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New Play Development

New work is the future of theatre, and this is where you’ll find in-depth content about best practices for its development, as well as pieces about specific work. Consider starting with the essay “Rules of Engagement for New Play Development” and Notes to the Note-Givers; or, Embracing the Paradox.” For musings on the power of new work, watch the video of Todd London’s keynote for the 5th Annual ORIGINKC: NEW WORKS FESTIVAL or read the transcript.

The Latest

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
Video
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
A Playwriting Masterclass
Monday 20 May 2024
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
Video
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
A Playwriting Masterclass
Monday 13 May 2024
Creating Work in Series in the Anthropocene
Essay
Creating Work in Series in the Anthropocene
by Chantal Bilodeau
22 April 2024
event poster for afrolatine superfriends playwriting hour with josefina baez.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Josefina Báez
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Josefina Báez

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the U.S.

Thursday 25 May 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work event poster.
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
Video

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work

A Playwriting Masterclass

Monday 22 May 2023
New York City

Watch Me Work is a performance piece, a meditation on the artistic process, and an actual work session featuring Suzan-Lori Parks working on her newest writing project. Traditionally hosted on the mezzanine of the Public Theater Lobby, this version will bring the program to your home via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams.

Event poster for Rachel Lynett.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Rachel Lynett
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Rachel Lynett

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 18 May 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

Event poster for afrolatine superfriends with christin eve cato.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Christin Eve Cato
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Christin Eve Cato

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 11 May 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

From the Ground Up Podcast Teaser image featuring guest profile image.
Turning City Council Meetings into Performance
Podcast

Turning City Council Meetings into Performance

10 May 2023

Creatives and book authors Mallory Catlett and Aaron Landsman dig into their new book based on their piece City Council Meeting, an exciting performance, rooted in a commonplace bureaucratic event, that develops dynamic participatory relationships with audiences and local government.

portrait of Sasha Denisova sitting in theater seats.
Segal Talk with Sasha Denisova (Ukraine), Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine), Sara Stackhouse (US), and Irina Kruzhilina (US)
Video

Segal Talk with Sasha Denisova (Ukraine), Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine), Sara Stackhouse (US), and Irina Kruzhilina (US)

Discussing Their Production of Sasha Denisova’s The Gaaga (The Hague)

Monday 8 May 2023
New York City

Join us for a talk with award-winning Ukrainian playwright and director Sasha Denisova (Ukraine) and artistic director Igor Golyak (US/Ukraine) of Arlekin Players Theatre to discuss their production of Sasha’s The Gaaga (The Hague). Sasha has been living in Poland, where she has collected stories from refugees who have fled their homes due to the war, and traveled to interview many officials and everyday people in her quest to create a futuristic trail of Putin in the form of this new play.

Event poster for the 2023 pacific playwrights panel.
2023 Pacific Playwrights Panel
Video

2023 Pacific Playwrights Panel

Playwrights at the 2023 Pacific Playwrights Festival Discuss Inspiration Behind the Plays and the Development Process

Sunday 7 May 2023
United States

Join South Coast Repertory for the Playwrights Panel, part of the 2023 Pacific Playwrights Festival. Festival playwrights include Charlie Oh (Coleman ’72); Michael Shayan (avaaz); Anika Johnson, Britta Johnson, and Nick Green (Dr. Silver); Clarence Coo (Chapters of a Floating Life); Noa Gardner (The Staircase); Bleu Beckford-Burrell (Crasiss); and Eleanor Burgess (Galilee, 34).

event poster for Dare to Dream with Playwright, Philana Omorotionmwan.
Dare to Dream with Playwright Philana Imade Omorotionmwan
Video

Dare to Dream with Playwright Philana Imade Omorotionmwan

Playwright Philana Imade Omorotionmwan Shares How her Dream of Premiering The Defiance of Dandelions Became a Reality

Friday 5 May 2023
New Orleans, Louisiana

Philana Imade Omorotionmwan is writing to save her body and spirit from a world that seems hell-bent on destroying them. She sits down to share how her dream of premiering The Defiance of Dandelions became a reality.

