Services

PlayGround serves a network of early-career artists representing the diversity of our national theatre community, and our multifaceted programs provide the “playground” where these artists strengthen their skills and build community.

Writers Pool: the entry point to PlayGround is through the Writers Pool a service for 36 early-career playwrights selected annually. More than 250 playwrights have benefited from the Writers Pool since its inception.

Monday Night PlayGround: a monthly short-play staged reading series open to the public. Writers Pool members submit short plays in response to a prompt, the six of which are selected to receive staged readings with leading local actors and directors. Nearly 400 plays have been staged as a part of this series since 1994.

Recess: a monthly workshop for writers to receive peer feedback in a closed, supportive environment.

Company in the News: PlayGround hosts an ever-growing community of members, alumni, and associated working artists. We promote our group of national artists an alumni through our monthly blog, newsletters, and Company in the News.

One PlayGround Festival & Conference: a three-day conference for PlayGround artists to network and participate in development workshops and topic-specific panel discussions.

Playwright Residencies: opportunities for members of the PlayGround writers pools and Best of Alumni to develop long pieces over the course of a year with dramaturgical support.

Playwright Commissions: cash awards given to PlayGround playwrights to adapt their short plays written for Monday Night PlayGround into longer plays. Commissioned playwrights also receive dramaturgical support from peers and PlayGround artistic staff. Numerous commissioned plays have moved on to be produced in the PlayGround New Works Festival as well as other theatre across the country.

We also provide mentorship, professional development, and career services for rising theatre administrators, producers, and directors.

Producing Fellowships: a paid mentorship and professional development opportunity for 6-8 rising producers fellows to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of nonprofit theatre administration including marketing, communications, and artistic direction.

Directing Apprenticeships: Assistant Directing opportunities for early career-directors, culminating in the opportunity to direct a professional staged reading.

Innovator Incubator: PlayGround provides fiscal sponsorship, marketing, human resources, technical and box office support to new theatre companies through the Innovator Incubator, a multi-year intensive designed to support and launch new innovative theatre companies.

Fiscal Sponsorship: PlayGround provides fiscal sponsorship to theatre companies and individual artists.