Apply Now for the CSA 2025/2026 Performance Series

Welcome Artists!

Thank you for your interest in applying to the CSA 2025/2026 Season! The New Hazlett theater invites emerging and mid-career artists from the Western Pennsylvania region to submit project proposals in theatre, dance, music, spoken word, or multi-disciplinary performance for inclusion in the upcoming CSA performance series. We are interested in proposals for new work or work that is currently in development.

Apply Now

Selected artists will receive:

• 5 Days in the theater for rehearsals and performances
• 40 Hours of rehearsal time in the rehearsal room
• 2 Technicians for 40 hours of tech week
• 1 Stage manager for 80 hours
• Complete show marketing
• Film and video project documentation
• Independent reviews
• A $3,500 artist stipend
• A $2,500 design stipend
• An $850 material and supplies budget

To complete the application, you will need to:

• Provide general information about yourself
• Answer questions about the project
• Answer questions about yourself
• Upload a project budget proposal
• Upload 1-4 work samples

Project Budget Explained:

Show us how you would use the stipend to fund your project. Allocate a dollar amount to each aspect of your project. Your total budget should not exceed $6,850 unless you indicate that you are receiving more funding from an outside source.

Below is a template of a project budget that you may use as a resource for building your budget.

Eligibility

This project is designed for emerging and mid-career artists in pursuit of professional performance 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 form 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 performers as possible access to the program, lead artists selected for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 Performance Series may not apply.

Please contact melissa@newhazletttheater.org with particular questions.

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.