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The Playwrights Realm
New York, NY · EIN 261258354 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE A65 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · playwrightsrealm.org
revenue
$1.5M
expenses
$1.5M
net assets
$1.8M
employees
39
volunteers
15
program ratio
81%
mission · from form 990

Devoted to supporting early career playwrights along the journey of playwrighting; helping them to hone their craft, and fully realize their vision & build meaningful artistic careers.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Playwrights Realm supports early-career playwrights by providing development opportunities, funding, and professional resources. It runs residency and workshop programs for writers across the United States, with a focus on fostering diverse voices and theatrical innovation. The organization offers both competitive fellowships and open-access educational content to help playwrights hone their craft and build sustainable careers.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Aspiring Playwrights
Free online educational initiative offering articles, videos, and resources for anyone interested in playwriting.
Native American Artist Lab
Program supporting Native American and Indigenous artists through tailored development opportunities and creative exploration.
Scratchpad Series
Development program offering a week-long workshop for early-career playwrights across the U.S., with flexibility for musicals and academic enrollees.
Writing Fellowship
Nine-month residency for early-career playwrights that includes financial support, professional development, and culminates in a festival of new plays.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • New Play Development Programs 7 activities
    • Financial and practical support for playwrights
      Provides financial support to playwrights including artist stipends at all development stages, health insurance, emergency funding, childcare assistance, theater tickets, and payment for rehearsal attendance, with flexible support tailored to individual needs.
    • Free online playwriting resources
      Maintains a free, expanding online library of videos and articles on playwriting as a craft and profession, accessible to all without application, under programs such as Aspiring Playwrights and the general online resource hub.
    • INK'D Festival of New Plays
      Produces the INK'D Festival, an annual public showcase of new plays by early-career playwrights, including works such as "monkeyheart," "This is what the days are," "The Project," and "white rabbit; white rabbit," with free admission to ensure accessibility.
    • Page One Residency with full production
      Offers up to two Page One Residencies annually, each including health insurance, office space, readings, financial support, and a full-scale Off-Broadway production of the playwright’s work.
    • Scratchpad Series development workshops
      Provides week-long development workshops for early-career playwrights, including non-NYC-based writers, who collaborate with professional theater artists to develop their work and present it to the NYC theater community.
    • Script Share consultation program
      Provides a free one-hour dramaturgical consultation service connecting aspiring playwrights with theater professionals to discuss a full draft of a script, with a lottery-based access system that prioritizes first-time applicants.
    • Writing Fellowship for early-career playwrights
      Offers a nine-month residency program for early-career playwrights that includes financial support, professional development, and culminates in a festival showcasing their developed work. The program also provides anti-racism training and has led to Off-Broadway debuts for participants.
  • Performing Arts Ticket Access Programs 1 activity
    • Accessible ticketing and programming
      Offers affordable tiered ticket pricing for full productions and ensures free admission to all other public programming to promote accessibility and inclusion.
  • Alumni Leadership and Career Support Programs 1 activity
    • Alumni playwright support
      Provides ongoing professional development and community connection for alumni playwrights after program completion, including access to resources and artistic networks.
  • Free Outdoor & Community Theater Productions 1 activity
    • Beyond The Realm and interactive public programming
      Produces free public theatrical experiences such as the Beyond The Realm 2025 festival and "This is Not Not a Drill," an interactive walking tour in Lower Manhattan that explores the city’s history of injustice and resistance, running from September to October 2026 at The Walker Loft.
  • Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
    • Monthly free writing sessions
      Hosts a monthly free online writing session for playwrights featuring prompts and support from artistic staff to foster community and creative practice.
  • Indigenous and Diaspora Cultural Preservation 1 activity
    • Native American Artist Lab
      Runs a program supporting Native American Tribally Affiliated and Indigenous generative artists through tailored developmental resources, collaboration with Native facilitators, and integration of Native perspectives into organizational work to address systemic barriers.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$1.48M
Contributions & grants$1.37M93%
Program service revenue$68K5%
Investment income$38K3%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$1.54M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead8%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$818K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.94M
Cash$1.65M
Investments$0
Liabilities$111K
Net assets$1.83M
Liquid reserves12.8 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +8.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Roberta Pereira Executive Director 40 $142K
board members · 16
  • Anna Deavere Smith — Board member
  • Christine Schoppe — Board member
  • Christopher Berry — Executive Dir.
  • Daniel Cohen — Board member
  • Donja R Love — Board member
  • Ella Foshay — Board member
  • Jennifer Schoppe — Treasurer
  • John Dias — Board member
  • Katherine Kovner — Artistic Dir.
  • MJ Carroll — Board member
  • Mfoniso Udofia — Board member
  • Michael Margitich — Board member
  • Michael Yates Crowley — Board member
  • Mindy Stern — Board Chair
  • Norma Rosenberg — Secretary
  • Valerie DiFebo — Board member
relationships · 21

Who they work with

  • 651 Arts Partner — Co-host venue for the Beyond The Realm 2025 festival.
  • ART/NY Partner — Co-host venue for the Beyond The Realm 2025 festival.
  • Anna Deavere Smith Partner — Board member and advocate for The Playwrights Realm, supporting its mission and endowment efforts.
  • Blake Zidell & Associates Partner — Press representatives for The Playwrights Realm
  • Christopher Wall Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Daniel J. Vasquez Productions Partner — Provides photography and videography services for The Playwrights Realm
  • Erin Fitzsimmons Partner — Provides website development and support for The Playwrights Realm
  • Ethan Lipton Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Jena Yarley Funder — Director of Development for The Playwrights Realm, contact for donation processing
  • Jonathan Payne Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Lauren Yee Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Manhattan Theatre Club Partner — Collaborates with The Playwrights Realm through shared personnel and professional development pathways.
  • Mfoniso Udofia Partner — Featured playwright associated with The Playwrights Realm.
  • Native American artists Partner — Collaborates with Native American Tribally Affiliated artists through the Native American Artist Lab.
  • Realm family of artists Partner — Collaborates with affiliated artists to create educational content for aspiring playwrights.
  • Studio Theatre Partner — Partner organization where a Playwrights Realm Writing Fellow previously held an apprenticeship.
  • The Flea Partner — Co-host venue for the Beyond The Realm 2025 festival.
  • The Walker Loft Partner — Host venue for the walking tour experience.
  • We See You White American Theatre Partner — Organization that has galvanized The Playwrights Realm's internal reviews and public commitments to anti-racism and anti-oppressive practices.
  • Writers retreat with the 2019-20 Writing Fellows and the Artistic team Partner — Collaborated with the 2019-20 Writing Fellows and Artistic team on a writers retreat, referenced in banner photo caption.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Equity-Centered Access and Inclusion for Underrepresented Playwrights
    methodology: decolonizing_artistic_practice
    By removing formal barriers to entry—such as requirements for representation or advanced degrees—and centering Native American Tribally Affiliated artists, we increase equitable access to play development, because systemic exclusion in theater is addressed through targeted inclusion and tailored support.
  • Process-Over-Product Approach to Playwright Development
    methodology: process_over_product
    By prioritizing the creative process over immediate production outcomes, we foster experimental and authentic writing, because sustained, low-pressure development nurtures long-term artistic growth and innovation.
  • Writer-Driven Dramaturgy for Early-Stage Development
    methodology: writer_driven_dramaturgy
    By facilitating open-ended, writer-driven conversations instead of evaluative feedback, we support authentic creative exploration and playwright development, because non-judgmental space fosters risk-taking and deeper artistic inquiry in early-stage writing.