CreateTheater Reveals Recipients of 2025 New Works Festival Awards

CreateTheater has revealed the recipients of its 2025 New Works Festival Awards. Now in its fourth year, the festival continues to offer a premier platform for fresh, original voices in American theater-highlighting bold new work developed through CreateTheater's year-long initiatives.

Held at Manhattan's MTC Studios, the 2025 festival featured a dynamic lineup of Equity staged readings that showcased a wide range of styles, genres, and cultural perspectives.

"This year's festival wowed us again," said Steve Marsh, former Drama Desk Award nominator and director of The Simons Center Science Playwriting Competition at Stony Brook University. "Standout works like FOUR by Clè Holly and THE MOTHERS by Chris Sherman (directed by Cammarata) exemplify the kind of groundbreaking theater being nurtured at CreateTheater. I can't wait to see what this powerhouse team produces next."

Chris Sherman, whose comedy THE MOTHERS tied for Best Play, shared, "Participating in the New Works Festival has been a game-changer. I've connected with directors, producers, and audiences in meaningful ways-and the feedback has helped me sharpen my script and expand its potential. Cate Cammarata's support is unmatched. From casting guidance to production logistics, she makes sure you're 100% ready."

The Best Musical honor went to GREEN: The Musical, a vibrant retelling of the late 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Bookwriter Kathryn Komsa Schmidt expressed, "I'm beyond grateful to CreateTheater and Cate Cammarata for championing this project. CreateTheater's community of collaborators has challenged me to rework, rewrite and rethink elements of my work while giving me opportunities to present the show. We're just getting started!"

2025 New Works Festival Award Winners

BEST PLAY (tie)

- FOUR by Clè Holly
- THE MOTHERS by Chris Sherman

BEST MUSICAL

- GREEN: The Musical Book by Kathryn Komsa Schmidt
 Music by Dante DiMicco, Kathryn Komsa Schmidt, Elliot Sokolov, Justin Schmidt

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

- GREEN: The Musical by Kathryn Komsa Schmidt

BEST MUSICAL SCORE

- GREEN: The Musical
 Composers: Dante DiMicco, Kathryn Komsa Schmidt, Elliot Sokolov, Justin Schmidt

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

- Cate Cammarata, THE MOTHERS

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

- Katrin Hilbe, Alexsei's Quest

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARDS

Best Male Lead in a Play (tie)

- Ed Altman, FOUR
- Sean Boyce Johnston, FOUR

Best Female Lead in a Play

- Debra Cardona, THE MOTHERS

Best Male Lead in a Musical

- Scott Ahearn, GREEN: The Musical

Best Female Lead in a Musical

- Autumn Hurlbert, Alesei's Quest

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

- Max Richards, Marital Blitz

Best Supporting Actress in a Play

- Maddie Allen, THE MOTHERS

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

- Jay Paranada, Forevermore

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

- Marissa Ghavami, GREEN: The Musical

This year's festival was made possible by generous contributions from donors who support the development of new work. Every dollar raised in 2024 went directly toward rehearsal and performance space for this year's artists.

Support the next wave of bold new theater: https://newworksfest.org/donate/