Playwright in Residence Sought by American Legacy Theatre

PLAYWRIGHT IN RESIDENCE
PLAYWRIGHTS FOR CHANGE PROGRAM

MISSION
American Legacy Theatre generates inviting, reimagined theatrical experiences for all people to have a voice in enriching society.

PROJECT
American Legacy Theatre is seeking our next Playwright in Residence for our Playwrights for Change (P4C) program. P4C is American Legacy Theatre’s two-year residency program for playwrights ready to turn bold ideas into fully realized productions. We pair artists with the time, mentorship, and resources to develop their work from first idea to opening night—with the community driving the process every step of the way. From shaping the themes that matter most, to offering feedback through public readings and talkbacks, to championing full productions, the community is not just “along for the journey”; they are at the center of it. Since its launch, P4C has supported multiple artists whose work has gone on to shape both local stages and national conversations.

TIMELINE
Submit application by March 2, 2026 for first consideration. Applications accepted after as well, until Playwright is selected. Note: late submitters may be considered for future Playwright in Residence positions. The Playwright in Residence will start on contract with ALT on July 1, 2026.

EXPECTATIONS
The Playwright in Residence will meet with American Legacy Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director & CEO (virtually) 2-4 times per month to write an original play or musical over the course of ~10 months (July 2026-April/May 2027). The play/musical will have four public-facing workshop performances, scheduled over two weekends – an excerpt will be performed twice in November 2026, and the full piece will be performed twice in April/May 2027. Please note that these performances will take place in Cincinnati; the Playwright in Residence must be present for these performances and participate in post-show talkbacks.

If community feedback from the workshops indicates that the community would like to see the Playwright in Residence’s play/musical developed as a full production, the Playwright in Residence will be invited to continue working with American Legacy Theatre through spring 2028, when the world premiere production would take place in Cincinnati. (It is worth noting that so far, all workshopped pieces have been invited to become fully-staged productions.)

COMPENSATION
$500 per month for the first 12 months.

PLAYWRIGHT IN RESIDENCE APPLICATION

Please complete our online application (https://forms.gle/4vDRvmA1wRC9dmDAA). The questions asked in the application are listed below. Before completing the online application, we encourage you to draft your responses separately, then copy and paste your answers into the form. Please note that all open-ended questions have a maximum of 3500 characters per response.

In addition to completing the online application, please email the requested documents listed below (resume, writing sample, and optional additional attachments) to info@americanlegacytheatre.org with the subject line “Playwright In Residence – (Last Name)”. Please submit by March 2, 2026 for first consideration. In total, your attachments must not exceed 20 pages.

1. Contact Information
   Legal first name:
   Legal last name:
   Stage/pen name:
   Email:
   Phone:
   Website (optional):
   Social media handles (optional):Can you speak to how your lived experiences inform your artistic approach to playwriting?
2. Genre
   What type of work would you like to create with American Legacy Theatre?
   Play
   Musical
   Other

   If other, please describe:

3. Community Themes
   American Legacy Theatre is guided by community input. The community has identified the following themes of interest as focuses for the next Playwright In Residence’s work.
   • Prejudice: racism; sexism; homophobia; antisemitism; transphobia; ableism; classism; anti-foreigner/anti-immigrant
   • Community: creating community; loneliness/isolation; shared humanity; others seeking to destroy community; belonging/inclusion; safe spaces
   • Society: political division; politics and truth; world conflicts; conspiracy theories; bipartisanism; propaganda; censorship/free speech; civics/citizenship
   • Gender: female identity; gender dysphoria; transgender identity; gender equality; reproductive rights
   • Family dynamics: divorce; parent/child disconnect; abuse
   • Mental health: anxiety; personality disorders; suicide; self-harm; eating disorders; body dysmorphia; depression; social anxiety

     Which theme (from the list above) would you like to focus on? Why?

4. Your Idea
   Please describe your idea connected to the community theme you have selected.
5. References (x3)
   Reference #1 first name:
   Reference #1 last name:
   Reference #1 email:
   Reference #1 phone:
   Reference #1 title (optional):
   Please describe how reference #1 knows you:

   Reference #2 first name:
   Reference #2 last name:
   Reference #2 email:
   Reference #2 phone:
   Reference #2 title (optional):
   Please describe how reference #2 knows you:

   Reference #3 first name:
   Reference #3 last name:
   Reference #3 email:
   Reference #3 phone:
   Reference #3 title (optional):
   Please describe how reference #3 knows you:

6. Attachments
   Please send the following to info@americanlegacytheatre.org with the subject line “Playwright In Residence – (Last Name)”. Please submit by March 2, 2026 for first consideration. In total, your attachments must not exceed 20 pages.
   • Resume (required)
   • Writing samples (required) – Please provide an excerpt from 2 scripts to show a sample of your work. If you only have 1 script to share, you may submit a different genre of writing as your 2nd sample. (Please note your writing samples do NOT have to be related to the theme you plan to explore with American Legacy Theatre.)
   • Additional attachments (optional) – You are welcome to share links to YouTube videos of your work and/or music samples