Developmental Dramaturgy

I work with playwrights and artists providing support from a dramaturgical and developmental lens, from your earliest ideas through final revisions. Together, we can explore structure, deepen themes, and strengthen your narrative through script reviews, collaborative conversations, and facilitated readings. The goal: to work beside.

Internal Development 

For internal development I work directly with playwrights for 1:1 script consultations focused on getting the script closer to the place the playwright wants it to be. There are no line edits and no notes, just me and the playwright talking about the structure of the play, focusing on character development and doing whatever else is necessary to get the play to the next step. 
I also help playwrights reimagine the way they want to tell their stories through conversations, questions, active redirection, character prompts and worksheets, and other forms of in depth internal questioning.

Developmental Readings & Workshops

In developmental readings I work with directors and institutions to help playwrights advance their script during time specific programs. Similar to how I work when I am directly hired by a playwright there are no line edits or written notes. It’s still just me and the team having the conversations necessary to refine what’s on the page and what’s in the mind of the playwright.

The Type of Plays I’m Interested In

Are about:
-SWANA/MENA (South West Asian/Middle --Eastern and North African) experiences;
-BIPOC or Global Majority experiences;
-Decoloniality and Post-colonial stories;
-Mythology and folklore; 

Have:
-Oral storytelling or documentary aspects;
-Multi-media or multi-modal aspects;
-Solo performance/ storytelling;
-Experimental performances;
-Non-traditional or non-linear narratives.

Rate of Pay

For individuals, I work on a sliding scale, but generally start at $100 per hour with a minimum 2 hour session. Scale can be adjusted based on the length of time we’re working together. 

For institutions please contact me for estimates for festival and developmental dramaturgy needs.

Examples of my Developmental Dramaturgy 

-Cloud by Kimberly Dixon-Mays (Fall 2025) | Rivendell Theater
-The Sex Talk I Never Had by Anelga Hajjar (Fall 2025) | Avalanche Theater
-Grape Leaves by Alexander Attea (Spring 2025) | Avalanche Theater
-Lived Experience by Amy Tofte (Spring 2024) | Clamour Theatre Company
-The Great Sea Serpent by Tracy C. Davis directed by David Catlin (Spring 2024) | Northwestern University
   The Great Sea Serpent was a workshop production and an additional part of Northwestern University’s 2023/24 season. The workshop production was directed by Lookingglass Theatre Ensemble member David Catlin and included in-depth dramaturgical support as well as a lobby display curated and executed by  me. 

-The River East by Michael Quinn (Fall 2022) | Epiphanies New Works Festival [Yale Drama Prize Shortlist]
-Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls by Amy Tofte (Fall 2022) | Wild Imaginings
   Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls was a site specific production held in an art gallery. The production was directed by Trent Clifford and included in-depth research and developmental support executed by me. 

-The Way He Looks At You by Trent Sutton (Summer 2022) | Wild Imaginings
  The Way He Looks At You was a workshop production produced by Wild Imaginings. The production was directed by Tredessa Thomas and included in-depth research and developmental support executed by me. 
-Queen of the Scorpion’s Nest (formerly Queen of Sad Mischance) by John Minigan (2021) | Epiphanies New Works Festival [2022 Judith Royer Award for Excellence in Playwriting, ATHE/Kennedy Center]