Innovation in Theatre Making: A Panel of Philadelphia Artistic Directors

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Join us for an open session of our Playwright Entrepreneur Program, featuring a conversation with Artistic Directors from Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Cannonball Festival, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Lemonade Stand, Tiny Dynamite, and more who lead innovative festivals and theatre companies dedicated to developing and presenting new work.

In this session, participants will explore the creative and entrepreneurial journeys behind launching and sustaining bold theatrical initiatives, the challenges of producing original voices, and what it takes to build platforms for emerging artists today. Whether you are a playwright, producer, or simply passionate about new theatre, this session is designed for you.

Participants will have the opportunity to gain insight, ask questions, and connect with a community committed to shaping the future of the stage.

About Playwright Entrepreneur Program

PlayPenn's Playwright Entrepreneur Program (PEP) is a tuition-free year-long professional development program that helps playwrights build sustainable careers by understanding the business of theatre. Every month experts in their sector will engage the cohort on subjects such as entertainment law, building a portfolio, finding representation, having agency in the rehearsal room, managing personal finances and more. The program operates on a hybrid model, holding monthly meetings in person and online.

About the 2026 New Play Development Conference

PlayPenn’s nationally recognized New Play Development Conference brings together readings of new plays alongside a citywide series of civic gatherings, workshops, artist exchanges, and public conversations focusing on art, democracy, historical memory, belonging, and collective imagination. This community-focused approach to new play development reflects a broader vision of theatre in a shared civic life that illuminates what theatre can do, who participates in it, how it unfolds, and why it matters. 

The 19-event Conference brings together 22 playwrights participating across workshops, conversations, and five new work presentations while expanding its scope to include an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust), free playwriting workshops for adults, teens, and women over 50, and a public conversation examining constitutional history and civic identity.

Additional programming includes a community workshop for queer theatre makers; a convening on innovation in theatre-making with leaders from Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Cannonball Festival, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Lemonade Stand, and Tiny Dynamite; and an acting lab focused on approaches to new play development and cross-community exchanges among theatre artists.