Next Draft is a three-month development process composed of close collaboration with a dramaturg and 8 rehearsals with a director, dramaturg, and actors designed to investigate the script through feedback sessions and staging. This culminates in a workshop reading of the play. Our goal in this process is to give the playwright time and resources to work on their script, as well as the opportunity to see how the work functions on its feet with actors, director, and audience. Works chosen for this Next Draft cycle will begin development in the spring of 2026 (Specific dates TBD).

The Next Draft selection process works in three progressive stages: sample review, full draft review, and finally, playwright interviews. During each review stage, a panel of Avalanche ensemble members will read and discuss each application to recommend which scripts advance to the next round. Out of all the initial applications, we will select up to 24 full drafts for review, and of those 24, 6 scripts will be in final consideration.

Next Draft cycles currently include three development processes. One script has already been selected for the spring development cycle, so two additional scripts will be selected from this application window.

Once the application window closes on August 15th, playwrights will receive an email confirming receipt and timeline for review. Our current goal is to have our initial review completed by the first week of September 2025, at which point playwrights who have been selected to move forward will receive full script requests from our literary team. If your play has been chosen, you will hear from us by September 10th at the latest.

Our next application window will open in the summer of 2026.

Avalanche is committed to developing works across the theatrical spectrum, including full-length, one-acts, and one-person shows. However, Next Draft is first and foremost a script development process. Our structure is not designed to support the needs of works that have highly specialized technical requirements (e.g., dance performance, musicals/operas, extensive puppetry, etc.). Additionally, unscripted works such as improvised and devised pieces will not be accepted.

There are no restrictions around theme; we are accepting works exploring all manner of the human experience.

We are aiming to limit cast size to 8 or fewer performers, so if your script has more than eight characters, please take into account potential doubling tracks.

The minimum length would be an approximately 60-minute one-act. While there is no prescriptive maximum, the aim of Next Draft is to have the greatest development impact possible over the course of the process, which consists of 8 workshop days over the course of three months. While work with your dramaturg will not be exclusively limited to those 8 days, the longer the play, the more script there would be to encapsulate in a relatively limited time. So, while not prohibitive, works longer than two hours in length may find themselves more limited within the process.

The minimum requirement for application is at least one completed draft of your script.

No and Yes. At this time, we’re limiting applications to one script per playwright. However, you may send additional applications as a member of a writing team.

Yes. Though we would prefer to spend time with your latest work, we do accept scripts that have been previously sent for review. We do ask, however, that the work has been significantly revised — which tends to mean that substantial changes to the story and its telling have been made since it was last shared with us.

Avalanche Theatre is committed to the development of local Chicago theatre makers and will only accept applications from Chicago-land residents.

Yes. We accept adaptations and translations, provided that the rights to any material not in the public domain are granted in writing and that a copy of this permission is shared with Avalanche.

The Next Draft process is structured to provide generative time with various creatives and collaborators to assist you in exploring and developing your work. Each script is unique and will utilize these resources differently. Understanding your goals helps us determine if Next Draft is the right process to meet them. The following questions can help you investigate your development goals:

• What element of the script are you most curious about? Do you have questions about the story, some of the characters, the structure, or the tone?

• When working on the script, where do you feel the most confused/blocked/anxious? Is there an element that is keeping you away from returning to the page?

• Which parts of your play do you think would benefit most from “lab work” with additional collaborators (actors, directors, etc), and how would their involvement further help you answer questions about your play?

• What elements of the play have you received feedback on in the past that you’d like to continue investigating?