The Match
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 careers.
Dramaturgs and Playwrights are matched based on multiple factors, including script, genre, capacity, and working styles. Instead of selecting the “best play,” each dramaturg will offer 1-3 slots in one of our development tracks (listed below) and will choose the script or playwrights with whom they would like to collaborate in 2026.
Applications for The Match 2026 are now closed.
Selected playwrights from all three tracks will form a 2026 cohort that will meet at set intervals throughout the year, offering opportunities for peer exchange, discussion, and community-building, as well as for sharing writing, successes, and opportunities.
Cohort sessions are designed to supplement, not replace, the development work happening within each Match.
Questions? Contact our Literary Manager Maddy Brown by emailing thedigitaldramaturgs@gmail.com with the subject line “The Match Application Inquiry”.
Eligibility
Playwright eligibility and development tracks
Our Dramaturgs
A directory of our Dramaturgs
Application
2026 application and requirements
The Match FAQ
The Match is DDP’s core dramaturg–playwright matching process. For our 2026 Cycle, The Match refers to the process through which dramaturg–playwright pairings are made, while the resulting collaborations operate through three distinct development tracks within the 2026 DDP Programming Cycle. These are 3-, 6-, and 12-month tracks, designed to best meet playwrights where they are in their writing process and artistic career.
Eligibility requirements for each track can be found on our eligibility page or in plaintext form here.
DDP has developed a set of categories that playwrights can use to describe their artistic journey. In the application for The Match, playwrights will be asked to choose the categories they feel best represent them. Full descriptions of these categories can be found on the eligibility page or in plaintext form here.
Each Match track has its own set of requirements. The basic requirements for each track are a cover letter, a 10-page sample from the script you would like to develop during The Match, and the full text of the script you would like to develop during The Match. Specific requirements for each track can be found on our application page or in plaintext form here.
Each script must be under 150 pages to qualify. We are not currently accepting musicals. For this year, scripts must be primarily in English. Scripts do not need to be a complete draft to apply.
The application includes uploading the listed documents and answering a brief questionnaire about working style and communication preferences. Additionally, applicants will be asked to indicate who they are interested in Matching with based on the DDP dramaturg profiles.
A playwright can apply to multiple tracks, but the same script must be used across all applications. A separate application should be completed for each additional track.
We will only be able to consider the first 75 applications: 50 applications for the 3 or 6-Month Match tracks and 25 applications for the 12-Month Fellowship. DDP reserves the right to accept above this number, but once the form is closed, no more applications will be accepted for either category. Applying for multiple tracks will not count against the total number of applications.
The DDP dramaturgs are offering slots in select tracks, not every track. To learn more about our dramaturgs and which tracks they’re offering, check out the DDP dramaturg profiles.
You will hear from DDP in March about the status of your application