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NEW PLAY
DEVELOPMENT

NEW PLAY
DEVELOPMENT

Supporting artists is central to the Geffen Playhouse’s mission, and New Play Development is a cornerstone of that support. In addition to the world premieres of groundbreaking new plays on our stages, the Geffen Playhouse is proud to collaborate with playwrights in two key ways: commissions and The Writers’ Room.

COMMISSIONS

To commission a playwright to write a play means making a commitment to their voice, craft, and vision, with the hope of sharing the fruits of their work on our stages.

We are proud to have the following artists under commission:

  • Luis Alfaro
  • Michael Golamco
  • Meghan Kennedy
  • Katie Lindsay, Tova Katz & Alexandra Kalinowski
  • Matthew López
  • Martyna Majok
    • Co-Commission with Atlantic Theater Company
  • Tarell Alvin McCraney & York Walker
  • Qui Nguyen
    • Co-Commission with Manhattan Theatre Club
  • Stacy Osei-Kuffour
  • Jiehae Park
  • Sara Porkalob & Brian Quijada
  • Jen Silverman
  • N’yomi Allure Stewart
    • Co-Commission with New York Theatre Workshop, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation
  • David Wiener
  • Craig Wright
  • Lauren Yee

SUPPORT NEW PLAYS

LITERARY SUBMISSIONS
The Geffen Playhouse has a closed submission policy at this time, meaning we only accept plays submitted by literary agents.

QUESTIONS?

Olivia O'Connor
Literary Manager & Dramaturg

Productions of Commissioned Work

The Writers'
Room

The Writers' Room

WRITERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2025/2026 CYCLE OF THE WRITERS’ ROOM

The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community living in Los Angeles. During a one-year residency, playwright members gather monthly at the Geffen to share their work and receive feedback from their peers and Geffen Playhouse artistic staff, culminating in a reading with a director and actors.

LEARN MORE

The Writers'
Room

The Writers' Room

WRITERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2025/2026 CYCLE OF THE WRITERS’ ROOM

The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community living in Los Angeles. During a one-year residency, playwright members gather monthly at the Geffen to share their work and receive feedback from their peers and Geffen Playhouse artistic staff, culminating in a reading with a director and actors.

LEARN MORE

2025/2026 Writers' Room Playwrights

Past Writers' Room Playwrights

2018/2019

  • Angelica Chéri
  • Dipika Guha
  • Chelsea Marcantel
  • Brian Otaño
  • Liza Powel O’Brien
  • Matt Schatz

2019/2020

  • Juan José Alfonso
  • Boni B. Alvarez
  • Inda Craig-Galván
  • Chloé Hung
  • Ramiz Monsef
  • Ruby Rae Spiegel

2020/2021

  • Meghan Brown
  • Diana Burbano
  • Donald Jolly
  • Matthew Paul Olmos
  • T.Tara Turk-Haynes
  • Ali Viterbi

2021/2022

  • Vivian J.O. Barnes
  • Lisa Sanaye Dring
  • Weston Gaylord
  • Alexandra Kalinowski
  • Tova Katz
  • Katie Lindsay
  • Nicholas Pilapil
  • Michael Shayan

2023/2024

  • Ashley August
  • Jennifer Chang
  • Paris Crayton III
  • Inara George
  • Christina Ham
  • Paloma Nozicka
  • Alexis Roblan

2024/2025

  • Sunny Drake
  • Keiko Green
  • Andrew Zepeda Klein
  • maatin
  • Samah Meghjee
  • James Anthony Tyler

Cast Iron Entertainment

Cast Iron
Entertainment

Geffen Playhouse has launched a new artist residency with Cast Iron Entertainment, a cohort of artists including two-time Emmy Award winner Sterling K. Brown (Frozen 2, This is Us), Glenn Davis (Billions, King James), Emmy Award and Tony Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry (The Eternals, Atlanta), Tony Award nominee Jon Michael Hill (Elementary, Widows), André Holland (Selma, Jitney), and Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, Choir Boy).

Learn More

Cast Iron Entertainment

Cast Iron
Entertainment

Geffen Playhouse has launched a new artist residency with Cast Iron Entertainment, a cohort of artists including two-time Emmy Award winner Sterling K. Brown (Frozen 2, This is Us), Glenn Davis (Billions, King James), Emmy Award and Tony Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry (The Eternals, Atlanta), Tony Award nominee Jon Michael Hill (Elementary, Widows), André Holland (Selma, Jitney), and Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, Choir Boy).

Learn More

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