About the INKubator

The INKubator  - The Ray and Kit Sawyer Development Series was designed to help the playwright bring her vision for an individual play or screenplay into sharper focus. We believe that ‘development’ is simply bridging the gap between the play an artist sees in her mind and the play that currently exists on the page.  Because we seek to produce plays that expand our theater in either form or content, it is crucial to us that we help the artist manifest her vision rather than attempt to mold her work into what has been successful in the past.

Designed by dramaturge Francine Volpe and curated by Sasha Eden (Executive Producer and Creative Director) and Francine, our developmental process takes place over four separate cycles with four mutable stages per cycle. At the end of each cycle the playwright, together with Sasha, Victoria Pettibone (Executive Producer/Director of Operations) and Francine assess the progress of the play’s development in terms of whether or not the work has become more precise, and whether or not another round of development would be useful. The stages of development are as follows: 

A reading of the play with professional actors, attended by Sasha, Victoria, and Francine. These early readings are informal, and take place around a table. They are closed to the public. After the reading, the playwright is invited to discuss her artistic goals and her feelings about the material’s developmental trajectory with WET’s Sasha, Victoria and Francien.

An in depth discussion. Sasha Eden and Francine Volpe meet to discuss how well the play satisfied the artist’s intentions. This conversation is then translated by Francine Volpe in the form of questions and exercises designed to aid the writer as she further develops her material.

A re-write. After the playwright has had time to work on her play and has submitted a new draft, Sasha and Francine assess as to whether or not the new material should be read again by actors. If so, at the end of the second reading, WET decides if the play would benefit from another cycle of development with dramaturgical support.

Re-Assessment of new re-writes with Sasha and Francine. The fourth and final cycle of development consists of a public reading of the play, and Sasha and Victoria have follow-up discussion with Francine regarding production possibilities.

The INKubator differs from many other developmental programs in three important ways. First, the playwright is protected from ideas and opinions from well-meaning friends and audience members that may cause her to lose sight of her original investigation.  Second, the playwright is offered a printed analysis of her work, as well as a series of questions and writing exercises designed to practically help her strengthen the drama of her play or clarify her theatrical vision.  ‘Notes’ that are either theoretical or general are avoided. Finally, each stage of development is mutable. We adjust our developmental process according to the progress of the play rather than map a play’s progress according to any fixed process.    
WET will offer the public a chance to attend a reading of each play chosen for The INKubator Series beginning in March and running until May at The Dr2 theatre.