New Play Exchange

The New Play Exchange is the world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers, created and maintained by the National New Play Network as a platform that connects playwrights, theaters, producers, educators, and actors in a shared ecosystem dedicated to the discovery and development of new dramatic work. The platform hosts thousands of scripts that span every genre, scale, and style of dramatic writing, from intimate two-person plays to large-cast musicals, from realist dramas to experimental performance texts. The New Play Exchange was born from the recognition that the traditional systems for connecting new plays with potential producers were inefficient, relying on personal networks, literary manager gatekeeping, and submission processes that left the vast majority of new dramatic writing undiscovered by the theaters and artists who might champion it. By creating a searchable, accessible digital library, the platform democratizes the discovery of new plays and empowers writers to share their work directly with a global community of potential collaborators and producers.

The search and discovery features of the New Play Exchange allow users to find scripts based on a remarkably specific set of criteria, including cast size, gender breakdown, genre, subject matter, demographics of characters, and production requirements. This granular searchability is transformative for theaters seeking new work that fits their specific casting and production needs, for educators looking for plays appropriate for student productions, and for actors searching for monologue and scene material from contemporary writers. The ability to search by cast size is particularly valuable for small theaters and educational programs that need to find quality scripts that can be produced with the resources available, rather than compromising on artistic quality to accommodate practical constraints. The demographic search filters support theaters committed to diverse programming by making it easy to discover scripts centered on specific cultural experiences, communities, and identities.

For actors, the New Play Exchange provides a unique resource for discovering fresh audition material, scene study content, and plays that they can champion for production at theaters where they have relationships. Unlike published play catalogs that represent only a fraction of the dramatic writing being produced, the New Play Exchange includes work from emerging and mid-career playwrights whose scripts may not have been published but represent exciting, undiscovered material that casting directors have never heard before. Actors who bring new plays to the attention of artistic directors, literary managers, and directors demonstrate initiative and artistic taste that can enhance their professional reputation and create opportunities to be involved in world premiere productions. The platform allows actors to read scripts online, making it possible to browse extensively before committing time to material, and the ability to contact playwrights directly through the platform can lead to valuable collaborative relationships.

The National New Play Network's stewardship of the New Play Exchange ensures that the platform operates with a mission-driven focus on supporting new dramatic writing rather than maximizing commercial revenue, creating an environment that prioritizes the interests of writers and the artistic community. The Network brings decades of experience in new play development, production, and advocacy to the platform's design and governance, ensuring that the features and policies reflect genuine understanding of how new plays are created, discovered, developed, and produced. The platform's community features allow writers to receive endorsements from theaters and professionals who have worked with their scripts, creating a peer review system that helps users identify quality work without relying solely on publication status or production history. This endorsement system adds a layer of curation to the open library model, helping users navigate the large catalog by leveraging the collective knowledge of the new play community.

The New Play Exchange has been widely adopted by colleges, universities, and educational theater programs as a primary resource for finding new plays that meet the specific casting and thematic needs of student productions. The platform's searchability by cast demographics makes it particularly valuable for educational programs committed to inclusive casting and diverse programming. Many theater departments now use the New Play Exchange as a regular tool for season planning, searching for plays that align with their curricular goals, available talent, and production resources. The platform's growing adoption by professional theaters, festivals, and development programs has created a virtuous cycle where more writers share their work because more producing organizations are actively searching the platform, increasing the value for all participants. This network effect has established the New Play Exchange as an essential infrastructure element in the American new play ecosystem.

The New Play Exchange operates on a freemium model that provides basic search and browsing access at no cost while offering enhanced features through paid memberships. Free users can search the catalog, view script information and synopses, and contact playwrights, providing meaningful utility without financial investment. Paid membership tiers offer additional features including the ability to read full scripts online, save and organize search results, access advanced filtering options, and receive notifications about new scripts matching specific criteria. Writer memberships allow playwrights to upload and manage their scripts on the platform, with pricing designed to be accessible for individual writers while generating revenue to sustain the platform's operations and development. Institutional memberships for theaters, educational programs, and other organizations offer additional features appropriate for organizational use. The pricing across all tiers is modest relative to the value of accessing the world's largest new play library, and the free tier ensures that financial barriers do not prevent actors, students, or emerging professionals from discovering new dramatic writing.

The New Play Exchange is recommended for actors, directors, theaters, and educators who want access to the broadest possible range of new dramatic writing and who are willing to invest time in discovery and evaluation to find exceptional work that has not yet been widely produced or published. It is particularly valuable for actors seeking fresh audition and scene material that casting directors are unlikely to have heard, for small theaters and educational programs that need scripts matching specific casting and production constraints, and for anyone committed to supporting new dramatic writing by living playwrights. The platform is most useful when approached with specific search criteria rather than open-ended browsing, as the targeted search capabilities are what make the large catalog manageable. Actors who develop the habit of regularly exploring the New Play Exchange will discover material and writers that can become the foundation of meaningful artistic relationships and career opportunities centered on new work development.

Create an account on the New Play Exchange and begin by searching for scripts that match your specific needs, whether you are looking for audition monologues, scene study material, or plays to champion for production at theaters where you have connections. Use the advanced search filters to narrow results by cast size, genre, demographics, and other criteria that are relevant to your current goals, as the platform's value is most apparent when you leverage its granular searchability. When you find scripts that excite you, contact the playwrights directly through the platform to express your interest and explore potential collaboration, as many writers are eager to connect with actors who appreciate their work. Consider upgrading to a paid membership if you find yourself using the platform regularly, as the enhanced features including full script access and advanced filtering significantly improve the browsing and discovery experience. Share discoveries with directors, artistic directors, and fellow actors, as championing new work is one of the most valuable contributions an actor can make to the broader theater community. Return to the platform regularly, as new scripts are added continuously and the growing library means each visit may reveal material that was not available during your previous search.