(May 12, 2011)--Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces Polly Carl will join the company in a new position as Director of the American Voices New Play Institute (AVNPI) beginning July 1, 2011. As director, Carl will develop and direct all existing staff and activities of the Institute, as well as support the artistic planning, production, development and study of new work by Arena Stage.

The American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage is designed as a center for research, development and dissemination of effective practices, programs and processes for new play development in the American Theater. Leading up to this point, Carl has been a consultant for the Institute and has contributed her expertise in new play development through participation in the Institute’s national convenings. She became the editor of HowlRound, the Institute’s journal for the new play sector in November 2010, and was a member of the Steering Committee for January 2011’s four-day convening From Scarcity to Abundance: Capturing the Moment for the New Play Sector, as well as a moderator for one of the gathering’s panels.

For more information visit www.arenastage.org/new-play-institute.