New Play Development

Since its founding in 1981, Capital Repertory Theatre has produced over 30 world premieres. Various readings and productions at theREP have helped launch the future life of new plays, musicals, and theatre for young audiences, supporting playwrights, and composers across the country. 

At theREP’s sister venue Proctors, new work has also been developed via Stageworks Play by Play and a new play festival spearheaded by associate artist Kevin McGuire. From 2012-25, theREP produced the annual Next Act New Play Summit, a reading series which invited audiences to review plays and help select a winner to be produced in a subsequent season. Participants in the Summit included playwrights Susan Bradbeer, Sherry Kramer, Bob Morris, Steven Peterson, Kareem Fahmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy.  

theREP’s new work development is currently supported by a generous legacy gift from Samson O.A. Ullmann, a professor of English at Union College from 1957 to 1992. theREP continues to work closely with professional playwrights to commission and develop work for our MainStage and our theatre for young audiences — often in collaboration with community partners. Most recently, scenes and songs from a brand-new draft of “The Magi” by Helen R. Murray and Eli Pafumi were shared with the public as part of the “Hopeless Romantics” Festival at Ten Broeck Mansion. A full production of “The Magi” will run on the MainStage at theREP’s from Dec. 1-4.

Although theREP does not currently accept unsolicited scripts, playwrights who are local to the Capital Region are invited to submit a ten-page sample of their work to theREP’s Dramaturg Neena Arndt: narndt@attherep.org.

“The Magi” from the Ten Broeck to the MainStage

“The Last American Newspaper” by Ken Tingley