vanguard arts fund

Vanguard Arts Fund applications are now open for Olney Theatre Center’s 2024-2025 season. The Vanguard Arts Fund provides developmental support to diverse teams of artists interested in creating theatrical works. From the early drafts of a new play, to a concept for a classic adaptation to the first song of a musical, we provide workshop time for various stages of a work’s development process. We commit to these artistic teams in hopes of producing their work at Olney Theatre Center in a future season.

What kind of projects are we looking for?

A successful proposal for new work will bring together more than one generative artist in an interdisciplinary fashion to explore new or classic stories. So, a director and videographer working on an off-beat immersive experience, or workshopping a new musical, or a number of designers or actors coming together with a playwright to devise something, or a playwright and director working jointly to create something, or a composer working with a bunch of musicians and a choreographer on an idea all are examples of exciting proposals. Directors, actors, playwrights, designers, stage managers - we want to hear from anyone with a great idea and a great plan to pursue their artistic visions.

We are committed to ensuring the majority of projects we fund are led by BIPOC generative artists, and we intend to support at least one BIPOC-created musical each year.

What does Olney Theatre Center require?

Olney Theatre Center will ask for the right to consider and potentially produce the work within 18 months of the workshop. But we’re not asking for an exclusive right, nor are we asking for world premiere rights. If you get a Broadway production, awesome! We only ask that it doesn’t get produced in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area before we get a shot at it.