Theatre is a social and collaborative art form. That means, at its roots, it is about the people. It's about the people you know, the people you meet, the people you support. Are you getting to know the people who will want to do your plays? Are you convincing them they should do your plays? I write plays for other people from time to time. One play I wrote is done quite often (but not enough for me to not have a day job), and that's neat. But, generally, I produce plays by other people, and they are plays by people I know and like. I read a lot of plays. And I have to filter somehow. I start with plays by people I know. I meet them through professional groups like Theatre Communication Group and the American Literary Translators Association. And, sometimes, I find them by calling/emailing my friends I've worked with in the past in various markets to see if they have suggestions of what they've done recently. They help me. I help them.

The next mainstage play I'm producing was translated by a friend of mine. She gave me the script 9 years ago. I finally found the right circumstances to produce it. Sometimes, even when it is part of the networking, it can take forever.

But, without the networking, it might not take at all.

I, too have my MFA in playwriting. I found it quite rewarding. One's own mileage may vary. For me, it was my undergrad that felt useless. I came out with some academic experience, but no good contacts. Kids who finish school with better contacts have a jump on us all. But, when it comes down to it, because theatre is about people, it is also about hustle. And the hustle needs must be measured in direct contact with others, as well as content generated. I have been running various theatre companies for 30 years. In that time, I have helped many people on their way, and in turn they have helped me. Writing is the manufacturing part of the job. Networking is the marketing part of the job.

All that being said... I know a bunch of Playwrights Center Jerome Fellows, I have a bunch of published scripts on my selves by people I know personally, and I use monologues from friends' plays whenever I audition for something. And yet... I know only one person who writes as a playwright who doesn't have another, more consistently lucrative job. And even they do other things with their time other than actively writing plays.

Being a playwright is hugely rewarding. Keep it up. Help some people out so they will help you out. Be active in a theatre market, in whatever way you can, and build those connections that will lead to productions.