About the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund

The Michael Friedman Legacy Fund was created by The Civilians in honor of our founding associate artist and board member, Michael Friedman, working in close partnership with his estate. In recognition of Michael’s extraordinary creative output, as well as his dedication to The Civilians and his passion for supporting new work, the Fund aims to support both the body of work created during Michael’s lifetime and the future artistic activities of the company. At present, the majority share of the Fund is dedicated to the first two projects below: The Archival Project and Compendium Recording. These initiatives will serve to document Michael’s work and share it with the public and future generations.  The goals of the Fund are as follows:

  • Archival Project: Working with Michael’s estate, The Civilians will prepare the archives of Michael’s complete body of work, as well as the overall archives of The Civilians. These archives will be housed at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts and will be accessible to the public in perpetuity. Certain materials will be digitized and made available online.
  • Recording: In an effort to bring Michael’s music to a broader audience, the Fund will support the creation of a compendium recording, preserving the large breadth of work he created in his lifetime, including original Civilians’ scores. These works will allow future generations to access his important legacy. The partner for this project is Ghostlight Records, the leading label for musical theater recordings.
  • The Civilians’ Artistic Future: Michael’s boundless creative energy, his interest in the American political and social landscape, and his passion for fostering the talent and ideas of other artists has made The Civilians the company it is today. A portion of the Fund is dedicated to supporting The Civilians as we undertake these legacy projects described above, and as we continue the work that Michael began, making adventurous new works of theater and supporting new generations of artists.
Make a Donation

For more information about donating to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund, please visit our 2018 benefit page HERE.