Associate Membership

FY25 Eligibility & Requirements

Theaters considering Associate Membership should contact Monica Montoya, NNPN Membership & Engagement Director (monica@nnpn.org), to begin the application process and request an application.

ABOUT NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK

National New Play Network is an alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. The Network believes that commitment to diverse stories, artists, audiences, institutions, and leadership is essential to an equitable new play field; new plays are vital to our communities because they reflect, chronicle, and question the ideas, issues, and stories of our time; and collaboration is indispensable to the success of new plays. National New Play Network envisions a robust, equitable, and inclusive new play ecology that reflects a broad range of aesthetics.

With an unwavering pledge to model this new play ecology, National New Play Network has made equity, diversity, inclusion, and access a strategic priority, and is currently seeking to expand its roster of Associate Member Theaters with like-minded, professional non-profit producing organizations committed to bringing new works to their audiences and communities. NNPN is especially interested in amplifying the work of Theaters of Color in the new play field and is actively recruiting partners in this work.

To learn more about our history, visit nnpn.org/about.

ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS

Companies seeking to join National New Play Network as Associate Member Theaters must:

  • Have a demonstrated commitment to the life of new plays, meaning the organization has developed and/or produced at least two new plays (as defined below) over the last three programming cycles or seasons. (No more than ⅓ of those works may have been adaptations of literary works or pre-existing material.)

  • Furnish documentation of 501c3 status or fiscal sponsorship and be recognized as a professional theater within their community and the field.

  • Have the organizational capacity to actively engage with NNPN. (See the FY25 Engagement Opportunities for a reference list of ways to participate.)

  • Have an annual budget of $75,000 or more.

  • Provide NNPN with its most recent audit or certified annual financial statement.

  • Pay dues as mandated annually by NNPN.

    • Associate Member Theater dues for FY25 (7/1/24 - 6/30/25) are $750.00 USD.

  • Affirm and commit to NNPN’s Mission, Vision, and Values and Anti-Racism/Anti-Bias Statement and Action Plan.

  • Present an organizational anti-racism/anti-bias statement and plan with clear objectives.

  • Maintain eligibility per the criteria and definitions listed below.

DEFINITIONS

Theaters of Color are defined by NNPN as theaters that self-identify as Theaters of Color and that make work by, for, with, and about Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC).

A New Play is, for NNPN’s purposes, one that:

  • is previously unproduced OR received its first professional production in the past three programming cycles or seasons

  • has had no commercial productions

  • has had fewer than three regional productions

Professional Theaters, as defined by NNPN, are recognized as such within their community and the field, and:

  • Contract and compensate collaborators at rates commensurate with professional standards in their market.

  • Strive to achieve, advocate, and maintain the highest standards for the content and delivery of production.

  • Exemplify honesty and integrity in their artistic, administrative, and fiduciary responsibilities.

  • Treat colleagues with fairness and respect, honor differences, speak up for what is right, and take an active, problem-solving approach to issues within their organizations and community.

  • Enact policies and ensure that all employees, board members, volunteers, and program participants are responsible for fostering a safe working environment, free of harassment and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender identity, language, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, and/or disability, and/or economic class.

  • Maintain a professional relationship with creative collaborators both in and outside of the theater and rehearsal space.

  • Consider the physical and emotional well-being of patrons, staff, and artists in all decisions and actions.

An anti-racism/anti-bias statement and action (AR/AB) plan are examples of documents that codify a theater’s objectives for and plans to counteract and prevent bias, harm, discrimination, and other forms of interpersonal and institutional violence related to race, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender identity, language, sexual orientation, neurodiversity and/or disability, and/or economic class. These documents are different but related to any language in your HR documents that opposes and prohibits unfair discrimination against people based on their identities.

  • NNPN recognizes that these take many forms across our Membership but expects that all prospective and active Members will create, maintain, and continually assess their adherence to these policies and plans and that all companies will share the outcomes of these assessments and annual updates with the Network to share best practices and learnings with the field. NNPN will offer resources and support for organizations needing help to maintain, update, or operationalize these documents and actions.

BECOMING AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER THEATER

Theaters considering Associate Membership should contact Monica Montoya, NNPN Membership & Engagement Director (monica@nnpn.org), to begin the application process and request an application. Associate Membership Applications are reviewed and accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis. Please expect a review period of at least 3 months for your application.

Upon receipt of a completed Associate Membership Application, NNPN staff and/or the Chairs of our Membership Committee may invite the prospective member theater’s leadership to an informational interview via video conference. This is an opportunity for both entities to meet and gain a deeper understanding of the other's work in the new play field, as well as consider ways to collaborate in the future.

If the organizations agree that their values, goals, and activities are aligned, approved theaters will be notified of their acceptance and receive an invoice for dues. Membership will commence upon NNPN’s receipt of the Theater’s payment or an approved payment plan. FY25 Membership Dues have been set at $750 for Associate Member Theaters.