In the New Play Lab, professional mentors guide students through the process of developing new works for the stage, culminating in the workshop production of six original ten-minute plays at the Theatre Arts Center. In addition to writing, students can also act, direct, or stage manage. No prior experience is required, and all students are encouraged to submit plays or audition.

Developing new plays and the collaboration it entails are crucial skills for aspiring directors, actors, and writers. Workshop productions go beyond a simple reading; they are bold, experimental and ambitious – taken on with a sense of creative risk. At their best, these productions generate raw energy, reminding us of the essence of theater.

These workshop productions value process over product. They allow artists to take risks, ask questions, and make changes based on how a play functions in performance. Each rehearsal and showing is treated like a piece of experimental data that can be used to adjust a hypothesis: the script. Text, direction, and blocking are kept flexible, even past the final dress rehearsal and in front of audiences.

The framework of a “lab” and a “workshop” fosters an understanding between the audience and performers that experimentation is ongoing. The script continues to evolve even as the actors throw themselves into changes head first.

Audiences are informed that they are witnessing a work in progress, with each process unique. Mentors work with teams of writers, directors, and actors to shape their workshop showing – some plays might be fully memorized, while others are performed with freshly printed scripts.