TDF Young Playwrights Program

Residency

We are expanding our TDF Young Playwrights Residency program and enrolling new high schools as partners! The program is for 10th, 11th and 12th graders and is provided free of charge to students and teachers. During weekly visits, a teaching artist develops a playwriting curriculum with students, which culminates in a showcase of the participants' work. NYC public high school teachers are eligible to apply. Public school teachers outside of NYC can be considered for virtual Zoom residencies.

How to apply

Apply here by Friday, January 12. Click here for more information about the program. 

Group

The TDF Young Playwrights Group is a free, year-long, after-school playwriting workshop for high school students. Teaching artists Kirya Traber and Irisdelia Garcia lead participants in theatre and writing exercises, community-building activities, and crafting original plays, poems and other creative material. Completed works are performed by professional actors at the end of the semester. Participants also attend shows and work with guest artists. Mandatory weekly meetings take place on Thursday afternoons during the spring semester, with the exception of scheduled holidays.

By the numbers: 12-15 student members, 24 individual workshops

How to apply

Fill out this interest form and we'll email you the full application later this fall. The program will begin in January 2024. Applicants need to be in high school or freshman year of college. 

To see the Young Playwrights Group in action, watch a video of the 2020 virtual final showcase below.

Summer

The TDF Young Playwrights Summer Program is a free two-week playwriting intensive led by award-winning dramatist Crystal Skillman that is open to tri-state area high school students. We welcome those with a curiosity about playwriting to apply.

By the numbers: 12-15 students, two weeks of master classes

Who is eligible?

Rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who are interested in learning the craft of playwriting and creating their own works. Please note that the program will also explore other forms of dramatic writing such as audio drama and screenwriting.

Students must have well-developed writing skills and an interest in playwriting along with a recommendation from a teaching artist or English teacher. Team spirit, commitment and enthusiasm are important qualities for this program.

What does the Young Playwrights Summer Program include?

• Playwriting workshops five days a week for two weeks, with independent and group writing done independently
• An outing to a Broadway show for study and inspiration
• Small group seminars with professional playwrights and artists talking about their creative process
• Writing (and rewriting) a ten-minute original play
• Professional actors reading student plays in progress
• Staged readings of final works by professional actors

When is the Young Playwrights Summer Program?

Two weeks in July and August.

Where is the Young Playwrights Summer Program?

Indoor, in-person sessions will take place at TDF's well-ventilated Midtown Manhattan offices at 520 Eighth Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets, Suite 801.

How to apply:

Applications for summer 2023 are closed. Applications for next summer will be posted in May 2024.