CWP Launchpad Reading Series Summer 2026
The CWP Launchpad Reading Series is a new initiative produced as part of The Center at West Park's Center for New Work Development. The series provides a platform for emerging theatre companies and early-career producers to curate a weekend of pay-what-you-can developmental readings of new work, with rehearsal and presentation space, marketing & promotional support, technical & administrative assistance, and a curatorial stipend provided by CWP. Through the Launchpad Reading Series, CWP uplifts artists at the start of their careers by creating accessible and inclusive presentation opportunities showcasing diverse talents, and provides the next generation of arts leaders with the support to put their ideas and communities on the stage.
CWP Launchpad Reading Series Summer 2026
The Parlor at
St. Paul & St. Andrew
263 W. 86th Street, New York, NY 10024
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Madison, an influencer with over 15 million followers, suffers in silence after her father’s death until she finds comfort from the profile of Shay, an unknown office worker, who posts dead dad content. SWAY is a queer thriller comedy that explores the exploitation of the need for human connection on social media.
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After her girlfriend dies in a mass shooting, Faith recruits her ghost-hunting neighbors to help her reconnect with what she has lost.
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"Gossamer" explores how four vastly different women use the ancient art of tapestry weaving to resist and subvert the patriarchal systems that surround them.
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The Binding Retreat by Olivia Billings
A leftist journalist goes undercover at a christian women's retreat in order to expose an injustice, but must grapple with faith & Queerness in the process.
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Deconstructing a Human Sacrifice by Erin Proctor
Will the circle ever finally be broken? A young woman confronts the ghost of her great-great-great grandmother, who was murdered in a human sacrifice almost a hundred years ago during a cult ritual, and tries to understand her family’s dark past. They also drink bourbon.
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Six friends meet for a Game Night where bad habits and clashing personalities change their relationships forever.
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Sour Grapes by Annabel McConnachie
When two Catholic school girls claim that water in a consecrated chalice turned into wine, what begins as a panicked lie snowballs into a full-blown miracle. Lucy and Gemma find themselves at the center of a growing wave of religious fervor as classmates, clergy, and local Catholic media project sainthood onto two deeply unqualified teenagers.
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It Gets Better (Monologues for Melanated Men) by Charles Day
It Gets Better (Monologues for Melanated Men) is a bold and deeply human collection of solo stories exploring identity, vulnerability, race, masculinity, sexuality, family, and survival. Through unforgettable voices and intimate moments, the play invites audiences into the emotional lives of men navigating pain, hope, self-discovery, and the possibility of healing.
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PASSION PROJECT by Grace Parker
As a group of young artists rehearses a play written decades earlier by their director’s late grandmother, their ambitions, friendships, and love lives combust inside a rehearsal room where the line between artistic passion and self-destruction dangerously blurs.
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I Close My Eyes and Do My Duty by Defne Ozkan
Translated from Haldun Taner’s Turkish play, I Close My Eyes and Do My Duty satirically delves into the lives and struggles of actors during the early days of the Turkish Republic. It masterfully combines comedy and drama, using humor to address profound questions about the human condition and the meaning of progress.