What We Do
The Orchard Project is where new works are seeded, nurtured and grown, like a real orchard.
It is an expansive creative space for new plays, new musicals, new television shows, and new forms of dramatic storytelling. The Orchard Project serves creators and producers, through form fitting labs, workshops, and other support — in New York City, Saratoga Springs, and online — that propel innovative projects forward.
We ask artists what they need, then build support around their vision. Whether emerging or established, solo or collaborative, artists find in us not just resources and space, but a community that uplifts, challenges, and grows with them.
ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Our Developmental Labs are at the heart of our mission: providing rigorous yet flexible support for creators pushing the boundaries of dramatic storytelling. These labs are centered on process, not product — and welcome artists working across form, scale, and experience. These labs include:Â
- Performance Lab – Our annual summer lab in Saratoga Springs, focused on providing support for theatermakers, writers, composers, and ensembles as they develop new work on their own terms.
- Greenhouse Lab – A year-long NYC-based accelerator for early-career artists to generate new ideas across formats.
- Episodic Lab – A summer lab of workshops, industry mentorship, and mock writers’ rooms designed for TV writers with pilots in development.
- Audio Lab – Our six-week summer lab aimed at cultivating original audio projects for dramatic audio storytelling.
- OP Forward – A unique program that continues support for our lab artists after the lab phase is concluded. From professional development to industry partnerships, to community building events, this program aims to expand the potential for further growth of new work.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
As a leader in new work and artistic development, we are committed to supporting our field through initiatives that aim to start conversations and create an industry that is inclusive, innovative, and ever-evolving.
- Leadership Lab – A joint initiative with The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, this lab empowers leaders across the arts to build new practices and inclusive models for producing and supporting work in a post-COVID, anti-racist, digitally-enabled world. Offered on a sliding scale, the lab creates space for personal and systemic transformation.
- Notes 2.0 – This workshop provides essential tools for creative leaders and artists alike, focusing on how to give and get creative notes with grace and intention.
- Open Process – A year-round series of free virtual conversions and workshops for artists, audiences, and creatives of all backgrounds. Topics range from ethics and sustainability in storytelling to tools for TV writing or performance creation — all with a spirit of transparency and inclusion.
CONNECTING AUDIENCES
Through our intimate sharings, we connect audiences with new and developing work, and provide artists with opportunities to share their work throughout the process.Â
- Summer Arts Festival – Our annual celebration in Saratoga Springs that brings the creative process to the public, through open rehearsals, panels, concerts, and more — spotlighting both our resident artists and the act of creation itself.
- Theatre Trips and Tours – Our annual London Tour, as an example, is an exclusive and intimate view of making theater, our tour of London provides unparalleled access to those making the best theatre in London.