Shonda Rhimes has been named “Patron of the Arts” by the Los Angeles-based IAMA Theatre Company, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote and develop new works from budding theater artists.
The endowment will fund “Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission,” which will allow aspiring playwrights the chance to create new plays with the company. Funding will put “special emphasis on cultural inclusion — all with the goal of showcasing fresh, creative, thought-provoking work,” according to a statement from IAMA.
Scandal star Katie Lowes and husband Adam Shapiro, who has also guested on the ABC series, helped found the IAMA in 2007. Since its opening, multiple Scandal co-stars have appeared in the theater’s productions.
“I chose IAMA because attending their shows has brought me so much joy,” said Rhimes in a statement. “Their productions made me FINALLY feel the way one does when exploring the New York Off-Broadway world of theater. Fresh voices filled with creativity. And they’ve accomplished it all on a shoe-string budget. That ends now.”
Christian Durso, co-artistic director for IAMA also shared, “She is a trailblazing storyteller in the 21st century and a champion for underrepresented voices. She fits perfectly with our mission to grow a new generation of theater artists and engage a passionate Los Angeles theater audience.”
