New Play Development in the Major Regional Theatres

Assessing how regional theatres develop new plays is important in evaluating if regional theatres are utilizing their resources effectively and determining how regional theatres contribute to the creation of new plays.  Approximately half of the regional theatres with budgets over five million dollars responded to a survey on the development of new work.  The results showed that readings and workshops, which sometimes lead to a production, are the main methods regional theatres use to develop new plays.  Further interviews with administrators running new play development programs at these theatres and with playwrights indicated that some of these programs are effective in developing new plays and some are not, though they may serve other purposes for the theatre.  A number of theatres are trying new ways of developing new work that have less financial risk, including partnering with smaller companies.  Theatres should consider employing some of these new strategies as well as carefully appraising their current programs to determine what they are accomplishing.