Theatre Writer Opportunities for May 2026
Spring into new applications!
Funding
An annual playwriting contest for original unproduced full-length plays with a Cape Cod theme
Cash prizes for winners, a staged reading for first place
$25 application fee
Deadline: May 15th
Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence
Annual fellowship for an early-career artist creating work about plants, gardens, or landscapes, hosted at Oak Spring Garden Foundation.
Comes with a 2-5-week residency and $10,000
Deadline: May 31st
Development
Theater for the New City Dream Up Festival
Annual multi-disciplinary summer festival in NYC showcasing new and experimental theater
$60 application fee
Deadline: May 26th
A year-long playwright development fellowship at Nashville Repertory Theatre, offering selected playwrights a weeklong lab and ongoing dramaturgical support for their new plays
Travel, room, and board provided
Deadline: May 30th
Equity Library Theater of New York Summer Play Festival
Self-produce your own shortform work, and the Equity Library Theatre will provide a venue. No cost involved, but fully self-produced.
Deadline: June 1st
Announcement: I wrote a book! If you enjoy high fantasy, dungeons & dragons, queer joy, or enemies to lovers, you might wanna check it out. (I’ll be very grateful if you do!) You can grab it here:
Residencies
BAC Fall Multidisciplinary Residency
An autumn residency for 12 artists
Provides room, board, a private studio suited to the artist’s project, three basic meals a day, and requires a community-facing program during the residency
$450 stipend
Deadline: May 6th
Martin House Creative Residency Program
A 2-4-week project-based residency for artists and researchers developing Martin House-related work
Residents are expected to present a free public program
$5,000 stipend
Deadline: May 13th
Migration in Changing Climates: A PLAYA + PRAx + Spring Creek Project Fellowship
This year-long interdisciplinary fellowship is built around ecological, cultural, and ethical questions of migration across the Pacific Northwest
Various residencies and a public presentation at Oregon State University
$3,000 stipend
Deadline: May 15th
That’s it for this month’s highlights! And now for The List - my comprehensive compendium of all upcoming opportunities for which theatre writers are eligible. A massive THANK YOU to everyone who subscribes - every dollar goes toward the production of new work.
Please enjoy this expanded collection of 60+ opportunities:
