New Playwrights Foundation

What New Playwrights Foundation does

New Playwrights Foundation (NPF) is a volunteer-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1969 and based in Santa Monica, California, dedicated to nurturing, developing, and supporting lesser-known local writers. The organization serves playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, poets, and performing artists (actors, directors, producers, filmmakers, composers) primarily in the Los Angeles area, with no paid staff and operations governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Its core activities revolve around a biweekly writers workshop held alternate Thursday nights in the Santa Monica area, supplemented by theater productions, film and video projects, play-to-media adaptations, documentary work, and public script readings.

The organization's portfolio includes short films (e.g., Fragments, Head Games), feature films (Irish Whiskey, Glass Necktie, Shades of Day, Daybreak, Henry X), TV pilots (Head Games, Aria 51), and a feature-length documentary (Volunteers for Verdi), as well as theatrical productions staged at regional venues and toured throughout California. Technology is not a material part of the offering; the entity is an arts-and-community organization with a YouTube channel, a private Facebook group, and a basic website serving as lightweight distribution infrastructure. Awards include three Palanca Awards (1992, 1997, 1999), Best Film at the Temecula Film Festival, Best Director at the Los Angeles offshoot of the New York Independent Film Festival, dual-category wins at the U.S. International Film and Video Festival for Volunteers for Verdi, and a 2022 Legends Award to member Alice Lunsford from the Santa Monica Theatre Guild.

The business model is a nonprofit donations model. NPF collects a $25 annual member donation, accepts tax-deductible contributions (including in-kind film stock, equipment, and production services), and credits donors in production programs. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is achieved through local theater partnerships (Embassy Auditorium, Loyola Marymount University, KingKing, The Complex, Odyssey Theatre, Falcon Theatre), film festivals and markets (Dublin, Palm Springs, Temecula, Cannes via Film Artists Network, IFP International Film Market, American Film Market), public/cable TV (Santa Monica City TV Channel 16), and online/DVD sales via Amazon and CreateSpace. The organization operates exclusively in the arts and entertainment vertical, with no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed institutional funding, and no equity structure.

Name

New Playwrights Foundation

Legal name

New Playwrights Foundation

Website

https://newplaywrights.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Playwrights Foundation is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1969 in Santa Monica, that nurtures lesser-known local playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, and performing artists through biweekly workshops, theater productions, and film/video projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Support Services

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage) (EDAMAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ), Screenwriting Workshops (Film/TV/Web) (EDAMAMAE), Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI)

Keywords

• Playwriting workshops
• Theater production services
• Film and video production
• Writer development programs
• Arts nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Donations: Members contribute $25 per year toward day-to-day operations; organization is 501(c)(3) charitable status allowing tax-deductible donations
2. Production Support Donations: Volunteers and donors contribute film stock, camera usage, lights and sound equipment, and pre/post-production services. Donations designated for particular productions are credited in event programs or film closing titles unless anonymous.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

New Playwrights Foundation runs a biweekly writers workshop held alternate Thursday nights in the Santa Monica area where playwrights and screenwriters receive feedback on works in progress, and it produces and co-produces member-written plays, films, videos, and adaptations through donated resources and partnerships with local theaters. The organization also operates a contributing membership program ($25 annual donation) that grants resume/website linking, YouTube clip posting, scheduling preference, and priority consideration for NPF readings, plays, videos, and film productions.

Product overview

New Playwrights Foundation is a volunteer-run nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization originally formed in 1969 to aid, nurture, and develop lesser-known local writers. The organization offers a portfolio of creative services centered around its Writers Workshop (biweekly sessions held alternate Thursday nights in Santa Monica), Theater Productions, Film/Video Productions including short films, TV pilots, and feature films, Play Adaptations for other media, Documentary Production, Readings and Performances, and a Membership Program. These services work together to help playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, poets, actors, producers and directors sharpen their skills and realize their potential through an ongoing writers workshop and production support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Writers Workshop Biweekly workshop sessions held alternate Thursday nights in the Santa Monica area where playwrights and screenwriters receive feedback on their work. Writers for theater and/or media residing in the Los Angeles area can attend after participating in at least three regular meetings and making a $25 annual donation.
• Theater Productions Full productions of plays and performance pieces written by NPF members, including adaptations of works to different media formats. Members receive support for rethinking, rewriting, editing, and finding producers or theaters for new works.
• Film/Video Productions Production credit on short films, TV pilots, feature films, pseudo-documentaries, and video projects. NPF co-produces works with members and partners including Santa Monica City TV and Exsultate! Productions.
• Play Adaptations Services to help playwrights adapt stage works to other media, including video adaptations, film scripts, and digital productions. Notable examples include Head Games and Irish Whiskey, originally developed as plays then adapted to film.
• Documentary Production Feature-length documentary production services. NPF produced 'Volunteers for Verdi' about Casa Italiana Opera Company's production of Verdi's Don Carlo, which won awards in the U.S. International Film and Video Festival in Performing Arts and Documentary categories.
• Readings and Performances Script readings and stage performances for workshop participants. NPF provides creative support for member projects and offers preference in scheduling for contributing members.
• Membership Program Annual membership for $25 per year providing benefits including resume and website linking on the NPF page, YouTube channel access for posting clips, scheduling preference, access to the NPF Private Facebook Group, and priority consideration for NPF readings, plays, videos, and film productions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Palancas awards won (1992, 1997, 1999) for productions in the Philippines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Santa Monica City TVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-produced HEADGAMES TV pilot with Santa Monica City TV, which was cablecast on Channel 16
• Exsultate! ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced ARIA 51 television series pilot with Exsultate! Productions, a classical music production company associated with Phyllis Elliott
• Film Artists NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresented Irish Whiskey, The Fortune Teller, and Shades of Day at American Film Market. Also represented The Fortune Teller at Cannes.
• The Complex (Hollywood)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Wolf Bukowski's Head Games as an evening of theater at The Complex in Hollywood before producing video adaptation
• Embassy AuditoriumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStaged Jeff Bergquist's The Legend of Lam-Ang at Embassy Auditorium
• Loyola Marymount UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStaged Jeff Bergquist's The Manilamen at Loyola Marymount
• KingKing (Hollywood venue)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Paul Bojack's Razor Blades/Barricades at KingKing venue
• Odyssey Theatre (Los Angeles)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Lysistrata, D.C. by Dan Marcus at Odyssey Theatre
• Garden Theater (Cebu, Philippines)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProduced Crispin Ramos' Blind Alleys trilogy and commissioned Gift of the Magi musical adaptation by Jeff Bergquist and Dan Marcus for annual Christmas show
• Falcon Theatre (Los Angeles)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRandy Ball's play The Lost Dance about Japanese dancer Michio Ito was performed at Falcon Theatre
• Cebu Performing Arts FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJeff Bergquist was formerly playwright-in-residence for Cebu Performing Arts Foundation, developing works that later won Palanca awards

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Lark: New York-based nonprofit providing new play development programs, including lab and workshop services for playwrights. Directly comparable to NPF's writers workshop and developmental support model.
• PlayPenn: Philadelphia-based nonprofit new play development organization offering conferences, workshops, and readings. Closely comparable workshop-driven mission and developmental services to NPF.
• Playwrights' Center: Minneapolis-based nonprofit supporting playwrights through workshops, residencies, and new play development programs. Closely comparable mission and workshop-based service model to NPF.
• Playwrights Horizons: New York-based nonprofit theater dedicated to developing and producing new work by American playwrights. Closely comparable to NPF's mission of nurturing lesser-known writers and producing their plays, though at much larger scale with paid staff and a dedicated facility.
• Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Connecticut-based nonprofit that runs the National Playwrights Conference, a flagship new play development program. Directly comparable to NPF in workshop and development focus for emerging playwrights.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: New York nonprofit theater dedicated to developing and producing new work by emerging playwrights and experimental artists. Directly comparable to NPF's mission of supporting lesser-known and experimental writers.

Broad incumbents

• New York Theatre Workshop: Off-Broadway nonprofit theater producing new work and supporting playwrights through development programs. Comparable production and development mission to NPF at substantially larger scale.
• Sundance Institute Theatre Lab: National nonprofit theater development program supporting emerging playwrights through residencies and labs. Comparable mission to NPF (developing lesser-known writers) but operates at national scale with significantly larger resources.
• National New Play Network: Coalition of nonprofit theaters that supports new play production and rolling world premieres. Overlaps with NPF's mission of helping playwrights get productions staged and find audiences.
• Dramatists Guild of America: National professional organization for playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists providing resources, advocacy, and contract support. Comparable to NPF in mission (supporting playwrights' careers) but operates at national scale with paid staff and institutional resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/newplaywrights/playlists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-playwrights-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New Playwrights Foundation