Applications are due by Sunday, August 16th, 2027 11:59pm EST.

 

The Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency expands and broadens the work of the National Puppetry Conference by partnering with the O’Neill to provide space and support to an artist/company working on the final stages of a new work of puppet theater.

 

• Residencies are two weeks long, can support up to ten project participants, and covers full room and board.

• A unique feature of the residency, dramaturgical support for the project will be provided by the O'Neill's literary office.

• The residency can take place during specific windows of time in the spring or fall months.

• The residency is intended to be the last phase of work on a production before its premiere within 1 year of the residency.

• At this time the focus of the residency is work for adults.

• Projects that will only take place outside of the United States are not eligible.

• Applications for international collaborations are accepted, but the primary artist must be American.

• In addition to the residency, a grant of $7,500 will be awarded to the artists by the Jim Henson Foundation to help cover expenses.

• The residency does not include access to technical equipment or support.

• Applications are open to all, however preference is given to works that have received a Production Grant from The Jim Henson Foundation, and have a Presenter committed to premiering the work. 

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Interested puppeteers and puppetry companies are invited to submit Letters of Intent via Submittable. A link to the application will be provided here by July, 2027. 

 

The application will ask for your project’s main idea/pitch, a description of the story/journey of your piece, a description of the puppetry involved, an outline of the timeline of your process, and artist bios of those involved.

 

The visuals: You will be asked to upload three to six color images of the puppetry in your proposed project. All images must be original work with the artist or source identified, and each should include a brief caption. Please note: submit only work from this project. Images of past work, artists not attached to the project, or AI-generated content will disqualify your application.  

 

Approximately four proposals will be chosen to submit full applications due mid-October. Final selections will be made by early December. The proposals will be reviewed by a six-person panel composed of Jim Henson Foundation and O'Neill representatives.

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For questions, please email info@hensonfoundation.org.