The Confluence Regional Writers Project was created in 2018 to further foster a culture of playwriting in the midwest by supporting emerging writers in Missouri and Illinois with a fellowship and weekend-long celebration of new works at the Confluence New Play Festival each Spring. Thirteen new plays have been commissioned under Confluence, five of which have gone on to receive full productions throughout the U.S.
Regional Writers Cohort
Each year the Festival awards three residencies to emerging playwrights from Missouri or Illinois (applications are now open for 2023). The writers begin a seven-month-long program in August, with dedicated time and space to write together under the leadership of a program director and workshops from guest artists and industry professionals. The program concludes with staged readings of the new work.
Confluence New Play Festival
The only new play event dedicated solely to Midwest writers. Confluence aims to foster a diverse group of playwrights and theater makers and propel these new works to national and international stages. Hosted at the Festival offices in Grand Center, this is the ultimate meeting place for artists, audiences and playwrights to discuss and witness the new faces of American Theater.
Learn More2023 Cohort (Applications are closed)
Three residencies will be awarded to emerging playwrights for the 2023 Confluence Regional Writers Project. Applicants must be current residents of Missouri and Illinois to be eligible. Diversity is one of the Festival’s leading values regarding race, gender identification, age, and relative physical ability. Applications are for 2023 have closed.
As part of the program, Cohort members will:
- Participate in a one-weekend retreat near St. Louis, if deemed safe and desirable.
- Meet monthly, beginning September 2023 through April 2024, either via teleconference or in person for daylong writing sessions, workshops, and mentorship activities.
- Participate in a knowledge-sharing opportunity for students in our youth program during one masterclass workshop in Fall 2023.
- Complete a full-length play for a public reading in April of 2024 during the Confluence New Play Festival. Playwrights must be available for at least five days during that time for rehearsal and performance of their work.
- Receive a $3,000 stipend.