Interrobang Theatre Project, in association with The Theatre School at DePaul University, is proud to announce The Playwriting Initiative. It is our belief that it falls on every theater in our community to nurture new work. Our commitment to playwrights will include providing a supportive environment with necessary resources such as actors, directors, and space.

Interdisciplinary study in the formation of adaptable theatre artists. By nurturing and educating actors, directors, administrators, playwrights, designers, and technicians, we prepare theatre artists to enter any aspect of the industry.

Interdisciplinary study in the formation of adaptable theatre artists. By nurturing and educating actors, directors, administrators, playwrights, designers, and technicians, we prepare theatre artists to enter any aspect of the industry.

2nd Annual Developmental Workshop Lifeline Theatre announces our 2nd annual developmental workshop! We continue to be invested in bringing new and diverse voices to our stage. As a new works company specializing in literary adaptation, we believe writers who adapt literature to the stage need dramatists to bounce ideas off of, actors to read it out loud, and experienced theatre makers to engage in discussion with the work. Also, writers need TIME to digest and incorporate the results of those experiences into their play. Lifeline Theatre has been developing new adaptations through an ensemble...

Stage Left Theatre inspires debate by producing and developing plays that explore political and social issues. Downstage Left residencies are designed to help playwrights take a project from the conceptual stage all the way to a production-ready script. Playwrights work closely with one of our ensemble directors and members of the literary team to design a process tailored to the particular needs of their project.

Our versatile ensemble creates visceral experiences that challenge perspectives through passionate storytelling. Shattered Globe is inspired by the diversity of our city and is committed to making the theater accessible to all audiences. Through initiatives like our Protégé Program, we create a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share the ensemble experience with us. Shattered Globe Theatre brings its audiences dynamic re-imaginings of classic works, as well as premiere productions that celebrate new voices and innovative viewpoints.

Chicago Writers Bloc is a play development group that focuses on presenting new plays developed in monthly sessions and regular new play festivals. Led by Joanne Koch, a widely produced playwright and noted Emeritus Director of the National Louis University Master’s in Written Communication Program, the not-for-profit Writers’ Bloc has brought over 250 new plays and musicals to Chicago area audiences, supported in part by grants and by festival attendees and contributors. Many of these plays have gone on to win local, national, and international prizes with productions locally and around...

Refracted is a 501(c)3 theatre production company based in Chicago. The company's mission is to use innovative theatre to tell "the other side of the story." By looking at complex issues from different angles, through a multi-faceted lens, we generate meaningful discourse that centers our core humanity.

The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project is a free, weeklong songwriting workshop for young, aspiring songwriters between the ages of 18 and 30. Led by award-winning master teachers, this program is for songwriters of all genres: music theatre, contemporary pop, R&B, country, rock, Latin, jazz, and many more!

What does it mean to be “at the center of writing”? It means defining yourself not as a playwright, screenwriter, or television writer, but as an artist who seeks to tell the best story possible, to fit that story to the most appropriate form, and to pursue writing opportunities wherever they present themselves. Today more than ever, an ability to demonstrate versatility in all mediums is invaluable, as now screenplays are written by playwrights, TV shows are developed by screenwriters, and theatre is created by TV writers. We’ve designed our MFA Program around six core courses, which...

The American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University supports the development of new musicals. AMTP’s goal is to provide artists and their works with the proper time, space, and resources to realize their intended vision and shepherd them through the next step of their developmental journey. Additionally, inviting artists and pieces to campus allows Northwestern students to engage with new work in a rewarding and illuminating way through performance opportunities, assistantships, and observation. AMTP strives toward becoming a fully inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist...

The Old Lady project is an initiative to encourage the development of plays and musicals that feature significant roles for female identifying characters over 50. Plays will be submitted to a national panel of directors and producers and two staged readings will occur in Evanston per year. A directory of works will be featured on the Old Lady Project webpage to facilitate connections between theatre companies, directors and producers.