Playwrights applying to this program must fulfill the following eligibility requirements: 

• Live in the San Francisco Bay Area in one of the following 9 counties for at least one year prior to application: San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Solano, Napa, or Sonoma
• Written at least two full length plays (Should be a minimum of 60 pages. Can be produced or unproduced. If you have written a full length play less than 60 pages, please check in with Literary staff before applying)
• Have momentum in their playwriting career as evidenced by at least one professional production of a full-length play OR at least four professional development opportunities for a minimum of two different full-length plays. Must have been completed prior to application.* 
• If a current student, must have an expected graduation date of December 2025 at the latest, as the cohort will begin in January 2026. Please indicate this within your application and on resume/bio.
• Writing primarily in English, although we do support multilingual plays
• Have valid work authorization (Social Security Card, Green Card, or Employment Authorization Document)
• Not in the current BAPF cohort or an RPI or RPP alumnus 

Applicants should also have a genuine interest in being a part of a cohort who enrich each other’s creative lives as they create impactful new work, take agency over their creative life, and deepen their connections within the two-year period and beyond.

*Professional is defined as a paid opportunity at a theater or new play development organization (university or self-produced productions are not defined as professional for application purposes). A production is defined as at least 6 public performances with set, lights, and costumes with no script in hand. Development opportunities of full length scripts include: public or internal staged readings or workshops, playwriting groups with a selection process, commissions, and other similar opportunities. If you have questions about whether you are eligible, please send your resume to literary@playwrightsfoundation.org to begin a conversation ahead of applying. 

The 2026-2027 residency will be from January 2026 through December 2027. 

Important 2026 dates: 

• • January will host an orientation meeting per mutual schedules 
  • A 3 day, 2-night in-person artistic retreat (tentatively scheduled for late Jan/early Feb 2026)
  • Monthly Cohort Meetings to be scheduled per mutual availability with group 
  • A one-night in-person event for the RPP cohort will be scheduled during the second week of BAPF in Fall 2026

• Application portal link will be live here on Monday, August 11th from 8 am PT until Tuesday, August 26th, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT.
• Application Guidelines (Google Doc)

We have an open application process for this program where ultimately, 4 Bay Area writers will be chosen for the residency as a member of our next cohort. A panel of 8-10 Bay Area theatre professionals with PF Staff will review applicants over a 4-month period. We will be looking holistically at the writer’s full length play, script sample, optional additional work sample, resume, and responses to narrative questions and review applications with names of playwright attached (i.e.: We do not do blind submissions). All applicants will receive a notification letter after the review period is over in December 2026. 

How do I request a fee waiver?

If you are experiencing economic hardship, are a PF alum, current student, or participated on the National Committee, you are eligible to request a fee waiver.

Directions on how to apply for a waiver:

• Within the application payment section, you can click for a Request for a Fee Waiver. That will notify the Literary Staff you’d like a Fee Waiver and we will review for approval.
• You’ll still be asked to choose an amount/value that you would have paid for the application (any amount.) That gives us internal information to report the value of the subsidized application. You will not be charged that amount if fee waiver is approved. Please proceed and finish the application.
• This puts your application into a PENDING status. The Literary team will have to review your application during normal business hours. Please give the staff 48 hours on a weekday.
• You will then receive an Invoice in your email that your Fee Waiver request has been accepted by the staff and your application is complete.
• We recommend not waiting until the deadline to ask for a Fee Waiver—the earlier the better.

Where can I read more information about the selection and application process? 

The Resident Playwrights Program Application Guidelines document has the most comprehensive information on our application, evaluation, and selection process. Please review thoroughly.

• Application Guidelines