When Kyle Bass introduced The Cold Read Festival in the 2016/2017 season, his goal was to invite audiences into the creative process of the playwright at various stages of a play’s development. This season the festival returns under the direction of associate artistic director Melissa Crespo. An ardent supporter of new work development, Crespo has expanded Cold Read. In addition to a line-up of exciting in-person new work, she has invited leading theatre artists to participate in digital panels to examine the challenges and rewards of developing new work, which, as many play incubators around the country struggle, seems more important than ever. These discussions were live-streamed over zoom and recorded for all to enjoy.