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. Attend one or all four
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 7
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
NYC Musical Workshop 1: The World & the Want
Sunday, April 26 12 noon ET
Write a Producible Play Webinar with Producer Patrick Blake
Sunday, May 30th 12 noon ET
CreateTheater’s Musical Writing Lab
The Libretto Lab starts June 7th
This Week in the Inner Circle
Has Your Musical Stalled?
After a very well-received Tier 2 Industry Reading at Theatre Row in 2023, the cost of a full production stalled further development.
The solution?
Turn the show into a cabaret.
Result: We sold out The Green Room in 2025, and have been invited to schools & universities – and to Lincoln Center next year.
(Apply for our upcoming New Works Cabaret Festival this fall.)
Put Your Show in The World It Belongs
Mike Meth, the librettist/lyricist forLAST NIGHT AT THE RUE BAYOU, developed this immersive musical in our Experts Theater Company a few years ago. With the a participatory “experience” of a New Orleans club and the zydeco music of Martee LeBow, this exciting show was quickly optioned by MTTM Theatrics. They brought it to the French Market corner of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.
See it at Storyville Music Hall in New Orleans
An Artistic Director Found Chris – on Zoom
Remember when the theaters were shut down during the pandemic? Remember CreateTheater’s Monday Night Readings?
One Artistic Director in Columbus, OH really resonated with a Zoom play we did by Chris Sherman, and reached out to me about it.
MALADIES is now the second play of ETC Member Chris Sherman‘s that was produced in Columbus, OH.
“Sherman’s voice and the gorgeous execution of it here will stick with me for a very long time…”
Recent Blog Posts
Building Your Musical One Song at a Time
How Daily Songwriting Habits Can Move Your Musical Forward Writing a musical can feel like climbing a mountain (I see you singing the song right now) —and doing it alone makes the peak look farther and steeper. And definitely harder. Here's the truth: the best...
The Daily Draft: How to Avoid Getting Lost Rewriting the Same Scene
Ever find yourself “working on your show” for hours… only to realize you’ve just reworked the same five lines over and over again? Yeah, it happens to everyone. Rewriting is the very essence of writing—but if you do it too soon, it can also become a trap. You start...
Tips to Write Characters So Real They Practically Pay Rent
You’ve got a great premise. You’ve outlined a killer plot. But your characters? They’re… fine. They’re saying all the right things, but somehow, it’s just not clicking. It’s like they’re reading cue cards instead of living inside the world of your play or musical. And...
How Not to Lose Momentum in Writing Your Play
Staying productive between sparks of inspiration If you’ve ever stared at your script and had absolutely no idea of what to write, you’re not alone. You're only human. Inspiration is powerful, but fleeting. If you only write when the muse shows up, your show might...