Where New Plays & Musicals Begin Their Professional Journey
CreateTheater® is a developmental theater company for new plays and musicals
supporting writers and musical theatre writers through the process of
Create → Develop → Produce.
Whether you’re drafting your first scene or preparing for a New York Showcase, we give you the artistic support, producing strategy, industry access, and professional community you need to bring your new work to life.
WHAT WE DO
CreateTheater supports new work through a clear artistic process:
Create
Writers generate and shape new plays and musicals through structured writing groups and workshops.
Develop
Scripts are refined through feedback, collaboration, and industry insight.
Produce
New work is presented in readings and festival settings with actors and audiences.
Why CreateTheater?
CreateTheater is a developmental theater company
designed to support new plays and musicals from first draft to public presentation.
Writers move through a connected process—Create → Develop → Produce—where each stage builds on the last.
Along the way, artists engage in a professional environment that includes:
structured feedback and accountability
collaboration with writers, actors, and directors
insight into how new work is evaluated and produced
opportunities to share work with audiences
This is not a collection of separate programs.
It is a continuous pathway that supports writers in developing their work, building relationships, and preparing their scripts for real production opportunities.
Current Opportunities
Production-Ready Writing Groups
Ongoing weekly and bi-weekly groups for writers developing new plays and musicals.
Musical Theater Development Workshops
A four-part workshop series focused on the craft and development of new musicals.
CreateTheater New Works Festival Reading Series
Opportunities to hear new plays and musicals performed by actors. Is yours ready?
– The CreateTheater Musical Writing Lab
Writing a new musical? Check out our new 12-month Musical Theater Writing Intensive starting June 1
The Experts Theater Company (ETC)
The Experts Theater Company is the artistic home of CreateTheater—a community where writers and collaborators develop and present new work together.
Members participate in the full Create → Develop → Produce process while building ongoing creative relationships within the company.
Members may:
- Participate in writing groups
- Develop scripts
- Present work in NYC Readings and Festivals
- Receive subsidized space in our non-profit Festival
- Network with other artists and Industry Professionals
ETC is your artistic home – not just another program.
Start Developing Your Work Now
Join a Writing Group, explore current opportunities, or connect with the CreateTheater community today.
What are you waiting for?
Upcoming Events
Recent Blog Posts
How to Beat the Feedback Freeze and Keep Moving Forward
What to Do With Notes When You’re Feeling Stuck You’ve just had a table reading and got feedback on your new musical or play. Oof. You sit through the conversation, scribble some notes. And suddenly, your brain goes silent. Everything you’ve done feels wrong. You...
How to Make Progress When You Don’t Know Your Show’s Ending Yet
For Playwrights and Musical Theater Writers Who Thrive in Discovery Mode You’ve got a great setup. Characters who pop. A world that feels rich with possibilities. But there’s just one little issue… You have no idea how your show ends. Or you have an idea, but it's not...
Why Most New Plays and Musicals Stall in Development
Why Most New Plays and Musicals Stall in Development (And What Actually Moves Them Forward) Let’s say the quiet part out loud. Most new plays and musicals don’t stall out because they’re bad.They stall out because the people making them are doing many different...
Don’t Write Passive Protagonists
Stop Writing Passive Protagonists (Or: Why Your Play Feels Flat Even Though the Writing Is Good) Let me say something I wish more writers heard early: Most scripts don’t fail because the dialogue is bad.They fail because the protagonist doesn’t do anything. I read a...