BIPOC Critics Lab
The Public Theater
DEADLINE: July 7, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
INFO: The Public's BIPOC Critics Lab was founded in 2020 by Jose Solís as a first-of-its-kind program designed to train and create work by emerging BIPOC theater journalists.
Sessions for the Lab will span the course of The Public’s 2025-26 season, with 10 weekly sessions in the Fall, followed by four monthly sessions in the Spring. Those chosen to participate will receive offers to join the cohort in August, with the cohort officially beginning in mid-September. This iteration of the cohort will be a hybrid model of online sessions and optional in-person activities. Participants who meet the attendance requirements will be assigned a future commissioned piece with compensation.
Following the tenets of dialogue, compassion, and nurturing one’s unique voice, future critics who participate in the cohort will contribute to the creation of a custom program that fits their specific needs and encourages them to pursue the path of criticism that best serves them. Participating in the cohort is at no cost to members. Selected members will have the opportunity to learn all aspects of arts journalism through a variety of mediums beyond the written word.BIPOC experts in the field also serve as guest speakers for the Lab. Writers who meet the attendance requirements at the culmination of the program will be assigned a future commissioned piece with compensation.
Please reach out to us at BIPOCCriticsLab@publictheater.org for any inquiries.
publictheater.org/artistic-programs/bipoc-critics-lab-pages/bipoc-critics-lab/
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Ruby Creatives In Residence Program
The Ruby
DEADLINE: July 8, 2025
INFO: The Ruby is a collective of creative women, trans women, femmes, and nonbinary people that values empathy and education. Our Creatives in Residence (CIR) program supports QT BIPOC Bay Area creatives with 10 fully-funded year-long memberships.
Our Creatives in Residence Program is designed to offer creatives the opportunity to immerse themselves in a supportive environment and create new work while interacting with the Ruby community. Our program is open to creatives working in all disciplines, including visual arts, music, literature, performing arts, journalism, and more. In addition, we welcome applications from arts educators, oral historians, cultural workers, food and drink-based artisans, community organizers, and other changemakers.
As a Creative in Residence, you will have access to our community workspace and resources from September 15, 2025 - September 15, 2026. You will also have the opportunity to engage with Ruby community members through workshops, readings, community meals, and other events.
The program is open to both emerging and established creatives.
GENERAL CREATIVES IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM:
We are excited to offer 5 CIR opportunities to LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford a Ruby membership. These are year-long Full Ruby memberships that will span a year, from September 15, 2025 - September 15, 2026.
SPECIALIZED CRATIVES IN RESIDENCE OPPORTUNITIES:
We also have several specialized creatives in residence opportunities available for those with financial need who would benefit from a Ruby membership. These are also year-long Ruby memberships spanning from September 15, 2025 - September 15, 2026.
The Dorothea Gertrude Flynn CIR Opportunity will be given to a recipient who was the first in their family to enroll in higher education. Dorothea Gertrude Flynn was born in 1917. She had planned to attend Barnard College (Columbia did not accept women at the time) and dreamed of a becoming a writer—specifically, a journalist. After her mother died in childbirth and her father subsequently lost everything in the Depression, she was no longer able to afford college, and never attended. She was always a passionate advocate for education for women, and would have been thrilled by the community of writers and creatives here at the Ruby. This is a full, one-year membership to The Ruby.
The Leonore Peyser Davis CIR Opportunity will be given to a musician or music writer with financial need. Leonore Peyser Davis was a devotee of all the arts, and music, especially opera, which was something she adored. This CIR opportunity celebrates her passion for music and is dedicated to cultivating emerging voices in the field. This is a full, one-year membership to The Ruby.The Rachel Khong CIR Opportunity will be given to a LGBTQ+ and/or POC fiction writer with financial need working on their first novel. Rachel Khong is a San Francisco-based writer and the founder of The Ruby. Rachel worked tirelessly to provide a collaborative, safe space for women and non-binary people to pursue their goals and creative work in community with others. This CIR will join the Ruby for a year as a full member and as a welcome contributor to the mutually affirming community that Rachel built.
