNED... (The Brick), Mona Mansour's SET ME FREE starring Christian Slater, Clark Gregg, and Lola Tung (24 Hour Plays on Broadway), JULIAN HORNIK IN CONCERT (Joe's Pub), Halley Feiffer's MOSCOW X6 (University of Michigan), Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER (The Drama League), Bess Wohl's CONTINUITY (Fordham), Gage Tarlton's THE HOMIESEXUALS: A SOCIAL MEDIA TRAGEDY (short film), and Jordan Harrison's MARJORIE PRIME (NYU ETW). Select Associate Directing: THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Broadway), MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Broadway, pro-shot, NYTW), DIANA (Broadway). Upcoming Directing: EGO SHOW (Edinburgh Fringe), ... THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 (Montclair State University). Fellowships/affiliations include The Drama League, Playwrights Horizons, MTC, WTF, Roundabout Directors Group, Ma-Yi Writer's Group, Mercury Store artist-in-residence, Fault Line Theatre, and Ars Nova. Ryan graduated from Wesleyan University (Rachel Henderson Theater Prize and the Outreach & Community Service Prize). ryandobrin.com
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JULIAN HORNIK | Music & Lyrics | THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
Julian Hornik is a composer and lyricist based in Brooklyn. His shows include ASSISTED with Adam Chanler-Berat (developed with MCC Theater, The Civilians, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat), WEEKEND with Mark Sonnenblick and Khiyon Hursey (Stanford, Vineyard Arts), THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (New York Stage and Film), DEATHBED EDITION (Ars Nova), TENN (Yale), and @QUEERZ, commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Film and television credits include SHARE (A24) and HELLUVA BOSS (Amazon Prime). He is the recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing, the Sammy Cahn Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and the Bryan Gallace Fellowship from SPACE on Ryder Farm. An alum of the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project and Yale’s Shen Curriculum for Musical Theater, his songs have been performed at venues including The Kennedy Center, New York City Center, 92NY, and Carnegie Hall. Julian is a member of the Joe’s Pub Working Group and the Park Slope Food Coop.