Manhattan Theatre Club is proud to support artists through a robust array of commissions and fellowship programs. Read on to learn more about these initiatives and the formidable theatermakers they support.
Judith Champion Playwriting Fellowship
Launched in the 2022-23 season and fully supported by the late Judith Champion, philanthropist and MTC Patron, this Fellowship provides artistic and financial resources to one playwright each season to write and develop a new commissioned play in residence at MTC. Fellowship recipients will also participate in the life of the institution in a manner tailored to their strengths and interests. In addition to a commission, the recipient will be provided with a living allowance, access to office and rehearsal space, a ticket stipend, and a developmental workshop of at least one play during their fellowship year.
2026-2027 Fellow: Samuel D. Hunter
Samuel D. Hunter is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose deeply human stories explore faith, family and the American experience. Last season, Hunter made his Broadway debut with the critically acclaimed play Little Bear Ridge Road, starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, following its run at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, where it received the Jeff Award for Best New Work. He simultaneously made his West End debut with Clarkston, starring Joe Locke, which received a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best New Play. Hunter’s works include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award), A Case for the Existence of God (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award), Greater Clements, Lewiston/Clarkston, and Grangeville, among others. His film adaptation of The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser, earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film received two Academy Awards as well. On television, Hunter was a writer and producer on all four seasons of FX’s “Baskets.” A MacArthur Fellow and Whiting Award recipient, Hunter’s plays have been produced Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally. A native of Moscow, Idaho, he holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard.
2025-2026 Fellow: Bess Wohl
2024-2025 Fellow: Eboni Booth
2023-2024 Fellow: Sanaz Toossi
2022-2023 Fellow: Zora Howard
The Sloan Initiative
Established in 2000 through a partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this program awards commissions for new plays that explore scientific or technological themes and supports productions of plays surrounding these themes. The partnership began with MTC’s production of David Auburn’s acclaimed play Proof, which went on to win the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Since then, over 100 Sloan commissions have been awarded. Click here to learn more about this program.
Edgerton Foundation New Play Commission
In partnership with the Edgerton Foundation, MTC established this program to award new play commissions to visionary American artists. Playwrights currently under commission include:
Christina Anderson
Jeff Augustin
Kimberly Belflower
Jocelyn Bioh
Lydia R. Diamond
Joshua Harmon
Aleshea Harris
Rajiv Joseph
Steven Levenson
Qui Nguyen (co-commissioned with Geffen Playhouse)
Heidi Schreck
Erika Sheffer
Lloyd Suh (co-commissioned with Huntington Theatre Company)
The Pack (co-commissioned with Arena Stage)
Brian Watkins
Sharr White
Anna Ziegler
Bobbie Olsen Play Commission
Funded by an endowment from former MTC Board Member Bobbie Olsen, this program commissions a growing number of American and international playwrights each season. Playwrights currently under commission include:
Will Arbery
Vivian J.O. Barnes
Jake Brasch
Bekah Brunstetter
Emily Feldman
Lindsey Ferrentino & Sam Beam
James Graham
Ella Hickson
Aaron Jackson & Josh Sharp
JC Lee
Shayan Lotfi
Regan Moro
Amy Rosenthal
Alexis Scheer
Jonathan Spector
Simon Stephens
Bubba Weiler
Jenny Rachel Weiner
Additional support for Amy Rosenthal’s commission is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Drama League/MTC Directing Fellowship
Manhattan Theatre Club is thrilled to partner with the Drama League to create this two-year program that offers robust support to early-career directors. Click here to learn more and submit an application for the inaugural fellowship class.
Tatiana Baccari (she/they) is a director, writer and producer making tragicomic theater and films that explore grief, disability, dissent, and intergenerational change by connecting with audiences through the inexplicable. Their directing includes assisting/associate work, developing/premiering new plays, and adapting classics to meet our socio-political moment.
Directing highlights include the world premiere of Radio Man by Sarah Groustra (The Paradise Factory/Underbelly Theatre), Then Act Like It by Savannah Lyons Anthony (Writing is Live Fest/Brown University), Mr. Burns, A Post Electric Play by Anne Washburn (CMU), Lear by Young Jean Lee (CMU) and Animals Out of Paperby Rajiv Joseph (Jobsite Theater). Most recently, Tatiana was Asolo Rep’s 2025 Directing Fellow where they assisted Peter Amster on the regional premiere of Goodnight, Oscar by Doug Wright.
Tatiana serves as Artistic Director of Experimental Bitch, developing badly-behaved new performance with artists/companies such as Nia O. Witherspoon, HERE Arts Center, Diana Zaza Oh, The Bushwick Starr, JACK Arts and Samieva Theater. An advocate for disability visibility, Tatiana produced Bitchin’ Heals, a weekend of workshops, performances and artist markets dedicated to uplifting disabled joy by centering disabled artists and accessibility, co-presented with JACK Arts and Experimental Bitch in 2023.
Tatiana received their MFA in directing in 2025 as a John Wells Directing Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. They are currently a Drama League Stage Directing Fellow, working with Red Bull Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Stage & Film, and Playwrights’ Center from 2026-2028.
Other Commissions
An array of other contributors provide critical commissioning support to some of the most exciting playwrights working today. Playwrights currently under commission include:
BANK OF AMERICA COMMISSION
Eboni Booth
Halley Feiffer
Lindsey Ferrentino
Daniel Goldfarb
Dave Harris
Sarah Ruhl
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Bess Wohl (co-commissioned with Williamstown Theatre Festival)
MARY MILL COMMISSION
Molly Smith Metzler
VIRGINIA B. TOULMIN FOUNDATION COMMISSION
Christine Quintana
* Header image: Top, L to R: Aleshea Harris, Alexis Zegerman, Charlie Oh, Dave Harris, Diane Exavier, Simon Stephens, Kristin Slaney, J. Nicole Brooks, Martyna Majok, Khiyon Hursey. Bottom, L to R: Eboni Booth, Else Went, Franky D. Gonzalez, James Ijames, Joshua Harmon, Whitney White, Will Arbery, Heather Christian, Qui Nguyen, Sanaz Toossi