About

Programs

Season Productions

Each year, we present six plays and/or musicals, four in the 198-seat Mainstage Theater and two in the 128-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Each show runs for six and one-half weeks, and every show is a world, American, or New York premiere production of a new work by an American writer. We are committed to presenting each show with the best possible production values, which serves the vision of the writer and gives the audience a truly enriching artistic experience. 


Soundstage

original Scripted fiction podcast series

Soundstage unites beloved writers and actors to craft scripted audio experiences of new plays and musicals. It’s theater for your ears, and you can enjoy it on the go, at home, or, really, from anywhere: now, theater is wherever you are. A new, free streaming program, Soundstage is a groundbreaking production that provides our adventurous artists with enhanced digital means to reach our curious audiences. Tune in and hear the stories of today by the writers of tomorrow.  Learn More →


NEW! Lighthouse

AN ECLECTIC NEW PERFORMANCE SERIES

As Playwrights expands its vision for innovative and inclusive theater-making, the organization launches Lighthouse, an eclectic new performance series that repurposes the downtime between productions to support artists across disciplines. Events will include collaborations with groundbreaking performance groups city-wide, barebones “studio” productions of new plays, guest-curated series, workshops and concerts: a list that will grow over time, as the theater seeks to intensify the traffic of artists through the Playwrights Horizons building. The program’s initial offerings, beginning as soon as possible in 2021, will include The KILL ONE Race, created by Raja Feather Kelly; programming from adventurous podcast play company The Parsnip Ship; as well as a reading-and-lecture series curated by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.


Almanac

A NEW LITERARY MAGAZINE

Almanac is a new literary magazine from Playwrights Horizons, a compendium of commissioned works by artists and staff members that captures the rapidly changing ideas and mindset of this critical moment. This ambitious endeavor — a snapshot of artistic thought in a time of seismic change — features essays, drawings, interviews, manifestos, short plays, and more that chronicle this unique moment of reflection and transformation.

New Works Lab

NEW PLAY AND MUSICAL THEATER DEVELOPMENT

These behind-the-scenes programs encompass all phases of new play development and help writers to develop their newest work. Each year, we award three to six new commissions to support writers during the creation process; presents developmental readings, which range from one-day to two-week events, of up to 25 new works-in-progress; produces three or more musical theater staged readings; and receives, reviews, and responds to nearly 1,000 full-length scripts and scores submitted through an open door policy, one of the only programs of its kind in the country.


Perspectives On Playwriting

We're thrilled to invite you — our most venturesome theater lovers — to join us for Perspectives On Playwriting (POP), a new program that aims to deepen our audience’s engagement with new plays by offering access to the wide-ranging ideas and techniques that go into the creative work of making plays. POP programming includes Master Classes, intimate workshops with your favorite playwrights, and small group post-play discussions. Learn More →


Guest Curator Program

Each season, Playwrights Horizons collaborates with a Guest Curator, a member of the larger New York arts community who works with our staff. Learn more about this season's programming →


Redux Series

As part of our commitment to advancing new playwriting and strengthening the new play landscape, we've launched our Redux Series, joining forces with kindred theater companies to remount their productions on our stage for a wider audience. Learn more about our Redux Series →


Resources for Artists

During the chaos of the COVID pandemic, Playwrights Horizons compiled a list of resources for artists -- job listings, emergency grants, financial FAQs, and places to donate. Learn More →


Audience Development

Arts Access programs include Discount Memberships for students, people age 35 and under, and the general public; flexible and affordable season packages; our five-dollar ticket Live for Five Lottery; and accessibility initiatives, such as open captioned performances for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Audiences can learn more about productions and writers and the process of new play development through Trailers + More that feature essays by the artistic staff and playwrights. Post-Performance Discussions conducted for each season production offer the writer and the audience an opportunity to converse and discuss each play.


Theatrical Fellowship Program

Each season we train and mentor 10 to 12 early-career professionals in the areas of directing, stage management, costumes, casting, literary management, musical theater, general management, marketing, and digital media. Fellows leave the program with valuable connections and marketable skills, poised to become the next generation of theater artists and administrators.


Resident Company Program

Launched in 2014, our Resident Company Program provides like-minded theater companies the space and resources to create more art, and expand their capacity to provide artistic opportunities to writers. Clubbed Thumb (Maria Striar, Producing Artistic Director) joined as our inaugural Resident Company, which brought us our co-production of Men On BoatsMusical Theatre Factory (Shakina Nayfack, Artistic Director) became our second resident company in 2016. Now in 2017, we're proud to announce SPACE on Ryder Farm (Emily Simoness, Co-Founder and Executive Director) as our third resident company! Learn more about our Resident Company Program →


Playwrights Horizons Theater School

Since 1983, the School, in association with New York University's Tisch School of the Arts’ Undergraduate Drama Department, has offered students a unique four-year program that emphasizes professional development and interdisciplinary theater training. 


Playwrights Rehearsal Studios

We lease two floors of space at 440 Lafayette Street, which include 16 rehearsal studios and two theater spaces, when the spaces are not in use by the Playwrights Horizons Theater School. Conveniently located and affordably priced, spaces at Playwrights Rehearsal Studios are rented to hundreds of not-for-profit arts groups and educational organizations annually.


Ticket Central

Ticket Central is a professional box office managed by Playwrights Horizons that provides high-quality, affordable ticketing and marketing services to more than 50 small and mid-size not-for-profit arts organizations and producers around New York City. Ticket Central serves approximately 250,000 ticket buyers annually.


Inspired to support these amazing programs? Make a donation today.

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