TYA new play development in academia: The New Plays for Young Audiences model

ABSTRACT

This article examines the process of TYA new play development specifically focusing on the model utilized in the NYU Steinhardt series, New Plays for Young Audiences (NPYA), and contrasting it with other models. Beginning with an overview and brief history of US-based TYA new play development, this article explores how the process differs when situated in an academic setting. This examination particularly focuses on the efficacy of using nonprofessional actors, the inclusion of an accompanying graduate class, challenges in securing youth collaboration, and the evolution of post-show discussions in NPYA’s process. A brief discussion of the larger field of TYA new play development is also offered.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the many theatre artists who responded with an interview and/or to the survey. In addition to those quoted in the article, others who interviewed were playwrights Vinati Makijany and Deepika Arwind, Yvette Hardie, and Scot Reese. This article could not have been completed without the mentorship and support of colleagues and friends most notably Debra Gonsher, Selena Burns, David Montgomery, the late Nancy Swortzell, and Carmen Meyers.