PlayPenn

05/27/2026

Calling all Philadelphia-based playwrights! Applications are now open for The Foundry! Apply at www.playpenn.org/apply

The Foundry is a free three-year playwrights’ workshop at PlayPenn for Philadelphia-based writers, guided by lead artists L M Feldman and R. Eric Thomas.

Members meet twice a month to share work, exchange feedback, and engage in meaningful artistic dialogue within a supportive and rigorous creative community.

The primary objective of the Foundry is to help emerging playwrights hone their skills through self-directed writing and revision.

After completing the initial three years, writers continue as ongoing members, remaining active participants in The Foundry community.

The Foundry has cultivated a remarkable community of playwrights and artistic leaders who began their careers in Philadelphia. Alumni include Chris Davis, Emma Goidel, Sarah Mantell, MJ Kaufman, R. Eric Thomas, Erlina Ortiz, MK Tuomanen, Iraisa Ann Reilly, Chaz T. Martin, Lex Thammavong, and Zahra Patterson along with the more than 60 playwrights who have participated in the program since 2012.

Current members of The Foundry at PlayPenn include Rayne, Siddarth Anand, Monica Flory, Natyna Bean, Lulu Duffy-Tumasz, Aly Gonzalez, August Hakvaag, Nick Jonczak, and Pravin Wilkins.

Calling all Philadelphia-based playwrights! Applications are now open for The Foundry! Apply at www.playpenn.org/apply

04/22/2026

BIG NEWS FOR 2027! The Foundry at PlayPenn, Philadelphia’s preeminent playwright collective, launches its inaugural festival in 2027, spotlighting new work by the next generation of theater artists, produced in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company.

The 2027 Festival will feature readings of new work by Lulu Duffy-Tumasz, Aly Gonzalez, and August Hakvaag.

March 12–14, 2027
at The Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake

March 20 and 21
In NYC!

The Foundry at PlayPenn is a tuition-free three-year playwrights’ workshop for emerging/early career Philadelphia-based writers, guided by lead artists L M Feldman and R. Eric Thomas.

Writers meet regularly to share work, exchange feedback, and engage in meaningful artistic dialogue within a supportive and rigorous creative community.

Its alumni include Chris Davis, Emma Goidel, Sarah Mantell, MJ Kaufman, R. Eric Thomas, Erlina Ortiz, MK Tuomanen, Iraisa Ann Reilly, Chaz T. Martin, Lex Thammavong, and Zahra Patterson along with the more than 60 playwrights who have participated in the program since 2012.

Current Foundry Members include Rayne, Siddarth Anand, Natyna Bean, Lulu Duffy-Tumasz, Monica Flory, Aly Gonzalez, August Hakvaag, Nick Jonczak, Pravin Wilkins.

04/21/2026

We’re still reeling after spending time with PlayPenn staff, our Foundry playwrights, and board members during our events spree in late March. Community matters! P.S. - We saw “Miz Martha” at Wilma Theater that night. It was everything. More events to come!! Are you on PlayPenn’s mailing list? Get on the list now!!

03/17/2026

03/05/2026

On Monday, March 30 Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright James Ijames returns to PlayPenn (where many of his early works were developed) for an evening centered around the invisible but essential process that shapes new work before the public ever sees it

James will be joined by Nancy Boykin and Kimberly S. Fairbanks, PlayPenn Board Members and cast members of Wilma Theater’s upcoming production of Miz Martha, in a conversation moderated by PlayPenn Artistic Director Che’Rae Adams.

Pulitzer Prize winning writer James Ijames returns to PlayPenn for a full circle conversation alongside Nancy Boykin, Kimberly S. Fairbanks, and Che'Rae Adams. Presented in association with Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and Wilma Theater.

02/18/2026

What if your voice could shape the stories the world can’t stop talking about? Your voice is not a hobby. It’s the spark that moves an audience from silence to standing ovation. Are you ready to sharpen it?

Scholarships, payment plans, and reduced rates for returning PlayPenn and DGI students are available.

PlayPenn’s Continuing Education classes are laboratories for big ideas, fearless craft, and training for artists who want more than inspiration. It is rigorous, hands on, artist-centered training that strengthens structure, character, dialogue, and dramatic tension. You’ll write. You’ll revise...

12/31/2025

Your support of PlayPenn this year empowered more than 200 theatre writers to move the American theatre forward.

In the twenty years since our founding, PlayPenn has expanded its reach and deepened its impact. This year alone, three PlayPenn playwrights are heading to Broadway and two to Off-Broadway, in addition to numerous world premieres and productions in Philadelphia and across the nation.

To date, PlayPenn has helped develop more than 160 new works which have gone on to receive more than 370 full productions at theatres throughout the United States and abroad.

Whether through The Foundry, which offers three years of free mentorship to Philadelphia writers; The Playwrights Cohort, helping playwrights strengthen their business and professional skills; our Continuing Education classes, which provide affordable, high-quality online training to artists around the world; or our annual New Play Development Conference, which gathers our entire community to support the visions and artistry of our Resident Playwrights, your support made it possible for creators to take bold artistic risks.

Thank you for an amazing 2025! Here is to 2026 and beyond!

12/31/2025

Today could be your first day to support PlayPenn! A contribution of $20 or more welcomes you as a Friend of PlayPenn and helps grow our community of supporters.

Creating a new work for the stage is an act of courage. It begins in uncertainty, filled with questions no single artist can answer alone. To build, to break, to bend, to soften, to harden, and ultimately to dream a piece into existence requires a community of support.

That’s why we’re inviting you to include PlayPenn among the arts organizations you support.

PlayPenn is a national center for new plays and playwrights devoted to nurturing bold new voices in contemporary theatre located in Philadelphia.

12/29/2025

Formerly known as The Playwrights Cohort, PlayPenn’s Playwright Entrepreneur Program (PEP), is a first-of-its-kind, tuition-free professional development program designed to help playwrights build sustainable, self-directed careers. This initiative addresses a critical gap in traditional artistic training by focusing on the practical business skills playwrights need to thrive.

After receiving over 100 applications, the 2025/2026 Playwright Entrepreneur Program cohort, the third cohort since the program’s inception since 2023, will include 30 amazing individuals whose multidisciplinary careers span disciplines, practices, and perspectives.

Formerly known as The Playwrights Cohort, PlayPenn’s Playwright Entrepreneur Program (PEP), is a first-of-its-kind, tuition-free professional development program designed to help playwrights build sustainable, self-directed careers. This initiative addresses a critical gap in traditional artistic ...

12/28/2025

The Foundry at PlayPenn, Philadelphia's preeminent playwrights collective for emerging professional writers, welcomes Rayne, Siddarth Anand, and Monica Flory as new Foundry members and its Class of 2028. Playwrights L M Feldman (hand foot hand) and R. Eric Thomas (Xtravaganza) will continue to lead the workshop in their fifth year as the Foundry’s Lead Artists.

Rayne, Siddarth, and Monica join current members of The Foundry who include Natyna Bean, Lulu Duffy-Tumasz, Aly Gonzalez, August Hakvaag, Nick Jonczak, and Pravin Wilkins.

The Foundry at PlayPenn, Philadelphia's preeminent playwrights collective for emerging professional writers, welcomes Rayne, Siddarth Anand, and Monica Flory as new Foundry members and its Class of 2028. Playwrights L M Feldman (hand foot hand) and R. Eric Thomas (Xtravaganza) will continue to lead....