Why Most New Plays and Musicals Stall in Development

Why Most New Plays and Musicals Stall in Development

by | Feb 2, 2026 | Business, Getting Produced, NPD

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 things—but not building momentum.

If you’re a playwright or musical theatre writer, this probably sounds familiar:

You’ve had a reading. Or three.
You’ve gotten “great feedback.”
People say things like, “This has real potential.”
You’ve revised… and revised… and revised again.

And yet?

Nothing is actually moving forward.

No next step.
No clearer path.
No traction with the industry.
Just a vague sense that your show is perpetually “almost ready.”

Welcome to development purgatory.

At CreateTheater, we see this every day—not because writers aren’t talented, but because development is deeply misunderstood. The industry rarely gives creators experience on how projects move from script to stage. So new writers especially default to what feels productive instead of what actually is productive.

Let’s talk about the real reasons shows stall—and what to do instead.

Reason #1: You’re Confusing Activity With Progress

This is the #1 killer of new work momentum.

Readings. Workshops. Feedback sessions. Script swaps. Festivals. Another round of notes. Another rewrite.

It feels like progress because you’re busy. You’re doing “writer things.” You’re engaging with the community. You get to invite friends an family to the “next exciting step.”

But activity is not the same as movement.

Progress means:

  • The show is clearer than it was before

  • The next step is more specific

  • The circle of people invested in the project is growing

  • Someone new can now say “yes” to it

If your development doesn’t change the trajectory of the project, it’s not progress—it’s maintenance.

One of the hardest truths for writers to accept is this:

You can be working very hard on the wrong thing.

Endless activity without strategy doesn’t move a show forward. It just exhausts the creator.

Reason #2: You Don’t Have a Development Path—Just a Pile of Experiences

Most writers approach development like a buffet.

“I’ll do a reading here, a festival there, maybe a workshop if I get in, and then… we’ll see.”

There’s no order. No logic. No sequence.

But development isn’t a grab bag. It’s a path.

Every strong development journey answers three questions:

  1. What is the show right now?

  2. What does it need next?

  3. What does that step make possible afterward?

Without that clarity, writers bounce between opportunities that don’t build on each other. They get stuck doing early-stage development forever—or they leap ahead before the work is ready.

This is why shows stall after their “first good reading.”
That reading wasn’t connected to a plan.

A reading is not a strategy.
A workshop is not a roadmap.
A festival is not a guarantee.

Development only works when steps are intentional.

Reason #3: You’re Collecting Feedback Instead of Making Decisions

Let’s be blunt: feedback does not move a show forward.

Decisions do.

Writers are often told:
“Let <insert name> take a look at it.”
“Get more feedback.”
“See how audiences respond.”

So they do. And do. And do.

But no one teaches them how to filter feedback—or how to decide what actually matters right now.

As a result:

  • The script gets pulled in multiple directions

  • The writer keeps “fixing everything”

  • The core problem never gets addressed

Development becomes reactive instead of strategic.

Here’s the insider truth:
Producers don’t care how many notes you’ve gotten.

They care whether you:

  • Know what the show is

  • Can articulate what you’re working on

  • Can explain why certain choices were made

Strong development isn’t about pleasing everyone.
It’s about choosing intentionally.

If your revisions aren’t driven by clear priorities, your show will stall—no matter how smart the feedback is.

Reason #4: You Don’t Have an Advocate (And You’re Trying to Do Everything Alone)

Shows don’t move forward because scripts are “good.”

They move forward because someone pushes them forward.

A producer.
A director.
A dramaturg.
An artistic leader.
Someone who is willing to say, “I believe in this, and I’ll put my name behind it.”

Many writers try to carry their projects solo for far too long. They pitch, submit, rewrite, and plan entirely on their own—assuming that once the script is “ready,” support will magically appear.

That’s not how it works.

Advocates don’t arrive at the end.
They’re part of development itself.

Without an advocate:

  • Opportunities don’t stack

  • Introductions don’t happen

  • Momentum dies between steps

One of the most important development realizations a writer must understand is this:

The goal is not just to improve the script—it’s to expand the team.

If your development process never brings new people into the project, you’re building in isolation. And isolation is where shows stall.

Reason #5: There’s No External Pressure For the Next Step

Deadlines are not the enemy of creativity.
They’re the engine of it.

