The Civilians has announced the members of their 13th annual R&D group, in addition to their inaugural Next Forever Commissions. Each year, the R&D group supports playwrights, composers and directors through a nine-month program to develop new plays and musicals. The Next Forever commission will support new works for a changing planet.

The 2023—2024 R&D group includes Michael Breslin, Dan Caffrey, Zachariah Ezer, Leonardo Gonzalez Dominguez, James La Bella, Elizagrace Madrone, Dominique Rider, and Cat Rodriguez. The eight artists will collaborate on their developing works to be presented in The Findings reading series, which will be held in June 2024.

The works developed by this year's R&D group will be The Single Raindrop by Zachariah Ezer and Dominique Rider, The Tusk Hunters by Dan Caffrey, missing people/missing people: An investigation of the many reputed failures of the back-to-the-land movement and/or Do you dream of cabins in the woods and/or When queer left the city and got lost on the Lost Coast by Elizagrace Madrone, Bikini by Cat Rodriguez and Michael Breslin, Melt.Punish by James La Bella, and On the Edge of Preservation (the parking lot play) by Leonardo Gonzalez Dominguez.

In partnership with Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute and Lewis Center for the Arts, Next Forever will serve as a three-year initiative for works engaging with environmental action. The inaugural commission will include Riparian States by Kareem Fahmy and Why Ya’ll Hate Earth So Bad? by AriDy Nox.

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