THE writers’ Residency
The New Harmony Project’s flagship program is its annual Writers’ Residency, held in bucolic New Harmony, Indiana. Each summer, writers at all stages of their careers gather together and engage in the process of researching, writing and developing new works and scripts. While much has changed since we began our work nearly 40 years ago, one aspect remains constant: writers require crucial space and time to allow them to reflect, renew, and find inspiration. We believe that by providing a community of care for writers and artists, they are free to devote unencumbered energy and focus toward their personal creative process of developing work that, in its best form, can ultimately make the world a better place.
The Project is committed to cultivating a place of belonging for all who participate in our programs. We strongly believe in the importance of the social and mental well-being of all of our participants, so in addition to the support of dramaturgs to help with the development of scripts, our Wellness and Community Care Consultant helps us build community and take care of each other throughout the conference.
While we are proud of the many award-winning projects that have been developed at NHP, we are uniquely focused on supporting artists at any stage of their process, which could mean that a writer will leave the conference with new pages, or it could mean that the writer leaves the conference refreshed and replenished to return to work on their projects at home. Either extreme – or something in the middle – is perfectly fine with us.
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 support storytellers interrogating the complexity of hope. If you’ve read our mission statement and you’re still not sure you're a good fit for the conference, 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.
We are actively working to dismantle racism within our organization, and are committed to supporting artists who honor a multiplicity of perspectives.
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, informal salons to hear work, collaborators willing to read pages, student interns to provide support, etc.
Roundtrip air and ground transportation to/from Southern Indiana
Three meals daily
A private room at the New Harmony Inn
For parent artists, childcare support is available in a myriad of ways based on your artistic needs
Each conference varies in scope, but some opportunities for support include:
writers in residence
For artists, sometimes space and time is all you need to get the creative juices flowing. The flexibility of a residency allows writers, who were selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 500 applicants, to design their own path. Some arrive with multiple projects while others focus on a single script, and everyone is empowered to simply relax, dream, and write. These artists spend the retreat in a peaceful utopian oasis designed to free them from the pressures of the outside world with newfound focus and clarity. Writers are given the opportunity to share excerpts of what they're working on with the community in daily Community Salons and receive dramaturgical support from NHP's Team Dramaturgy.
Kristiana Rae Colón working during the 2024 Conference.
caregiver 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
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 2024 Production in Residence was Lavina Jadhwani's Ado, which was commissioned by Indianapolis Shakespeare Company. 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.