Many shows stall simply because nothing is forcing them to move ahead.

No timeline.
No accountability.
No concrete next step.

“I’ll revise when I have time.”
“We’ll plan another reading down the road.”
“I’m waiting until <insert current excuse>.”

That’s not a plan. That’s avoidance dressed up as patience.

Professional development includes:

  • Target dates

  • Clear milestones

  • Real-world consequences

External pressure doesn’t mean rushing.
It means structure.

At CreateTheater, one of the biggest shifts writers experience is realizing how much lighter the work feels once there’s a framework holding it. When they understand that they’re not making decisions about their work alone.

When everything lives in your head, it stalls. 
When it lives in a structure, it moves.

Reason #6: You Think the Show Is Further Along Than It Is

This one stings—but I see it over and over again.

Writers often overestimate where their show is in the development life cycle. Not out of ego (usually)—but out of hope.

They start pitching too early.
Submitting too early.
Asking producers for things the show can’t yet support.

Then they hear:
“Not ready.”
“Come back later.”
“Interesting, but…”

And the writer loses confidence in their own process.

Every stage of development has different goals:

  • Early development = discovery and clarity

  • Mid development = structure and alignment

  • Late development = readiness and team-building

When you skip steps, you don’t move faster—you stall harder.

One of the most powerful things a creator can say is:

“This is where the show is, and this is what it needs next.”

That clarity builds trust.
Advocates lean in to help the show with a clearly defined path.

Reason #7: You’re Waiting for Permission Instead of Building Leverage

Many writers believe the next step in development requires someone else’s approval.

A theatre has to say yes.
A producer has to say yes.
A festival has to say yes.

But shows gain momentum when creators build leverage—not when they wait.

Leverage looks like:

  • A clear artistic identity

  • A strong development narrative

  • A team forming around the work

  • Proof that the creator understands the business side

Industry professionals are far more likely to engage when a project already feels in motion.

Waiting to be chosen is a stall strategy.
Building readiness is a momentum strategy.

So What Actually Moves a Show Forward?

Momentum comes from structure.

From understanding:

  • Where the show is

  • What it needs next

  • Why that step matters

It comes from:

  • Intentional development, not random opportunities

  • Decision-making, not endless note-reviewing

  • Team-building, not isolation

  • Strategy, not wishful thinking

This is why CreateTheater exists.

Not to give more feedback.
Not to run endless readings.
Not to keep writers “busy.”

But to help creators:

  • Build development paths that make sense

  • Align their work with industry realities

  • Create momentum that compounds

Because talent is everywhere.
What’s rare is clarity.

And clarity is what keeps shows from stalling.

If you’re tired of feeling like your show is stuck—if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start moving forward—then it’s time to stop moving in circles and start developing with intention.

Momentum doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from being guided by people who understand how this industry actually works.

New plays and musicals don’t need another round of opinions. They need experienced judgment, clear sequencing, and development that happens in conversation with the professional field — not in isolation from it.

At CreateTheater, development is mentored deliberately, not randomly nor academically.

We work inside professional industry standards. We ask the questions producers, artistic directors, and programmers ask behind closed doors. We help writers understand not just what needs work, but why — and which choices will materially change how the project is received.

That means:

  • Development decisions grounded in professional reality

  • Projects shaped by people who know how shows move in NYC

  • Writers who aren’t left guessing at the next step

Shows don’t move because someone “likes” them.
They move when they’re built with clarity, pressure, and guidance from people who know the system.

That’s how work advances in this city.
And that’s the work CreateTheater exists to do.

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Should You Produce Your Own Play?

Should You Produce Your Own Play?

by | Aug 30, 2022 | New Musical Development, NPD, Producing, Theater

Should you produce your own show?

That depends. Is your show ready for a full production? (Check out my latest blog posts to answer that question.)

If, after much careful thought and input from trusted professionals around you, you determine that your show is ready for a full production in front of paying audiences, then you must honestly assess your own capabilities as a potential producer. The basic question question to ask is, “Am I ready to raise money to put my show on stage?”

If the answer is a “not in this lifetime” no and you don’t have a rich uncle to help, then you must

  • a) play the submit game to submit your play everywhere,
  • b) promote the assets that you have online to create an email list of an engaged demographic,  and
  • c) network extensively to interest potential theaters and producers to produce it for you.

