INKubator New Play Program

Applications are now CLOSED for the 2025-2026 INKubator New Play Program. The deadline for applications was Tuesday, September 2 at 5:00PM ET. If you have any questions or need to make adjustments to your application, please email Alex Tobey at alex@arthouseproductions.org.

INKubator is an eight-month generative playwriting process for a select group of playwrights-in-residence in Jersey City, culminating in the annual INKubator New Play Festival in May. 

Playwrights will meet as a group and in-person monthly from October 2025 to May 2026 alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new pages, receive feedback, and develop the first draft of a brand new play. At the end of the process in May, each writer will team up with a professional director and actors to present a public staged reading as a part of the annual INKubator New Play Festival.

ABOUT THE INKUBATOR NEW PLAY PROGRAM
At its essence, INKubator supports playwrights and the plays they are creating at their earliest stage of development while also creating opportunities for long-term artistic relationships with Art House and the Art House community.

Current benefits for INKubator writers include:

  • $150 stipend
  • One-day rehearsal and public performance of the first draft of their play in May 2026 as part of INKubator New Play Festival
  • Promotional and marketing support for the playwright and their new play
  • Free admission to performances, mixers, and other events at Art House Productions throughout the year
  • The ability to schedule time the theatre for any meetings, rehearsals, and readings as needed for free

Details:

  • You must be able to commit to all the monthly in-person meetings at Art House Productions on the evenings of October 6, November 3, December 1, January 5, February 2, March 2, and April 6.
  • It's okay if the play you pitch already has some pages written, but the collective goal of the residency should be to complete a first draft. If you already have a majority of the play written, all of the answers figured out, or even a completed first draft, we would recommend applying with a play that is much earlier in its development process.
  • The INKubator New Play Festival is tentatively scheduled for May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13, 2026. Please hold these dates in your calendar, as we encourage writers to attend the entire festival and properly support the work of their cohort.

Art House Productions is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and encourages playwrights of all backgrounds, ages, and experience levels to apply.

PAST INKUBATOR COHORTS