Playwright, TV writer, and showrunner Halley Feiffer has been named the Mentor Playwright for Cycle 2 of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions, a program supporting playwrights in recovery from substance use conditions. The Foundation has also extended the application deadline for Cycle 2 to February 2.
The Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions—named for the late, Tony-winning playwright and librettist—award two $10,000 new play commissions: one to an early-career playwright and one to an established playwright, each identifying as being in recovery. Reflecting the spirit of sponsorship and artistic fellowship that defined McNally’s own recovery journey, the commissioned artists engage in a year-long process that includes a writing retreat, a residency, and a culminating public presentation in New York City.
As Mentor Playwright, Feiffer will serve as an artistic resource to the commissioned writer, offering guidance, support, and insight throughout the process.
“Halley writes with bracing honesty and a ferociously open heart,” says Santino DeAngelo, executive director of the Terrence McNally Foundation, in a statement. “Her voice, generosity, and lived experience as a writer in recovery make her an ideal mentor to carry on the second chapter of this special program. We could not be more thrilled to be supporting her work.”
Feiffer's plays include How to Make Friends and Then Kill Them, I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, and The Pain of My Belligerence. She is under commission by Manhattan Theatre Club and Sand & Snow Productions. Feiffer is also a WGA-nominated TV writer and showrunner, most recently showrunning and executive producing American Horror Story: Delicate, writing all nine episodes. She is currently developing The Crisis with A24/Netflix, a family drama with Dylan Clark Productions/HBO Max, a true crime series with Shoot to Midnight/Hulu, a darkly comedic drama with Skydance, and a family crime show with Poison Pen Studios. As an actor, she has appeared in The Squid and the Whale, Materialists, He's Way More Famous Than You, and won the Theater World Award for her performance in the Broadway revival of The House of Blue Leaves.
The inaugural recipients of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commissions were Jake Brasch and Craig Lucas.
The Terrence McNally Foundation, Provincetown Theater, and The Recovery Arts Project oversee the Recovery Commissions.
Application guidelines and eligibility requirements can be found by visiting TerrenceMcNally.org.
