Theater professionals: The Venturous Play List is now available. Learn about the nominated plays today!
Learn more about the Venturous Playwright Fellowship in this recorded info session from last cycle
The Mission of the Venturous Playwright Fellowship at Playwrights’ Center is to:
build a lasting relationship between Venturous playwrights and Playwrights’ Center
provide these playwrights with the necessary financial resources to sustain them in writing bold and theatrical new work
support the development of Venturous risk-taking plays by writers at all career stages and offer transformative support that advances fellowship recipients’ careers
build intentional relationships between these writers and producing theaters to move Venturous Plays to production, provide financial support that enables theaters to produce them, and empower the Venturous playwrights as they shepherd their work.
Venturous plays are:
Formally adventurous: they break traditional narrative structures or defy the notion of narrative altogether
Epic in scope: they include challenging production requirements, such as larger casts or difficult design elements
Full of bold ideas: they handle topics rarely explored in the theater or present ideas in a new way
Venturous theaters:
Demonstrate a wholehearted commitment to new and venturous work
Approach the fellowship as an exciting opportunity to produce a new play with enhanced vision and ambition relative to the theater's typical capacity
Are interested in a collaboration with a playwright in an artist-centered process built on transparency and trust
The Venturous Playwright Fellowship is awarded through a combination of nomination and application: an invited group of nominators generates a list of venturous plays that we then share with producing theaters of all sizes across the country. The nominators include playwrights of diverse aesthetic perspectives and at different points in their careers, with an emphasis on inviting playwrights who bring a bold theatrical vision to their own work, including previous fellowship recipients. Interested theaters and nominated playwrights form partnerships to apply for the fellowship, the recipients of which are selected by a panel of theater industry leaders. This application cycle, five fellowships will be awarded for a three-year fellowship term.
Playwright Fellowships: This cycle of Venturous Playwright Fellowships are three-year fellowships that include an unrestricted stipend of $60,000 over three years, along with $24,000 over three years in development and holistic artist support which includes workshop funds, travel/housing for collaborators, and the opportunity to engage with the work of other artists and connect with theater professionals. At the end of the fellowship term, all fellows will become Affiliated Writers of Playwrights’ Center.
Production Subsidy Grants: Selected partner theaters will be eligible to apply for a production subsidy of up to $75,000 to support the theaters’ productions of the Venturous plays.
Please note that we will accept only one application from each theater, and only one application for each nominated play.
ONLY plays that have been nominated are eligible for consideration.
Guidelines for theaters:
-Selected theaters must commit by contract to a full, professional world premiere production of the selected play which opens within three years of the fellowship announcement in June 2027 (i.e. by June 2030). Productions must run for at least 16 performances and have an official press opening.
-The Theater must provide the playwright with a minimum of two week’s residency at the theater during the rehearsal and production process, including travel and housing as necessary, and to compensate the playwright for their time in rehearsals, auditions, and any development workshops that take place outside of Playwrights’ Center. The theater must provide a reasonable royalty or other compensation to the playwright upon production of the play, exclusive of any commission, play development, or performance fees. Compensation must be commensurate with the other artists involved with the production.
-After selection, the theater will apply for a production subsidy grant from Venturous Theater Fund, which is a program of Broad Reach Foundation. The production subsidy cannot exceed 50% of the total production budget. The application will include a production timeline, budget, and other materials according to guidelines determined by Venturous Theater Fund and Playwrights’ Center. All grants are subject to approval by Broad Reach Foundation. The production subsidy grant may not be used to fund developmental workshops, non-AEA productions, or Equity Showcase Code productions.
-Co-productions are permitted, as long as all producing partners and above-the-title entities are eligible for support under these guidelines. Each theater may only apply once, whether or not they are applying with another theater or organization. If a co-production with another theater is essential to your ability to produce the play, please have all producing partners solidified at the time of the application. We know it is always a precarious time for theaters and theater artists, but please do not apply if you cannot commit to the production.
