New Voices Play Development Program
at the Majestic Theater
New Voices is the Majestic Theater's new play development program, designed to expand opportunities for playwrights and other theater-makers across the Pioneer Valley (which includes North Central CT to Southern VT), and to introduce our community to new themes, ideas, and cultures we may not otherwise be familiar with. BIPOC, AAPI, and/or LGBTQIA+ playwrights are strongly encouraged to submit their work.
Two plays will be chosen by a diverse committee of theater professionals affiliated with the Majestic Theater and will go on to have a staged reading in November 2025. After being selected, New Voices playwrights are provided a team of professional artists, including a director and cast, to perform their play on the Majestic mainstage for an audience.
Readings will take place on Monday, November 17, 2025 and Monday, November 24, 2025. Submission Deadline for Playwrights: September 30, 2025.
Thank you for your submissions! The two plays selected for readings are below.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17 • 7:00PM
IRIS
by Olivia Clement Finch
Iris is a heartfelt and intimate play about a couple navigating the grief of a miscarriage and the strain it puts on their relationship.
Blending raw conversations, dreamlike moments, and flashes of hope, it explores love, loss, and the search for meaning in the hardest times. With relatable characters and emotional depth, the story captures the fragility of life and the strength it takes to keep going.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Olivia Clement Finch is a French-Australian writer currently based in Hadley, Massachusetts. Her play The Arrogance had its world premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2024. Critics called the production “heartbreaking”, “sensitively rendered” and “beautiful.” She was the University of Iowa’s 2023-24 Silver Postgraduate Writing Fellow. Her play Iris is a Dee Silver MD Commission and received a staged reading at the Cygnet Theatre in San Diego. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Mount Holyoke College where she teaches Playwriting and Theatre History. Her writing has been seen in Marie Claire, Playbill, LennyLetter and the Sydney Morning Herald. Olivia is thrilled to work with the Majestic and to share her work publicly in the Pioneer Valley for the first time.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 • 7:00PM
BLOOD & WATER
by Francesca Hansen-DiBello
Blood & Water is a compelling new musical that explores the complexities of love, family, and loss. Centered around Christine, her partner Georgie, and their two daughters, Rosie and Arabella, the story delves into themes of identity, resilience, and the bonds that hold families together through life’s most challenging moments. With a vibrant cast of characters, seamless scene transitions, and a powerful song list, this fresh and original play captures the beauty and pain of navigating illness, relationships, and self-discovery. A celebration of chosen family and the courage to embrace life’s uncertainties, Blood & Water is a must-see for anyone seeking a deeply moving theatrical experience.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Francesca Hansen-DiBello is an actor, playwright, and composer based in Northampton, MA. She holds a BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained with the New Studio on Broadway. Recent stage credits include Once (u/s Baruska, Majestic Theater), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena, Rooted Voyagers), Romeo and Juliet (Lady Capulet, Burbage Theatre Company), and To Serve the Hive (Nurse, Theatre Between Addresses). As a playwright and composer, her work has been developed and performed at The Workshop Theatre and The Kraine Theater in New York City, and Viewpoint Theatre in Massachusetts.
New Voices made possible through the generous support of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the West Springfield Cultural Council.