New Play Development Workshop
What is the true heart of your play?
Class Description
Semester: Summer 2025 Instructor: Che'Rae Adams (PlayPenn Artistic Director) This one-day intensive workshop will be held in person at The Proscenium Theatre at The Drake in Philadelphia After multiple sold-out intensives, PlayPenn's Artistic Director, Che'Rae Adams, returns with an in-person workshop at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre! With decades of experience in new play development, Che'Rae guides playwrights through a series of exercises designed to uncover the true subject of their play. She shares her expertise, offering invaluable insights and practical tools to support the creative process. Open to all levels, this workshop includes a PDF of Che'Rae's workbook, "Writing is Hard", to help participants continue their writing journey. Questions? Email Us! classes@playpenn.org
Class Schedule
Cancellation Policy
At PlayPenn, we are proud to collaborate with exceptional artists who generously make time in their busy schedules to teach our classes. To ensure a high-quality, personalized experience, we keep class sizes intentionally small. Because of this limited capacity, we are unable to offer refunds for missed classes. We kindly ask that you confirm your availability before registering to ensure you don’t miss the chance to learn from our outstanding instructors. In the rare event that we must cancel a class due to unforeseen circumstances, a full refund will be issued.
Learn More About Your Instructor
Our teaching artists are all working professional writers—award-winning playwrights and musical theatre creators—who bring real-world experience, insight, and passion to every session.
Get to know our artists—click a name below to read their full bio.
Summer 2025 Classes
For theater makers who want to deepen their understanding of how great musicals are made.
Starts Jul 28
Reimagine your theatre practice through the lens of disability and authentic representation.
Starts Jul 29
From Churchill to Parks—study women playwrights who revolutionize story, structure, and stage.
Starts Jul 30
Learn to finish strong & submit with purpose—build real-world submission skills as a writer.
Starts Jul 23
Learn to revise with clarity, confidence, creative direction, and captivate your audience.
Starts Jul 31
For theatre makers who want to learn how songs drive story, structure, and character.
Starts Aug 1
Starts Jul 5
Sharpen your dialogue to reveal character, drive story, and captivate your audience.
Starts Jul 29