The Womens Project & Productions

Wp labfounded in 1983, the wp lab is a unique, career-launching two-year mentorship and new play development program for 15 early-career women+ playwrights, directors, and producers (five in each concentration). The lab distinguishes itself as the only program in america that puts playwrights, directors, and producers together in the same room. Selected through a highly competitive process, lab members all receive a vital professional network, entrepreneurial and leadership training,free rehearsal space, and most significantly, opportunities for the development and production of bold new work for the stage. Lab has three main goals: to cultivate the work of women+ artists of all kinds, to give them the tools they need to succeed in the business, and to present their work to the world and theater industry through the biennial pipeline festival. The lab is recognizedfield-wide as the place to find the next generation of theater talent. In evaluating the success of the program we look at:1). Career trajectory: are lab artists receiving awards/other recognition, jobs at other theaters, commissions, etc. (ex: 2016 alum tamilla woodard was hired as wp's new associate artistic director in 2018, then named co-artistic director of working theater in 2020 andnow is the director of the acting department at the yale school of drama; 2016 alum rachel karpf was hired as wp's new artistic producer in 2018, and subsequently in 2020 was named director of programming for the new york times and then named vp of experience and live stage at paramount; 2012 alum stephanie ybarra was appointed artistic directorof baltimore center stage and is now a program officer at the mellon foundation; 2008 alum katori hall was nominated for a 2020 tony award for best book - musical for tina - the tina turner musical; 2012 alum sarah rasmussen was recently appointed artistic director of the mccarter theatre; 2010 alum rachel chavkin won the 2019 tony for best direction - musical for hadestown; 2008 alum maria goyanes was appointed artistic director of woolly mammoth theater);2). Project trajectory: are pipeline plays being produced, receiving awards, etc. (ex. 2018 alum sylvia khoury's play power strip premiered at lct3 in 2019; 2016 alum sarah burgess' play kings premiered at the public theater in 2018; 2018 alum leah nanako winkler's play two mile hollow had its simultaneous world premiere at first floor theater(chicago), mixed blood theatre/theater mu (minneapolis), ferocious lotus (san francisco), and artists at play (los angeles);3). Continued professional collaboration among lab members (ex. After meeting in the lab, 2016 alum danya taymor directed martyna majok's 2016 wp pipeline festival play queens at lct3; 2016-2018 lab collaborators sylvia khoury and tyne rafaeli went on to collaborate onsylvia's play power strip at lct3 and selling kabul at playwrights horizons after working together in the 2018 festival). In recent years, lab members have begun to receive major career opportunities even before the program ends: in our 2018-2020 cohort, rebecca martnez signed with her first agent, received three major regional premieres, and was hired as wp's associate artistic director before becoming the cohort collaborations director at one nation / oneproject; candis c. Jones was tapped to direct a mainstage production at the public theater (cullud wattah by erika dickerson-despenza); christina (cq) quintana and charly evon simpson were each hired to write on network television programs; marie cisco was hired as aproducer for lee daniels entertainment; and charly evon simpson received an overall deal at hbo, multiple regional premieres as well as her off-broadway debut, and won the 2019 lanford wilson award.

New play developmentseason also includes wp's play development activities, such as commissioning new work, offering developmental readings and workshops, and partnering with like-minded organizations to offer public reading series throughout the year. These activities help support our artists'creative processes, while fostering the creation of in-progress works for the stage by both emerging and seasoned playwrights.