Goodspeed Musicals has added another method with which to bring new musical theater projects to the world.

This week, the East Haddam-based theater company announced GoodWorks, through which Goodspeed can directly commission new works rather than jump in later in the process as a producer or presenter.

“Through GoodWorks, we have strengthened our ability to support the development of important new musicals from conception to the stage,” Goodspeed artistic director Donna Lynn Hilton said in a statement.

Hilton added that Goodspeed’s goal is “to commission and develop musicals that reveal the best in humankind [and to] celebrate that which is good in our world and will resonate with and inspire our audience.”

While Goodspeed Musicals is also renowned for reviving and refreshing classic shows — from 1940s works by Rodgers & Hammerstein to 1980s ones by Stephen Sondheim — it has been creating new works ever since it was founded 60 years ago. One of its early successes was “Man of La Mancha.” In the 1970s, Goodspeed premiered “Annie.” More recent shows that went from Goodspeed to Broadway include “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” and “Amazing Grace.”

Starting March 17, Goodspeed is holding its latest Festival of New Musicals, which offers concert-style readings of several musicals-in-progress, cabaret performances by up-and-coming composers and talks by a range of theater professionals on the history and future of American musicals.

Goodspeed also invites musical theater creators to a creative retreat, the Johnny Mercer Grove, that it holds every winter. The writers and composers work all day on new scripts and songs, then gather to share what they’ve just come up with.

Goodspeed Musicals also of course regularly stages world premieres of brand-new musicals at its main theater, the Goodspeed Opera House. Of the four shows in the 2023 Goodspeed Opera House season, which begins April 28 with the classic “Gypsy”, two are new: A stage version of the 1950 movie musical “Summer Stock” and “The 12,” about the apostles of Jesus Christ.

There’s also the Norma Terris Theatre in Chester. For decades it was a place where Goodspeed could offer full productions of new musicals while they were still being actively worked on. Norma Terris shows were usually open to the general public but not to critics. Shows developed at the Norma Terris include “Cyrano” starring Peter Dinklage (which became a movie in 2021) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “By Jeeves.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Norma Terris hasn’t had any performances in over three years. Goodspeed said the space will reopen this year and it will soon announce its 2023 season.

With the festivals, workshops, retreats and premieres, Goodspeed is supporting works that have already been conceived and have reached a certain level of development. GoodWorks, which was created through private funding, will allow Goodspeed to conceive and initiate shows itself, hiring the talent to make them happen.

“The biggest difference is that we are initiating this,” said Goodspeed Director of Marketing Dan McMahon. “It is like the research and development field where you are doing basic research, starting something, and the goal is not necessarily defined. There are no hard and fast rules. We have freedom. This is not formatted so we have to do two commissions a year or anything like that.”

GoodWorks’ first commission has already been announced: A new stage adaptation of Paul Gallico’s metaphorical novella about friendship during troubled times called “The Snow Goose.” The Goodspeed was able to option the rights to the book and has enlisted the Scottish writing duo known as Noisemaker (Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie) to write the musical. Noisemaker’s musical “My Name is Ben” was produced by Goodspeed at the Norma Terris in 2019. A story treatment has already been created, and the team will start writing the piece later this year at a residency in the part of England where the story happens to be set.

The second GoodWorks commission, “Little Miss Perfect” by Joriah Kwamé, is already ready to be heard. An early draft will be read at the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House on March 19 at 1 p.m. The coming-of-age musical is an expansion of a popular song of the same name, which won the Write Out Loud musical theater songwriting contest in 2020.

In recent years, Goodspeed has publicly expressed a need for more cultural diversity in its programming and broader, younger audiences. It is hoped that being able to commission its own projects will bring a variety of new artists.

“We can create in line with our artistic ideals,” McMahon said.