Overview

A group for Los Angeles-based playwrights, The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community of this city.

During a twelve-month residency (September 2025 – August 2026) a cohort of six selected playwrights/writing teams will attend in-person meetings at the Geffen once per month as they generate the first draft of a new play or musical. One to two playwrights share work at each meeting and receive feedback from their cohort in a forum facilitated by the Geffen’s Literary Manager & Dramaturg.

At the conclusion of the residency (September – December 2026), each playwright will have the opportunity to further develop their completed draft in a culminating reading produced by the Geffen. Readings are conducted on the LORT Staged Reading Guidelines, which allow for up to 35 hours of rehearsal and an invited audience.

Writers’ Room playwrights receive a $2,000 stipend for their participation in the program, as well as a $1,000 fee during their reading week. A meal and parking are provided at each meeting. Playwrights will also receive complimentary tickets to all Gil Cates Theater shows (and to Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater shows, subject to availability) at the Geffen during their Writers’ Room tenure.

Application Timeline

• Friday, May 9, 2025: Applications Open
• Friday, May 30, 2025: Applications Close (12 NOON PDT)
• July 2025: Finalists Notified / Interviews Scheduled
• August 2025: Writers’ Room Playwrights Selected / Announced

Applicant Eligibility

The Writers’ Room is intended to support the generation of a first draft of a play. Project proposals should be for a play that you have not yet written.

Applications are open to all playwrights who currently reside in Los Angeles. You do not need to be represented by a literary agent to apply.

Applicants must be available to attend monthly meetings in person at the Geffen on Monday evenings (dates TBD) from September 2025 – August 2026 and to attend rehearsals of their culminating reading (one week; dates TBD) between September – December 2026. Please note that exceptions to the in-person attendance policy will be made for emergencies only.

Materials Required

You will submit your application via this form. Please review the requirements below before beginning your application to ensure that your materials are formatted to meet the submission guidelines. Please note that the deadline for application is 12 NOON (PDT) on Friday, May 30.

Playwrights selected as Finalists will be notified in July 2025. Finalists will interview with members of the Geffen’s artistic staff.

• Name
• Pronouns
• Email
• Phone Number
• Permanent Address
• Confirmation of your eligibility:
  • You are or will be local to Los Angeles during the dates of the Writers’ Room program.
  • You are proposing a project that has not yet been written.
  • You will be available to attend in-person meetings once per month at the Geffen.
  • You will be available to attend in-person rehearsals of your culminating reading.
• Bio (100 words max)
• Answers to the following questions, which will serve as the proposal for the project you would like to work on in the Writers’ Room. If you are applying with a collaborator (co-written play or musical), you should work together on your answers. Please note that you are not required to hit the maximum word count; brevity is appreciated.
  • What is the kernel of the project you would like to work on in the Writers’ Room: the image/idea/ambition that is driving you to write this play? (100 words max)
  • To the best of your ability, outline the story, plot, or experience of your piece. (200 words max)
  • What about the Writers’ Room program feels most useful or necessary in supporting this particular project? (100 words max)
  • Is there anything else you’d like us to know? (100 words max)
• Please provide a 15-page writing sample of original material. Please note that ALL listed material does count towards your 15-page total; your PDF should not exceed 15 pages.
  • We recommend providing an excerpt from a full-length play (or musical). Please note that we do not accept screenplays as writing samples.
  • Please include the piece’s title, character list, and setting at the top of the excerpt.
  • The excerpt may begin at any point in the script. Please choose the pages that you feel are the best representation of your writing.
  • Though it is not required, you may also choose to provide a brief synopsis, a recap of the action leading up to the sample pages, and any other relevant material.
  • If you are applying to write a musical, please include at least two complete sets of song lyrics in your 15-page sample. These lyrics may be included within the scene(s) of your writing sample or may be self-contained.
  • If you are applying to write your first play, you may provide a sample (up to 15 pages max) of poetry, essays, and/or fiction. Poetry, essays, and fiction should be double-spaced and in 12-point font, with one-inch margins.
  • If you are applying with a collaborator (co-written play or musical), you may split the 15 pages between individual projects or may submit co-written material. Please provide attribution, where applicable.
• For teams submitting a musical pitch: in addition to the writing sample above, please provide two demo recordings that correspond to the two sets of lyrics in your writing sample. Demo recordings should be submitted via one accessible link.

