Our Mission

Named in honor of Bret Adams and his lifelong partner, Paul Reisch, who were lovers of theatre and avid supporters of artists, the Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation supports expansive artworks with inherently theatrical ways of illuminating big ideas and concepts.

The Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation empowers artists to produce idea-driven work that illuminates the human condition and engages in the wider conversation about the role of art in civilization. Our chosen writers create work that is intellectually and artistically adventurous. We do not shy away from controversy as we believe there is no concept or idea too big or too complex to present, and we hope that these works will foster conversation outside of the theatre. The integrity of the product is directly correlated to the integrity of the process, and thus we believe in supporting artists as they exercise whatever process is necessary for their work.

To create a work of art, an artist first needs freedom of thought to formulate an idea. That idea needs time to germinate and grow. Through a financial grant, the Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation will support a worthy theatre artist at any stage in their career in one of three award categories: new careers, distinguished careers and musical theatre artists.

The Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation encourages and embraces diversity in all its forms. Nominators are encouraged to consider perspectives and projects from artists of underrepresented backgrounds and unorthodox ideas. The Foundation considers this the best practice for supporting the highest caliber of artists and the most diverse ideas and concepts, as well as for developing a fair and just society.