But guess what? B & C are the steps you must take to raise money as a self-producing playwright anyway, and A is a strategy I advise every writer to take even if they have the money to produce the show themselves. This is sometimes a very long game;  often writers get tired of waiting. To “jump start” the process many start to consider producing the show themselves. At least it’s an action that they can make happen; it beats the passivity of waiting [endlessly] for someone else to produce it.

So it seems that the journey ends the same way; only the timelines are different. Kuddos to you if you’ve written enough plays and have submitted often enough to have many plays being developed simultaneously in different places. You’re a rockstar writer, and everyone wants to be like you.

However, I say whenever you can to “choose yourself” and go for it – but educate yourself first to NOT fall into the common money traps that take advantage of novice playwrights and line others’ pockets with your good money. Be wary when others  want to “produce your show” without giving you the majority of the ticketing revenue or offering you a “theater space” without walking you step by step along the process to actually put on a full production. I’ve seen this happen to too many writers over the past many years. I’m tired of it, and angry that other ‘theater professionals’ are so ready to take advantage of those trying to get their plays onstage.

More on this later. First, a brief overview of the common ways most writers self-produce.

Showcases, Fringes and Festivals

Showcases were originally a term that meant a developmental production that independent writers or actors would stage to promote their work and get seen by agents, producers or directors – they would “showcase” themselves. The various Fringe Festivals and other theater festivals that now exist across the globe are producing entities where clusters of “showcases” can produce collaboratively and share expenses of venue rentals, marketing expenses and audience engagement.

Most Fringes and theater festivals can be a useful place to produce a new play or musical that’s in development; many things can only be learned when you put the work in front of an audience. Usually the expense is less than the cost of producing a showcase yourself; however, be aware that you probably will have to do everything yourself.

Reason to produce in a festival: to invite audiences into a performance to learn how they react, with the highest quality  production elements that you can afford.

The AEA Showcase Code

If you are thinking of producing a showcase, you will want to consider the highest level of production that you can afford, in terms of set, lights, sound and talent (designers, director and actors). To cast union (Actor’s Equity Association) actors, you will be asked to comply with the AEA Showcase Code.

Showcases are relatively “cheap” to produce. The Equity Showcase total budget is limited to $35,000, although that doesn’t include the cost of the venue and rehearsal space rentals. There is a limit of 12 performances over a period of four consecutive weeks, and there may not be more than one two-performance day per week. Rehearsals are not to exceed a total of 128 hours scheduled over a maximum of five consecutive weeks, limited to 32 hours a week, no more than six hours/day except during the final week of rehearsal when the director may schedule three eight-hour days. Musical productions may use 5 additional hours for learning music during the first or second week of rehearsal.

The most important point is that no person engaged in any creative capacity for any Code production receive more remuneration than any AEA member.

I like to produce Showcase productions with the goals I would use for a Workshop production – that is, to use production elements to further the storyline and to illuminate character. The good thing is that you will be learning AND receiving some income from ticket sales. Make sure that you include a link in the program for a survey or other way the audience can communicate with you about what they thought after the show.

If you can afford to pay extra to video a performance, do so. Check with Equity for up-to-date rules on this. If you have a non-union cast, think about livestreaming a production as well. A two- or three-camera shoot will allow you to keep an archival recording to send to interested theaters or producers, allow you footage to edit into a sizzle reel or producer pitch, and to re-purpose into content on your YouTube channel or website. What counts today are digital assets that can work to pitch your play or musical 24/7 online, and sharing your clips to interest people to follow you or sign up to your newsletter.

Fringes & Festivals are coordinated by other entities that help get your work onstage. The world’s biggest Fringe Festival is the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, followed by the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia. In the United States, Festival participants are always on a Showcase Code (if you want to cast union actors), so make sure you apply at least three weeks before you open (the earlier the better).

As a participant in a Fringe or any festival, always make sure you understand the production rules and values behind the festival before signing on. Read the fine print and make sure you understand every detail. Ask for clarification if you don’t.

Better yet, do your due diligence before signing up. Make sure the festival has a good reputation – good enough to bring in audiences. YOUR audiences.

