In a time when many arts organizations are scaling back, Baylor University’s Theatre Arts Program is stepping up.
This September, something extraordinary will take place in the heart of Texas. From Sept. 26 to 28, Baylor Theatre will launch the Baylor New Play Initiative (BNPI)—a groundbreaking new festival designed to spotlight emerging voices and cultivate the future of American theatre.
While the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic still echo through the theatre community, Baylor’s New Play Initiative is helping fill a growing gap left by shuttered festivals and paused programs. With its inaugural festival, the BNPI is boldly committing to creative innovation and artistic excellence, serving as a new national platform for the development of original new plays.
A Vision for the Future
The Baylor New Play Initiative is not just another festival—it’s a visionary leap forward. Focused on developing full-length original works by rising playwrights, the BNPI blends the best of academic insight with professional production resources to nurture new plays from the page to the stage.
“The mission of the Baylor New Play Initiative is to foster excellence and innovation in new American works by partnering selected playwrights with the resources of Baylor’s theatre department,” says Carla Neuss, Baylor theatre professor and BNPI planning committee co-chair. “It’s about creating the kind of space where innovative and deeply meaningful stories can take root and thrive.”
The BNPI Planning Committee reached out to professional theatre companies and select MFA playwriting programs in search of original, compelling new plays. From a highly competitive pool, four finalists have been invited to Waco for a week of professional development, creative collaboration—and public celebration.
Where Art Meets Opportunity
The BNPI’s model offers tangible support rarely found in early-career development programs within the arts. Each finalist receives a generous stipend, paid travel and accommodations, and a creative team on Baylor’s campus. With access to experienced dramaturgs, skilled directors, professional actors, and dedicated rehearsal space, these playwrights will bring their scripts to life through daily workshops and script refinement.
The festival culminates in a series of public staged readings, punctuated by artist panels, networking receptions and dialogue between playwrights, producers, and industry insiders. On the final day, one standout play will receive the prestigious Kirk New Play Prize—a $15,000 award.
For theatre companies and producers attending the festival from across Texas and beyond, BNPI represents a prime scouting opportunity. For audiences, it’s a rare invitation to witness the birth of powerful new work. And for students at Baylor, it’s a master class observing collaboration, storytelling, and the creative process at a professional level.
An Ideal Creative Hub
With its central location and proximity to cultural hubs in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, Baylor’s campus in Waco is perfectly positioned as a nexus for this new festival. And Baylor’s theatre program—one of the country’s top-ranked undergraduate theatre programs—offers the infrastructure, faculty expertise, and academic rigor to make BNPI a true force in the national theatre landscape.
“This initiative is a lifeline for new work,” said Jonathan Norton, interim artistic director of Dallas Theater Center. “It’s exciting and inspiring to see these opportunities come together for the writers involved.”
Four Voices, Four Powerful Stories
The four selected plays featured in BNPI’s inaugural year each bring distinct, timely, and unique perspectives to the stage:
- & Sons by Jack Angelo Cummings – A gripping drama about family, legacy, and masculinity, set in a New Jersey construction business rocked by loss.
- I, Will by Scott Carter – A rich historical imagining of Shakespeare’s twilight years, as the Bard reinvents himself and creates a new genre.
- Under the Bridge by Janelle Gray – A lyrical exploration of generational trauma and truth-telling in the wake of a family matriarch’s death, uncovering a legacy that demands healing and racial justice.
- Here Kitty Kitty by Janielle Kastner – A sharp, provocative play inspired by the infamous Kitty Genovese case, unpacking complicity and the bystander effect in the digital age.
“These plays represent a bold spectrum of contemporary themes and styles in American playwriting,” says Stan Denman, BNPI planning committee co-chair and professor of theatre performance and playwriting. “It’s a thrilling beginning.”
A Legacy of Support
BNPI would not be possible without the visionary support of Preston and Ronda Dale Kirk, Baylor alumni whose long-standing advocacy for American theatre laid the groundwork for this festival. More than a decade ago, the Kirks committed themselves to the development of new plays, helping fund years of research and planning that now culminate in this historic launch.
The Kirk New Play Prize, awarded biennially, is not just a financial award—it’s a powerful endorsement of a playwright’s voice, and a meaningful investment in the future of theatre.
Bringing the initiative to life has taken the work of a dedicated team of theatre professionals who have devoted their careers to advancing theatre arts. Playwrights, actors, and directors themselves, the BNPI planning committee includes JoJo Jones, M.F.A., Stan Denman, Ph.D., John-Michael Marrs, M.F.A., Carla Neuss, Ph.D., Merritt Popp, Ph.D., and Stacey Schiller, M.F.A. candidate.
Looking Ahead
As BNPI sets the stage in 2025, its organizers are already envisioning what comes next: expanding invitations to additional MFA programs, forging deeper partnerships with professional theatres, and growing into a national incubator for new theatrical voices and dynamic stories.
For those who believe in the transformative power of story—for donors, theatre lovers, and emerging artists alike—the Baylor New Play Initiative offers a front-row seat to the future.
The Baylor New Play Initiative champions the creation of bold new American theatre by supporting artists, fostering dialogue and connecting communities through innovative storytelling.
