Create Your Script

 

Opportunities for Writers Preparing to Compete Professionally

 

CreateTheater offers selective, producer-led script development for playwrights and musical theatre writers working toward a professional production.

Step 1: CREATE THE SCRIPT

Your script is the foundation for everything else in the CreateTheater pipeline.

All Programs led by Cate Cammarata

Off-Broadway Producer • Director • Dramaturg
MFA in Dramaturgy

Projects developed under Cate’s leadership have gone on to regional productions, New York productions, and Off-Broadway commercial runs. Current work is in development with Lincoln Center and in London’s West End.

All writing groups are led personally by Cate.

What These Are — What They Are Not

This is not introductory education.

It is disciplined development for scripts preparing to:

  • Enter submission pipelines
  • Move toward readings
  • Engage producers or representation
  • Compete within the New York and regional markets

Admission is selective.
Groups are intentionally small.

CreateTheater Writing Programs

Production-Ready Writers™

CreateTheater’s Focused Writing Groups – held online over Zoom

Unstructured 6-Month Weekly or Bi-Weekly Writing Groups for writers desiring professional production. Specify either plays or musicals.

For writers preparing scripts specifically for:

  • Industry submission
  • Readings
  • Representation
  • Producer circulation

 * Writing Group Members may participate in the Monday Night Reading Series and the Songwriting Seminar at no additional charge

Plays: July-December

  • Bi-Weekly: Alternating Tuesdays 4pm, Fridays 7pm, or Saturdays 4pm (ET)
  • Weekly: Any two of the above sessions

Musicals: January – June

  • Weekly: Alternating Friday 7pm/Saturday 4pm ET 
  • Bi-Weekly: Either Friday 7pm or Saturday 4pm
Need More Information?
Register Here for our 2026 Playwright Cohort

12 month program starts June 7, 2026 1st Sundays of the Month 4pm ET

Tier 1: Lab Access

For writers who want to learn and apply the structure.

Tier 2 (Most Popular) Development Track

Structure and support, with six months of a bi-weekly writing group for ongoing accountability and feedback.

Tier 3 (Premium) Professional Track 

Best for writers looking for an industry reading, with six months of a weekly writing group for ongoing accountability, feedback and support.

Premium track includes the Monday Night Reading Series and the monthly Songwriting Seminars.

The CreateTheater Musical Writing Lab

A 12-session program guiding writers through the structure and development of a new musical. The Libretto Lab meets the first Sunday of the month at 4pm ET starting in June 2026.

Emphasis on:

  • Book/music architecture
  • Structural sophistication
  • Production awareness

All Tiers include:

  • 12 monthly lab sessions

  • The 10 Plot Points of Musical Theater Structure

  • Peer feedback and discussion

  • A clear framework to shape your musical for a professional industry reading, submissions and other development opportunities.

Designed for writers committed to elevating their work to professional expectation. This is the libretto prerequisite for a new musical songwriting series starting the summer of 2027 developed by Skip Kennon and Linda Bonadies.

The Libretto Lab starts June 7, 2026

Request Consideration

The Musical Workshop Series

Featuring Broadway Industry Panels

Development paired with a structural perspective and Industry panel.

In addition to script work, writers engage in focused conversations with Broadway professionals regarding song/scene integration and musical theater songwriting.

Access to this level of dialogue is rare in remote online programs.

Dates 2026:

  • Workshop 1: April 26
  • Workshop 2: July 26
  • Workshop 3: September 27
  • Workshop 4: October 25

→ Reserve Your Place as an Observer in The Musical Workshop Series

Workshop 1 : The Opening Number, the I Want Song, the Antagonist Song

Workshop 2: Other Act 1 songs and the End of Act 1 Song/Scene

Workshop 3: Beginning of Act 2 and The Big Gloom

Workshop 4: The Climax, the Resolution and the Finale

CABARET LAB

Stop developing. Start showing your musical.

