New Dramatists: Dedicated to the Playwright. Established 1949.

The Board, Staff, and Playwrights of New Dramatists mourn the passing of Ronald S. Konecky. We offer our loving support to Isobel, our president, and to Jennifer and the entire family. Ron will be remembered and grievously missed by many, though few of us will find language that will adequately express his profound impact. Ron was a brilliant professional, a powerful and fiercely ethical advocate, and a deeply loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. His presence in any room was at once commanding and reassuring. Ron calmly furthered consensus by offering the most thoughtful solutions with eloquence and elegance. By example, he inspired everyone else to be a better version of themselves. Through his legendary philanthropy and personal generosity, Ron also proved to be a partner and mentor to a generation of lawyers and entertainment executives.

We will all miss Ron with a stubborn ache, and in place of his commanding presence, there will be a void beyond our ability to fill. We are certain he would want us to populate the empty space with those best versions of ourselves and share our lasting memories of his humor, wisdom, and great capacity for love. Our thoughts and our hearts reach out to Isobel, who is the soul of New Dramatists.

New Dramatists is the country’s premier center for the support and development of playwrights. Founded in 1949 by Michaela O’Harra in association with Howard Lindsay, Richard Rodgers, Russel Crouse, Oscar Hammerstein II, John Golden, Moss Hart, Maxwell Anderson, John Wharton, John E. Sherwood and Elmer Rice, New Dramatists gives talented writers time and space to experiment and grow, sustained by an inspiring community of peers.

New Dramatists is dedicated to the playwright, and pursues a singular mission: to find gifted playwrights and give them the time, space, and tools to develop their craft, so that they may fulfill their potential and make lasting contributions to the theatre. Regarded as a national leader in playwright support and advocacy, New Dramatists has remained a pioneer in the field of new play development since our inception in 1949. We offer our company of 50 playwrights a home base and self-guided laboratory for seven years, free of charge, in the company of a gifted community of peers. Writers pay nothing to join and participate in New Dramatists. The program is made possible largely through contributions from the theatre and entertainment community. In return for this gift of time and resources, resident playwrights write and create new works for the theatre. The company organizes an average of 90 readings and workshops of new plays and musicals by its playwrights each season.

This unique organization has fostered the work of over 600 playwrights early in their careers, including some of the most revered and influential playwrights of our time: Robert Anderson, Kia Corthron, Nilo Cruz, Horton Foote, Richard Foreman, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, David Lindsay-Abaire, Eduardo Machado, Donald Margulies, Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, John Patrick Shanley, Paula Vogel, Mac Wellman, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, Doug Wright, and many more.

Current playwrights and alumni have won 16 Pulitzers, 24 Tonys®, 68 Obies, 17 Drama Desk Awards, 4 MacArthur Fellowships, and 12 Susan Smith Blackburn Awards. New Dramatists itself is the recipient of a 2001 Tony Honor and a 2005 Obie Award, in recognition that our writers are, as our Tony put it, “blessing” the future of the American theatre.

New Dramatists - after many years - is in the process of creating a brand new website. We invite you to explore this temporary site, with all the critical information you'll need, while we implement the new site over the next few months.