The New Harmony Project Now Accepting Applications For 2024 Conference

The New Harmony Project announced that it is now accepting applications for the 37th annual conference to be held May 22-June 2, 2024. For more than three decades, The New Harmony Project has gathered world-class writers and artists along the banks of the Wabash River in Southern Indiana for an intensive, creative residency and retreat. 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. With a unique focus on people over product, The New Harmony Project clears space and provides a supportive environment for each writer and artist to build their own experience.

Executive Artistic Director Jenni Werner said, "I'm delighted to build on the legacy of this incredible artist-centered residency, and to create space for a community of writers who challenge our notions of what hope means. We know that great writing can change the world, and we are excited to see which world-changers will join us this year."

The New Harmony Project seeks storytellers who are interested in an artist-centered residency that will provide a creative and nurturing environment, supportive artistic community, and dramaturgical resources in a bucolic setting. These residencies do not include a full developmental workshop with actors and a creative team, but there are opportunities to hear work out loud in informal settings. Additionally, The Project is pleased to build upon its commitment to parent writers through the Parent Residency program. Applicants can denote their eligibility for this program on the conference application, and selected participants will receive additional support in an effort to recognize the unique circumstances that parent artists face. The 2024 conference will also support 1-3 Productions in Residence selected in collaboration with partner organizations outside of the open selection process. These projects will be receiving a full developmental workshop with actors and a creative team, but will be shorter in duration.

Applications are being accepted online through October 2, 2023 at newharmonyproject.org/apply, and interested applicants are encouraged to visit the website for full details and information. The New Harmony Project is actively working to dismantle racism and other forms of bias, and is committed to supporting artists who honor a multiplicity of perspectives.

The New Harmony Project boasts an impressive roster of past participants including Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning writer Robert Schenkkan (All the Way, The Great Society, The Kentucky Cycle), Theresa Rebeck (NBC's Smash, Seminar, Bernhardt/Hamlet), Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Gruesome Playground Injuries), Lee Blessing (Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominee, A Walk in the Woods), Erika Dickerson-Despenza (cullud wattah), Steven Dietz (Lonely Planet), John Pielmeier (Agnes of God, The Exorcist), James Still (four-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, The Velocity of Gary), Meredith Stiehm (Emmy Winner, Homeland, Cold Case), Danny Strong (two-time Emmy winner, Empire, Lee Daniels' The Butler), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Where We Stand, Manhunt), Ngozi Anyanwu (The Homecoming Queen, Good Grief), Dan O'Brien (The Body of an American), George Brant (Grounded, Marie and Rosetta), Idris Goodwin (How We Got On, The Way the Mountain Moved), Regina Taylor (Drowning Crow, Crowns), Anna Ziegler (Photograph 51, Actually), Jim Leonard (Major Crimes, Dexter), Mark St. Germain (Freud's Last Session), Angelo Pizzo (Rudy, Hoosiers), Matt Williams (five-time Emmy nominee, Home Improvement, Roseanne), and numerous others.

In April of 1986, a group of theatre, film, and television professionals gathered to explore the trend in the entertainment arts toward exploitative and sensational material. They concluded there was a need to engage and support writers whose work sought a goal beyond mere entertainment, work that sought to empower and uplift. The New Harmony Project was born out of this conversation. With the peaceful serenity of New Harmony, Indiana as the backdrop, writers are provided time and space to create, develop, and workshop new scripts every spring. The conference stands apart from other programs with its focus on community. Conversations are had, meals are enjoyed, and the work is shared collectively. In 2022, The New Harmony Project adopted a new strategic vision for the organization designed to build a more just, equitable, antiracist, and impactful organization. The mission was updated to reflect a new set of values, and recognizes that hope is complicated and deeply personal. The Project is committed to nurturing writers so they can change the world.

The New Harmony Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For information on how to support this unique and worthwhile organization, please visit newharmonyproject.org, or follow us on social media.

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