Melissa (Left) and Lianna (Right)

From Friends to Founders

As fans of soap operas and reality TV, we believe theater can be just as addictive—stories that make you come back week after week.

Post-pandemic, theaters are struggling to fill seats and cover rising costs. We're responding by fusing the best of theater and television: five plays in succession, one epic story, presented over five consecutive weeks.

Five writers. Five directors. One ensemble cast. Each episode is created collaboratively during a five-week process, with different artists leading each installment. This incubation creates the theater magic you see on stage.

ETP ensures theater doesn't just survive—it thrives. By cultivating community, inviting new audiences, and supporting underrepresented artists, we're pushing what theater can be.

See you at the theatre!

Lianna Rada-Hung and Melissa Lewyn

Co-Founders, Episodic Theatre Project

Lianna Rada-Hung

Lianna (she/her) is an arts administrator and producer based in New York City. She is the Creative Development Manager at Williamstown Theatre Festival, where she oversees new work development. Lianna also serves as Program Coordinator at the American Repertory Theater, is a member of the 2024-2026 WP Producers Lab, and produces a range of independent projects focused on new interdisciplinary work, including through her collective The Episodic Theatre Project, which showcases epic stories told in five parts by majority BIPOC and female theatre makers. In the television space, she has previously held positions at Back Roads Entertainment, Sesame Workshop, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Lianna received her BA in Dramatic Literature from NYU.

Melissa Lewyn

Melissa Lewyn (she/her) is a New York based theater director and arts administrator. She currently works in development at Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Previously, she worked at ELLE Magazine, Annapurna Pictures, Matador Content in addition to being a production assistant on various unscripted television shows. She is the co-founder of the Episodic Theatre Project, a serialized theater collective based in New York City @episodictheatreproject. She is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. To follow her artistic endeavors, visit melissalewyn.com.