What is New Dramatists
Emily Morse
Artistic Director
Emily Morse (Artistic Director) is a theatre artist whose 28-year career encompasses performing, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, devising, producing, arts administration, curating and artistic consulting at theatres and companies of all sizes, including Philadelphia Theatre Company, People’s Light, Actors Theatre of Louisville, New York Theatre Workshop, LMDA, Ping Chong and Co, NADA, LEMA productions, HERE, the Wilma, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, JAW/West Festival – Portland Center Stage, Creative Time, Ripe Time, Cincinnati Playhouse, Culture Project/Women Center Stage, PlayPenn, 13P, Drama League New Directors/New Works, Links Hall, and Re/Union Company at LaMaMa. A veteran theatre artist with a specialty in process-oriented new work, Emily is a Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab alumna and NYTW Usual Suspect. She has participated in a variety of workshops, including: Choreography for Directors (Annie-B Parson); Butoh (Dawn Akemi Saito); Viewpoints (J. Ed Araiza); Critical Response and Movement/Stage Composition (Liz Lerman); playwriting (Eduardo Machado, Suzan-Lori Parks, Karen Hartman); BIG Artist (Chris Wells/Karen Hartman); Third Bohemia (Todd London and Z Space); Waldorf Education, and Collaborative Leadership. An avid dance fan, she has practiced various forms, including study of Swing, Argentine Tango, and Flamenco. Emily’s love affair with New Dramatists began in 2000 when she was one of four directors-in-residence. She joined the staff full-time in July 2001 and since then, has partnered on the building of new programs including, PlayTime, Full Stage, The Jerry A. Tishman Playwrights Creativity Fund, Venturous Theater Fund’s The Bucket List Project, the Opportunity Fund, The Lilly-Ruhl Fund, and the newly formed commission/development/production partnership with the Graduate Acting Program at NYU, among others. Emily serves on the Advisory Board for PlayPenn and on the Board of the John Golden Fund. She has served on numerous new play development and selection panels, including a Playwright Leadership panel she conceived of and presented during the 2012 Humana Festival, the TCG inaugural Leadership University Program, a 2016 NYFA Artist Fellowship grant committee for Playwriting and Screenwriting, a 2018 Creative Work Fund selection committee, and a 2019 OPERA America Discovery Grants for Female Composers selection panel. Other field contributions include judging for the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, writing the introduction to America Dreaming and Other Plays, a collection of plays by Chiori Miyagawa published by NoPassport Press, the HowlRound-published Chiori Miyagawa interview, Reunion: Why Do They Keep Coming Back?, and Artist, Citizen, Educator: Lucy Thurber at The New School, an interview with Lucy Thurber published in The Brooklyn Rail. In May 2010, in recognition of her stature as a playwright advocate and significant contributions as a dramaturg, Emily received an inaugural Lilly Award for Advocacy. A graduate of Temple University, from which she received an Outstanding Student Award, Emily lives in Brooklyn with her family.
