Apply for Playwrights Unit

Playwrights Unit

The Goodman Playwrights Unit is a season-long residency program for Chicago-area playwrights. Established in 2010, the program invites up to four playwrights each year to meet bi-monthly with the Goodman’s literary staff and other cohort writers to develop their new Goodman commissions. The playwrights are awarded a $3,000 commission and are offered mid-point and final readings of their plays at the Goodman. Playwrights are also considered artists-in-residence at the theatre: they are invited to opening nights, meetings, rehearsals and special events as available.

Eligibility: Playwrights must be available to meet at the theater at least twice a month during business hours during the Goodman’s 2022/2023 Season (travel funds are not available) and have had at least one fully-produced play (academic productions are eligible). Current or former members of the Playwrights Unit are not eligible to reapply.

Women, writers of color, trans and non-binary writers, and writers with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Please submit the following to Literary@GoodmanTheatre.org:

• A statement (approximately 500 words) explaining what you hope to gain from participation in the Goodman’s Playwrights Unit and the new play you are proposing to write and develop during your time here. The proposed work must be brand new and unwritten; extant plays proposed for further development will not be considered.
• A professional resume outlining your plays written and produced and any other experience or detail you’d like to share to familiarize us with your work.
• A 20-page sample of a full-length play written in the last year or two that you feel best reflects your voice and current interests as a playwright. If you are selected as a semi-finalist, we will request the full manuscript.

Deadline was: June 14, 2022

Selections will be made by late summer.