CreateTheater, under the artistic direction of Off-Broadway producer Cate Cammarata, has announced the return of its annual New Works Festival. Now in its fourth year, the Festival is presenting three brand-new musicals and five original plays to the NYC theater community. The festival will take place at the MTC Creative Center from May 15 – 25, offering the industry a first look at stories that have been developed by the company.
In an industry built heavily on relationships and reputation, as a theatermaker, your reputation is everything.
You must present and maintain a professional ethos around you and your work, your collaborations, your work ethic and your aesthetics.
Networking is essential for all theatremakers to build connections, gain visibility, and create opportunities for themselves in the theater industry, but your reputation as a professional will sustain those opportunities over the long haul of your career.
First, I always say that the “work speaks for itself.” Always strive for excellence in your scripts, presentations, and in your collaborations. Your work may often be people’s first impression of you, so make sure to deliver and maintain high-quality work in everything you do or are associated with.
Second, make sure that your work ethic is professional. What do I mean by this?
Respect other’s time and boundaries. As artists we never have enough time in our lives; understand that with every request you make of a colleague, you’re asking them to part with a precious bit of their time to give to you. Show your appreciation and accommodate their schedules.
Stay positive in your outlook. We all have bad days, even bad years (or decades). We may feel like a cloud of misfortune has permanently taken up residence in our life. Yet, still remember that we chose this life, and being a part of this industry isn’t easy. You may need to supplement your life (and income) with another pursuit for a while. Whatever you do, being a “Debbie Downer” will never help in doing anything except isolating you from others.
Finally, a pro keeps growing. Attend workshops, masterclasses, and seminars. Read books to spur your creativity or to learn something new. Demonstrate your commitment to learning and honing your skills. Not only will you be a more interesting person, this is how you meet other professionals who will respect your knowledge and experience.
You will be known by the company you keep. Make sure that your circle is known for their professional integrity and for their good work. One of the good things about adulthood is that we can choose with whom we spend our time and our collaborations.
Choose wisely.
And if you’re interested in learning more about the community here at CreateTheater, get on our email list to participate in our professional theater company.
But maintaining, implementing and sustaining them throughout the year is a challenge!
This third installment for networking yourself as a theatre professional post is a practical checklist to put into your notes, online task list, or wherever you keep your list of yearly goals.
Building a reputation and networking go hand in hand—focus on being authentic, supportive, and passionate, and opportunities will follow!
Here’s to a productive 2025, my friend!
2. Join Local and National Theater Communities
3. Introduce Yourself Confidently
4. Be Active on Social Media
5. Attend Talkbacks and Panels
6. Host a Reading or Workshop
7. Volunteer at Theaters or Festivals
8. Collaborate Across Disciplines
9. Follow Up
10. Seek Out Mentors
11. Ask for Recommendations
12. Celebrate Others’ Successes
Happy New Year!
What are your dreams for 2025? If you’re thinking of really taking action on your script this year, sign up for a free consultation with me here to see if I can help.
I hope 2025 becomes the year of your dreams. Take action NOW to make sure it happens!
The Working Playwright
by Melissa Bell
I know the deal.
You wake up. Maybe you hit the gym. Deal with hungry kids and needy pets. Work a full
day. Walk into work to find 85 email messages in your Inbox. Work a full day. Make dinner. Afterwards
maybe you find time to write a scene in your play.
Or maybe you’re working on a commission or making revisions after a read-through and preparing it for a staged reading. You’re going over every line, every stage direction – but you’re drawing a blank and your head feels blanker than the sheet in front of you.
When I took a Logic class in college, the professor gave us some advice: If you get stuck on a problem,
don’t try to solve it by trying harder. Get up. Take a walk. Move your body. Read a book. Then return
and try it again.
And dang, she was right. It worked every time.
It’s the same with playwriting.
Maybe you’re stuck. Or done for the day but there are still problems to
solve. Get up. Go to the gym. Or the grocery.
I was on the elliptical and got an idea for a new scene between a college bound teen and her father who
gambled away her college savings account. I was taking a walk when my feet started a rhythm that led
to a chant that became the song to lead a parade filled with puppets and stilt-walkers.
You may have heard the adage that humans only use 10% of their brains. But it’s not true. Our brains
are constantly, furiously working, regulating our bodies and solving problems while awake or asleep.
Like a security program that your computer runs in the background, part of your brain is always running,
looking for connections, fitting the pieces together. It just needs a little space and for the anxiety—the
true reason for block in the first place—to stand down and let the neurons flow.
There you’ll be, standing in the grocery aisle, reading the label of ingredients and bam — that ending
line you were searching for all day comes waltzing in over a can of pink beans. That button that sums up
the scene, untangles the knot and lets the words flow comes watching your kids shoot nerf darts at each
other in the park. You scramble to find a piece of paper, or run to the nearest exit, repeating the idea
over and over until you get home then feverishly add it to your script. (Don’t worry, you got it!)
This is why when characters have their Sherlock moment in a play or movie, we believe it. Because in
life, like art, we experience our own AHA! moments, and they come at unexpected times. Most of all,
they likely come when we are at ease, doing something else.
So don’t underestimate the value of down-time.
When the kids challenge you to a game of nerf darts, don’t demure or tell them you need to crack this scene. Get up. Put on those safety glasses. Play the game. You might hit a bull’s eye in more ways than one.
Melissa Bell’s work has been featured in The New York Times and been nominated for Best Adaptation &
Modernization by New York Shakespeare and awarded Finalist for Henley Rose Playwright Competition
for LADY CAPULET and awarded Honored Finalist for the Collaboration Award by the Women in Arts &
Media Coalition for COURAGE. Read her work on the New Play Exchange and on her website, themelissabell.com.
Note: This is the first in a three-part series this month in how to network, build and maintain important professional relationships in theater.
Theater is an industry built heavily on relationships and reputation. And for a theatermaker, your reputation is everything.
But first you must develop your own “inner circle” of relationships – theater insiders who know you, like you and support your work. There’s no way around it – everyone in theater must know how to network effectively.
Networking is essential for playwrights, directors and producers to build connections, gain visibility, and create opportunities in the theater industry. Ditto for actors, designers, stage managers – basically everyone who works, or wants to work, in this industry. The good news is, now it’s easier than ever before to network from anywhere in the world and connect with theatremakers worldwide – and it’s almost as effective as being there in person.
Here are some of the best strategies that I use for effective networking:
I founded CreateTheater in 2016 to develop new work and to connect writers from all over the world with NYC Industry people. Our community is free to join! Start networking at our monthly online Happy Hours, or attending some of our other events.
There is no better way to get your work onstage than by growing your personal network.