Paula Vogel and Michael Maso Launch Bards on the Bay Playwright Retreat in Wellfleet

Bards on the Bay, a new center for playwrights and theatrical composers, is being founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, former Huntington Theatre Managing Director Michael Maso, and philanthropist Grace Nordhoff in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, with plans to open in 2028. Located at The Nancy Nordhoff Theatre Center, the retreat will feature six Bauhaus-style cottages on a four-acre site overlooking Cape Cod Bay, originally constructed in 1948 by architects Nathaniel Saltonstall and Oliver P. Morton. Known locally as The Colony, this venue has previously welcomed artists like Paul Newman and Faye Dunaway. Vogel enlisted Maso and Nordhoff upon discovering the property was available. The program will provide one- to three-week residencies and communal activities, without the necessity for completed works. Rosey Strub from Concord Theatricals will act as a strategic advisor. Vogel highlighted the closure of significant development centers and shrinking theatre budgets as pressing issues. An advisory board will assist in selecting writers, emphasizing intergenerational talent, while community programming is also planned for spring and fall. Support has been expressed by playwrights Sarah Ruhl and Quiara Alegría Hudes.