On a yearly basis, the Playwrights Realm selects four early-career playwrights to work on a new play over the course of nine months. The playwrights collaborate with the Realm's artistic staff to prepare their plays for production. The fellows are also mentored in various areas, including financial planning and finding an agent.

Each fellow receives a $2,500 stipend, an internal reading with actors and use of the Realm's office space for printing, writing and meetings.

Irwin will develop My Mañana Comes; Kaplan's play is titled 123; Platt will work on There There There; and Roper's play is Lottie in the Late Afternoon. 

"I'm thrilled to be welcoming Jason, Lila Rose, Amelia, and Elizabeth to The Realm," artistic director Katherine Kovner said in a statement. "We had more applicants than ever this year and were looking not only for skilled playwrights, but for individuals who are at the right moment in their career to take advantage of the professional development resources we offer. The work of each of these artists stood out because their plays display craft, an exciting new voice, and a vividly painted world for audiences to inhabit. I'm excited to get to spend a year with these plays and these playwrights."

The residency culminates in a final reading of each playwright's finished work in the INK'D Reading Festival, prior to which the writers will work with a designer to help develop the physical world of their script. All readings in INK'D, which will take place in May 2014, are free of charge and open to the public. In order to qualify for the fellowship, playwrights must be in the early stages of their careers and seeking a rigorous development process. Applicants' plays are read by playwrights, producers and directors across the country; finalists' plays go through several rounds of readings; and finalists themselves are interviewed by Realm staff.

Past fellows include Mia Chung (You For Me For You), J.C. Lee (The Inexplicable Disappearance of Hector Villaraigosa), Bekah Brunstetter (Hey Brother), Christopher Oscar Peña (Icarus Burns), Stefanie Zadravec (The Electric Baby), Amy Herzog (After the Revolution), Joe Tracz (In The Woods Where Wolves Are), Mfoniso Udofia (Sojourners) and Ethan Lipton (Red-Handed Otter).

Visit playwrightsrealm.org for more information.