FAQs

• What/who are you looking for?

  When considering applications, the Geffen staff considers the strength of each applicant’s writing sample and project proposal as well as the fundamental importance of having a dynamic range of identities, creative approaches, and lived experiences represented within the Writers’ Room cohort. Playwrights of all writing styles, races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, abilities, ages, and career levels are encouraged to apply.

• I’ve never written a play before. Can I submit?

  Yes, the Writers’ Room is open to first-time playwrights. However, please note that the Writers’ Room is not an educational workshop and does not provide instruction on playwriting. All writing time is self-directed. If you are a first-time playwright, we encourage you to think carefully about whether the program will provide the support you need to write your first play.

  Additionally: please note that we do NOT accept screenplays as writing samples. If you are applying as a first-time playwright, you may submit a writing sample (15 pages max) of poetry, essays, and/or fiction. Poetry, essays, and fiction should be double-spaced and in 12-point font, with one-inch margins.

• I’m writing a piece of musical theater. Can I submit?

  If you are working on a piece of theater that involves music—be it a traditional musical, a play with music, or a song cycle—you are welcome to apply. However, please keep in mind that you will be receiving feedback from peers who may not share your musical expertise/vocabulary.

  Culminating Writers’ Room readings are produced under the LORT Staged Reading Guidelines, which allow for up to 35 hours of rehearsal. We recognize that it can take 35 hours just to learn a score, and so we encourage musical-writing teams to use rehearsal time in whatever way is most useful to the show’s development within those parameters—presenting an excerpt of the piece, presenting a read with recorded demos, or something else.

• I have a writing partner and we want to work on a piece together—can we send in one application for the two of us?

  Yes. We are open to writing teams of up to three people.

• Can I submit more than one project?

  No. You may submit one project only, and may submit only once (ie, if you are submitting a co-written piece, you may not submit a second project as a solo writer).

• Will the Geffen produce my play?

  The Writers’ Room is intended to catalyze and support the writing of a new play and to foster a sense of community among LA writers. The program is not a competition or audition for inclusion in a Geffen season.

  While past projects from the Writers’ Room have occasionally gone on to additional development and production at the Geffen, we consider any future path of development a success, including at other theaters. The Geffen does not hold any option (or expectation) to produce work created in the Writers’ Room after its completion.

  With all of this in mind, we encourage playwrights to let go of “producibility” or “fit” for an upcoming Geffen season as guiding principles for their project proposal. Instead, we encourage you to write the proposal that scares you—the play that you might not finish without a supportive community and a deadline.

• When and where are the meetings and readings?

  Meetings will take place once per month (plus one additional introductory meeting and one additional closing meeting) on Monday evenings (dates TBD) at Geffen Playhouse. The Geffen’s address is 10886 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

  The program dates are September 2025 – August 2026, with culminating readings at the Geffen scheduled from September 2026 – December 2026.

• I might be out of town for a few months next year. Can I zoom in for meetings?

  Writers are expected to attend every meeting in person. Exceptions to the in-person attendance policy will be made for emergencies only.

  We consult with the Writers’ Room cohort to create the annual meeting schedule and make best efforts to work around existing conflicts. Please note that if you have extended plans to be away from Los Angeles for work or leisure during the program dates, you will be expected to make your own travel arrangements to return for in-person meetings.

• I have a different question; who should I talk to?

  Please email all questions regarding The Writers’ Room to Literary Manager & Dramaturg Olivia O’Connor at .