Founded in 2023, The New Play Series (NPS) is a developmental process for emerging or early career playwrights. Melancholics Anonymous is excited to continue the series with our third cycle and is currently seeking submissions for our 2026 Winter/Spring season. The 4-5 selected playwrights will be matched with a director and performers, receiving a 2-3 week workshop process of meetings and rehearsals that then culminates in a free, script-in-hand reading for the public in Minneapolis.

The objectives of this program are to give playwrights the space to build upon their current draft, hear their work out loud, and engage in discussions with a room of supportive collaborators who are ready to dig deep dramaturgically. Melancholics’ Artistic Director and Literary team work with each playwright to craft a custom rehearsal schedule and set actionable workshop goals. Playwrights local to the Twin Cities Area are especially encouraged to apply to ensure in-person rehearsals, although we have made virtual workshops possible for those based elsewhere in the country.

Timeline:

April 1st: NPS Submissions Open

May 1st: NPS Submissions Close at 11:59pm

Early June: Finalists will be contacted for a virtual interview

July 1st: All NPS applicants will be notified of their application status

Application Requirements:

By May 1st 2025, please email us at melancholics@melancholicsanonymous.org with the following:

A PDF of your Current Script that includes a character breakdown that lists character names and any necessary demographics for casting including but not limited to age, gender, race, ability, etc. If you are adapting a work that is not in the public domain, you may be asked for proof of your permission to adapt said work. For musical submissions, you may be asked to share sheet music or demo tracks within our finalist round.
A Development Goals statement which can be a letter or a list of bullet notes, but no longer than 1 page. We encourage you to share about your artistry, your writing goals for the piece, and how you believe NPS can specifically help you achieve your goals.

Questions? Please reach out to us at melancholics@melancholicsanonymous.org.

Testimonials:

“... A wonderful opportunity to play with this piece and see all it can do. It also enabled me to see my rewrites in motion instead of just being alone in the process” - Catherine Weingarten

“I walked away from every rehearsal with fresh ideas to try, a new perspective on my writing, and something new to think about… I know my play is stronger now than when I first submitted it, and that’s because of the feedback I received from the incredible cohort” - Clare Rolinger

Previous New Play Series Playwrights:

Melancholics is proud to have worked with emerging playwrights from across the country. We’ve been honored to see NPS plays produced at colleges, numerous festivals, and become semi-finalists of the National Playwrights Conference.

2024-2025

Emma Y. Lai
Catherine Weingarten
August Chaffin
Clare Rolinger
Jack Moorman and Lucas Ellingson

2023-2024

Grace O’Rourke
Brigit van Gemeren
Julia Jennings
Asher de Forest

Melancholics Anonymous

Located in Minneapolis/St. Paul, contact us at melancholics@melancholicsanonymous.org

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