Dramatists Guild Foundation Reveals 2026 Class of National Fellows

Dramatists Guild Foundation has revealed the 2026 class of National Fellows. The Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows Program unites playwrights and musical theater writers in the learning process for a year-long intensive. This cohort of emerging dramatists will work under the guidance and leadership of professional playwrights and musical theater dramatists to develop work in pursuit of adding to the canon of regionally-produced and developed work. 

The DGF National Fellows are:

Kari Barclay, Playwriting Fellow based in Cleveland, Ohio

Georgina Escobar, Musical Theater Fellow based in El Paso, Texas

Jennine “DOC” Krueger, Musical Theater Fellow based in Atlanta, Georgia

Jessi Pitts, Musical Theater Fellow based in Seattle, Washington

Laura Schein, Musical Theater Fellow based in Los Angeles, California

Lolita Stewart-White, Playwriting Fellow based in Miami, Florida

Gretchen Suárez-Peña, Playwriting Fellow based in Boca Raton, Florida

Thelma Virata de Castro, Playwriting Fellow based in San Diego, California

Ben Zeadman, Musical Theater Fellow based in Los Angeles, California

The Chairs of the National Fellows curriculum are Christine Toy Johnson (THE NEW DEAL, BROKEN GROUND, Dramatists Guild Treasurer, founding member of AAPAC) and Bernardo Cubría (THE GIANT VOID IN MY SOUL, THE PLAY YOU WANT, 2021 Smith Prize for Political Theater).

The National Fellows Program is an expansion of DGF’s historic Fellows Program, to serve writers across the United States. The creation of a program that was accessible to writers across the country has been in process for many years. During the pandemic, the program had to pivot to run effectively over digital platforms. This adjusted format became the pilot program for the National Fellows. The inaugural National Fellows Class was named in 2024, with the aim in this process to create the camaraderie and community of an in-person fellowship through a virtual format. 

The DGF Fellows program was founded in 2000 by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Janet Neipris, and Susan Miller. They believed it was vital to put playwrights and musical theater writers in the same room, to learn from each other’s different perspectives, to see how collaboration creates magic, and to foster community. The success of the program has been proven by the careers of various dramatists and collaborations, including launching the careers of more than 250 writers. 

The program has been championed by numerous generous donors, including support from the Jeffrey Seller Family Foundation. The 2026 DGF National Fellows Program has been funded with leadership support from James Martin and Terrence Lynch.