ST LOUIS: New Line Theatre has announced the creation of the New Line Theatre Arch Incubator, to develop and nurture new works of musical theatre. The Arch Incubator is designed by be an “accepting, diverse, and collaborative space” for the creation, development, and production of original musical theatre in the St. Louis metro area, according to a press release. The incubator will also foster a growing partnership with educational, commercial, and nonprofit organizations in St. Louis and New York, to extend the life of new musicals beyond the St. Louis region. 

St. Louis native Wilson Webel will lead the development of the incubator. Webel has laid out a five-phase plan to be implemented over 10 years, designed to create a lasting hub for new musical theatre and those who create, support, and enjoy it. The first phase will include some small performances but will focus largely on fundraising in order to give artists the support to create new work. Briana Whyte-Harris will be the Incubator’s development coordinator in New York.

“I’ve been wanting to create something like this for years, but it’s been just too much to take on,” said artistic director Scott Miller, in a statement. “When Wilson came to me and proposed this project, I was immediately on board. This is so important—for our company, for our audiences, and for the art form. Our region needs this Incubator.”

New Line Theatre, created in 1991, is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, and socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre.