Create Your Script
CreateTheater offers selective, producer-led script development for playwrights and musical theatre writers working toward a professional production.
A strong script is the foundation for everything in the CreateTheater pipeline.
Above: Producers Neal Rubinstein and Neil Gooding, director James Rocco and Composer Skip Kennon at an in-person Musical Workshop in 2024
Our Tier 1 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
The CreateTheater Musical Writing Lab
A year-long professional development home for new musicals.
The Musical Writing Lab meets the first Monday of the month at 8pm ET starting June 1, 2026.
Writing a musical is not easy. This 2026 cohort will experience a professional musical theater development process (including table readings and song development) with industry professionals led by Cate Cammarata.
Emerge from this year-long writing intensive with a fully-submittable musical ready for next-step development.
Emphasis on:
- Book/music architecture
- Structural sophistication
- Production awareness
The Lab includes:
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12 monthly lab sessions on how to structure your particular story
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The 10 Plot Points of Musical Theater Structure and the refinement of your libretto
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Peer and industry feedback and discussion
- Songwriting feedback and input from our musical industry panel
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A clear framework to shape your musical for a professional industry reading, submissions and other development opportunities.
Designed for musical theater teams committed to elevating their work to professional expectation, this Lab includes a table reading process and a possible 2-day workshop guidance and 2027 New Works Festival participation.
The Musical Writing Lab starts June 1, 2026
Tier 1: Lab Access
For writers who want to refine their existing libretto and introduce it to the industry. The lab includes everything found on the description..
Tier 2 (Most Popular) Development Track
Structure and support, with bi-weekly writing groups that meet for 6 months
Tier 3 (Premium) Professional Track
For serious writers – includes weekly writing groups that meet for 6 months
*Premium track also includes the NYC Musical Development Lab participation Series and our Songwriting Seminars.
Workshop 1 : Developing the World and the Want
Workshop 2: Act 1: Setting Up the Action
Workshop 3: Act 2: The Big Gloom
Workshop 4: The Climax, the Resolution and the Finale
The NYC Musical Development Workshops
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
The 90 Day CABARET LAB
Stop developing. Start showing your musical.
If your musical only exists on the page, it’s invisible.
The 90 Day 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 presentation of your musical
- A live performance in our NYC CreateTheater Cabaret Festival (42nd Street)
- A professional livestreamed presentation
- A high-quality video you keep (for submissions, producers, investors)
- A room full of serious musical theater creators—not amateurs
Off-Broadway Producing Intensive
13-Week Program
Learn how to produce in NYC directly from industry leaders
A 13-Week comprehensive producer training program that trains you in:
- Off-Broadway producing
- Equity Showcase Code
- Budgeting & general management
- Raising money & pitching
- Festival + developmental producing
- Building a producing team
- Navigating contracts, royalties, and agreements
Includes online workshops with NYC producers, general managers, and industry experts, and in-person workshops, networking and pitching at the end of the program.
CreateTheater Workshops
Write a Producible Play Webinar
Sunday, May 30th 12 noon
Make sure you’re writing a “producible” play by learning what producers look for—structure, clarity, and practical staging. start here!
With Off-Broadway producers Patrick Blake & Cate Cammarata
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
Why Choose CreateTheater?
Where New Plays & Musicals Begin Their Professional Journey
CreateTheater® is a NYC theater company that develops new plays and musicals. We give you the artistic support, producing strategy, industry access, and professional community you need to bring your new work to life.
Dramaturgy. Producing. Development. Industry Access. One Home.
All Programs led by Cate Cammarata
Projects developed under Cate’s leadership have gone on to regional productions, New York productions, and Off-Broadway commercial runs.
Writing groups offer a not only a producer’s perspective of the script, but the community also supports new work with expertise and encouragement.
Musical Writing Labs
CreateTheater been developing new musicals for over 15 years in NYC, and our musicals are being developed regionally, in NYC, and in London.. Our Musical Writing Labs offer both the Libretto Lab headed by Cate Cammarata and the Songwriting Lab, led by former BMI faculty Skip Kennon and composer Linda Bonadies, in addition to the four Musical Development Workshops yearly.
Join Our Creative Community
,Become a part of CreateTheater and connect with fellow theater enthusiasts. Sign up for our newsletter “The Producer-Ready Playbook” to stay updated on the latest shows, workshops, and exclusive content. Let’s build a vibrant theater community together!