CABARET, VIRTUAL AND MORE

Alternatives to a showcase production are available, The most common are the cabaret (or concert reading) for musicals, or virtual productions (that are honestly more like films) that are created for plays.

Cabarets are useful for musicals – especially when the music is great, but the book needs work. Cabaret performances may also be livestreamed (and ticketed) and recorded without charge, with the permissions of the actors. Like showcases, cabaret readings and performances can be saved as archival videos, or edited and uploaded to YouTube and shared on your website.

Get Help

There are a few online communities where you can find your “tribe” and learn and grow by joining in. The best way to learn is to watch others. There is an investment cost, of course. If you’re interested in joining CreateTheater’s Experts Theater Company (ETC), our resident theater company, we’re opening our doors for registration in September.

Email me at cate@CreateTheater.com and we’ll get you off to a good start. Schedule a free 15 minute consultation here.

 

Are You Getting the Most from Your Readings?

Are You Getting the Most from Your Readings?

by | Aug 22, 2022 | Dramaturgy, New Musical Development, NPD

Now that you know to go virtual (check out my last blog post here) do you know the steps of development? Are you making the most out of your readings?

As a professional theater maker, you need to know what must happen at each step of your script’s developmental journey, and how to get the right audience into the [virtual] room.

What’s the Goal?

If you don’t know the goal, any step will take you there – but you’ll spend way too much money trying to figure it out if you don’t plan out a strategy at the very beginning.

Know your goals before taking the first step, but also know the NEXT step before planning this one.

Usually a table reading is a good first step. It is necessary to “hear” your play read by others, and listen to the feedback afterward. Does it “work”? What are some specific questions that you have – can your readers help you with them? At this stage you’re checking for resonance and engagement. Resist the temptation to listen to each piece of “advice” unless at least three people comment on the same thing, and do a quick “gut check” to see if you agree with them. Important: record the feedback to analyze later.

What would be the next step after this? Another table reading to see if the changes made the script better.

Staged Readings

Staged readings can take place online or in person. Zoom readings are more efficient (and cheaper) and have the added convenience of assembling a team from around the world. If you have a “star” actor or director, this is a good choice, and your online reading should be recorded and shared for archival purposes (more on that later). Check with your AEA representative first regarding union rules of recording readings, since they may have changed.

For musicals, edited staged readings that include prerecorded songs are best. Make sure that you have permission to add your video clips to your website, social media and YouTube accounts.

Sometimes it’s best to produce an in person staged reading. Online readings are tricky for scripts that require a lot of physical comedy and/or lots of physical action. An in person staged reading can make your musical come to life if you arrange your music stands in groups that accommodate “blocking” and can even convey a sense of movement that approximates choreography. Also, for musicals it’s often easier for audiences to feel for the protagonist when they’re “live” (physically in the same room) than when distanced over the internet. However, because of the much greater expense you should only plan an in person staged reading when you’re sure your script “works” by testing it over a few zoom readings.

Plan for this at least four months ahead, as planning is critical. Casting, reserving studio/theatre space, and cultivating the right audience to show up is critical! Don’t underestimate the amount of time, promotion and expense that this may entail. It’s best if you have an interested producing partner (theater, producer, relative) to share the burdens of planning and expenses.

Common goals for a staged reading are:

  • Find out something about the script, music, dance ( the performative elements)
  • Promote your show for a higher level of audience (producers, ADs, possible investors)
  • Use the reading to get a better sizzle reel to show off your work online (YouTube, website, social media)
  • Use the reading as a chance to “test out” a director or lead actor to see if you want to include them on your ongoing team or to see if they “get” your work,

Do NOT plan a staged reading if your show needs editing or if you know there are still “problems.” An in person reading should only be used if you think your show is “good to go” and want to get it in front on influential people. Otherwise, stick to table reads, where the real work can be done.

Don’t forget to engage a videographer to record your reading for archival purposes! It will help you move to the “next step.”

Final Developmental Readings

Do the best quality staged reading you can afford when you believe you are ready to be produced. After the “29-hour” staged readings above, AEA tiers are used for the development of new works (especially musicals) usually prior to an intended planned production. These tier agreements replace what used to be called the Staged Reading Contract, the Developmental Lab and the Workshop agreements. Although these readings are pricey, they allow for video recordings. Usually these Tier AEA readings would only be held if there is a production already in the works, with a commercial producer or regional theater taking the lead.

