What's Happening!
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OUR NEXT OPEN APPLICATION COMMISSION IS NOW LIVE!
Every year Clubbed Thumb invites playwrights to propose plays inspired by a particular prompt. The application is free and open to all; the anonymous proposals are read by a panel of theater artists. The winning proposal(s) receive (or split) a $15,000 award and development support. (Read more about our new approach to play submissions HERE.)
This year, thanks to the gift of an anonymous sponsor, we are pleased to announce our next submission opportunity: Anthropology of the Workplace – a Margaret Mead Commission.
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THE FAMILY DOG WILL RETURN IN 2027!
Summerworks 2026’s sold-out, hit production of THE FAMILY DOG by Bailey Williams, directed by Tara Ahmadinejad and starring the original cast will return for FOUR WEEKS ONLY, February 9 – March 6, 2027 at New York Theatre Workshop. Tickets will go on sale in a few weeks – sign up for our EBLAST to get updates, early access and special ticket deals!
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THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR GALA A GREAT SUCCESS
Thanks to everyone who joined us to honor Josh Silverman, and to everyone who contributed to make it a truly special night.
It’s not too late to contribute to the Josh Silverman Fund! DONATE HERE
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MEET OUR 26/27 GROUP COHORTS!
A very warm welcome to the incoming writers and directors taking part in Clubbed Thumb’s Early-Career Writers’ Group and New Play Fellowship!
Directors Cricket Brown, Marissa Joyce Stamps and Jillian Jetton will work on plays by Daniel Holzman, Aaron Ricciardi and Nikhil Mahapatra respectively – stay tuned for a Winterworks announcement.
And we’re looking forward to getting to know Agyeiwaa Asante, Ida Cutler, Carlin Feck, Fiona Gorry-Hines, Salwa Meghjee, Derick Edgren Otero, Jacob K. Robinson and Amy B. Tiong in this year’s writers’ group!
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THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SUMMERWORKS 2026
Whether it was your first Summerworks or your 29th, we are so pleased you could join us. CLICK HERE for photos, essays and press from this season.
We’ll be spending the summer incubating and planning for the fall, but we have lot of news to share, so watch this space!
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OUR NEW ANTHOLOGY - ON SALE NOW
We’ve been eager to put out a second anthology since Funny, Strange, Provocative was published in 2007, and the last year finally provided us with the time to take on this long-awaited project. We are thrilled to announce that Unusual Stories, Unusually Told, published by Bloomsbury/Methuen, is now available!
In it you’ll find seven Clubbed Thumb plays that span 18 years of our history, as well as essays and interviews about the work, and the often atypical processes that led to their productions.
Read more about the book and get your discounted copy (and our first anthology) HERE
Deep Blue Sound : Abe Koogler, Arin Arbus, and a trove of a cast
by Billy McEntee – playwright and journalist, on behalf of Staff Picks
I want to scream about how gorgeous this play is but I worry such a decibel might disturb the whales. Kind of like “Our Town” but queerer, weirder, and dare I say more satisfying, Abe Koogler’s gem features a finely tuned cast where everyone is just a little bit lonelier than they want to be.
Crystal Finn is Finning all over the stage, so hysterically consumed by trying to find the missing whales’ beauty she doesn’t realize it’s right upstairs, where her son is wholeheartedly dancing.
When Jan Leslie Harding, in her tender, gravelly voice, makes a small choice, I welled a big tear.
Arnie Burton is, as ever, a throbbing heart in a community full of’m.
Everything moves to Arin Arbus’ simple, tidal direction: actors come in, actors go out, and — look! — a story has gently unfolded. Afterward, my love said something like, “This play fills me with gratitude that it trusts an audience to watch it.”
Thank you thank you thank you.
Photo by Maria Baranova