THE writers’ Residency

May 20-30, 2027

The New Harmony Project's 40th anniversary season culminates in the 2027 Annual Writers' Residency: a transformative and celebratory ten-day gathering in the pastoral landscape of New Harmony, Indiana. For four decades, NHP has acted on the belief that writers need more than deadlines and deliverables: they need time, space, community, and care. In a small town founded on the pursuit of a better world, writers are invited to step away from the pressures of everyday life, renew their creative practice, and devote themselves fully to the stories only they can tell.

Building on the discoveries of the 2026 Residency, the 2027 program brings together writers working in theatre, film, and television, embracing the rich conversation that happens when storytellers across disciplines share ideas, questions, and craft. While NHP has always welcomed writers from all three mediums, this intentional focus marks a return to the organization’s founding vision and acknowledges the reality that today's writers often move fluidly between forms in pursuit of the stories that matter most.

At the heart of the Residency is NHP's enduring commitment to community. Writers are offered one-on-one consultations with theatrical dramaturgs and film/TV script advisors; participate in workshops with accomplished professionals from all three disciplines, both in person and virtually; and find opportunities to connect with others in an atmosphere of generosity and connection. Alongside creative support, participants become part of a community of care that values belonging, well-being, and the relationships that sustain artists long after the residency concludes.

The Residency provides the freedom to imagine, experiment, and write without the distractions of daily life. Writers are encouraged to shape their own creative path, whether diving deeply into a single project or exploring several ideas, while drawing inspiration from the quiet beauty of New Harmony and the extraordinary cohort of fellow artists gathered there. It is a place to listen, to risk, to dream, and to remember that stories have the power not only to reflect the world as it is, but to imagine the world as it can become.

Applications open in mid-September, and will be due on November 9, 2026. During the application process, writers will be asked to select the primary medium they intend to focus on during the Residency. The 2027 cohort will include 18 Writers in Residence, joined by two Productions in Residence. Applications are accepted only for the Writers in Residence program.

Forty years after its founding, The New Harmony Project continues to invest in the simple, radical idea that when writers are given time, trust, and community, extraordinary stories follow.

What is The Project looking for in a Company Member?

We are looking for artists who will be active participants in creating a welcoming, supportive and engaged artistic community over the course of the residency. 

We nurture writers whose work interrogates the complexity of hope. 

We believe that nurturing writers, especially those whose voices have been systemically marginalized or erased, creates a cultural shift, and we are actively trying to build a new, anti-oppressive arts landscape. But culture change requires work from all of us, and we are looking for a community that wants to lean into this work with us.

If you’ve read our mission statement and you’re still not sure you're a good fit for the residency, you can gain a fuller sense of our aesthetic and philosophical interests by perusing our roster of writers and scripts that have recently found an artistic home at NHP.

The 2024 Residency Company of Artists

Residency Company Photo Board

Sharing work with each other during a Community Salon

Celebrating at the end of the 2024 residency

What does The Project provide?

There is no out of pocket expense to attend, and we pay a modest honorarium to each participant. Additionally, we provide:

  • A creative community and an unparalleled level of artistic support, including dramaturgical meetings, collaborators willing to read pages, time and space to work and dream

  • Roundtrip air and ground transportation to/from Southern Indiana

  • Three meals daily, as well as snacks and refreshments throughout the residency

  • A private room with a full bathroom at the New Harmony Inn

  • For parent artists, childcare support is available in a myriad of ways based on your artistic needs

Joyce O’Connor Parent artist residencies

Since its founding in 1986, The New Harmony Project has been committed to supporting parent writers and artists, and we’re expanding that to include those who provide care for dependents of any age. Too often, the demands and realities of raising a family conflict with the needs and desires of an artist. Artists who attend with dependents are provided on-site childcare or other support, family-friendly housing and meals, and support and flexibility from The Project. Artists who elect not to bring their dependents are provided an additional stipend in an effort to help offset costs at home.

Productions in residence

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson on the set of Mexodus

The New Harmony Project recognizes the need to support writers in all stages of development, so we partner with theatres across the United States who have made a commitment to producing a play or musical, but need help in the development process. After piloting this program in 2019 with Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Center Theater Group on Rajiv Joseph's King James, we've  continued supporting the commissioning and development of new works at theatres across the country. The 2025 Productions in Residence were Phanésia Pharel’s The Waterfall and Michael Shayan’s For My Next Trick…. Pictured here are Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson in Mexodus, which was developed during the 2023 NHP Conference and premiered in a co-production at Baltimore Center Stage and Mosaic Theater Company in 2024.

Still have questions? Check out our FAQ page for more.