Terrence McNally New Works Incubator Opens Cycle 5 Applications

Rattlestick Theater, the Terrence McNally Foundation, and Tom Kirdahy Productions have opened submissions for Cycle 5 of the Terrence McNally New Works Incubator.

As a continuation of Terrence McNally’s singular legacy of mentorship, and his commitment to fostering bold new voices in the American theater, the New Works Incubator is a multi-pronged program designed to support ambitious early-career playwrights by giving them time and space to develop their work, professional mentorship with veteran playwrights, and access to the community of artists and work being developed at Rattlestick and Tom Kirdahy Productions.

Applications for the Terrence McNally New Works Incubator will open on October 2nd, 2026 at 10:00am ET and Will Close on December 4th, 2026 at 11:59pm ET, or when 500 applications have been received. Please visit the website to determine if you are eligible etc. Questions? Email tmincubator@rattlestick.org. No phone calls please.

Since 2023, fellowships have been awarded to Katie Bender, Molly Herron Bicks, HyoJeong Choi, Milo Cramer, Avery Deutsch, Orlando Hernández, Jesse Jae Hoon, Beth Hyland, Celeste Jennings, Sam Mueller, Eliana Theologides Rodriguez, and Haygen-Brice Walker.

As part of our growing commitment to connect our fellows with world-class artistic collaborators, each McNally Fellow will also receive a developmental workshop that culminates in a public reading featuring industry-leading professionals. Recent mentors have included Jaclyn Bachaus, Hannah Bos, Sheila Callaghan, Sarah DeLappe, Halley Feiffer, Emma Horwitz, David Henry Hwang, MJ Kaufman, Paul Thureen, and Mfoniso Udofia. Recent directors have included Tea Alagić, Arin Arbus, Carson Jonek, Anne Kauffman, Portia-Krieger/">Portia Krieger, Goldie E. Patrick, Caitlin Sullivan, and Dustin Wills.

Each application is thoughtfully reviewed by a broad reader pool of industry professionals. Semi-finalists and finalists are selected through two rounds of consideration. Finalists are granted an interview with a selection panel, including representatives from Rattlestick and Tom Kirdahy Productions.

Cycle 5 Fellows will be selected by a Playwrights Advisory Council. Cycle 4 Fellows Katie Bender, Orlando Hernández, and Beth Hyland were selected from a competitive pool of 500 applicants by the 2026 Playwrights Advisory Council, which featured Eboni Booth, Sheila Callaghan, Sarah Ruhl, and Chay Yew. Past council members have included Christopher Chen, Halley Feiffer, David Henry Hwang, Donja R. Love, Lynn Nottage, and Paula Vogel. Selected Fellows will be awarded the Fellowship in spring 2027.

The Rattlestick Theater building at 224 Waverly Place is now The Terrence McNally Theater, named for the late Tony Award-winning playwright in celebration of the continued partnership between the Terrence McNally Foundation and Rattlestick, which has been the home of the Terrence McNally New Works Incubator since 2022.

STRUCTURE OF THE INCUBATOR PROGRAM

STIPEND

Each McNally Fellow will receive a one-time stipend of $10,000 to be used as the playwright sees fit to best further their goals.

MENTORSHIP

In consultation with Rattlestick Theater and Tom Kirdahy Productions (TKP), each McNally Fellow will be paired with a veteran playwright mentor who will read a minimum of two drafts and offer one-on-one feedback, in addition to attending a workshop rehearsal and/or final presentation subject to their availability.

THREE-WEEK INCUBATION

After the initial mentor meeting, the playwright will revise and develop their play for three weeks. This is time for rigorous thinking, dreaming, and writing outside the constraints of a product-oriented rehearsal space. In addition to mentor feedback, the playwright will meet with the literary teams at both TKP and Rattlestick to discuss their work and process. McNally Fellows will be invited to participate in a series of Rattlestick events where they will have the opportunity to get to know the teams at TKP and Rattlestick as well as the other McNally Fellows and other industry professionals.

WORKSHOP

The second part of the incubator will take the form of a developmental workshop culminating in a public presentation. Core collaborators (director, dramaturg, actors) will be chosen in consultation with the selected playwright, TKP, and Rattlestick and will be compensated for their time.