Ten Global Projects Selected for Pitch New Works at ISPA’s 2026 New York Congress

New York, NY, USA – The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) is delighted to announce the ten selected Pitch New Works projects that will be presented at the ISPA 2026 New York Congress, Resilience: A Global Dialogue.

ISPA's Pitch New Works Program provides a global platform for creators and arts professionals to share and discover new performing arts projects. Twice a year, ten outstanding submissions are selected to present to an international delegation of performing arts industry leaders at ISPA's Congresses.

These ten selected projects represent a broad spectrum of genres and artistic disciplines and are an exciting reflection of new works from across the globe. ISPA is pleased to welcome back Anthony Sargent CBE, International Artistic Advisor, as host of the Pitch New Works session.

The projects include:

Bailarinas Incendiadas/Dancers in Flames
Luciana Acuña Company, Arthaus Central, Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires (FIBA) | Argentina

Blur
PHI Studio, Riverbed Theatre, Onassis | Canada, Taiwan, Greece

Clown Show
Fin Productions | United States

Eternal City
Resident Island Dance Theatre | Taiwan

Gravity & Grace, an adaptation of the novel 'Aliens & Anorexia' by Chris Kraus
EBKM| Aotearoa New Zealand

Katma
PYT Fairfield | Australia

Kid Koala’s Creatures of the Late Afternoo
Envision Management & Production | Canada

Maldonne
Compagnie Leïla Ka & Centquatre-Paris | France

Study for Life
Tero Saarinen Company | Finland & The Netherlands

The Virtuous Circle
Paraorchestra | United Kingdom

(Photo credits: Tony Turner, Bob Ou, Duy-Laurent Tran, Mikko Suutarinen, Eljay Briss)

These Pitch New Works projects were selected from a pool of 121 applications by ISPA’s Pitch New Works Committee. The committee was chaired by Mark Ball (Artistic Director, Southbank Centre). Other committee members included Olivia Ansell (Artistic Director, Luminato Festival), Cindy Hwang (Founder/President, InPulse Creatives and Music Programmer, Ithra Theater), Pamela Lopez (Independent Cultural Management Consultant), and Meiyin Wang (Director of Contemporary Programs, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts).

Delegates of the ISPA 2026 New York Congress can learn about these ten remarkable projects at the Pitch New Works session, Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at The Times Center. Immediately following the session, delegates will have an opportunity to meet the presenters at ISPA’s ProEx (Professional Exchange).

About ISPA: The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) is an association of 500 arts leaders from 60 regions, who come together with the shared goal of strengthening and developing the arts globally. ISPA achieves this by building leadership ability, by recognizing and discussing field-wide trends and new developments, and by deepening international exchange through the arts. ISPA members include presenters, performing arts organizations, artist managers, festivals, funders, artists, consultants, and other professionals working in the performing arts. Founded in 1948, ISPA celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024.

About Pitch New Works: ISPA's Pitch New Works Program provides a forum for creators and arts professionals to share and discover new performing arts projects. Twice a year, ten submissions are selected to be presented to hundreds of performing arts professionals at ISPA's Congresses.

View roster of past Pitch New Works projects
Read Pitch New Works success stories
Media Contact: Lauren Genevieve (lgenevieve@ispa.org; 1 212 206 8490 x5)