THE CONFERENCE

For more than three decades, The New Harmony Project has gathered world-class writers and artists along the banks of the Wabash River for an intensive, creative residency and retreat program in the spring of each year. Throughout that time, Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Emmy, and Academy Award-winning artists have worked alongside early and mid-career writers, students, and the local community to create a one-of-a-kind experience in Utopia. With a unique focus on process over product, The New Harmony Project supports and cares for writers so that they can find true creative respite and ultimately change the world.

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 conference.

We support stories and 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 2023 Conference Company of Artists

Conference Company Photo Board

Writers and artists roasting marshmallows around a campfire at the annual writer's retreat

Roasting marshmallows with the company

Writers and artists at dinner at the annual writer's retreat

Enjoying meals together

Three artists reading a play and laughing at the annual writer's retreat

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:

Playwright Ngozi Anyanwu in rehearsal for The Homecoming Queen

writers in full development

Following a rigorous selection process, two to four writers are selected as writers in Full Development. These projects receive full support from a creative team including a director and dramaturg, a full cast of professional and student actors, and additional support from staff and student interns. The writer spends the duration of the conference working on one specific script, which culminates in a reading that is free and open to the public. This full focus on one script allows the writer time and space to develop and workshop a project in an unparalleled way. 

writers in residence

Sometimes a writer will come to us with multiple projects, a project that is early in development, or a desire to simply write. For artists, sometimes space and time is all you need to get your creative juices flowing, and for that, we created the Writer in Residence program. Two weeks to work on anything you would like. A peaceful utopian oasis designed to free you from the outside world and just write. Writers are given the opportunity to share what they're working on with the community in a series of "one-night reads," and receive dramaturgical support from student interns. 

Mfoniso Udofia, Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, and Sherry Kramer at the 2017 final night celebration
Headshot of award winning playwright, Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Gruesome Playground Injuries)

Production in residence

As an organization, we recognize the need to support writers in all stages of development. As such, we recently launched a third residency slot designed to support unproduced scripts going directly into production at nationally recognized theaters. The purpose of this residency slot is to provide additional collaborative time to playwrights and creative teams before launching world premiere productions. In 2019, we partnered with Steppenwolf Theater Company and Center Theatre Group to further develop King James by Rajiv Joseph. Rajiv was joined in residence by Anna Shapiro (Steppenwolf Artistic Director), Polly Hubbard (Steppenwolf Director of New Play Development), and Neel Keller (CTG Associate Artistic Director), along with a cast of Steppenwolf-selected actors.