The So-Youn Kim CIR Opportunity will be given to an emerging Bay Area LGBTQ+ and/or POC writer tackling topics relating to social justice. So-Youn Kim was a writer and activist, tackled the injustices she saw all around her. She was passionate about advocating for women and girls, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. She loved deeply and recklessly, leaving a lasting impression on anyone who met her. A San Francisco native, she died at the age of 23 in 2009, while serving with the Peace Corps in Morocco. The So-Youn Kim Creative in Residence opportunity celebrates her life and creativity. In addition to a year-long community membership at the Ruby, the CIR will be able to contribute to a chapbook, housed in the Ruby library, that includes writings from So-Youn and prior So-Youn Kim Creatives in Residence.
The Tillie Olson CIR Opportunity will be given to a creative over the age of fifty with financial need. Tillie Olson was a Bay Area-based writer and labor organizer who stopped writing for thirty years because of financial issues before publishing her seminal work, Silences, at 66. Her interest in long-neglected women authors inspired the development of academic programs in women’s studies. This is a full, one-year membership to The Ruby.
CREATIVES IN RESIDENCE VALUES:
The Ruby Creatives in Residence program extends and expands on The Ruby’s values for collective support and collaboration for artists and creatives. In applying to this program, we expect alignment with the below values:
Collective Support and Care: Creatives in residence, as all Ruby members, are expected to contribute time and care to the Ruby. Each member is expected to contribute approximately 3 hours monthly to the community. This may include organizing opportunities for members to gather, staffing the front desk, supporting an event, or mentoring and supporting other members of the collective.
Dedication to work: Creatives in residence are expected to use the provided communal space for working and showcasing on their art and creative projects.
Respect for the community: Creatives in residence are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner towards other community members. They should treat the space and resources with care and be mindful of the impact their work may have on the community.
Active participation: As the crux of our work is collective support and community empowerment, creatives in residence are expected to participate actively in workshops, exhibitions, events, and, like all members of our community, contribute time in support of community stewardship of our space.
Overall, artists in residence of a creative collective are expected to be collaborative, dedicated, respectful, and active. In exchange, they will have access to a supportive and inspiring environment to create new work, develop their skills, and build connections with other creatives.
APPLICATION SEASON: We are seeking applicants who will regularly use The Ruby as a work space, who might make meaningful progress on their projects during the course of this year, share in our collective values, and who are in financial need. Creatives in residence, as all Ruby members, are expected to contribute time and care to the Ruby. Each member is expected to contribute approximately 3 hours monthly to the community. This may include organizing opportunities for members to gather, staffing the front desk, supporting an event, or mentoring and supporting other members of the collective.
therubysf.com/creativesinresidence
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KYOTO RETREAT
DEADLINE: July 15, 2025
APPLICATION FEE: $95
INFO: The Kyoto Retreat is a new program created by Japan-based, independent curator Dexter Wimberly. The Kyoto Retreat offers artists, curators, and writers, based anywhere in the world, an opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto, Japan, for research, exploration, and inspiration. If selected for the retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight, a private bedroom, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation.
We select artists, curators, and writers at all career stages, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary, and social practice. Individuals must be over 21 years old to apply.
The inaugural Kyoto Retreat will take place from October 16 - November 13, 2025. Individuals selected for the retreat will be notified by August 15, 2025.
A 4-WEEK EXPERIENCE:
We select artists, curators, and writers at all career stages, working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, interdisciplinary, and social practice. Individuals must be over 21 years old to apply. Our application requires you to submit a CV or resume, a brief statement about your creative interests and a description of how you anticipate using the time if selected for The Kyoto Retreat. You can also provide up to 10 work samples.
