There are several components to this work: reading hundreds and hundreds of submitted plays and musicals, story conferencing with the writers of the selected works, producing the rehearsed readings of the plays, conducting the feedback forums with the post-reading audiences.

As everyone knows, the most enjoyable aspect of all is reading hundreds and hundreds of cold-submitted plays. Just kidding. My favorite parts, actually, are the one-on-one with the playwright and the one-on-many of the feedback sessions. The flint spark of creativity lives there.

From my tenure as New Works Director for North Coast Repertory Theatre in San Diego: