Writers often also work on other plays in the festival as actors and directors, gaining additional perspective on bringing a play from the page to the stage. “A lot of universities don’t teach these skills,” Kelso pointed out. “When our students go out into the world, they take these skills and this experience with them.”

Audiences complete the process. "While the audience is important in all play productions,” Kelso said, “it’s particularly important with new plays, because that’s how the playwrights know if what they are trying to communicate is getting across.”