April 16, 2026
YANGTZE REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO PROJECT YZ, $10K AAPI ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Obie-award winner Yangtze Repertory Theatre, now in its 35th season and dedicated to celebrating artists who are global citizens and supporting the works by, for and about the AAPI immigrant community, announces that applications are now open for Project YZ, the company’s AAPI Artist Residency program. The goal of Project YZ is to support and build an artistic home for AAPI immigrant artists.
Applications are due May 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Details on how to apply along with criteria can be found here. An online information session will be held on Monday, April 20 at 4:00 PM ET. Please register here. Launched in 2022, Project YZ is Yangtze Rep’s AAPI artist residency program with a focus to support the artistic journey of each resident artist through a process that values open dialogue, honest conversation, and bold endeavors. The goal is to create a sense of belonging through artistic discovery. Each resident artist will receive a grant of $10,000, of which $5,000 to be an unrestricted financial award, and $5,000 to be used towards any expenses incurred towards the projects including professional development.During the one-year residency, Yangtze Rep will connect resident artists with other collaborators, lend research support, facilitate interviews and focus groups, and provide professional marketing capabilities. Dramaturgical development and discussion with Yangtze’s artistic staff will take place throughout the residency.A public-facing work-in-progress showing is required but could take place in various forms.
Chongren Fan, Artistic Director of Yangtze Rep, remarked, “Project YZ grew out of a simple but urgent need: to give artists space to begin. The most meaningful work doesn’t start with answers. It starts with a feeling you can’t quite name yet. At Yangtze Repertory Theatre, we want to honor that early part of the process, often invisible yet essential. This residency is about building a space where artists can take risks, ask difficult questions, and trust that their voices matter.”
Previous Project YZ resident artists include directors Nana Dakin and Rui Dun; playwrights KaelaMei-Shing Garvin, Jesse Jae Hoon, Yilong Liu and Minghao Tu; set designer Chika Shimizu; writer and performers Đavid Lee Huỳnh and Jo Mei, writer and director Jing Dong, and performer Julia Gu.
The 2026 Project YZ resident artists will be announced in July. Please visit https://www.yzrep.org/residencies for more information.
About Yangtze Repertory Theatre
Yangtze Repertory Theatre (Chongren Fan, Artistic Director; Sally Shen, Executive Director) is an Obie-winning non-profit theater company that has been producing and presenting theatrical works by, for, and about the AAPI community for over 30 years. Through productions, residencies and commissions, Yangtze Rep supports artists from the AAPI immigrant community and develops new works that shine a light on stories rarely told.
Press Contact: John Wyszniewski, Everyman Agency: john@everymanagency.com, 347-416-3881.