Eligibility

• This project is designed for emerging and mid-career artists in pursuit of professional opportunities. Applicants must be actively engaged in the process of creating new work and be able to provide examples of original work performed within the last 2 years.

• Artists working on the project must reside in the Western Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, or Westmoreland and have intentions of remaining in the area.

• Artists with commercial representation or label affiliation are not eligible to apply.

• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

• Applicants will not be ruled ineligible if they are enrolled in a post-secondary education program; however, participation in the program will require specific time commitments, which should be considered when applying.

• Only proposals submitted through the online forum will be reviewed.

• Proposals for performance work should be in the range of 45-60 minutes. Proposals for 20-30 minute works will be accepted but may be paired with others to create a full evening-length performance. Please do not submit multiple short works on the same application.

• In order to allow as many artists as possible access to the program, lead artists selected for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 Performance Series may not apply.

Work Samples Explained

You are required to submit one but you may submit as many as four work samples. 

We strongly encourage artists to provide samples that help explain the proposed work and examples of the your strongest work to date. A successful application might include a visual or written sketch of the proposed project. The format could be a storyboard with sketches, a vision board, a short video of you talking about what happens in the project, a script or libretto, or even a collage of other peoples (credited) works that have inspired you and help explain your idea. This should be paired with some examples of your strongest work to date.

The following items are each considered one work sample:

• A PDF portfolio not to exceed 20 pages with images or links to video

• An audio file not to exceed 10 minutes

• A video file not to exceed 5 minutes

• A PDF of a full script or libretto that you have completed in the last five years. (please select and note 10 pages for the panel to focus on)

If you are submitting a larger work, please use time stamps or page ranges to indicate which portion should be evaluated.

Example:

Watch/ Listen to 2:12 – 5:15 mark.

Read pages 1- 15 and then pages 20-30

Here is how to prepare your samples:

• For video files, please upload to a video sharing platform such as Vimeo or YouTube.

• For audio files, please upload to an audio sharing platform such as Soundcloud or Bandcamp. Put the link into a document with any required passwords for viewing and a brief summary of the sample and save it as a PDF.

• If your PDF portfolio files are too big, the platform accepts compressed (.zip) files.

  • To zip a file on a PC right click on the file name or icon and go to [Send To] in the drop down menu. Then select [Compressed].

  • To zip a file on a MAC, right click on the file name or icon and go to [Compress “File Name”] in the drop down menu.

  • NOTE: You are encouraged to make one PDF document and include all work sample links with passwords and a brief summary of each sample.

A few helpful hints:

1. Early Feedback Deadline: Submit by November 29 to receive detailed feedback on your application. Submissions received after this date cannot be reviewed before final evaluation.

2. Drafting Tip: To ensure your work is saved securely, we recommend drafting your responses in an external document before copying and pasting them into the online form.

3.  Online Applications Only: Submit all materials through our online portal. We are unable to accept physical or in-person copies.4. Questions & Support

4. Need Help? Contact Livie Johnson (Assistant to the Artistic Director) at livie@newhazletttheater.org and CC Dominique Briggs (Artistic Associate and Program Strategist) at dominique@newhazletttheater.org.

5. Experience the Space: Want to see the New Hazlett stage firsthand? We strongly encourage prospective artists to attend our upcoming Community Supported Art (CSA) performances--especially our Pay What You Can performances. It is the best way to experience the venue and see our work in action.

Important Dates

Submissions Open: Saturday, October 31st, 2026

Deadline for Early Application Review: Sunday, November 29th, 2026

(Submit your application by this date and receive feedback by December 22nd. You may then resubmit your application until the final deadline.)

Final Deadline: Thursday, December 31st, 2026, at 11:59pm – No Exceptions