National Music Theater Conference, Eden Espinosa and More Set for O’Neill Theater Center 2025 Season
The season will also feature the National Puppetry Conference, the National Musical Theatre Conference and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 05, 2025
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has unveiled its 2025 summer conference lineup as well as a formal expansion of its developmental programming into the fall and winter seasons.
The National Puppetry Conference, now in its 35th year, will once again kick-start the summer schedule. The season will also feature The Cabaret & Performance Conference and more. See the full schedule below:
NATIONAL PUPPETRY CONFERENCE
Pam Arciero, Artistic Director
Since 1990, the O’Neill has brought together members of the puppetry community to grow as artists and create new work in a variety of puppetry styles. In its 35th year, the National Puppetry Conference will feature experts in the field including Liz Hara, Jim Kroupa, Noel MacNeal, Chamindika Wanduragala, Kurt Hunter, Maiko Kikuchi, Alice Laloy, and Alice Gottschalk.
“We invite you to join us for our 35th anniversary year of sharing the wonderful work of our puppet artists from all over the world,” said National Puppetry Conference Artistic Director Pam Arciero. “We are proud to continue this tradition of puppeteers sharing, creating, and developing new ideas and voices for our audiences. We look forward to seeing you there to enjoy this special year of puppet arts with us.”
This year, in addition to the performances that conclude the conference, audiences are invited to attend conference master classes which are available online for live-streaming and on-demand viewing.
The conference’s 2025 public events include:
Virtual Masterclass: Roshina Ratnam
Tuesday, June 3 at 3pm
Virtual Masterclass: Noel MacNeal
Tuesday, June 3 at 4pm
Virtual Masterclass: Chamindika Wanduragala
Wednesday, June 4 at 3pm
Virtual Masterclass: Liz Hara
Wednesday, June 4 at 4pm
Puppetry Performances
Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14 at 7pm
NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE
Melia Bensussen, Artistic Director
The National Playwrights Conference, celebrating 60 years, is excited to welcome four talented playwrights to the summer 2025 conference.
Playwrights will partake in a developmental process including two public performances and will remain in residence on the O’Neill’s campus throughout the entirety of the conference. In addition to working with professional creative teams throughout their workshop, they will also receive mentorship and support from this year’s Artist in Residence, NPC alum Adam Rapp. While on campus, Rapp will work on his play Goats and Monkeys ahead of its developmental residency in the fall.
“These gifted writers bring their unique vision to bear on the craft of theater—capturing a multiplicity of perspectives, shedding light on our world, and pushing forward the boundaries of storytelling on the stage,” said National Playwrights Conference Artistic Director Melia Bensussen. “For six decades the O'Neill has been a place that has celebrated the importance of language in the theater in myriad forms, and I am so looking forward to adding these four writers to the long list of venerated writers whose work has been developed here. These writers are living, breathing proof of the vitality of this art form, and I can't wait to get started."
The 2025 National Playwrights Conference includes:
49 Days
By Haruna Lee
Public Readings: Tuesday, June 17 at 7pm and Saturday, June 21 at 7pm
DEAD GIRL’S QUINCEAÑERA
By Phanésia Pharel
Public Readings: Wednesday, June 18 at 7pm and Sunday, June 22 at 3pm
The Myth of the Two Marcos
By Tony Meneses
Public Readings: Tuesday, June 24 at 7pm and Saturday, June 28 at 7pm
The Ingenue
By Eleanor Burgess
Public Readings: Wednesday, June 25 at 7pm and Sunday, June 29 at 3pm
NATIONAL MUSIC THEATER CONFERENCE
Alexander Gemignani, Artistic Director
From a pool of approximately 420 applications, the National Music Theater Conference has selected two musicals for developmental workshops. Each piece chosen for the summer conference will take part in two weeks of intensive rehearsal with industry leading creative teams and will receive three public, script-in-hand readings.
“Once again, I was astounded at the creativity and inspiring work submitted to the National Music Theater Conference this year,” said Alexander Gemignani, the conference’s Artistic Director. “We have chosen two spectacular new pieces, That Girl, by Ari Afsar and Rehana Lew Mirza, and The Turning by Zack Zadek and Sammi Cannold. These pieces and their creators celebrate and exemplify what is possible in the musical theater, and I cannot wait to be a part of their developmental journeys. I am thrilled to welcome these brilliant writers and their vital works to the O’Neill this summer.”
The 2025 National Music Theater Conference will include:
That Girl
Music and Lyrics by Ari Afsar
Book by Rehana Lew Mirza
Public Readings: Saturday, July 5 at 7pm, Wednesday, July 9 at 7pm, Friday, July 11 at 7pm
The Turning
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Zack Zadek
Directed and Developed with Sammi Cannold
Public Readings: Sunday, July 6 at 3pm, Thursday, July 10 at 7pm, Saturday, July 12 at 7pm
CABARET & PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE
John McDaniel, Artistic Director
Jeremiah Downes, Director of the Junior Fellows program
The Cabaret and Performance Conference, running from July 16 to July 26, will feature an incredible mix of Broadway stars and cabaret icons—including the conference faculty—and the 2025 Cabaret Fellows and Junior Fellows, selected from competitive application pools to study under the guidance of the O’Neill’s instructors and guest artists.
