About Us

What We Do

Recently hailed in HowlRound as part of “the next great leap in theatre,” Good Apples Collective is a developmental orchard for new theatrical works that expose abuses of power, challenge taboos around desire and sexuality, and uplift the voices of queer and gender marginalized communities.

Co-led by director Nina Goodheart and playwright Sophie McIntosh, Good Apples Collective is committed to supporting emerging artists and to implementing theatrical practices that emphasize community care and accountability. We strive to offer a proof of concept that treating people well and making extremely high-quality art can — and should — go hand in hand.

Our programming includes new play development in the form of internal workshops and public presentations such as our Rootstock Reading Series, as well as producing fully-realized world premieres. In an effort to create community among emerging theater artists, Good Apples Collective hosts co-working events and our annual Director-Playwright Speed Dating. We also maintain a series of free resources for indie producers, including a widely-shared database of rehearsal spaces in New York City.

As a collective, we value curiosity, warmth, humor, surprise, sustainability, and connection. If you’re interested in connecting with us or supporting our upcoming projects, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. Come grow with us.

Who We Are

CO-FOUNDERS

  • Co-Founder & Playwright

    Sophie McIntosh (she/her) is a New York–based playwright and theatermaker. Her writing gives voice to women and queer folks, offers empathetic insight into living with mental illness, and explores how the ways we relate to animals and the natural world reflect our own humanity.

    Recent productions of Sophie’s work include the world premiere of MACBITCHES (New York Times Critic’s Pick), the premieres of CUNNICULARII (recommended by Sara Holdren in NY Magazine) and CITYSCRAPE at Good Apples Collective, and college productions of ELEVEN WEEKS OF NUCLEAR SUMMER at Notre Dame University and the University of Michigan. Sophie’s plays have also been developed by Pioneer Theatre Company, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, the Bechdel Group, the Unicorn Theatre, Atlanta Shakespeare Company, and Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective. Her work has been performed at colleges across the country.

    Sophie is a proud recipient of a BA in drama from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and recently graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in playwriting. www.sophiemcintoshwrites.com

  • Co-Founder & Director

    Nina Goodheart (she/her) is a director and producer based in New York. She is passionate about creating theater that builds community, centers people of marginalized genders, and demands an emotional response.

    Recent directing credits include Road Kills by Sophie McIntosh (recommended by The New Yorker and The New York Times), cunnicularii by Sophie McIntosh (recommended by New York Magazine), Wakeman by Jenn Grinels (developmental reading of a new musical for TBD Theatricals), cityscrape by Sophie McIntosh (world premiere, Arts on Site), before the flood by Emily Bice (world premiere, Chain Theatre), The Wolves, Fun Home, and Man of La Mancha. 

    Recent associate credits include Gabriel Byrne’s Walking with Ghosts on Broadway (resident director), Fiddler on the Roof starring Jason Alexander (La Mirada Theatre, dir. Lonny Price), and Mindplay by Vinny DePonto and Josh Koenigsberg (Arena Stage, dir. Andrew Neisler). 

    She has had the pleasure of working with directors such as Diane Paulus, Whitney White, Lonny Price, Lila Neugebauer, Andrew Neisler, Zack Winokur, and Stephen Wadsworth, as well as organizations including the American Repertory Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center, Second Stage Theater, NYMF, New York Stage & Film, Virgin Voyages, and Climan Producing. BA Yale, private study in opera directing at Juilliard. www.ninagoodheart.com

The Apple Corps is an advisory committee consisting of handpicked artists who have been extensively involved in previous Good Apples productions. These artists guide the artistic and managerial decisions of Good Apples Collective as the company continues to expand and make its mark on the indie theater community.

  • Apple Corps Member

    Mia Fowler is a New York based actor and writer (and sometimes director, dramaturg, and producer). While she cannot help but love the classics, she is passionate about new work that allows folks to bring their full divinity to the room. Recent theatre credits include: cityscrape (Good Apples Collective), You Are What You Eat (Westerly Theatre Group), Much Ado About Nothing (Utah Shakespeare Festival), before the flood (The Chain Theatre), The Wolves (Colorado Springs FAC), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare in the Litchfield Hills), As You Like It (Backyard Stages). Film: Dumb Money (Sony Pictures), Philosophy of Dress (upcoming, starring Sydney Lemmon, Fair Form LLC), Parts (Baby Steps Productions). She also maintains a Substack on books, theater, and inevitably genesis.

  • Apple Corps Member

    Willow Funkhouser is a Brooklyn-based director and intimacy/movement choreographer. She is drawn to work about women, flesh, and messy relationships. She has worked on pieces developed and performed at New World Stages, Edinburgh Fringe, MCC Theater, Keen Company, Soho Playhouse, Delaware Rep, Good Apples Collective, The Brick, Theater Row, and Amant. She has been a guest director for the undergraduate acting program at Long Island University and has lectured on Intimacy, Consent and Power Dynamics at New York Film Academy. She has served as the intimacy coordinator for dozens of short and feature films and several universities. She is a proud Corps Member of Good Apples Collective! www.willowfunkhouser.com

  • Apple Corps Member

    Paige Seber is a lighting designer based in New York City, and she’s thrilled to be a new member of the Good Apples Corps. Her past Good Apples credits include Cunnicularii (Alchemical Studios) and Cityscrape (Arts On Site).

    Much as in the way that the presentation of a plate will enhance the flavor of the dish, Paige uses light to enhance the listening experience of musicals and plays alike. Her work in the visual medium is deeply intertwined with music and narrative rhythm. When given the choice, Paige prefers the biggest ideas and the smallest spaces. Other credits include…

    West End: Titanique (Criterion Theatre). Off-Broadway: Titanique (Daryl Roth Theatre), Is Anyone Alive Out There? (Audible Live, Minetta Lane), The Slow Dance (59E59), and Fowl Play (AMT Theater). Regional: Jersey Boys (Paper Mill Playhouse), Wolf Play & Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Rec Room Arts). For more about her work, visit seberlighting.com.

  • Apple Corps Member

    Saawan Tiwari (she/they) is a costume designer based in Chicago. She loves to work on new and daring projects that expand and diversify the American theatre canon, and have always created their best work when they have positive collaborators who push and challenge them. She has worked with Good Apples Collective since its inception, designing cityscrape, cunnicularii, and Road Kills. Other recent projects include Rare Wolves, Sex and the Abbey, Picher Project, Sitayana, The Gospel According to Heather, before the flood, and Bruise and Thorn.  Saawan also is passionate about theatre education and mentorship, working as a Teaching Artist. Saawan is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ and AAPI communities. www.saawandesigns.com

  • Apple Corps Member

    Max Van is in the pursuit of being a jack-of-all-trades, master of side quests. It is incredible to him that with each project, he gets to craft a different world with admirable creative minds. He has worked on productions, concerts, and galas, predominantly as projection and sound designer. His work with Good Apples Collective includes Road Kills and cunnicularii. Other credits include Amahl and the Night Visitors (Lincoln Center Theater), Jesa (The Public Theater), Left On Tenth (Broadway), The Word of the Day (Classic Stage Company), Zoetrope (Caborca), and more. You may find him being shushed for laughing too loud in the room. His side quests include working as an Associate Production Coordinator to put together the annual synthetic-biology iGEM Grand Jamboree. For more, visit him at maxvan.work.