A local launchpad for new theatrical works that spark community conversation.
For Writers
Development Opportunities
PIC is a collective of empowered theater artists centering stories that have the potential to spark community conversation through a highly collaborative, unique play development process. PIC artists (actor-dramaturgs, directors, stage managers, designers, and more) work with the incoming local writer(s) to identify the most beneficial next steps in the development of their piece: a customized approach tailored to their specific needs. We are dedicated to building long-term collaborative relationships with all artists we work with, providing a safe space to experiment with new ideas and concepts on an ongoing basis.
We have four different development offerings for playwrights:
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A 9-month long Incubation Residency for scripts that only have an outline or partial draft. Submissions are open to playwrights who we have worked with in the past on Development Workshops and/or PIC PIPS
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The Development Workshop 8 hours of worksessions spread over the course of 3 days followed by a public reading and dramaturgical conversation. It is designed for full drafts that would benefit from polishing with the help of actors and other artists. Submissions are open to anyone within a one hour radius of Hampshire County Mass once a year and go through an robust review process to determine if they meet our criteria.
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PIC PIPS (Plays In Progress Series) which offers a public reading followed by a dramaturgical conversation with the audience. Submissions are open to anyone within a one hour radius of Hampshire County Mass once a year and go through an robust review process to determine of they meet our criteria.
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The Salon and Social where playwrights can share a 10 minute excerpt from a work in progress. Submissions are welcomed on a first come first served basis provided the piece fits the given criteria.
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Thank you to everyone who submitted for our 2025 PIC PIPS and Development Workshops. We are pleased to announce our 2025 Season. Visit our "Script Development Programs" page to see what we will be supporting this year.
These opportunities are not about performance or production. These are opportunities to develop the text. PIC supports pieces that lead with curiosity and an invitation to engage in conversation.
More Information about the programs:
What is PIC PIPS? PIPS stands for Plays In Progress Series. These are readings of new work in front of an audience. PIC casts full length plays from our roster of artists who come together on the day of the presentation for a live reading of the script in front of an audience. The playwright and an assigned dramaturg work together to develop questions to share with audience after the reading, and in this way the audience serves as a sounding board for further development of the piece. This is reserved for scripts in a variety of developmental stages.
​What types of pieces are a good fit for PIC PIPS?
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Plays that have a full and complete draft. The draft could be in its first or final draft, or anywhere in between but, regardless of stage, the playwright would benefit from seeing how it sits with an audience.
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A play written a while ago that would benefit from a new/modern audience
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A full draft the playwright has had for awhile and would benefit from hearing it one last time before sending it off into the world for potential production.
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What is the Development Workshop? Development Workshop is reserved for pieces that have a first full draft and could use an intensive period of writing and hearing the work out loud with actors. This opportunity provides developmental worksessions with actors and other support artists over the course of a number of consecutive days, culminating in a reading and developmental discussion with an audience.
What types of pieces are a good fit for the Development Workshop?
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A full draft that needs an overhaul which could be achieved by having actors and other artists in the room. The necessary work could be on the entire script or specific sections.
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A play that was written a long time ago and needs an update for a modern audienceA script by a playwright interested in what actors’ perspectives will provide for the characters
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A script that needs further development of character arcs
Salon and Socials
​The Salon and Social is an open-mic style public showcase of brand new works-in-progress where anyone is welcome to present original works of 10 minutes or less. We reserve time at the end for gathering as a community to discuss the pieces and get to know one another. These gatherings are a great opportunity to engage in conversation with PIC artists and serve as the first audience for new works.
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If you have a play, scene, musical, song, poem, dance, or any other piece of performance art that you would like to present to a live audience, you've come to the right place. Presenters share roughly 10 minutes or less of their works. Salon and Socials are always free to attend and are held in various venues throughout Western Massachussetts twice during the summer. Dates, times, and locations for 2025 to be announced.
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