Working Barn Productions has crowned Nadja Leonhard-Hooper's License to Drive the inaugural winner of their Playwright's Incubator program.

The play, a dark comedy caper about an 85-year-old man with dementia who leads a daring escape from his nursing home in an effort to retake his driving test and regain his independence, was selected by an all-star nominating committee, including Lloyd Suh, Annie MacRae, Nissy Aya, John Baker, Joermey B. Cohen, Amirata Ramanan, Graeme Gillis, and Jesse Cameron Alick.

The Working Barn Playwright’s Incubator, led by dramaturg Krista Williams, was established to support produced playwrights who are looking for additional resources to develop their first film projects. Inspired by the conviction that playwrights comprise an untapped pool of talent for the film industry, the goal of the Incubator is to partner with playwrights who have bold and original ideas for screenplays, but who may not have access to agents, producers, or studios that can develop and shepherd projects towards production.

The Incubator’s initial selection process began in March 2025 and was completed in August. The nominating committee, composed of film executives, producers, playwrights, directors, writers, and performers, focused on scripts that combine indie-festival appeal with sophisticated, elevated genre storytelling. The cohort also held development sessions with Working Barn co-founders, Naia Cucukov and Peter Richards, and their executive, Szymon Lassak, along with group meetings and readings. A reception was held to introduce the playwrights to agents, managers, and independent producers. The writers then went off to finish their scripts, and at the Incubator’s conclusion, Working Barn chose Leonhard-Hooper's piece to option to produce.

Working Barn Productions is represented by Sean Marks.