“I'm very excited to return for my 13th season as Artistic Director of the O'Neill's Cabaret & Performance Conference!” said Emmy and Grammy Award-winner John McDaniel. “We have some special guest artist performers lined up this year, along with some of our very favorite artist teachers and music directors who will be returning once again. Just like Brigadoon, we rise from the mist to create some magical nights and memories!”
The 2025 performance schedule includes:
Opening Variety Show
Wednesday, July 16 at 8pm
An Intimate Evening with Eden Espinosa
Thursday, July 17 at 8pm
Steve Ross in An Evening of Cole Porter and Beyond!
Friday, July 18 at 8pm
John Lloyd Young in Concert
Saturday, July 19 at 8pm
Natalie Douglas in All Dolled Up: The Music of Dolly Parton
Sunday, July 20 at 8pm
Latrice Royale in Terms & Conditions (May Vary)
Tuesday, July 22 at 8pm
The Junior Fellows in Bright, Shiny, & New
Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm and 9pm
2025 Junior Fellows: Ace Bairos, Zoë Dykas, Ada Florek, Emma Frisbie, Kasen Orenstein, Mikayla Pace, Pola Piłat, Owen Schmidt, and Sophia Sherman
An Evening with the Fellows!
Thursday, July 24 at 8pm
2025 Cabaret Fellows: Sherry R Boyd, Susan Derry, Cindy Firing, Sebastian Gates-Graceson, Ryan James Monroe, David Nando Rodgers, Larie Rodriguez, and Mary VanArsdel
Karen Akers in Feels Like Home
Friday, July 25 at 8pm
Farewell Variety Show
Saturday, July 26 at 8pm
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
Sophia Chapadjiev, Artistic Director & Director of Education
The Young Playwrights Festival provides an opportunity for a cohort of students to receive a rigorous exploration of their work guided by professional artists as well as a script-in-hand public reading of their new play. During this weekend, students spend time on the O’Neill campus with a dedicated creative team—director, dramaturg, and actors—to help them develop their short plays. Simultaneously, honorable mention Guest Playwrights spend the weekend observing the development processes, attending playwriting workshops and rehearsals, and hearing their own scripts read aloud.
The five Featured Playwrights whose scripts will be presented on Sunday, May 18 at 5pm are as follows:
Carson Brown - Pursuing the American Dream; Clark Lane Middle School (Waterford, CT)
Tia George - Shadows of Pride; Robert E. Fitch High School (Groton, CT)
Aleena Hasan - Terrifying Deja Vu; Riverdale Country School (Bronx, NY)
Callum Hicks - 450 Minutes; Saint Ann's School (New York, NY)
Elsa Ross - Oni No Mori; Groton Middle School (Groton, CT)
The 16 Guest Playwrights are Henry Bosché, Elara Corriveau, Lily Dunham, Kayla Franklin, Angelina Gammone, Bee Kanofsky, Basil Lee, Max Leventon, Lorelai Maynard, Samantha Olokodana, Callan Scott, Summer Stern, Rebecca Tsai, Leah Weiser, Zixuan Xin, and Chloe Zhao.
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the O’Neill’s Young Playwrights Festival. Over the past two decades, we have read thousands of submissions, developed the work of scores of Featured Playwrights, and mentored hundreds of Guest Playwrights,” said Sophia Chapadjiev, the Young Playwrights Festival Artistic Director and Director of Education. “It has been our great honor to work with the voices of so many talented young people. This year's selection of five new plays deal variously with themes of loneliness, drive, mystery, obsession, and chasing that increasingly elusive American Dream (in this particular case, the American Dream is a twice deep-fried pizza with hot dogs and french fries located in a monastery at the peak of Tai Mo Shan in Hong Kong).”
Pay-what-you-can tickets are available now at theoneill.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket.
NATIONAL THEATER INSTITUTE’S THEATERMAKERS SUMMER INTENSIVE
Rachel Jett, Artistic Director
During the Theatermakers Summer Intensive, students dive into acting, directing, and playwriting training with theater professionals. Over the course of six weeks, Theatermakers not only create and perform their own original work weekly, but also observe the creation of work happening across the O’Neill’s summer conferences.
Free public performances of original work will be held on Monday evenings from June 16 to July 21 at 7pm.
“We are so grateful to be embarking on a truly singular summer with a remarkable cohort of emerging Theatermakers!” said National Theater Institute Artistic Director Rachel Jett. “In their time at the O’Neill these writers, directors, and actors will work alongside all of the O’Neill’s professional conferences and be mentored by a wide range of artists. The plays, musicals, and films that our theatermakers create and share over the next six weeks will no doubt invigorate and redefine our theatrical landscape. We can’t wait to be a part of their theatrical journey and look forward to all of the conversations and collaborations!”
