The 2026 award

From a page.
To a stage.
To possibility.

Four new plays. Four distinctive voices.
A belief in what happens next.

Meet the supported works ↓

Actors in a Premiere Stages production — Premiere Stages at Kean University

Masterwork Premier Award$15,000

New work, from first readings
to full production.

THEATRE 2026

Behind the curtain / 01

Before opening night,
someone has to believe.

Masterwork’s 2026 Premier Award supports four Premiere Play Festival finalists, extending the possibilities of each script through readings, development and production.

The 2026 Play Festival finalistsWords become work.

ACT 01$10,000

Everything’s Going My Way

Written by Sophie Boyce

A psychotherapist, a volatile teenager and a mother’s hope collide in a play about intimacy, protection and connection.

Full production2026 / Premiere Stages

ACT 02$3,000

Red Bell

Written by Katherine Swan

An ex-dancer enters a boxing gym and confronts a past she has struggled to leave behind.

Staged readings2026 / Premiere Stages

ACT 03$1,000

Next/Life

Written by Matthew Capodicasa

A woman facing the end of life enters an experimental drug trial that reverses aging and forces an unexpected beginning.

Public reading2026 / Premiere Stages

ACT 04$1,000

Biting the Hand

Written by Deneen Reynolds Knott

A former program participant is pulled between gratitude, grievance, mentorship and her own values.

Public reading2026 / Premiere Stages

The producing partner

A home for
new voices.

Premiere Stages is the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University. Its Play Festival develops new plays through a competitive process, readings and professional production.

Masterwork expanded this year’s award from $10,000 to $15,000, extending support to four finalists.

Also at Premiere Stages: Flawless ↗