Work with Us

New Dramatists - Temporary/Part-Time
Playwrights' Lab Assistant

New Dramatists seeks a part-time Playwrights’ Lab Assistant to support artist-centered residencies and new work/new ways developmental processes. Reporting to the Playwrights’ Lab Director, the Lab Assistant will work with the Artistic Director and the programming team to efficiently manage a high-volume, rigorous creative Laboratory and ensure smooth implementation of New Dramatists’ artistic programs, including one and two-day readings, extended working sessions, and retreats. Additionally, the Playwrights’ Lab Assistant is responsible for workroom support, including (but not limited to) acting as COVID Safety Manager, stage manager, facilitate Zoom meetings/readings, maintain the office/hospitality supplies, physical spaces, and technical equipment. This role will also engage extensively with the company of writers and extended company of collaborators. This is a non-exempt, temporary part-time position scheduled to run from Sept 2nd, 2025 – June 30th, 2026. In-person work is required and expected, with the occasional ability to work remotely IF the programming calendar and work schedule allow it. The Assistant will also act as a liaison between the New Dramatists building on 44th Street and our temporary residency at Houghton Hall (22 E 30th St.).

The position is compensated at an hourly rate with a range of $17 - $18.00/hour, depending on the assistant’s level of experience. All employees are expected to comply with New Dramatists’ COVID work policies (to be distributed during orientation, and available beforehand upon request).

Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications:

REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combined work experience (4+ years).
• Applicants should have at least 20-26 hours per week available between 10-6pm for New Dramatists' work.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel).
• Prior experience with Zoom.
• Knowledge of basic technical tools is required (hammer, screwdriver, soft mallet, etc.).

PREFERRED:

• Strong preference for experience w/Adobe reader, and with printers/photocopiers/scanners.
• Prior experience with a CRM database, with preference for PatronManager (Salesforce).
• Familiarity with AirTable.
• Prior experience as a stage manager/company manager/production manager, and/or expanded knowledge of technical and virtual theatre tools.
• Expanded technical theatre experience (light board operations, sound recording/ editing/playback equipment, etc.)

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. If this role and New Dramatists capture your attention, we encourage you to introduce yourself to us.

New Dramatists is committed to equal opportunity and access across our organization, and we do not discriminate based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category as established by applicable law, including federal law, New York state law, and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). In addition, New Dramatists considers all requests for reasonable accommodations in employment and work activities, in accordance with applicable law. For more information about New Dramatists as a workplace, visit: https://newdramatists.org/our-mission-history-and-values

TO APPLY:

Please email a PDF of a cover letter and resume to Jenna Spiwack, Business Manager, at @email with the subject line Playwrights’ Lab Assistant. For best consideration please submit your application by 6:00 pm EST August 1st, 2025. Materials will be reviewed until the position is filled.

About New Dramatists
New Dramatists is a nationally recognized playwright center and new play laboratory. Our mission is to provide playwrights with time, space, and resources in the company of gifted peers to create work, realize their artistic potential, and make lasting contributions to the theatre. For more information, visit https://newdramatists.org.

New Dramatists offers students currently enrolled in an academic program the opportunity to learn the ropes of managing a non-profit playwright-service organization by assisting with responsive artist-led development, programming, and providing creative support to our resident company of playwrights. While experiencing the wide array of opportunities New Dramatists presents, educational interns will learn more about the professional New York theatre community and forge vital connections as they build and become more confident in their skills. 

Some examples of intern duties include observing and supporting workrooms of resident writers, PlayTime (ND’s annual in-house retreat), All-Writers meetings and special events like Nocturnal Commissions, New Playwright Welcome and After Seven. Interns will also assist the communications and development departments and help with the upkeep of the Michaela O’Harra library of plays, both digital and physical. 

This is a semester-long part-time internship position for students currently enrolled in a college or university program, who are looking for an internship as part of their education experience. This internship is most suitable for students majoring in or focusing on the following disciplines: theatre studies, playwriting, directing, stage management and arts administration. 

The New Dramatists Educational Internship is unpaid. Interns will not receive any wages and are not considered employees for minimum wage purposes. New Dramatists does provide a travel stipend of $20 per day for the duration of the semester. The time commitment expected from our interns is 20-25 hours per week in a schedule built in tandem with the intern and staff. 

We are currently in the application process for the Fall 2025 Internship. If you are a student in the NYC area and are able to enroll in an internship program in exchange for academic credits, please upload a cover letter and resume using this form: https://forms.gle/4xPiapw8n1vuu8YSA.The due date for these materials is July 20, 2025, with an expected start date in early September. 

The Bernard B. Jacobs Academic Internship Program was named in memory of the late President of the Shubert Organization, who discovered and mentored many talented theatre professionals during his lifetime. 

For more information about New Dramatists please visit our home page at newdramatists.org.

At New Dramatists, new play development is playwright-led, and as such, playwrights often suggest collaborators with whom they wish to work; however, we will accept submissions from actors, directors, composers, dramaturgs, and other artists interested in collaborating with our resident writers in developing new work to keep on file.  

Please email @email with a description of your interest in the body of the email, attach your resume, and include your discipline in the subject line. ("director submission" or "actor submission").

Are you an accomplished theater practitioner who is interested in the work of early-career playwrights? Each year, New Dramatists engages approximately 25 people to read and evaluate scripts for the Princess Grace Award in Playwriting during the months of March, April, and May. For more information about the award, please visit our application information page. Readers are independent contractors who invoice us for $10 per script evaluated. If interested in learning more, please email your resume and/or a link to your professional website to our Literary Services Manager, Connie Hall at @email during the month of February.