Space Lab

Advocating for the development of new work.

Companies are granted free use of our Theater B or C space for up to 5 days to explore the creation and development of new work. Preference is given to intersectional / ^ⵅIDEA-driven works with the opportunity for an intimate (invite-only) showing for the creatives to hear the piece out loud.

Access to space is Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 6:00PM, or as pre-approved with management, with work lights only and no dressing room or booth access. This program is not intended for individual creatives/artists who self-produce projects.

^ⵅInclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility

Companies interested in being considered for future Space Lab residencies, can submit their materials via the link provided.

Submit Materials Here

2025 Participants:

Hook & Eye Theater
Hook & Eye devises new, non-linear, mash-up plays through ensemble co-creation and co-authorship. We mine themes from history and science, and flirt with myths. Incongruent source materials are fastened together to disrupt the everyday. We invent uncommon relationships, blend genres, and craft multigenerational stories, offering audiences visceral experiences that move through their heart, head, and civic spaces.

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company
We are a NYC-based, mission-driven, Off Broadway theatre company dedicated to strengthening the legacy of the American theatre, while serving the communities where we produce (both on and off stage). Since 2009, PCTC has produced 17 mainstage productions, seven new works series, 45 staged readings, four Tennessee Williams festivals, a world premiere of a Tennessee Williams play (The Recluse and His Guest), and several NYC premieres. PCTC has won and/or been nominated for 22 theatre awards, and received The Nazareth Housing 2018 Community Service Award.

2024 Participants:

Clutch Productions
Clutch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for women artists in theatre and film. By commissioning and producing original works, Clutch provides vital creative space for women to collaborate

No.11 Productions
Founded in 2008, No.11 Productions exists to collaboratively create new works and original adaptations as an ensemble. Our productions have the energy and imaginative zest of kids playing make-believe in the backyard and we invite the audience to play along. We believe in the energizing power of sharing stories full of hope and teamwork and strive to engage our audience as collaborators in the act of storytelling.

SheNYC Art
SheNYC Arts is a femme-led nonprofit organization fighting for gender equity in the arts & entertainment industry across the United States. Our mission is to prove that there is no reason for male artists to have the overwhelming majority of professionally produced work on Broadway, off-Broadway, and around the country. We work granularly to break down the “pipeline issue” of gender inequity in our industry, and showcase the talents of writers, composers, producers, directors, and other theater artists who are part of a marginalized gender group, including cis women, trans, and non-binary people.

Black Petal Theatre
Black Petal Theatre was established in 2016 to cultivate change by empowering people of color and defying unflattering stereotypical narratives that place them in a box, while opening the space for them to occupy stories that they are often denied. Our goal is to produce heavy stories that explore every locked door in the damp basement that was polluted with the unknown; a door that we are perhaps tentative to enter – or accept – as adults. From darker human universes crowded with numbing fear and spectacular wonder, to undeniable truths experienced by captivating characters, we've woven these elements together to produce shows hopefully many will appreciate.

2023 Participants:

INSTINCT
INSTINCT is a dynamic and innovative theater company that is dedicated to providing a platform for women and people of color to tell their stories. Drawing inspiration from theaters like La Mama, INSTINCT is committed to exploring all kinds of interesting and thought-provoking topics through its productions. With a focus on promoting diversity and inclusivity in the arts, INSTINCT offers a unique and engaging theatrical experience that celebrates the richness of different cultures and perspectives. Whether you're a seasoned theater-goer or new to the scene, INSTINCT promises to challenge, entertain, and inspire you with its groundbreaking productions.

The Associates
The Associates is a company of performer-playwrights who create original plays that reflect and refract modes of identity in America. Over our first five seasons we developed an ensemble-based process of devising and collectively writing plays; our first play, Black Protagonist was nominated for Outstanding Original Script by the New York Innovative Theatre Awards

Latiné Musical Theatre Lab
The Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, LLC is an organization that develops and advocates for new Latiné-written works of musical theatre in order to radically change who gets to tell musical stories on stages across the country.

The Tent
The Tent Theater Company nurtures, supports, and advocates for American playwrights and cross-disciplinary theater makers over the age of 60, fostering connections among them and promoting their artistry and wellness to the larger community. The Tent rests upon the three pillars of Service, Advocacy, and Artistic Support to celebrate and attend to writers in the totality of their artistic journeys.

C Squared Theatre
Started by Providence-based writer, actor, and musician Cass Caduto, C Squared Theatre Group produces original theatrical works by independent Rhode Island-located playwrights with a focus on work writers from socially or politically marginalized groups. Our mission is to aid in raising awareness of more taboo social and political issues that polite society tries its best to keep quiet. Permanent Solutions, which is about suicide and mental health, is C Squared's flagship production.

LubDub Theatre Co
LubDub Theatre Co is a physical theatre company that animates stories of science, magic, and myth. Named for the stethographic sounds of a heartbeat, LubDub creates athletic work at the intersections of dance, music, installation art, new writing, and immersive performance.

Less Than Rent
Less Than Rent is a New York-based independent theatre company founded in 2010 that seeks to elevate stories of class struggle in America and throughout the world. They present new works that explore themes of egalitarianism, collectivism, and anti-imperialism with their signature hard-edged style and irreverent humor. They are currently one of 59E59 Theaters’ Co-Op Resident Companies.

2022 Participants:

The Hearth
The Hearth tells the stories of women. We nurture and celebrate women and non-binary artists (playwrights, directors, actors, and designers) and develop plays that represent the complex and vast spectrum of womanhood. The Hearth produces plays that explore characters who pulse with emotional, intellectual, and psychological complexity. We seek to challenge stereotypes, advance and complicate the conversation about feminism, and expand perceptions of what it means to be a woman. We are committed to making room for the next generation of women artists in the landscape of the American theater.

The Sống Collective
The Sống Collective’s mission is to reclaim the Vietnamese American narrative by creating development and performance opportunities for emerging artists of color. We nurture a community of artists whose work explores questions of identity, race, intersectionality, immigration, and the refugee experience. We are dedicated to telling stories that dare to subvert preconceptions of Asian Americans.

Hypokrit Productions
Hypokrit’s mission is to fundamentally disrupt the American entertainment industry, with the purpose of making the arts more equitable and relevant to a wider audience. We exclusively develop work by global-majority artists, with a specific focus on artists of South Asian descent. We focus on producing work that appeals to a multicultural and transnational audience. In addition to theater, we develop and produce TV and film projects, giving our artists a greater opportunity for exposure and our audience a greater opportunity for representation and connection.

Pictured: Steven Conroy and Julie Congress in PAIR (2023) by No.11 Productions and directed by Ryan Emmons. Presented by No.11 Productions. Workshopped as a Space Lab. Photo by Carol Rosegg.