The question: Can artists of various backgrounds collaboratively write a first draft of a short play based on a common theme in one weekend?

For this project, we wanted to focus on our core value of empowerment by providing the participants a structured curriculum that made the task of writing a first draft of a play in 48 hours an achievable one. Learning was also a big focus as we sought to provide tools to how to approach playwrighting. This being a collaborative effort, we strove to create strong community among the participants by working, eating, sleeping and socializing together under one roof.

Participants would spend the weekend in Squam Lake, New Hampshire at the lake house of frequent NOW participant Daniel John. Working together to develop a short play based on a common theme (to be revealed at the beginning of the weekend), groups would decide on a genre in which to set their play and work as a team to write a first draft to be presented in a reading by the weekend's close. Each group would also be asked to turn in some kind of written documentation of their work: something as simple as an outline or as in depth as a complete script.