NATIONAL CRITICS INSTITUTE
Chris Jones, Director
Naveen Kumar, Associate Director
The National Critics Institute will welcome a talented group of arts critics and cultural journalists for two weeks from June 25 to July 6. Participants will take part in an intensive workshop designed for writers of all experience levels to strengthen their skills in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced industry. The program makes unique use of the creatives working at the O’Neill to help writers gain insight into specialized areas of the arts, understand arts journalism from all sides, observe first-hand the play development process, and strengthen their understanding of theater and their ability to critique it.
"I'm thrilled to start my 11th year as director of the National Critics Institute,” said Chris Jones. “We were overwhelmed by the number of applications this year and have been able to put together a group of fabulous cultural critics to join us this summer at the O'Neill."
FAMILY DAY
Thursday, June 26 from 5 to 8pm
On June 26, the O'Neill will open its campus to the public for a series of family friendly activities centered around a pay-what-you-can performance of Don Quixote Takes New York—the story of Miguel Cervantes’ hero reimagined by Denise Greber and Federico Restrepo’s LOCO7 Dance Puppet Theatre Company.
The performance starts at 6:30pm with a Q&A and workshop following the show. Other children’s activities will be available at Blue Gene’s Pub.
BEECH PARTY 2025: SUNSET ON THE SOUND
Saturday, August 2
Beech Party: Sunset On The Sound will take place on August 2, on the O'Neill's campus in the Sunken Garden, set against the stunning backdrop of the Long Island Sound. This unforgettable summer gala will feature an evening of fine dining, entertainment, and a lively afterparty—all in support of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center’s mission to nurture the next generation of playwrights, performers, and theatrical innovators. For tickets and information, visit https://donate.theoneill.org/beechparty2025.
BLUE GENE’S PUB
Opening Day: Friday, May 23
Blue Gene’s Pub, the O’Neill’s full service bar with outdoor seating and a view of the Long Island Sound, will reopen for the summer on May 23 featuring a free performance from favorite local band, Azalea Drive, beginning at 5:30pm.
The pub will be open this season from 5 to 11pm Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays from 12 to 6pm. Patrons can find the latest updates on food trucks, special events, and more on Facebook and Instagram.
INCUBATORS
O’Neill Incubators, shorter theatrical residencies and writers retreats, are intended for new work in the beginning stages of development. During an Incubator, artists spend time on our campus to develop a specific piece of work in a dramaturgical intensive that focuses primarily on narrative, text, and storytelling. This fall and winter, the O’Neill will host four Incubators—two plays and two musicals—which will be announced at a later date.
DEVELOPMENTAL RESIDENCIES
Driven by its mission to foster writer-led developmental opportunities that help artists sharpen their tools and strengthen their work, the O’Neill will host residencies of four additional pieces in the coming months:
The Ghost Writer
Book and Lyrics by Daniel Goldfarb
Music and Lyrics by Tom Kitt
Adapted from the novel by Philip Roth
In collaboration with Red Yes Studio
Goats and Monkeys
By Adam Rapp
Additional creative team members to be announced.
Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency: Parched
By Dorothy James and Andy Manjuck
Entering its tenth year, the Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency at the O’Neill supports artists working towards the completion of a new piece of puppet theater. Typically spanning two weeks, this residency offers puppeteers a sanctuary and a laboratory at the O’Neill, which provides ample rehearsal space, housing, and full room and board for all participants.
Each application undergoes a rigorous evaluation process and review by members of the Henson Foundation and O’Neill artistic staff. Intended to support the final phase of creative work on a piece of puppet theater, projects developed here have premiered at LaMama, HERE Arts Center, 59E59, Japan Society, and more. For more information about the residency, please visit the Henson Foundation website at hensonfoundation.org.
Redemption Center
A new musical by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman
Additional creative team members to be announced
WINTER CABARET
Thursday, December 11-Sunday, December 14
Our Winter Cabaret Series, programmed by the O’Neill’s Cabaret & Performance Conference Artistic Director, Emmy and Grammy Award-winner John McDaniel, returns to the Rufus and Margo Rose Barn Theater from December 11-14. The line-up, which will be announced at a later date, will feature O'Neill favorites, Broadway stars, and more.
The O’Neill’s programming is made possible by: Production Resource Group (PRG), The Shubert Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Critical Minded, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Connecticut Office for the Arts, Burry Fredrik Foundation, Cornelia Bessie Memorial Foundation, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Jane Henson Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Connecticut Arts Endowment, Nan H. Altmayer Charitable Trust, Lucille Lortel Foundation, Silver Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Frederic R. Coudert Foundation, Chelsea Groton Foundation, and the support of individual O’Neill donors.
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