CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 18, 2023

Lauren Gunderson and Seema Sueko among artists selected for Olney Theatre Center's Vanguard Arts Fund in 2023/24

DC Theater Arts: Olney Theatre Center will workshop two new collaborative projects as part of its Vanguard Arts Fund (VAF) during the 2023/24 season: Built for This (book by Lauren Gunderson, music and lyrics by Kira Stone) is a feminist pop musical centering the experiences of five young, talented women gymnasts in a scenario reminiscent of the years of unchecked abuse perpetrated by Dr. Larry Nassar.

1 comment:

Julia Adilman said...

I think it is really exciting that a theater has these kinds of opportunities for theater artists to have their projects be created. This format of competition through the Olney Theater Center clearly works and is very successful, since many of the previous projects they have chosen have been critically acclaimed. I’m very interested in the Built for This production because I am very passionate about sexual abuse that young women often face due to men in positions of power. I think this is a very important topic that needs to be discussed. I think it is incredibly impressive that the team for this project has been working on this entirely virtually. I’m very excited for them to be able to work in-person together for the first time, and I’m interested to see what they will be able to accomplish together. I know how difficult it can be to collaborate with people online, so it is very impressive to see how successful this team was in coming up with such an incredible idea.