Thanks to the generosity and continued support of the Jerome Foundation, the first year of my Many Voices Fellowship has proven to be one of my most restorative and encouraging in a decade. I’ve had the chance to develop new work for the first time since I left my graduate program alongside the chance to engage with dozens of playwrights, actors, and theater makers of all makes and creeds. Now, at the end of the first of two years at Playwrights’ Center, I’ve found myself in the healthiest place I’ve ever been; physically, mentally, creatively and in my career.
Many Voices Fellowships
The Many Voices Fellowships are intended to support early career Black playwrights, playwrights of color, and/or Indigenous playwrights (what’s this?) who demonstrate extraordinary potential, artistic vision, and a commitment to a two-year professional development residency in Minnesota.
Within each two-year cycle, Many Voices 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 also have $3,000/year available to support customized play development through workshops with professional directors, dramaturgs, and actors.
Beyond the financial support, the fellowship includes working in an individualized and hands-on way 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.
Playwrights’ Center IS NOT currently accepting applications for the Many Voices Fellowship. If you would like to be notified when applications open in fall 2026, email Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org.
Eligibility
Applicants must be over the age of 18 and must reside in, and have the legal right to work in, the United States during the fellowship term. Applicants may not have had more than two plays fully produced by a professional theater at the time of the application. Productions that open after the application deadline do not count, and co-written or ensemble-created works do not count.
Playwrights who have not received a Many Voices Fellowship in the past are eligible.
Playwrights who have received one one-year Many Voices Fellowship in the past are eligible.
Playwrights who have received two Many Voices Fellowships of any length OR one two-year Many Voices Fellowship in the past are not eligible.
Previous Many Voices 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 Many Voices Fellowship eligibility guidelines. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights’ Center fellowships during the two-year cycle.
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 per year (20 weeks over two years) out of town during their residency. Housing in and travel to Minnesota are not provided. The Many Voices Fellowship was created in 1994 in partnership with the Jerome Foundation in order to create a home for early career playwrights of color, Black playwrights, and/or Indigenous playwrights who would provide the American theater scene with diverse voices and aesthetics. Since that time, the Many Voices program has provided over 140 fellowships for more than 100 early career playwrights, offering class instruction, play development workshops, and mentoring opportunities.
Many Voices fellowship recipients include Reginald Edmund, Diane Glancy, Gethsemane Herron, Khary Jackson, Aditi Brennan Kapil, Brandon Lacy-Campos, May Lee-Yang, Lester Eugene Mayers, Meena Natarajan, Lizz Cruz Peterson, Bianca Pettis, Janaki Ranpura, Eliza Rasheed, Jovelyn Richards, Aamera Siddiqui, P.C. Verrone, Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Josh Wilder, Liqing Xu, and Kit Yan.
Application Materials
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, eligibility, and demographic information
02
Playwriting resumé
Any legible format, maximum three pages
Please mark clearly which productions (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 and university, college, secondary school, and amateur productions are not considered full professional productions. Productions that open after the application deadline 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 contextualizing your current artistic life, 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? A successful artistic statement will provide insight into your vision as a theater maker and will support your submitted script. It will also 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 Many Voices 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 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. 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.
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. For a video tutorial on using SlideRoom, please click here.
An information session about the Many Voices Fellowship & Mentorship was held on November 7, 2024. The recording of that information session is available on the right. Read the full transcript here.
Click here to read advice from previous successful applicants.
We are offering a free Working Session in partnership with Springboard for the Arts on the topic of creating artist statements on Monday, January 12 at 6:00pm CT to help prepare for your application. Click here to register for the session. If you are unable to attend but would like to receive materials after the class, please email juliab@pwcenter.org.
Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown will be joining the Professional Resources and Education team for open office hours from 12:00–3:00 p.m. on the following dates to answer your application questions: November 19, December 3, December 17, January 14, March 18.
Questions may be addressed to Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org or 612-332-7481 ext. 1115.
DEADLINE: TBD, Winter 2026
