Our next NCPLab is Monday, November 30th, at LauderAle Brewery!

Prompt Backgrounds: New City Players has announced its 26-27 season theme: AMERICA AT 250. This year’s lab prompts will explore this theme, culminating in Short Plays: Lauder Made Vol. III happening Feb. 26-28, 2027 at the Broward Center.

November 30th Prompt: Florida's beach flags are meant to warn us about water conditions—green for calm, red for dangerous, or purple for the presence of pests. And why limit them to the beach when these flags can equally fly for a family gathering?
Write a 10 minute play in which a purple flag is raised for at least one character.
It might signal a literal pest, a difficult communicator, a family menace at Thanksgiving, a troubling political policy, or something stranger beneath the surface.

Email your play submission to community@newcityplayers.org. Include a character breakdown (age, race, gender) and any content trigger warnings on the first page of your play. Submissions are due by November 26th, at 11:59pm.

All LauderAle core beers are only $6.50! Please sign up before attending!

November 30th, 7pm at LauderAle Brewery in Fort Lauderdale

Upcoming NCPLab Dates: November 30, December 21

Sign Up

The Process

  1. Whether you are a playwright, actor, or spectator please use the button below to register for upcoming labs.

  2. If you would like to submit a play for lab please register below and then email your play to community@newcityplayers.org and include the following on the front page: character breakdown/descriptions and any content warnings.

  3. Playwrights whose plays are selected are encouraged to bring questions for the spectators and participants in order to garner feedback. This is not required, but we encourage writers to take advantage of the gathered artists reactions to their work. Example questions could be:

    1. What stood out to you in the play?

    2. How would you describe this play to a friend?

    3. What was very clear in the story? Was anything confusing about the story?

What is NCPLab?

NCPLab is New City Players' free monthly playwright development program where theatre artists and community members gather to write, workshop, and perform new 10-minute plays. Held (almost) every month at LauderAle Brewery in Fort Lauderdale, NCPLab welcomes everyone—from first-time writers to seasoned playwrights, actors looking to practice cold-reading, and theatre lovers curious about the creative process.

Most exciting? NCPLab plays feed directly into Short Plays: Lauder Made Vol. III (Feb. 26–28, 2027, Broward Center) — the best new work each month has a real shot at full production.

How it works: Each month features a themed prompt. Writers spend the month working on a new play that they submit the week before lab. Then the group reads the work aloud, gives feedback, and connects. Never written anything before and want to try? Come! Been writing your whole life? Come! Anyone is welcome to spectate or participate.

NCPLab regularly draws 30-40 attendees—a vibrant mix of playwrights, actors, directors, and community members building Fort Lauderdale's theatre scene one story at a time. It's a space to practice your craft, try new things, stretch yourself artistically, and connect as people.

When: Monthly (check back here for dates and prompts)

Where: LauderAle Brewery, Fort Lauderdale

Cost: Free

Who: Everyone. Seriously, everyone.

This is where South Florida playwrights are born.

For more information contact NCPLab Manager, Krystal Valdes at community@newcityplayers.org .