For artists, Kyoto's temples and shrines, such as the golden splendor of Kinkaku-ji and the serene rock gardens of Ryoan-ji, provide a gateway into traditional Japanese aesthetics. The interplay of light and shadow in these sacred spaces, alongside the intricate details of wooden architecture and ornate carvings, can ignite a profound creative spark.
Curators will find Kyoto's preservation of heritage arts—like tea ceremonies, ikebana (flower arranging), and Noh theater—a living museum that transcends time. The city's numerous galleries and artisan workshops showcase both classical crafts and contemporary art, offering a unique opportunity to explore the evolution of Japanese artistry.
For writers, Kyoto's tranquil gardens and winding cobblestone streets evoke narratives waiting to be penned. The changing hues of autumn during October and November paint the city in vibrant reds and golds, providing a stunning backdrop for contemplation and storytelling. Walking through the bamboo groves of Arashiyama or along the philosopher's path can stir reflections on nature, philosophy, and the human experience.
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2026 artist residency
Marble House Project
DEADLINE: July 15, 2025
INFO: Marble House Project is a multidisciplinary artist residency program that fosters collaboration and the exchange of ideas, by providing an environment for artists across disciplines to live and work together. The residency is dedicated to ecological principles and integrates sustainable practices, including small-scale organic food production and waste conservation. Residents sustain their growth by engaging with the grounds while working on their artistic practice. Marble House Project is founded on the belief that the act of creating, whether in the studio or in nature, is how human potential expands and community thrives.
Marble House Project accepts approximately 60 residents and is open to artists living in the United States and abroad. You must be at least 21 years old. Each session accommodates eight artists and is specifically curated to bring together a diverse group of creative workers, to maximize potential for collaboration and dialogue while in residence and beyond.
RESIDENCY DATES FOR 2026:
April 21 - May 12
May 19 - June 9
June 30 - July 14 (ecology residency)
September 29 - October 20
ABOUT: All residents live together in the historic, eight-bedroom Manley-Lefevre house, a communal space organized around responsibilities-sharing systems which highlight sustainability and community. The residency is an opportunity to develop and carry out practices of mutual support, group conversation, and to cultivate adaptive relationships with the environment. This can take the form of discussions with guest multidisciplinary artists, thinkers, and activists and other individual and group activities that benefit our community of residents.
Residents will be paired and asked to cook for shared dinners at least three times over the course of their residency, Monday-Friday. . Each session culminates with a short video interview and artists are invited to publicly share their work with our community and each other. Marble House Project provides private bedrooms, food, private studio space, and artist support. We are not able to cover costs related to travel or materials. There is no fee to attend the residency.
Applications are accepted in all creative fields including but not limited to writing, dance and choreography, performance, music composition and sound, film and video, visual arts, and culinary arts. Applications are reviewed by a jury of alumni and staff. Artists are selected based on quality of work, commitment to practice, and project description. Please choose the application that best describes your work. Two artists may apply together as a collaborative, and should complete one application. Within each application you will be asked to select the session dates best for you.
If you are applying to the ecology residency you must have a project that aligns with this theme. You may also apply to the other residency sessions as well.
Marble House Project does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. For exact dates, more information or questions about the residency, visit our FAQ page. If you still have questions you may contact info@marblehouseproject.org.
Personal information is not shared with our jury and will remain confidential. This includes email, home address, phone number and any information regarding your family, anything else you would need to tell us and how you heard about Marble House Project. Please remove this information from your resume. All of our outreach questions also remain confidential and blind to our jury.
marblehouseproject.submittable.com/submit
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DGF 2025-2026 NATIONAL PLAYWRITING FELLOWS
Dramatists Guild Foundation
DEADLINE: July 21, 2025
INFO: The DGF National Fellows program is a nine-month virtual intensive for dramatists who want to develop their existing work and advance their careers.
The National Fellows program is a free program created by the Dramatists Guild Foundation, designed to eliminate historical barriers of entry for many emerging dramatists. This nationwide cohort of playwrights, composers, lyricists, librettists, and bookwriters will work together under the guidance and leadership of prominent program chairs to develop their current work.
