The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) has revealed the appointment of three new members to its board of directors. Tony Award-nominated playwright Jocelyn Bioh, Drama Desk Award- and Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter and multi-sector leader Audrey Choi have joined the board of the national charity that provides educational programs, grants, free rehearsal space, emergency aid and more to playwrights, librettists, composers and lyricists.
Bioh received a 2024 Tony Award nomination for penning “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” Her other writing credits include the Drama Desk-winning adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor” for Shakespeare in the Park as well as “Nollywood Dreams” and “School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play.” A two-time recipient of the Dramatist Guild’s Hull-Warriner Award (given to playwrights who tackle “controversial subjects involving the fields of political, religious or social mores of the times”), Bioh is currently writing the live-action film adaptation of the musical “Once on This Island” for Disney.
Hunter is a five-time Drama Desk nominee for penning “Grangeville,” “A Case for the Existence of God,” “Greater Clements,” “Lewiston/Clarkston” and “A Bright New Boise,” the latter of which also earned him an Obie. Hunter is the recipient of a special Drama Desk Award for “The Whale,” which received a subsequent film adaptation. Hunter is slated to make his Broadway playwriting debut in October with the recently announced “Little Bear Ridge Road.”
Choi has held leadership positions in business, government, journalism and philanthropy. During Choi’s tenure with Morgan Stanley, she was Wall Street’s first chief sustainability officer and founded Morgan Stanley’s Community Development Finance Group. In the government sphere, Choi served as Janet Yellen’s chief of staff at the Council of Economic Advisers and as Al Gore’s domestic policy advisor. As a journalist, Choi was a bureau chief and foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
“It is important in DGF’s mission and leadership to hear voices and experiences from creative minds, both on stage and off,” DGF executive director Rachel Routh said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome Audrey’s expansive business and philanthropic expertise, with Jocelyn and Samuel’s lived experience in making stories come to life. DGF is thrilled to have them as collaborators in our continued work to provide a steadfast community for dramatists.”
The DGF is the philanthropic wing of the Dramatists Guild, the professional association for playwrights, librettists, lyricists and composers. The charity was founded in 1962 by Alan Jay Lerner, known for crafting the book and lyrics to “Camelot” and “My Fair Lady.” In 2024, DGF received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre.
The trio will join a board led by president Andrew Lippa, vice president Kevin Hager, secretary Michael Gordon, treasurer Susan Laubach and president emeritus Gretchen Cryer. Additional board members include C. Graham Berwind III, Elizabeth Dewberry, Gary DiCenzo, Louise Evins, Eleni Gianulis-Vermeer, Roe Green, David Henry Hwang, James Ijames, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Donald J. Loftus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Barbara Olcott, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Peter Ratray and Doug Wright.
