| New Paradise Laboratories | |
| Founder: | Whit MacLaughlin |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Founded Date: | 1996 |
| Location: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Method: | experimental theater, experience design ensemble |
| Num Members: | 20+ |
New Paradise Laboratories (NPL) is a 501(c)(3) experimental theater ensemble based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1996, NPL collaborates with artists from a variety of disciplines, including web designers, visual artists, writers, philosophers, composers, and architects, as well as performers who work together to create interactive theater works and immersive experiences.
Founded in 1996 by Whit MacLaughlin, New Paradise Laboratories (NPL) has created an average of one original performance work each year since its founding. Their work has been presented as part of the FringeArts Festival (formerly Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe), the Humana Festival of New American Plays, Children's Theatre Company, and in residencies with universities all over the United States.
| Year | Production | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Stupor" | Barrymore Award nominee for Outstanding Choreography | |
| 2000 | "The Fab 4 Reach the Pearly Gates" | Obie Award winner | |
| 2001 | "This Mansion is a Hole" | Philadelphia, PA | Barrymore Award nominee for Outstanding Sound Design (Whit MacLaughlin) |
| 2003 | "Rrose Selavy Takes a Lover in Philadelphia" | Philadelphia, PA | Barrymore Award nominee for Outstanding Ensemble in a Play |
| 2004 | "Prom" | Children's Theatre Company | |
| 2005 | "Planetary Enzyme Blues" | Philadelphia, PA | PECO Energy Award nominee for Outstanding Lighting Design (Mark O'Maley) |
| 2006 | "Prom" | Minneapolis, MN | Children's Theatre Company (second production), deemed Best Stage Production 2004. |
| 2007 | "Batch: An American Bachelor/Ette Party Spectacle" | World premiere: Humana Festival of New American Plays (Louisville, February 2007). Regional premiere: Philadelphia Live Arts Festival (Philadelphia, September 2007) | |
| 2008 | "Prom" | Philadelphia, PA | Residency at Drexel University. Barrymore Award nominee for Outstanding Choreography/Movement (Lee Ann Etzold and Whit MacLaughlin) |
| 2010 | "Freedom Club" | Philadelphia, PA | With the Riot Group & Adriano Shaplin |
| 2011 | "Freedom Club" | New York, NY | Off-off Broadway |
| 2013 | "Prom" | Professional Partnership with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Department of Theatre | |