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New Play Development Initiatives at the Huntington

The Huntington has produced over 100 New England, American, or world premieres since its founding in 1982. Our endeavors to develop new works and plays for the American theatre have expanded considerably since 2004 with the opening of the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. The Wimberly Theatre serves as The Huntington's venue for new works and provides an intimate, warm environment in which to nurture them.

The Huntington's new play development initiatives also include:

  • Huntington Playwriting Fellows Program: The Huntington Playwriting Fellows — a group of local playwrights to whom we dedicate financial and artistic resources to help them in the writing of new plays — participate in the daily life of the theatre with events as varied as mainstage audience discussions, and guest-speaking at programs, special events, and board meetings. Every two years, a new cohort is chosen to participate.
  • Breaking Ground Reading Series : Breaking Ground is The Huntington's new play development program, including staged readings and more. This program brings national writers into partnership with The Huntington and promotes the work of local playwrights to the larger community. Over the last seven years, Breaking Ground plays have gone on to appear on Huntington stages, and at theatres across the country, as well as internationally.
  • Summer Workshop: The Summer Workshop is a two-week new work retreat culminating in public readings of four new plays in development. The Workshop is modeled after the Sundance Theatre Lab and is an extension of The Huntington’s Playwriting Fellows program and Breaking Ground Reading Series.
  • Huntington Commissions: Plays commissioned under the auspices of the Calderwood Fund receive developmental support from The Huntington's artistic staff. Many of these plays have gone on to be produced on other stages across the country.
  • Artist-in-Residence: In 2013, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded The Huntington with a grant that allowed Huntington Playwriting Fellow Melinda Lopez (Sonia FlewBecoming Cuba) to join the company’s full-time staff as its inaugural artist-in-residence.

Frequently asked questions about new play development at The Huntington


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