The Cleveland Play House continues to be a national leader in the development and production of new work.  Each season, The Play House produces at least one new play on the Mainstage.  Past world premieres include: Randal Myler's It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues, subsequently produced on Broadway and nominated for Tony Awards; Michele Lowe's The Smell of the Kill, optioned for an Off-Broadway run; and Eric Coble’s Bright Ideas and Seth Greenland's Jerusalem, both produced Off-Broadway.

The goal of the New Works program at The Cleveland Play House is to continue our tradition of propelling new American plays and playwrights onto the national theatre scene.

Commissions

In 2007 and the years ahead, The Cleveland Play House will expand its playwright commissions. These plays will be developed through readings and workshops—such as the Next Stage Festival, as part of FusionFest—with the goal of producing them the following season on our Mainstage.