Event poster. Melissa DuPrey portrait.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Melissa DuPrey
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Melissa DuPrey

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 4 May 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

Segal theatre center logo.
New Plays from the Caribbean
Video

New Plays from the Caribbean

With Stéphanie Bérard (France), Daniely Francisque (Martinique), Elvia Gutiérrez (Mexico, China), Gaël Octavia, and Others

Tuesday 2 May 2023
New York City

Join us for a conversation celebrating the unique anthology and latest Segal Center Publication, New Plays from the Caribbean, a most significant and lasting part of the 2019 Caribbean Theater Project ACT (Actions Caribéennes Théâtrales)—initiated and co-organized by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City, the theatre company SIYAJ from Guadeloupe, and Stéphanie Bérard.

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work event poster.
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
Video

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work

A Playwriting Masterclass

Monday 1 May 2023
New York City

Watch Me Work is a performance piece, a meditation on the artistic process, and an actual work session featuring Suzan-Lori Parks working on her newest writing project. Traditionally hosted on the mezzanine of the Public Theater Lobby, this version will bring the program to your home via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams.

Linda Chapman and Jim Nicola posing for photo.
Linda Chapman and Jim Nicola: Thirty Years at New York Theatre Workshop
Video

Linda Chapman and Jim Nicola: Thirty Years at New York Theatre Workshop

Joined by Jean Passanante and Patricia McGregor and moderated by Frank Hentschker

Thursday 27 April 2023
New York

Join us for an evening celebrating the work of Linda Chapman and James C. Nicola at the legendary New York Theatre Workshop. In their thirty-four-year run, Linda and James, at the 199-seat East Village theatre, gave birth to hundreds of important theatre works including Tony-winning best musicals Rent, Once, and Hadestown, as well as What the Constitution Means to Me and Slave Play.

Two performers embracing in the middle of the stage.
Black Southern Playwrights Take Center Stage
Essay

Black Southern Playwrights Take Center Stage

27 April 2023

Amelia Parenteau introduces the We Will Dream: New Works Festival, a festival showcasing new plays by Black playwrights originating from or working in the American South.

Suzan-Lori Parks' Watch Me Work event poster.
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work
Video

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Watch Me Work

A Playwriting Masterclass

Monday 24 April
New York City

Watch Me Work is a performance piece, a meditation on the artistic process, and an actual work session featuring Suzan-Lori Parks working on her newest writing project. Traditionally hosted on the mezzanine of the Public Theater Lobby, this version will bring the program to your home via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams.

event poster for a pre show talk with playwright brian egland.
Dare to Dream with Playwright Brian Egland
Video

Dare to Dream with Playwright Brian Egland

Brian Egland Shares His Journey to Producing Where The Suga Still Sweet

Friday 14 April 2023
New Orleans, Louisiana

Playwright Brian Egland, sits down to share how his dream of premiering Where The Suga Still Sweet became a reality.

A smiling man lifts a sword in one hand and holds onto a bike's handlebar with the other.
The Making of the Shiny Knight of Chicanos, Part Two
Essay

The Making of the Shiny Knight of Chicanos, Part Two

A Conversation with Octavio Solis

11 April 2023

Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas and Erin A. Cowling continue their interview with Octavio Solis, focusing primarily on the development of his most recent adaptation from Spanish Baroque literature: Quixote Nuevo.

