Playwrights Anne Washburn and Migdalia Cruz will mentor Kate Cortesi and Sam Chanse, respectively, as part of Cherry Lane Theatre’s Mentor Project. The Obie-winning program, now in its 20th year, pairs established playwrights with emerging writers for a year of script work, rewrites, casting, rehearsals, and a full production at the Off-Broadway venue

Washburn (Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, 10 out of 12) will mentor Cortesi in the development of her play A Patron of the Arts. In the new work, a high school drug dealer unexpectedly runs into the father of his childhood best friend, resulting in an unusual arrangement. The full production will be presented February 28–March 10 at Cherry Lane.

Cruz (El Grito Del Bronx, Fur) will mentor Chanse in the development of The Opportunities of Extinction, about two people on a camping trip and what it means to survive in the face of today’s environmental crisis. The full production will play March 28–April 7.

Chanse’s plays include The Opportunities of Extinction, which was included on the 2017 Kilroys List. She is the recipient of a Playwrights Realm Writing Fellowship and EST/Sloan commission, an O’Neill semifinalist, and a Rita Goldberg Playwrights’ Workshop Fellow at The Lark.

Cortesi’s work, including One More Less and Great Kills, has been developed or produced at Playwrights Horizons, Cherry Lane, South Coast Rep, Colt Coeur, Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio, and The Lark, among others. Awards include a Princess Grace Fellowship, O’Neil Playwrights Conference Finalist, and NYFA Award.

Visit CherryLaneTheatre.org for more information on the Mentor Project.

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