-Theaters may be any size, but must be 501(c)3 not-for-profit producing organizations located in the United States, or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)3 organization. Theaters must have an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, and each production of a selected play must include a minimum of two AEA actor contracts.
Application and Selection Process
Timeline
October 1, 2026 - February 18, 2027
Representatives from theaters visit the link above (click the Request Access button to receive the password) to learn about and read the 49 nominated plays. Nominated playwrights also share this link with theaters who they may be interested in partnering with.
Theaters and playwrights talk about potential co-applications. Contact information for playwrights or their agents are available on the List.
Playwrights’ Center staff open specific office hours for playwrights to chat one-on-one about finding a theater partner. Click this link to schedule a conversation with Artistic Associate and Dramaturg Mekala Sridhar.
Playwrights’ Center staff will be available to talk through the program and answer questions during two online information sessions:
November 18, 2026 at 12 pm CT on Zoom
January 13, 2027 at 12 pm CT on Zoom
February 18, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. CT
Application is due (see below for details).
April 2027
Application pool is narrowed to a group of finalists, and all applicants are notified of their status.
Finalists are given information about any new materials required. New materials will include a letter of recommendation for the theater written by a previously-produced playwright and a formal statement of commitment to produce the play if selected for the program.
May-June 2027
Partner theaters of selected projects submit applications for production subsidy grants to Venturous Theater Fund.
June 2027
Selected Venturous Fellows and their partner theaters are announced.
The full List of nominated plays is shared publicly.
The Application
Playwrights and theaters will apply together for the Fellowship, and will each complete one half of the application. Both parts of the application will be completed using the SlideRoom platform.
NOTE: You will need to make a SlideRoom account in order to apply. If you are a Playwrights’ Center member, your login for the membership site will not automatically log you in to SlideRoom—they are two different systems. If you already have a SlideRoom account, you should be able to access the application using your existing login. For a video tutorial on using SlideRoom, please click here.
Playwright Application Materials
NOTE: The primary language used by evaluators during the selection process is English. If a text intentionally does not include an English translation, a line of context may be helpful to an evaluator but is not necessary. Playwrights’ Center acknowledges this is an ethnocentric practice. While most Fellowship activities and engagements are conducted in English, Playwrights’ Center staff are available to discuss additional support and resources as necessary.
Application Form
Including contact information, demographic information, and eligibility questions
Resume
Any legible format, no longer than three pages.
Artist Statement
Use this one-page statement to discuss your nominated play and contextualize it within your artistic journey, vision, and body of work. Also use this space to talk about your goals for the wold premiere production, how you see your work developing in the future, and how this fellowship will help you reach those goals. The fellowship allows writers to develop both their Venturous nominated play and other work if they so choose.
Theater Match Statement
Use this one-page statement to talk about why your partner theater(s) is the right match for the world premiere production of this play. You may want to discuss the geography, community, resources, individual collaborators/staff, and mission statement of the theater.
Full-length draft of nominated play
Please be sure that your name and the play title appear on the cover page. A full-length play generally runs at least 45 minutes in performance. If the current draft of the script is is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia at juliab@pwcenter.org to discuss. If your play includes music, please note that only text submissions will be accepted, and we cannot include audio files, video files, or external links. The evaluators will be responding only to the text of the play. You may only submit the play that was nominated in September. If the title of the play has changed since the nomination, please note that on the title page.
Evaluators will weigh the application materials as follows:
Script - 60%
Is this play venturous (formally adventurous, epic in scope, and/or full of bold ideas)?
Does the play speak to you and our current moment in ways you believe must be supported?
Theater Match - 30%
Are the play and theater a good fit in terms of alignment between the theater’s mission/values, geography, and community and the content and theatrical form of the play?
Has the playwright conveyed why this theater is the right artistic home for them and their play?