Three performers stand in front of a fire-like backdrop where a sign above them reads "Bienvenidos a Ciudad Juarez."
The Making of the Shiny Knight of Chicanos, Part One
Essay

The Making of the Shiny Knight of Chicanos, Part One

A Conversation with Octavio Solis

10 April 2023

Playwright Octavio Solis reinvents early modern Spanish theatre in several of his plays, often instilling these classics with a Texano perspective. Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas and Erin A. Cowling interview Solis about his adaptation process and the way that growing up on the Mexico-United States border has shaped his work.

event poster for dare to dream with m d schaffer.
Dare to Dream featuring M.D. Schaffer
Video

Dare to Dream featuring M.D. Schaffer

Playwright M. D. Schaffer Shares How their Dream of Writing and Premiering Drapetomania Became a Reality

Friday 24 March 2023
United States

M.D. Schaffer (they/they) is a queer, non-Binary, African American writer born in Houston, Texas and currently residing in New York City. Their previous works include F***in’ Howard Phillips with the JaYo Theatre Company, Hotel On Fremont at The Lewis Center for the Arts, and A Rodeo Clown with the Obsidian Theatre Festival.

A purple stage with a lit blue backdrop.
Inventing the “Flay” (Film/Play) with Campo Santo
Essay

Inventing the “Flay” (Film/Play) with Campo Santo

16 March 2023

When Campo Santo decided to film their production of Star Finch’s Side Effects early in the COVID-19 pandemic, they were embarking on a creative journey that felt entirely novel and a little overwhelming. In this conversation, the production’s directors discuss development of the production’s aesthetic and the generative process they embarked on at the intersection of “film” and “play.

A performer in front of a virtual background with trees and bright sunlight.
Digital Theatre Is Here To Stay: Paula Vogel’s Bard at the Gate
Essay

Digital Theatre Is Here To Stay: Paula Vogel’s Bard at the Gate

13 March 2023

Theatre critic Jonathan Mandell discusses virtual playwriting series Bard at the Gate and looks at the impact and future of digital theatre.

best practices in new play development poster.
Best Practices in New Play Development
Video

Best Practices in New Play Development

A Panel Discussion with Particular Focus on Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppression Practices

Friday 10 March 2023
Bloomington, Indiana

Best Practices in New Play Development is a panel discussion around this theme with Martine Green-Rogers (DePaul University), Celise Kalke (Synchronicity Theatre), and Bradley Michalakis (Alley Theatre), with particular focus on anti-racist and anti-oppression practices. It is part of IU Theatre and Dance’s At First Sight Festival of New Plays. This event will feature live captioning and ASL interpretation.

Four senior actors stand on-stage and look at their scripts during a rehearsal.
Elder Dramaturgy
Essay

Elder Dramaturgy

7 March 2023

Playwright Carlyle Brown describes his journey with the play We Take Care of Our Own by Zainabu Jallo, detailing the joys and challenges that come from work featuring characters in their eighties and nineties.

An actor dressed as President Zelensky points a prop gun at an unseen target.
Reflecting on the Timeliness of Polish Theatre at Kraków’s Divine Comedy Theatre Festival
Essay

Reflecting on the Timeliness of Polish Theatre at Kraków’s Divine Comedy Theatre Festival

2 March 2023

The Divine Comedy Theatre Festival in Kraków, Poland explored the theme of “Polish Taboo” across its thirty-two productions this year. Howard Shalwitz, who attended the festival as part of an American delegation of artists building connections between the United States and Poland, shares his experience attending the festival.

Two women stand on stage in front of music stands on microphones.
“Serving Lewks and Puro Class,” Tus Tías Explore the Legacy of Selena
Essay

“Serving Lewks and Puro Class,” Tus Tías Explore the Legacy of Selena

2 February 2023

Trevor Boffone reviews Tus Tías’ The Invocation of Selena, a sketch comedy and cabaret-style show that begins by summoning Latine icon Selena and ends by eulogizing her.

A person sits in front of a laptop watching actors rehearse on stage.
For Some Russian Dissident Theatremakers, the Future Is Unclear
Essay

For Some Russian Dissident Theatremakers, the Future Is Unclear

31 January 2023

Director Vitaly Kogut is one of many displaced Russian men spending this winter in Batumi, Georgia. Daniel Mesta interviews him about his work, in which uses theatre to communicate the complexities of the Russian soul while enduring censorship and cancellation.