DOROTHY STRELSIN NEW AMERICAN WRITERS GROUP

Primary Stages is committed to supporting playwrights at all stages of their careers and providing an artistic home where they can hone their craft and develop their latest works.  

An integral part of this initiative is our Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, which has been fostering the creation of new works by emerging playwrights for 29 years. Throughout its history, the Group has helped launch the careers of over 60 writers and supported the creation of over 165 new plays. The last five years have seen over 25 productions of plays developed in the Group. Notable titles include The Seven Year Disappear by Jordan Seavey, Hatef*ck by Rehana Lew Mirza, We The Invisibles by Susan Soon He Stanton, Eden Prairie by Mat Smart, God Said This by Leah Nanako Winkler, Amerikin and Proof of Love by Chisa Hutchinson, and Queen of Basel by Hillary Bettis.

Led by our artistic staff, the Group is composed of six up-and-coming writers who participate in the program for a three-year cycle. This multi-year commitment provides writers with the security of an artistic home and enables our staff to form intimate relationships with these artists and give them the personal attention they need to advance their work. The Group meets on a weekly basis from September through April, giving writers the opportunity to discuss their current projects and offer each other constructive feedback in a supportive environment. The goal for each writer is to complete a new play by the end of the spring session, which is then given a public reading in our Fresh Ink Reading Series. Additionally, as an extension of our Creative Access Program, we partner with NYC-based theater companies that provide support to historically underrepresented communities for writer nominations, amplifying the artists and work of these vital arts organizations. This year, we welcomed playwrights nominated by The National Black Theater and Latinx Playwrights Circle, and are deeply grateful to our partner theaters for introducing us to such incredible artists. Our 2023/24 Group members include Benjamin Benne, Oscar A. L. Cabrera, Fedna Jacquet, Eric Micha Holmes, Jonathan Norton, Madhuri Shekar, and Calamity West.

Primary Stages continues to support our Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group alumni in their future as artists. Alumni collaborations include such commissions as Rehana Lew Mirza’s A People’s Guide to History in the Time of Here and Now. In 2019, Primary Stages produced Leah Nanako Winkler’s God Said This, which was began in DSNAWG and then went to on to feature in the Actors Theater of Louisville’s Humana Festival and received the 2018 Yale Drama Prize. In our 2024/25 season, Primary Stages will produce Chisa Hutchinson’s Amerikin, which began in DSNAWG, as part of the AMPLIFY Festival at 59E59 Theaters.

Our 2024 Fresh Ink Reading Series was held on April 3-12 at 59E59 Theaters.
Details about our 2025 Fresh Ink Reading Series will be announced in the Spring.
All readings are free and open to the public.