New Commission for Words Matter 2026 with The Veteran’s Spouse Project

Each year, The Workshop Theater commissions four writers to create short plays inspired by prompts related to a non-profit organization. We’re thrilled to welcome this year’s playwrights for Words Matter:

Monet Hurst-Mendoza
Mariana Carreño King
Phanésia Pharel
Caridad Svich

This year, we’ve partnered with Veteran’s Spouse Project. Each playwright was paired with a veteran spouse from VSP and created a new play based on those conversations. The four new plays are cast and produced for an evening celebrating the work of that non-profit, with contributions directly benefiting Veteran’s Spouse Project.

We hope you’ll join us on The Intrepid on May 4, 2026 to celebrate the artistic collaboration of Veteran’s Spouse Project and The Workshop Theater.

Tickets and more details HERE.

Words Matter is a unique annual initiative where The Workshop Theater partners with a non-profit organization doing critical work in the community. We commission four groundbreaking playwrights to create new plays inspired by that organization’s mission. The writers learn about the nonprofit’s work – its people, challenges, and triumphs. They then craft stories illuminating and amplifying the heart of that mission. The plays are cast and produced for an evening celebrating the work of that non-profit.

Previous collaborations benefited the work of New Sanctuary Coalition, Invisible Hands, Judges & Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert, and Rehabilitation Through the Arts. This year, we are proud to partner with the Veteran’s Spouse Project, who are dedicated to sharing the stories of generations of military spouses, uniting the military and civilian communities in friendship and understanding. This year’s reading will be held on May 4, 2026 at the Intrepid Museum.


The Next One Hundred Years at Lafayette College starting April 30

This abridged version of playwright Caridad Svich’s new play, created during her 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship, asks who we will be in the next 100 years. This multimedia performance piece, supported by student design fellows, asks audiences to imagine, against all odds, there is a future that is not foreclosed.

Directed by Professor Courtney Ryan
Design by Professor Jake Salgado

Performed at the Williams Center for the Arts · Lafayette College

Details and ticket info HERE.