Selected writers, in all stages of their careers, will work with industry professionals as the Chairs for the program, over nine months to learn how to develop, promote, and market their work for a staged production. National Fellows will receive a stipend, access to career resources, become part of a nationwide cohort of dramatists, and have the opportunity to visit New York at the end of the Fellowship and attend the Dramatists Guild Foundation Gala in October.
PLEASE NOTE: this Fellowship opportunity is not for anyone who resides in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania). If you are in one of these areas, you are welcome to apply for our New York Fellows Program in 2026.
dramatistsguildfoundation.submittable.com/submit
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The 7-Year Residency
New Dramatists
APPLICATION PERIOD: July 21 - August 4, 2025
INFO: At New Dramatists, each resident playwright acts as the artistic director of their own seven-year new play laboratory, utilizing a menu of programming resources to pursue their artistic, process and development goals. Their Lab work is housed in a mindfully cultivated environment, free from financial and critical pressures, with guidance and support from a dedicated staff who encourage expansive, creative, and strategic thinking. Writers map their own journeys with complete creative authority.
Each resident playwright has access to and can schedule working sessions with collaborators, calendar permitting, on a first come first-serve basis, with casting and additional collaborator support from New Dramatists staff. Writers decide at which point it is helpful to invite an audience into their development process, and all public readings are free of charge. These sessions range from 1-2 day readings to 29-hour workshops. Because we cannot offer every playwright an extended workshop each season, with the combined goal of accommodating individual requests and equity for the whole company, when programming extended workshops, we consider who has had greater or lesser access to these resources over time, who’s later in residency years, and calendar availability. Like all development at New Dramatists, each playwright determines their own artistic goals and terms of engagement for the extended time, and all writers and their collaborators are compensated financially when working on extended workshops in the Lab.
Each year, we also offer two in-house PlayTime retreats for multiple writers and companies of collaborators with programming and support intended to inspire ambitious creation, spark collaboration, and encourage artistic growth.
ELIGIBILITY: Any playwright who is a U.S. citizen or who resides in and has the legal right to work in the United States may apply for the 7-year residency at New Dramatists as long as they can meet the submission requirements of 2 full-length plays and a biography or resume.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
Before beginning your application, please download and read the Guidelines for Resident Company document.
It is in your best interest to gather the documents required to upload to the application—two "blind" scripts and your bio/resume—early in the window, and submit your application in one session. You may be able to pause and return to your application as long as you continue working in the same browser, but this is not our recommendation. Once you complete the final step to “Submit Your Application”, you will no longer have access to your application.
The button to “Begin Application” will be posted on this web page at 10am EDT on Monday, July 21, 2025.
The application window closes automatically at 11:59pm EDT on Monday, August 4, 2025. Sessions will time out at this point and NO ADDITIONAL APPLICATIONS, including those in progress, will be accepted after the window closes. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TO SUBMIT YOUR MATERIALS UNTIL THE LAST DAY.
Please email our Literary Services Manager Connie Hall admissions@newdramatists.org with any questions.
newdramatists.org/7-year-residency
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2025-2026 CoCo Residency
Colt Couer
DEADLINE: July 29, 2025 by 10:00 pm EST
INFO: The CoCo Residency program started 8 years ago and invites 6-9 early and mid-career theatre artists to form a cohort over a year-long period. The cohort includes playwrights, directors, creative producers, and designers.
If selected, you will be required to attend and participate in five CoCo Residents' meetings (in Brooklyn). Each Resident is responsible for 1 'half-meeting' chunk which can be spent completely as they wish. That is not hyperbole - the time does not have to be 'theatre' or 'productivity' focused. In fact, we prefer that the session not consist exclusively of ‘reading pages’ - we encourage you to explore the unique perspectives in the room and facilitate conversations and/or activities that open our minds to new ways of thinking, being, and making.
