McKnight National Residency and Commission

Overview

The McKnight Foundation, a family foundation based in Minnesota, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.

The intent of the McKnight National Residency and Commission is to support an established playwright from outside of Minnesota who demonstrates a sustained body of work, commitment, and distinct artistic vision. The Recipient of the Residency and Commission will create a new play which will be developed with Playwrights’ Center through a series of workshops and will culminate in a public reading of the play.

Recipients will not be required to move to Minnesota but will have opportunities to engage with local artists and Playwrights’ Center staff and fellows throughout their term (July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028). One of the goals of this program is to create dialogue between Minnesota-based artists and those outside of the community. Benefits include: a $15,000 commission, up to $12,250 in workshop funds to support the development of the play, including travel and housing, and a public reading. At the end of the program term, the recipient will become an Affiliated Writer of Playwrights’ Center.

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 (July 1, 2027-June 30, 2028). Applicants must be nationally recognized playwrights who have had at least two different plays fully produced by professional theaters by the time of application. Minnesota-based playwrights are not eligible for this award (Minnesota-based playwrights are encouraged to apply for the McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting). Recipients of 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible. Full-time students are not eligible. Staff and board members of the McKnight Foundation and Playwrights’ Center or their immediate families are not eligible. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights’ Center fellowships or Core Writer benefits during the fellowship year. If a recipient is a Core Writer, their Core term will be extended by one year. Recipients must create a new play according to the terms of the contract. Applicants may only apply for one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship each year in any of the disciplines listed below.

The McKnight Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Springboard for the Arts), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (NCC), Composers (ACF), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (the Loft), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).

Past recipients

Past recipients include: Andrea Assaf, Sharon Bridgforth, Kia Corthron, Erik Ehn, Idris Goodwin, Karen Hartman, C.A. Johnson, Daniel Alexander Jones, Sibyl Kempson, Craig Lucas, Taylor Mac, Roger Q. Mason, Aya Ogawa, Heather Raffo, James Anthony Tyler, and Mfoniso Udofia.

This fellowship became an essential catalyst for a massive project that will consume my time and creative attention. I am grateful to have begun its life here in a community that understands the rigor, changeability and scope of new play development. And, through this process, I am honored and proud to be a member of the Playwrights’ Center family.

Roger Q. Mason

McKnight National Residency and Commission, 2024-25

McKnight Foundation Community Values

The McKnight Foundation and the administering partners for the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships are committed to creating and supporting an artistic community in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The community of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships includes people who engage with the fellowships program whether as applicants, fellows, panelists, contractors, collaborators, fellowships administrators, and staff of the McKnight Foundation and partnering organizations. As a community, we commit to creating and maintaining relationships that are free from harm, prejudice, and harassment. Community members agree to communicate directly and transparently regarding issues of conduct that could negatively impact the well-being of participating members and organizations. In the case of an accusation, legal action, or conviction, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may gather and assess relevant information. If deemed necessary, the McKnight Foundation and its fellowship program partners may take administrative action up to and including the recommendation of participation in reconciliation or restorative justice processes; disqualification of an application; the termination of a contract; and the recall and/or termination of a fellowship. This community will be what we make it and our aim is to collectively create an experience in which all artists and members of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships community thrive.

Application preview

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.

Application form

Including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information

Playwriting resumé

Any legible format, maximum three pages.

Please note clearly which productions listed on your resumé 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 January 14, 2027 do not count, opera librettos do not count, and co-written or ensemble-created works do not count.

Full-length play script

Please be sure that your name and the play title appear on the cover page. Submit a play that is representative of your work. This script is a writing sample, NOT the play that you are proposing to write if you are selected. If you submit the play you are proposing to write as a writing sample, your application will not be considered. 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. Co-written work will not be accepted, and musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. If you have previously received a McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in any discipline, this script must have been completed after that fellowship year. For example, if you received a McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting in 2009-10, the script you submit must have been completed after 2010.

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.

Project proposal

This proposal should explain the project you intend to create if you receive the commission. This proposal should be no longer than three pages. The evaluators are looking for a project that is relevant, compelling, original, and that could reasonably have a first draft finished within the year. This should NOT be a play that already has a full draft written. If your proposed play already has a full draft completed, your application will not be competitive. If you attached your proposed play as your writing sample, your application will not be considered. It is helpful to address your writing sample play and how it is a representation of your work in this proposal. Is your proposed play a continuation of the work represented by the sample, or is it a departure from that previous work? Please also detail why you would like to develop this piece with Playwrights’ Center, and your interest in engaging with the community here. Readers and panelists will be evaluating the specificity of your project and development/residency plans to the local community, so be sure to discuss why Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, and/or Minnesota is the right place for you to work on the piece.

Letter of recommendation

Please request one letter of recommendation from an artistic professional familiar with your work as a playwright. Letters must be received by the application deadline: January 14, 2027. You will be sending a request through the application portal below. You may request a letter 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 recommender time to complete their letter.

Letters of recommendation are valid for three years. If you would like to resubmit a past letter of recommendation, please email Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org at least two weeks before the application deadline. We try to keep all letters on file, but we cannot guarantee that each letter will be available. We cannot use a previous letter from another program application (i.e. from a Core Writer application) 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.

SlideRoom Video Tutorial

Information & working sessions

An information session about the McKnight National Residency and Commission 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 at juliab@pwcenter.org A recording of last year’s session is available to watch on the right. Read the full transcript here.

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.