The Dramatists Guild Fund (DGF) is a public charity. According to its website, its mission is "to aid and nurture writers for the theater; to fund non-profit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country."
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Overview
DGF supports the production new works across the United States by giving grants to non-profit theatrical organizations that produce works by American writers. They also support writers directly; emergency grants are given to writers in extreme financial need.
From time to time, DGF hosts a benefit gala. The 2009 gala honored Rosie O'Donnell and Rosie's Broadway Kids. The 2012 gala honors John Kander.
DGF recently partnered with other NY theaters to produce the Shinsai: Theaters for Japan initiative.
Programs
The Legacy Project is a set of filmed interviews between an experienced dramatist and an emerging one. Volume I was released in 2011. The videos are a resource for students, theater-lovers, and the general public. Producers include Nancy Ford, Carol Hall, Peter Ratray and Jonathan Reynolds. The interviews are filmed and directed by Jeremy Levine and Landon Van Soest of Transient Pictures.
Volume I features Lee Adams with Brian Yorkey, Edward Albee with Will Eno, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with David Zippel, A.R. Gurney with Itamar Moses, John Kander with Kirsten Childs, Arthur Laurents with David Saint, Stephen Sondheim with Adam Guettel, Joseph Stein with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Charles Strouse with Michael John LaChiusa, Lanford Wilson with Craig Lucas.
DGF also puts on the Traveling Masters program that partners professional writers with American theaters. The writer travels to the theater and conducts workshops and leads discussions. Last year, DGF brought Lisa Kron to CityWrights in Miami as part of the Traveling Masters.
Grants
The Dramatists Guild fund awards two different types of grants:
Theater Grants - Grants to nonprofit theaters/institutions across the country that develop and/or produce contemporary American plays and musicals.
Individual Grants - One-time individual emergency grants to playwrights, lyricists and composers.