About Us
Founded in 2023, DDP is a group of dramaturgs from around the world specializing in new play development. Through process-based initiatives, we are on a mission to create more opportunities for emerging playwrights and emerging dramaturgs to work together beyond geographic barriers.
Our ongoing initiatives include The Match, Playshare Evolution, and partnership opportunities. Learn about our 2026 programming.
Our History
In early 2023, our founding dramaturg, Suzi Elnaggar, articulated the vision for a new play-development space where emerging playwrights and dramaturgs could come together and collaborate.
Suzi brought together a group of six fellow emerging dramaturgs – Emma Bilderback, Caili Crow, Jihye Kim, Kemi King, Arly Rubens, and Ally Varitek – based across the US and internationally, to help shepherd this vision into reality.
In our third year, the Digital Development Project is refreshing our look, redefining our processes, and expanding our offerings to artists at many stages of their careers.
Read more about our past programming.
Our Vision
— To create an equitable space for playwrights and dramaturgs to hone their craft and creative voices, with mutual collaboration at the center of the work.
— To foster a community for emerging artists, who are uniquely poised to shape the future of theatre.
— To be led by process over product, with focus on innovation, artistic growth, and models of best practice.
Dramaturgy of the Process
Dramaturgically rigorous.
Writer-centered storytelling.
Across borders.
We make space for stories to emerge, for writers to shape their worlds, and for collaborative practice to take root and thrive. We believe in a development process grounded in patience, trust, and deep listening.
Join Us!
We are adding one North American Dramaturg.
Apply to our Call for Collaborators here:
Our Initiatives
Read more about our programming and workshops.
Playwrights 🤝 Dramaturgs
The Match is DDP’s dramaturg–playwright matching and script development process used to pair up dramaturgs and playwrights for extended development work.
For our 2026 Cycle, The Match now has three distinct development tracks to which playwrights can apply. These are 3, 6, and 12-month tracks, designed to best meet playwrights where they are in their writing process and artistic career.
Playwrights 🤝 Readings
Playshare Evolution is our Summer Digital Play Lab, an expansion of DDP’s dramaturg–playwright collaborative process, where a director and actors are brought into the “room”.
During Playshare Evolution, a playwright will have the opportunity to work with a DDP dramaturg, a director, and actors to develop their work further. The play lab will culminate in an invite-only digital sharing session to get developmental feedback on the work.
Our Dramaturgs 🤝 Your Arts Festivals
In summer 2024, DDP partnered with SheLA to pair our dramaturgs with their playwrights to facilitate final touches to their scripts for the Summer Theater Festival.
Interested in partnering with DDP? Email us!
