Founded in 2022, the Pipeline Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit organization which strives to support, challenge, and move work toward production. We are drawn to musicals that are still in process; actively evolving projects with a distinct point of view.
Pipeline Arts Foundation exists to discover musical theatre work as it becomes itself through care, curiosity, and iteration. With dwindling opportunities for the development of new musicals, Pipeline strives to bridge the gap between writing a musical and having it produced.
Through open submission awards, we identify early and developing projects with strong artistic intent and abiding potential. We act as a creative partner, working alongside artists to hone their work over time.
Pipeline recognizes that a single opportunity rarely results in a production. A show comes to be through various opportunities, iterations, and avenues. That is why Pipeline emphasizes sustained support for its Awarded creatives, beyond a single point of contact. Our growing alumni program establishes an artistic ecosystem, including developmental residencies, commissioning pathways, and production. These programs are designed to support artists and their shows at any stage. We remain in relationship with our recipients as they move musical theatre forward.
Pipeline Arts Foundation believes that musical theatre has the unique power to unite, heal, and inspire all people. We are fully committed to creating a vibrant, equitable, and inclusive environment where every individual, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, socioeconomic status, religion, or background, is valued, respected, and heard.
While we celebrate the universal human experience through musicals, we also recognize that historic barriers have excluded many from this art form. We explicitly commit to dismantling these barriers and elevating voices from historically marginalized communities, ensuring that our foundation is a welcoming and joyful home for all artists.
Musical theatre thrives when every voice is part of the ever-expanding ensemble. Pipeline Arts Foundation promises to keep listening, learning, and harmonizing together.
In our first 4 years, Pipeline has awarded over $500,000 to early- and mid-career musical theatre artists across our programs. Pipeline supported artists have gone on to receive: 3 Jonathan Larson Grants, a Richard Rodgers Award, and a MacArthur Fellowship. Awarded shows have gone on to: SoHo Playhouse, NAMT, the O’Neill’s NMTC, Signature Theatre, Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Commercial optioning, and more.
