The Polonsky Foundation supports the dissemination of cultural heritage and innovation in the arts, and supports the commissioning and development of new productions in our New Work Department.
The New Work Department is the engine room of the National Theatre, and is responsible for identifying and nurturing emerging and established theatre-makers, and commissioning and developing new projects. Many of our most popular productions have been developed with the support of the New Work Department, including War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Lehman Trilogy and One Man, Two Guvnors.
There are 40-50 projects under commission at any given time, all at different stages of their development. With support from our team of dramaturgs, a playwright will deliver a first draft, which is then developed through workshops with creative teams and actors and may be programmed at the NT or elsewhere.