Impact of the Fellowship - 10%
Where is the playwright on their artistic journey, and how impactful will this fellowship be in support of their next steps forward?
Theater Application Materials
Please choose one representative to submit your application. If you are applying in collaboration with multiple theaters, please choose one individual from one theater to serve as the main point of contact for this application.
IMPORTANT: You will need to create a new SlideRoom account, even if you are also an individual artist who has applied for a different fellowship in the past. When creating your account, please follow these naming conventions:
First name: THEATER NAME(s)
Last name: PLAYWRIGHT LAST NAME
So, for example, if The Globe Theater was applying in partnership with William Shakespeare, the account name would be:
”The Globe Theater Shakespeare”
(First name: The Globe Theater
Last name: Shakespeare)
Please be sure to follow these guidelines. Following these guidelines will be hugely helpful in making sure that both halves of your application are accurately evaluated and nothing is missed by the readers or panelists.
NOTE: The primary language used by evaluators during the selection process is English. If a text intentionally does not include an English translation, a line of context may be helpful to an evaluator but is not necessary. Playwrights’ Center acknowledges this is an ethnocentric practice. While most Fellowship activities and engagements are conducted in English, Playwrights’ Center staff are available to discuss additional support and resources as necessary.
Application Form
Including contact information and eligibility questions
Playwright Match Statement
Use this one-page statement to talk about why this play and playwright are a good match for your theater(s). You may want to discuss the geography, community, resources, individual collaborators/staff, and mission statement of your theater, along with the content, themes, aesthetic, and venturous aspects of the play.
If you are applying in partnership with more than one theater, your playwright match statement may be up to two pages in length.
Production Subsidy Proposal
Please provide a one-page statement that articulates the imagined use of the production subsidy. How will these funds allow your theater(s) to realize a production that best expresses the venturous nature of the play? What will it allow you to provide in terms of materials, design support, artist care, casting, and/or other factors that might otherwise make the play beyond your company’s financial capacity?
Sample Budget (one for each theater applying)
Please provide the production budget (expenses only) for a play your theater has produced in the last three years. Ideally, this should be a play that is comparable in size to the nominated play in your application. Please note any significant differences in the budget between this production and your proposed Venturous production, and ensure that the budget is relatively recent so that it is as representative of the current costs of materials and labor as possible. You do not need to include income (ticket sales, fundraising, grants, etc). If more than three theaters are applying together, please email Julia at juliab@pwcenter.org.
Proof of 501(c)3 Status (one for each theater)
Please include a PDF of a not-for-profit letter, 990, or other tax document. If you are an organization that is fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, please include a document for the sponsor.
Evaluators will weigh the application materials as follows:
Theater’s Ability and Commitment - 60%
Does this theater have a plan and capacity/ability to produce the most venturous version of this play?
Is the theater fully committed to the venturous aspects of this work? Does the theater have a clear and effective plan for the production subsidy?
Impact of the Play and Theater Match - 40%
Are the play and theater a good fit in terms of alignment between the theater’s mission/values, geography, and community and the content and theatrical form of the play?
Has the theater conveyed why this is a good match for their organization and for their community? Will the production subsidy help the theater uphold its mission and commitment to new work?
Once the Fellowship recipients have been determined, selected theaters will submit a simple additional application for the production subsidy via Venturous Theater Fund’s grantmaking portal. That application will contain no additional narrative.
Contact Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org or 612-547-5730 with any questions
Venturous Theater Fund (VTF) supports ambitious new work for the stage and the writers who create it. VTF makes grants to fund the production of audacious, irreverent new plays that are “venturous”—ambitious in scale, epic in scope, challenging in form, controversial in subject matter, experimental in concept, and/or unabashed in their theatricality. VTF also funds artist-driven initiatives that embrace agency for playwrights at all stages of their careers, and that champion creative growth and financial security for dramatists.
Venturous Theater Fund is a program of Broad Reach Foundation.