I am an artist who prides herself on remaining a student to my craft; and with the guidance and support of the staff at Playwrights’ Center, I was able to be just that: a student collecting different tools and resources that will contribute to my evolution as a writer. I had a few goals for my fellowship this year, which were: Mentorship, opportunities to meet and make connections with other artistic leaders, and of course to write. As I conclude this fellowship year, I can confidently say that all of my goals were met with abundance.
Jerome Fellowships
Overview
Playwrights’ Center’s Jerome Fellowship supports early career playwrights who demonstrate extraordinary potential, artistic vision, and a commitment to a two-year professional development residency in Minnesota.
Within each two-year cycle, Jerome Fellows are classified as part-time employees of Playwrights’ Center, with a salary of $25,000/year (paid bi-weekly), and are eligible for all employee benefits, including employer-sponsored health insurance. This classification includes expectations of work in support of Playwrights’ Center. Each fellow will satisfy 15 hours of work activities during each year of the fellowship. This may include but is not limited to reading scripts, working front of house for public events, or serving as a teaching assistant for a class.
Fellows commit to spending the two-year fellowship period (July 1, 2027-June 30, 2029) in Minnesota and actively participating in the Center’s programs. Fellows may spend no more than 10 weeks/year (20 weeks over two years) out of town during their residency. Housing in and travel to Minnesota are not provided.
Please note that the average cost of living for a single adult in the Twin Cities is $48,000-52,000 according to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator.
Fellows also have access to $3,000/year to support customized play development through workshops with professional teams, consultations with experienced artists, and other resources tailored to each specific writer.
Beyond the financial support, the fellowship provides an opportunity to work both in cohort and individually with Playwrights’ Center artistic staff—some of the most experienced theater professionals in the country—to develop plays and connect playwrights to producers of new work. This holistic and customized combination of financial support, play development support, and professional connection is career-changing for most playwrights. At the end of the fellowship term, all fellows will become Affiliated Writers of Playwrights’ Center.
Eligibility
Applicants must be over the age of 18 and must have the legal right to work in the United States during the fellowship term. Applicants may not have had more than two different plays fully produced by a professional theater at the time of the application. Productions that open after the application deadline (December 3, 2026) do not count, and co-written or ensemble-created works do not count.
Playwrights who have not received a Jerome Fellowship in the past are eligible.
Playwrights who have received one one-year Jerome Fellowship in the past are eligible.
Playwrights who have received two Jerome Fellowships of any length OR one two-year Jerome Fellowship in the past are not eligible.
(In other words, playwrights may not be a Jerome Fellow for more than two total years.)
Previous Jerome Fellowship recipients must apply with a different play than the one that accompanied their previous successful application. Playwrights who have received other Playwrights’ Center fellowships may apply, provided they still meet the Jerome Fellowship eligibility guidelines. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights’ Center fellowships during the two-year cycle.
Previous Jerome Fellowship recipients must apply with a different play than the one that accompanied their previous successful application. Playwrights who have received other Playwrights’ Center fellowships may apply, provided they still meet the Jerome Fellowship eligibility guidelines. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights’ Center fellowships during the two-year cycle.
Past recipients
Previous recipients of the Jerome Fellowship include David Adjmi, Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya, Lucas Baisch, Mia Chung, Michelle de Joya, Kristoffer Diaz, Steven Dietz, Cory Hinkle, Naomi Iizuka, Rachel Jendrzejewski, Blossom Johnson, Candrice Jones, Shannon TL Kearns, Kevin Kling, Anna Ouyang Moench, Nubia Monks, Dominic Orlando, Marcie Rendon, TyLie Shider, Dominic Taylor, Keliher Walsh, August Wilson, Sharifa Yazmeen, and William S. YellowRobe Jr.
Application preview
NEW FOR 2026: Over the past 30 years, our programs have continued to develop. The Jerome and Many Voices Fellowship applications are now one unified application for both programs. When you access the application, you will be able to indicate whether you wish to apply for the Jerome Fellowship, the Many Voices Fellowship, or both. You will also confirm your eligibility for both of these programs.
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.
01
Application form
Including contact details, program choice, eligibility, and demographic information
02
Playwriting resumé
Any legible format, maximum three pages
Please note clearly which productions listed on your resumė (if any) meet the criteria for being “fully produced by a professional theater.” Professional productions are defined as full-length productions—running at least 45 minutes in performance—for which the author and primary artists (actors, directors, and creative collaborators) were reasonably compensated and that received at least three public performances each. Ten-minute or one-act plays shorter than 45 minutes in performance and university, college, secondary school, and amateur productions are not considered full professional productions. Productions that open after the application deadline of December 3, 2026 do not count, opera librettos do not count, and co-written or ensemble-created works do not count.
03
Artistic statement & goals
One page
This is a one-page artistic statement and description of your goals for the two-year fellowship term while in residence in the Twin Cities. While contextualizing your current artistic life and vision as a playwright, please describe your artistic goals for the fellowship term. The fellowship offers time to write and develop work with professional collaborators—and the opportunity to utilize the many and varied resources of Playwrights’ Center, including career support, connections with artistic leaders, and teaching and community engagement. In what specific ways would this fellowship impact your artistic growth? How does this fellowship fit in with your larger career goals? This is also an opportunity to provide context for the play you submitted and discuss how it fits into your larger body of work and how you envision your work developing. A successful statement will articulate that you are ready to take advantage of this career-development opportunity, and that you are committed to spending two years in Minnesota in a cohort of other writers.
04
Full-length play script
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. If you are hoping to submit a script that is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org to discuss. All script submissions must be written only by the applicant—no co-written submissions will be accepted. Scripts for musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. The submitted script must be a complete draft that represents your best playwriting. Previous Jerome Fellowship recipients must apply with a different play than the one that accompanied their previous successful application.
NOTE: If you are planning to apply with a musical, please be aware that only text submissions are allowed. We do not accept any audio files, video files, or links to external websites, and evaluators will be instructed to not seek out any demos or audio tracks related to submitted scripts. We recommend that you consider the strength of just the text of your piece—separate from any music or other elements—as you select which piece to submit.
05
Letters of recommendation
Please request two letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with your work as a playwright. Letters must be received by the application deadline (December 3, 2026). You may request letters through the application system before finishing your final application, so we recommend that you click on the link below and begin your application sooner rather than later to give your recommenders time to complete their letters. Letters of recommendation from previous applications cannot be re-used for this program. Letters of recommendation may not be written by current Playwrights’ Center staff or board members.
Application resources
NOTE: You will need to make a SlideRoom account in order to apply. If you are a Playwrights’ Center member, your login 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.
Information & working sessions
An information session about the Jerome and Many Voices Fellowships will be held on Zoom on a date to be determined. If you would like to be notified of the information session date, please contact Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org. The recording of last cycle’s information session is available on the right. Read the full transcript here.
(Please note that the Jerome and Many Voices Fellowship applications were separate in the previous cycle.)
We will be offering a free online Working Session in partnership with Springboard for the Arts on the topic of creating artist statements in November to help prepare for your application. If you would like to receive notification when this session is scheduled, please email juliab@pwcenter.org.
Other resources
Contact
Questions may be addressed to Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org or 612-547-5730.