This is the top of the development chain, and it means your next step is a full production. Although plays may also use the tiers, I find that they are more useful in the development of new musicals.

New plays are new musicals that are not represented by a commercial producer or a regional theater may still move on to a full production, but these are usually developmental productions like those using an AEA Showcase Code and/or those shows in a Festival.

More on Showcases and Festivals next week!

Have questions? Comment below!

 

It’s Time to Go Virtual

It’s Time to Go Virtual

by | Aug 15, 2022 | Dramaturgy, New Musical Development, NPD

Is it necessary to add virtual to your development tasks? YES. Are you uncertain or even scared about this? YES. Should you continue to do it anyway? YES.

But only if you want to get your play in front of more people.

 

Why Virtual

 

I remember when cable tv was just beginning to be a force in the industry in the 80’s. At the time I was the new Programming Director for a new cable channel (I was young and came cheap), and my task was to find and develop programming for a voracious new 24-hour cable channel. The demands of providing content were enormous, as the beast was insatiable. We had to air everything we could license as often as possible, with multiple repeats of every episode to make sure that something was on the air 24 hours a day, every day. It was exhausting.

The need today is similar with social media. You should always be broadcasting something to create an awareness of yourself as a professional in the industry. This is not easy! I constantly try to do better, because I must. As theater professionals we must first do the work but then also promote and  disseminate it to as broad an audience as possible (hence the term broadcasting). It  is as exhausting today as it was back in the early days of cable.

Virtual readings and performances, promotional videos and “happenings” are all proven strategies to promote yourself as a successful playwright (even if you don’t consider yourself one yet). But you must first carve a space for yourself online.

 

How to Add Virtual Content

 

The ability to add virtual content to your website and promotional materials is well worth the effort. Plays and musicals that consistently promote themselves online brand themselves as ready for production. Is your show ready for production?

If the answer is yes, then concentrate regularly on broadcasting yourself and your play to the public by embracing virtual content.

  1. Promote your show online. It goes without saying that each of your shows should have a website, Facebook page and/or an Instagram site, and a NPX page. Musicals should add a YouTube channel. You must be “discoverable” when people look you up, and have a contact page if people want to make contact. Update these as often as possible with audience testimonials, “coming soon” notices, sizzle reels, etc.
  2. Plan a reading. Put it out to your email list and promote free tickets to attend. Build up to the reading with regular content to promote your actors, director, and yourself. If you can record the reading (for archival use only), do so in order to share later with interested prospects. Capture outstanding feedback from audience members for written (or video) content.
  3. Make demos of your music. Record excellent quality musical demos to put on your website and on YouTube with playlists.
  4. Plan “happenings.” Be creative and plan events at local spaces to promote an awareness of your work. Have a play about immigrants? Interview real life characters that speak to the themes in your play and livestream the discussion on Facebook live. Do you have a musical that speaks to young girls? Partner with an establishment that has that audience and then plan an event centered around your musical to promote it. Get your work in front of your target audience as often as possible, and record everything.
  5. Have a professional sizzle reel. A great sizzle reel makes your work stand out from the others online and makes it memorable. A sizzle reel becomes your online pitch that works even when you sleep – so make sure it is everywhere you have want to have a presence. Also, a good strategy is to link your sizzle reel to your email signature page so it’s available to everyone that you communicate with – if they know you they should know about your show.

 

Scared? Do It Anyway

 

I have a phrase that has helped me get through everything in life that has frightened me out of my wits, but the I knew I had to do anyway.

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.”

That may seem counter-intuitive to you, and you may even be shocked that I’m recommending it. But the way I think of it is, this saying gives me permission not to be perfect. Sometimes just crossing the finish line, even in last place, is a success. And, if repeated often enough, you’ll just get better and better each time.

So give yourself permission to go virtual “imperfectly.” Just do it.

Rinse and repeat.

 

I’ll be taking my own advice this year and helping others do go virtual with me. Will you be one of them? Join ETC and get in on the action. We’re adding new members in September.

Get your Virtual Checklist here to use as a reminder.

Interested in learning more about The Experts Theater Company? Register for our free OPEN HOUSE on August 30th!