If your musical only exists on the page, it’s invisible.

Cabaret Lab is a 3-month sprint where you turn your material into a 20-minute cabaret presentation—and put it in front of a real audience in NYC.

Not someday. In 90 days.

WHAT YOU GET

  • A tight, compelling 20-minute cut of your musical
  • A live performance in our NYC Cabaret Festival (42nd Street)
  • A professionally livestreamed presentation
  • A high-quality video you keep (for submissions, producers, investors)
  • A room full of serious musical theater creators—not hobbyists

WHY THIS WORKS

You don’t need another workshop.

You need proof your show works.

This gives you:

  • Audience response
  • Performer interpretation
  • A shareable asset that opens doors

Because “I’m working on a musical” doesn’t book meetings.
A video does.

THE POSITIONING PLAY

Full productions = expensive.
Readings = forgettable.

This is the middle path that actually moves you forward.

You walk away with something real:
footage, momentum, and credibility in NYC.

WHO THIS IS FOR

  • You already have material
  • You’re done tinkering
  • You want your show seen—by the right people

If you’re waiting until it’s “perfect,” this isn’t for you.

PRICING

Comparable programs run $500–$1,200+ for classes that don’t include production.

We do.

PRESENTER (Full Experience)
Present your 20-minute cabaret in the festival
$1,495 paid in full
or 3 payments of $550

Includes: development, rehearsal process, festival slot, livestream, and final video

OBSERVER (Limited Seats)
Attend all sessions, learn the process, network
$395 paid in full

BOTTOM LINE

In 3 months, you can either:

  • Still be revising Act 1…

or

  • Have a produced, filmed, shareable version of your musical

Your move.

APPLY NOW

Spots are limited. Presenters are curated.

If you’re serious about getting your musical out of your laptop and into the world:

[Apply Now]

THE CABARET LAB (Musicals Only)

A 3-Month Signature Option

The Cabaret Track is a high-impact, NYC-based presentation pathway designed for musical theatre writers who want to:

  • Promote a new musical
  • Test material with a live audience
  • Build industry visibility without mounting a full production

This track treats cabaret as a strategic producing tool, not a vanity performance.

WHAT THE CABARET TRACK INCLUDES (3 MONTHS)

Creative Development

  • Selection of songs & material that best represent the musical
  • Cabaret-specific storytelling strategy
  • Restructuring material for a cabaret format (not a concert dump)

Producer & Director Support

  • Producer-guided cabaret arc
  • Cabaret director or musical director oversight
  • Creative team alignment

NYC Presentation

  • Curated NYC venue or partner space
  • Professional performers
  • Rehearsal coordination & timeline

Industry-Facing Framing

  • Positioning the cabaret as a developmental showcase
  • Invitation strategy (industry, peers, supporters)
  • Post-event next-steps planning

Deliverables

  • Fully realized cabaret presentation
  • Revised promotional materials
  • Strategic plan for next development phase (reading, workshop, production)

The Experts Theater Company — Creator Level

(Ongoing Membership Community)

This is our writers residency within a New York City theater company.

Who it’s for:
Writers actively developing work and seeking consistent feedback, industry insight, and peer accountability.

Focus:

  • Monday Night Reading Series  
  • Songwriting Workshops
  • Professional Development & Exposure

Feeds into: Development Labs → Workshops → Festivals

This is the hub of the CreateTheater Pipeline

Apply for Residency – Creator Level

Why Writers Choose CreateTheater

Because preparation alone is not enough.

Scripts advance when they are structurally sound, strategically positioned, and evaluated through a professional lens.

CreateTheater offers direct access to that lens.

If your goal is production — not just improvement — this is your track.

The Writing Track is not for everyone.

It is for writers prepared to revise rigorously, think strategically, and compete professionally.

Production does not happen by accident.

It happens when craft, strategy, and positioning align.

Explore the Writing Track.
Apply here when ready.