About Us

What We Do

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.

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-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 is currently working toward an MFA in playwriting at Columbia University. 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 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 (Jagged Little Pill, Broadway), Lila Neugebauer (Mary Page Marlowe, Second Stage Theater), Lonny Price (Scotland, PA, Roundabout Theatre Company, Walking with Ghosts, and Fiddler on the Roof), and Andrew Neisler (Mindplay), as well as organizations including the American Repertory Theater, NYMF, New York Stage & Film, Virgin Voyages, and Climan Producing.She currently serves as Creative Associate to director Whitney White. BA Yale. 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.

  • 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.

  • Willow Funkhouser is a collaboration-obsessed, consent-focused, Brooklyn-based director and intimacy/movement choreographer. She is drawn to work about women, the human body, and messy relationships. Willow grew up as a classically trained dancer, and her dance background informs all of her directing and intimacy work.

    She has been a part of works developed and performed at New World Stages, MCC Theater, Keen Company, Soho Playhouse, Delaware Rep, Sewanee University, Syracuse Stage, NYU, Good Apples Collective, and 938 Collective. She is also a script reader for Primary Stages.

    Willow holds a degree from Syracuse University where she developed a course of study in intimacy practice alongside directing and has since completed extensive training with leading intimacy organizations. She has lectured on Intimacy, Consent and Power Dynamics at New York Film Academy and has served as the intimacy coordinator for dozens of short and feature films. www.willowfunkhouser.com

  • 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.

  • Saawan Tiwari (they/she) is a costume designer based in New York City. They love 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. They have worked with Good Apples Collective since its inception. designing both cityscrape and cunnicularii. Other recent projects include Picher Project, Sitayana, The Gospel According to Heather, Before the Flood, and Bruise and Thorn.  Saawan also is passionate about theatre education and mentorship, currently working for Roundabout Theatre Company as a Teaching Artist.  Saawan is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ and AAPI communities. www.saawandesigns.com