named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Out of the Hat
Event pairing actors and playwrights by random draw to create and perform short plays based on a thematic prompt.
Will-a-Thon
Annual two-day festival celebrating William Shakespeare’s birthday with scenes, speeches, and soliloquies performed by company members.
Words Matter
Partnership program featuring new plays created by playwrights in collaboration with members of Veteran's Spouse Project and Rehabilitation Through the Arts.
Workshop Intensives
Developmental program supporting selected playwrights through collaborative dramaturgical sessions to advance their scripts.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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New Play Development Programs 5 activities
- Annual WILL-A-THON festival and showcaseHosts an annual two-day festival celebrating William Shakespeare’s birthday, typically held during the week of April 23rd, featuring short plays created by randomly paired playwrights and actors. The event includes a fall lab and winter/spring session culminating in the WILL-A-THON Showcase each spring.
- Commissioned play programsCommissions four playwrights annually to create short plays inspired by prompts related to nonprofit organizations, producing them in dedicated evening performances. Also commissions writers to create plays based on collaborations with specific communities, such as veteran spouses.
- Development and production of new theatrical worksProvides a creative environment for playwrights, directors, and actors to develop new plays from inception through finished production, including lab productions, staged readings, and full productions. The organization has developed over 200 new plays through its annual festival and other programs over a 10-year period.
- Workshop Labs and staged readingsHosts workshop lab readings of works-in-progress, providing playwrights the opportunity to hear their full scripts performed before an audience. Recent examples include readings of "Misfit, America" by Nelson Diaz-Marcano.
- Writer's Intensive and mentorship programsOffers structured programs including seasonal labs, small group workshops for up to 36 playwrights annually, and personalized mentorship to support individual script development. Includes collaborative dramaturgical sessions and intensive development cycles for playwrights.
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Professional Theatrical Production 1 activity
- Artistic community and infrastructure supportSupports a company of approximately 120 theater artists and maintains two handicapped-accessible performance spaces. Produces full theatrical productions under the AEA showcase code.
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Benefit Events for Arts and Culture 1 activity
- Fundraising eventsHosts fundraising events such as Soirée in the Sky, featuring live performances, food, beverages, and auctions to support the theater’s operations and programs.
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Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Initiatives 1 activity
- Public commitments to equity and justicePublicly acknowledges the history of stolen land, displacement of Indigenous peoples, and the legacy of enslaved people in the U.S., and commits to ongoing practices of reconciliation, decolonization, anti-racism, and allyship.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$121K
Contributions & grants$95K79%
Program service revenue$3K2%
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$133K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$61K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$18K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$14K
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -25.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| THOMAS COTE | ARTISTIC DIR | 35 | $13K |
| MAGGIE CAMPBELL | MANAGING DIR | 35 | $5K |
board members · 7
- ALAN ANNEX — DIRECTOR
- DIMITRA KESSENIDES — DIRECTOR
- LISSA WATSON — DIRECTOR
- LYNDA KENNEDY — DIRECTOR
- MAHIMA SANTHANAM — DIRECTOR
- MARIE ISABELLE PALACIOS HARDY — DIRECTOR
- RICHARD EDLIN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 12
Who they work with
- Estrogen Support Team (EST) Partner — Collaborates on play workshops and readings, including direction by EST-affiliated artists.
- Givebutter Network — Platform used for fundraising campaigns
- Latinx Playwrights Circle Partner — Collaborates with the Latinx Playwrights Circle through shared artists and leadership roles.
- NAACP Partner — Collaborated on the "ACT-SO Evening of Theater" outreach initiative
- New York Theatre Workshop Partner — Collaborates with or shares artistic staff with New York Theatre Workshop.
- Pregones/PRTT Partner — Partners on residency programs for playwright development.
- The Society of Ethical Culture Partner — Presented the 23rd Annual Will-a-Thon in association with The Workshop Theater.
- The Tank Partner — Co-develops and showcases plays with The Tank.
- Veteran's Spouse Project Partner — Collaborated to create and produce new plays based on conversations between playwrights and veteran spouses, with proceeds benefiting the organization.
- Veteran's Spouse Project Partner — Collaborated to produce an evening of new plays based on conversations between playwrights and veteran spouses, with proceeds benefiting the organization.
- local non-profit Partner — Collaborates with a local nonprofit by creating plays inspired by their mission and work.
- world-class dramaturgs Partner — Collaborates with expert dramaturgs to lead playwright development workshops.
strategies · 5
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.
- Artist-Centered Development with Audience Integrationmethodology: artist-development-through-audience-partnershipBy supporting playwrights through a continuous developmental process that includes staged readings and live audience feedback, we refine new works because audience engagement informs creative iteration and strengthens the connection between art and community.
- Community-Collaborative Play Developmentmethodology: community-collaborative-play-developmentBy co-creating theatrical works with community members and nonprofit partners, we amplify underrepresented narratives and support community missions because integrating lived experience into storytelling deepens relevance and impact.
- Decolonization Through Public Acknowledgment and Creative Practicemethodology: decolonization-through-acknowledgmentBy publicly acknowledging colonialism and systemic injustice and embedding anti-racist values in creative development, we foster collective responsibility and reconciliation because institutional transparency enables transformative cultural action.
- Equity-Driven Artist Support Modelmethodology: diversity-inclusive artist compensationBy intentionally developing playwrights from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds and compensating them for their work, we advance racial and cultural equity in theater because inclusive representation and fair compensation enable systemic change in who gets to tell stories.
- Structured Creative Collaboration with Prompts and Randomizationmethodology: randomized-collaborative-creationBy using thematic prompts and randomized pairings of actors and playwrights, we generate innovative short plays because constrained improvisation within a collaborative framework stimulates unexpected creativity and rapid theatrical output.