"My work was taken seriously; I was given two productions; I was flown to two wonderful locations; I met with agents, literary managers, artistic directors, and more; I went to memorable parties; and I formed exciting new friendships. I left this experience feeling excited about the state of playwriting in America, and excited for the future."

--Will Arbery (2014 Alum)

Learn more about our top two programs!

Each year, Theater Masters hosts a national 10-minute playwriting competition among the MFA students at the top MFA Playwriting programs in the country. Participating schools include: Brown University, Brooklyn College, Cal Arts, Carnegie-Mellon University, Columbia University, New York University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of California-San Diego, University of Iowa, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Yale School of Drama. 10 top plays are selected, by an esteemed guest adjudicator along with Artistic Director Julia Hansen, Artistic Associate Naomi McDougall Jones, and a reading panel made up of industry professionals, from submissions by these schools and the playwrights are flown, first to Aspen and then New York, for workshops and performances of their pieces. This is a unique and career-starting program for these young playwrights. The festival culminates in a public performance of these pieces, along with the winners of the Aspiring Playwrights Competition, first in Aspen, CO and then an Equity showcase in New York City. For more information and submission guidelines, please click on the "Play Submissions” page.

​We are pleased to announce that Samuel French will begin publishing an annual anthology of the winning plays from our National MFA Playwrights Festival! The inaugural publication includes our playwright winners from 2015: 

Lydia Blaisdell, Paula Vesala, Chas LiBretto, Phillip Howze, Matthew Capodicasa, Sean David DeMers, David Jacobi, & Lin Tu.

Learn more and order your copy!

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