Sue Winge New Play Programs have supported the creation, development, and production of 15 new plays on campus since 2013. These programs were established in memory of beloved Villanova University employee Sue Winge, who served the University for many years in the Theatre Department and the President’s Office.

Recent SWNPP-sponsored projects include the Not Beckett play readings in spring 2025; first productions of Posterity by Wendy MacLeod and Chrysalis by Kathryn Petersen; workshops of Julia Izumi’s Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea and L. Feldman's SPACE, or The Mercury 13 Play; and the filmed Bakkhai Variations commissions during our virtual "pandemic season."

Previous winners of the Competition—which is open only to Villanova students, alumni, staff, and faculty —include Aly Gonzalez ’22 MA, Megan Schumacher ’18 MA, Kevin Esmond ’17 MA, Patrick Walsh ’16 CLAS, Brie Knight ’14 MA, Jessica Bedford ’10 MA, and Mark Costello ’10 MA. The 2025 award was overseen by literary manager/dramaturg Sarah Wright (MA '26), who curated submissions and coordinated a reading committee that included former Sue Winge Award winners, current graduate students, faculty, staff, and a guest artist.