Founded in 1994 by David van Asselt and Gary Bonasorte, Rattlestick Theater has been steadfast in supporting diverse, provocative work and fostering bold voices in the American theater. Rattlestick’s mission is to produce adventurous new plays that are formally inventive and theatrically expansive. Now led by Artistic Director Will Davis, the first transgender leader of a major institution, Rattlestick is redoubling its efforts to support theater artists who are responding to the complexities of our culture through the radical distribution of resources toward the creation of new theatrical work.

From their historic West Village theater, Rattlestick has produced the first plays and early works of some of today’s leading voices, including Annie Baker (THE ALIENS, Obie for Best New American Play), Martyna Majok (IRONBOUND), Diana Oh (MYLINGERIEPLAY), and Heidi Schreck (THERE ARE NO MORE BIG SECRETS). Rattlestick is a place where some of the nation’s most celebrated playwrights feel safe to test their boldest ideas, including Dael Orlandersmith (UNTIL THE FLOOD), José Rivera (MASSACRE, SING TO YOUR CHILDREN), Samuel D. Hunter (LEWISTON/CLARKSON, nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play), and Arturo Luíz Soria (NI MI MADRE, Obie Award for Best Solo Performance).

Under the new leadership of Will Davis, Rattlestick’s annual activities are guided by three main programming anchors that re-imagine the creation of new work and focus on the unique process each artist needs: PRODUCTIONS, a lineup of new boundary-pushing Off-Broadway plays by innovative theatermakers that are deepened by incubator workshops; FELLOWSHIPS, four distinct programs dedicated to serving emerging playwrights and directors; and WORKING ARTIST INITIATIVES which include the newly launched Waverly Performance Studio, the Global Forms Theater Festival, and Rattle On Artist Salon.

Jerome Foundation supports Rattlestick Theater’s Van Lier New Voices Fellowship program. Providing substantial support each year to two early-career New York City-based playwrights of color, the Van Lier New Voices Fellowship was previously supported through the Lark and rehomed at Rattlestick in 2022. In this program, playwrights develop new and existing works through grant-funded research, mentorship with a veteran playwright, and readings and workshops of their plays, as well as a living stipend and artistic fund to advance their career development. Fellows have monthly check-ins with the Artistic Director to discuss the progress of their work and personal project needs. Fellows may schedule co-working time at the theater through the year, earmarked with two informal sharings of their works in progress over the course of the fellowship. The fellowship culminates with a workshop presentation of the artists’ work with an invited audience.