We also invite the cohort of Residents to join as much CoCo programming as they're interested in. We hold Community Gatherings quarterly, featuring workshops and trainings, as well as games & exercises led by CoCo Company members and affiliated artists. We also produce 1-3 world premiere productions/year and we expect you to see and engage with the work.
The goal of this program is for residents to build authentic relationships within their cohort, as well as with the Colt Coeur Leadership team. (We also hope you get to know the artists in the Company!) Unlike other residencies, there is no specific product you are working on, nor is there a forward-facing presentation of any kind. Hopefully, our time together yields exciting ideas, nourishes our souls, and establishes the foundations for future collaborations.
The CoCo Residency program alumni include: Brittany K. Allen, Will Arbery, Rashad T. Bailey, Micaela Bottari, Katie Brook, Bleu Beckford-Burell, Dustin Chinn, Kate Cortesi, Melissa Crespo, Sarah Dahnke, Adrienne Dawes, Kate Douglas, Tara Elliot, Justine Gelfman, Emma Goidel, Jeremy O. Harris, Justice Hehir, Rachel Herron, Obehi Janice, C.A. Johnson, J. Mehr Kaur, Portia Krieger, Ying Ying Li, Alex Lin, Niara Mae, Natalie Margolin, Rehana Lew Mirza, Lia Romeo, Sarah Sander, Danya Taymor, Corey Umlauf, Liba Vaynberg, Noelle Viñas, Whitney White, Seayoung Yim, Pirronne Yousefzadeh, and Cate Yu. (If you know any of these artists - we encourage you to ask them about their experience!)
Because we are hoping to engage with you in person and we know that community building requires significant time and energy - we ask you to be honest with yourself and with us about what you're up for. If this isn't a good year, please don't apply. If you already feel spread thin in terms of artistic homes/projects/etc, please make space for another artist to have this opportunity. This opportunity is specifically for NY-based artists - please do not apply this year if you are not NY-based. Additionally, please know that far more playwrights apply to this program - but we want designers, directors and creative producers too - please help spread the word to them!!
Through this residency, we are excited to offer:
an $800 stipend (in two payments, one in October 2025, one in August 2026)
access to the CoCo office/rehearsal studio in DUMBO (we encourage Residents to collaborate with each other and share their work in our DUMBO studio)
Up to $50 towards workshop/development to support your creative work/sharing
We ask all Residents to list their engagement (Colt Coeur Resident Artist) in their bios for the duration of the Residency and to commit to attending at least 4 of the 5 CoCo Resident meetings.
Please take a few moments to read our Code of Community (https://www.coltcoeur.org/code-of-community) and fill out the form below. Every individual who collaborates with Colt Coeur is held to the same standard as outlined in this Code. We ask that you join us in creating a nurturing and supportive space (virtual or in-person) for all.
Please note that these responses will be shared among Adrienne Campbell-Holt (she/her, CoCo Artistic Director), Heather Cohn (she/her, CoCo Executive Producer), Talya Braverman (any pronouns, CoCo Artistic Associate), Maya Smoot (she/her, CoCo Director of Outreach & Education) and Board members serving on the Artistic Programming committee.
We will notify finalists and conduct interviews the week of August 18th. (In-person interviews are preferred but zoom is possible.) Our first session is Friday, September 12th.
If you would like to speak to our team about alternative ways to apply (i.e. self-recorded video, or audio file), please get in touch at coltcoeur@gmail.com.
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CALL FOR MENTORS: Prison Writing Mentorship Program
PEN America
DEADLINE: July 31, 2025
INFO: The PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program has been a pillar of the Prison and Justice Writing Program for nearly 50 years. Separated from the outside world, incarcerated writers face unique challenges to their emergence and careers as writers, journalists, and artists with valuable contributions.
The PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program aims to fill this gap by matching an incarcerated writer with a writer on the outside who has volunteered to read and respond to submitted work—a relationship similar to that of a writer and editor. The majority of mentees join the program through the annual PEN Prison Writing Awards, either as winners or by recommendation of the judging committee.
Through these pairings, writers receive feedback on new or existing work, support with crafting a writing practice and process, and, most importantly, a tether to literary communities outside prison walls. These exchanges are designed to be connective experiences, where reciprocal learning occurs between mentees and mentors. In this respect, the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program aims for participants to:
Celebrate Different Perspectives
Develop a Writing Practice
Strengthen Literary Craft
Explore New Methods of Storytelling
Foster Connections with Literary Landscape
LASTING IMPACT: The impact of the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program often extends beyond the writing goals of its participants. Participating mentees who complete the correspondence cycle receive a certificate of completion. Previous participants have included this certificate—as well as other documentation of their work with PEN America—in dossiers for parole hearings.
The program also facilitates the cultivation of deep and enduring relationships between writers in prisons and those on the outside. These meaningful connections are honored through the annual PEN America/L’Engle Rahman Prize for Mentorship, which is named for the 10-year written friendship of the late acclaimed author Madeleine L’Engle and scholar, writer, and former Black Panther Party leader Ahmad Rahman. In his nomination essay, 2023 PEN America/L’Engle Rahman Prize winner Steven Perez writes about his impactful relationship with his mentor, Alison Harney:
MENTEES: The Prison and Justice Writing Program works with adult writers who are incarcerated in federal and state prisons, jails, and detention centers. Program participants are of all age groups, races, ethnicities, genders, ability, and educational backgrounds, and join a community of writers with diverse lived experiences and writing backgrounds. PEN America works with individuals regardless of the circumstances that led to their incarceration.
MENTORS: The community of volunteers involved in the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program are writers and editors of all genres who have direct experience with teaching, conducting an editorial process, facilitating workshops, and/or have familiarity with the media, literary, and publishing landscapes. This program is not suited for high school and undergraduate students. Graduate students, in MFA programs or otherwise, are welcome to apply. Individuals with justice involvement are highly encouraged to submit a mentor application.
PAIRING PROCESS: Pairings are decided based on the experience, skills, and strengths of each mentee and mentor applicant. We also cross reference each mentee’s expressed goals and intentions from their onboarding survey to provide a supportive and enriching experience.
Due to the convoluted nature of sending mail to and from prison, as well as the increasing censorship practices and mail digitization, the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program is generally limited to writers who are recipients of the PEN Prison Writing Awards. Mentor applicants who are not paired for the upcoming cohort, may apply next year for the 2026-2027 mentorship cycle, and are encouraged to register for Works of Justice—PJW’s newsletter-based content series—to learn about future opportunities.
Please note that this is not a pen pal program. We support and admire the important work of pen pal programs and encourage those who do not fit the above criteria, or who don’t receive a pairing, to pursue those opportunities which are critical to mitigating the impact of isolation on the millions of people incarcerated in the US. Some of our favorites areHuman Rights Pen Pals, Lifelines to Solitary, Black and Pink, pARTner project.
MENTOR ENGAGEMENT:
PEN America facilitates most correspondence between mentors and mentees, with the expectation that mentors respond to each mentee communication within three weeks. Mentors are expected to correspond with mentees throughout the 10-month cycle, but are welcome to continue beyond that.
Throughout the cycle, the Prison and Justice Writing Program team will also host a variety of community-based sessions for volunteers, including an orientation, webinars, and other learning opportunities.
2025-2026 TENTATIVE TIMELINE:
Below are key dates for the 2025-2026 mentorship cycle. Some of these dates, such as the orientation, are subject to change based on internal and participant scheduling.
June 1 – July 31, 2025: Mentorship application open
September 30, 2025: All mentor/mentee pairs confirmed
October 7, 2025: Mentor Orientation (virtual)
October 15, 2025: Correspondence cycle begins
August 14, 2026: Correspondence cycle ends