Overview

New play development doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a process that lives at the intersection of art and industry. As playwrights bring new work into the world through readings, workshops, and collaborations, they encounter a range of professional challenges that require more than just creative talent.

The Playwright Entrepreneur Program at PlayPenn (formerly known The Playwrights Cohort) is designed with this in mind, recognizing that understanding the business side of theatre, from contracts, rights, representation, to self-advocacy, is essential to protecting a writer’s voice throughout the development process. By equipping playwrights with practical knowledge and industry insight, the program ensures they are not only prepared to write new work but to navigate and sustain a career within the structures that bring that work to life.

The Playwright Entrepreneur Program (PEP) is a year-long professional development program that helps emerging playwrights build sustainable careers by understanding the business of theatre. Every month experts in their sector will engage the cohort on subjects such as entertainment law, building a portfolio, finding representation, having agency in the rehearsal room, managing personal finances and more. The program operates on a hybrid model, holding monthly meetings in person and online.

Program Sessions

PEP members meet with PlayPenn collaborators and guest professionals for 12 career developmental sessions throughout the year. Sessions are in the hybrid model, with digital and in-person sessions on topics including: Entertainment Law, Finances for Freelancers, Representation, Promoting Work, Agency in the Rehearsal Room, and Development Opportunities. Recent sessions include:

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• Navigating The Industry with Todd London 

• Licensing 101 for Playwrights with Brendan Conheady

• Playwright Mixer with Directors & Dramaturgs

• Artist Taxes with Akeem Davis (Philadelphia Tax Prep for Artists)

• Artist Taxes with Amy Smith (Philadelphia Tax Prep for Artists)

• Origin Story with Carrie Klewin Lawrence

• Ethics of Playwriting and Appropriation with Angeline Larimer

• Getting Published with Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames

• Know Your Rights! Advocacy and Power Dynamics with Emmanuel Wilson

• Intellectual Property with Jessica Lit

• Social Media Branding with Cindy Marie Jenkins

• In the Rehearsal Room Roger Q. Mason

• Finding An Agent with Jamie Kaye Phillips

2025-2026 Cohort

We’re thrilled to introduce a dynamic group of 30 playwrights from all career levels across the Mid-Atlantic region as our 2025–2026 cohort of The Playwright Entrepreneur Program. While our inaugural cohort focused solely on Philadelphia-based playwrights, this year’s class expands to include artists based in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C. These writers bring a rich diversity of perspectives and experiences, united by a shared commitment to developing their craft and building sustainable careers in the theater industry.

Eligibility