Weston Theater Company Launches WESTON WORKS for Original Theater

Weston Theater Company today announced the launch of Weston Works, a new initiative supporting the creation and development of original theatrical work while building lasting relationships between Weston and some of today's most exciting theater artists.

The 2026-2027 inaugural cohort includes director Nina Goodheart, playwright Julia Izumi, playwright Brendan Pelsue, composer Sequoia Sellinger, and playwright and lyricist abs wilson. Together, they will develop four new projects spanning plays, musical theater, and opera. The artists arrived in late September for a weeklong retreat at Walker Farm, beginning a structured development process that will continue in New York City and return to Vermont in 2027.

'For 90 years, Weston has been a place where artists and audiences come together around extraordinary stories. Weston Works extends that tradition by inviting artists to develop projects for the stage, supporting their work from the first idea to the first encounter with an audience. There is something uniquely valuable about giving artists time–away from the pressures of production–to follow an idea, ask difficult questions, take risks, and discover where a piece wants to go. We're thrilled to welcome this extraordinary first cohort to Weston and to make the development of new work an ongoing part of our artistic life.'

-Susanna Gellert, Executive Artistic Director, Weston Theater Company

A COMMITMENT TO ARTISTS AND NEW WORK

For more than a decade, Weston Theater Company has been committed to the development of new plays, musicals, and theatrical performance. Weston Works is grounded in the belief that, when we nurture new writing, we nurture new points of view and foster connections within our community and beyond.

During the September retreat, the inaugural artists had focused time to develop their projects at Walker Farm while exploring Weston and the surrounding region and connecting with Weston staff, one another, and all that the local community has to offer.

In winter 2027, Weston will present Industry Readings in New York City, providing focused rehearsal and development time with professional theater artists. The cohort will return to Vermont in fall 2027 for the first Weston Works Festival, where audiences will encounter work developed through the program.

Simultaneously with the festival, Weston will welcome its next cohort of artists for the 2027-2028 Weston Works Program. As the Weston Works program advances each year, Weston looks forward to expanding its reach and impact with the introduction of a panel of advisors, the 'Artistic Extension', an open application process, and collaborations with partner organizations across the region.

THE INAUGURAL WESTON WORKS COHORT

Nina Goodheart and Sequoia Sellinger – Missed Connections

A music-theater-opera project that weaves found text from 'Missed Connections' into an original musical world. Described by its creators as 'a Jane Austen romance for the Internet age,' the piece explores longing, loneliness, technology, and the very human desire to find one another.

Julia Izumi – The Banana Factory

The Banana Factory is a new play investigating activism and asking how we protect children in a world where risks must be taken to create change. Inspired in part by Izumi's experiences as a teacher, the play explores the tensions between protecting the next generation and empowering them to shape the world they will inherit.

Brendan Pelsue – Well Meaning

On a bone-cold winter night, a new hospital chaplain moves from room to room: someone wants a priest for the last rites, someone is contesting a will, and someone would like permission for a visit from their pet pig. As misunderstandings compound, sorrow gives way to slapstick, and death and farce begin to occupy the same space.

abs wilson – TOUGH GUY

Maisie has just been kidnapped by aliens. Now she is home, unsure what comes next, and turns to the internet for answers. TOUGH GUY is a 90-minute choral musical about the internet of the 2010s, alien abduction, otherness, and the communities people create when they are searching for somewhere to belong.

ABOUT WESTON WORKS

Weston Works is Weston Theater Company's new work development initiative, created to support original theatrical work through residencies, workshops, artistic collaboration, and long-term relationships with artists. Each cohort begins in Weston, continues through industry readings in New York City, and returns to Vermont for the Weston Works Festival.