The appointment of the first three recipients of Beinecke Playwriting Residencies at the School of Drama have been announced by Dean Stan Wojewodski Jr. They are: Len Jenkin, Chiori Miyagawa and Mac Wellman, all of whom will be in residence in 1998.
The new fellowship, endowed by a $250,000 gift from John B. Beinecke, enables playwrights of distinction to be in residence in the drama school's playwriting program.
Mark Bly, chair of the playwriting program, says: "The Beinecke Playwriting Residencies will support and enhance an existing program that is committed to introducing our students to diverse writing strategies and mentoring techniques that will encourage them to explore new forms of theatrical expression."
Mr. Beinecke, a 1969 graduate of Yale College, is vice presient of Antaeus Enterprises, Inc. in New York City. A former director of the Yale Development Board 1984-90 and a member of the New York City Executive Committee of the successful "... And for Yale" capital campaign, Mr. Beinecke serves as director of the Yale Golf Association and sits on the board of directors of Lincoln Center.
Mr. Jenkins is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays include "Dark Ride," "Pilgrims of the Night," "My Uncle Sam," "Careless Love," "Limbo Tales" and "Like I Say." His many awards and honors include three Obie Awards for Directing and Playwriting, an Emmy Award nomination, four National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowships and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is currently a professor in the dramatic writing program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Ms. Miyagawa's works include original plays, translations and adaptations. These include "FireDance," "Yesterday's Window," "Nothing Forever," "Prisoner of Love," "America Dreaming," "Two Trains" and "The Dressing Room." Her honors and awards include the McKnight Fellowship, the Van Lier Playwriting Fellowship, the New York Foundation for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship, a Theatre Communications Extended Collaboration Grant, two Rockefeller Multi-Arts Production grants and a NEA grant. Ms. Miyagawa is currently an artistic associate at New York Theatre Workshop.
Mr. Wellman is a playwright, poet and novelist. He is the author of the plays "Bad Penny," "Terminal Hip," "Crowbar" and "Sincerity Forever." His recent and upcoming new productions include "tigertigertiger," "Fnu Lnu," "The Damned Thing," "The Sandalwood Box," "Cat's-Paw," "Second-Hand Smoke," "The Lesser Magoo" and "Infrared." He has received fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation, four Obie Awards for Best New American Play, and a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writing Award. He is a founding member of The Bat Theater.