PhysFestNYC - Submission Guide
Apply Here: Application 2026
PDF Preview of Entire Application
Video: Walkthru on Filling Out the 2026 Application
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Table of Contents
How to Apply: Application Form
Welcome
Welcome to the submission guide for PhysFestNYC 2026!
We are currently accepting submissions for performances and workshops until 11:59pm on Thursday August 28th, 2025. PhysFestNYC will take place at Stella Adler (65 Broadway, Floor 2, New York, NY 10006) during the span of January 8th - 18th, 2026. PhysFest is a member of the JanArtsNYC consortium.
In our third year, we hope to offer a range of programming that makes for a vibrant, diverse, and impactful festival. In addition to daily performances and workshops, the PhysFestNYC team will also be building out panels, community celebrations, and other events.
To achieve our vision, we have a) assigned multiple curators, b) collaboratively developed our list of curation criteria, and c) designed PhysFest to be an annual festival, so that we can grow, change, and adjust festival programming and practices year over year. We learned so much in the first two years for our festival, and appreciate all the feedback we received that has informed our work for 2026.
We will certainly have more brilliant applications than we will be able to accommodate! We thank you in advance for your understanding of our limited resources, and want to share our sincere commitment to making an inclusive, community-focused festival that lifts all voices. To that end, several PhysFest programs are not curated, and designed without any barrier of entry for participant-collaborators, e.g. Community Potluck, Open Mic, Applicant Yearbook, Opening Party, and more.
Thank you for the generosity of spirit and labor it takes to fill out an application!
Curation Criteria
Shows and workshops that are a good fit for PhysFestNYC will demonstrate:
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Requirements
- Applicants must either reside within driving distance of NYC (approx 150 miles) or demonstrate a strong relationship to NYC by living or working here for a majority of your time. In future we look forward to opening the festival to more geographic locations. If you do not live within commuting distance to NYC, we suggest holding off on filling out an application until future iterations of the festival!
- Artists must consider their proposal a work of physical theater, which centers movement.
Performance Format
For year 3, all shows will receive:
- Exclusive tech hours to your show (1-6 hours to be mutually agreed)
- 1 Technician to run and/or program your board
- Front of house and box office staffing
- One TD on call during your load-in
- Inclusion in festival press release and marketing
- Access modifications for artists or audiences
- A designated number of performances (1-4)
- Artist Box Office
On Fee: We are currently (at the time of this writing!) not able to offer up-front performance fees, but working on raising those funds by Fall 2025. Until further notice, we will operate as we have the first two years: artists will make 100% of their box office (or split it in a split bill format between 2 or 3 other acts). With approximately 30 seats per theater and some tickets set aside for artist and producer comps, that means an entirely full house makes $400 - 500 per performance; $133 for a triple-split bill. For this reason, projects that have alternative funding are best positioned to apply for PhysFestNYC.
Note: We do ask in the application if your participation depends on or prefers up-front funding. This question is both practical and for our own research - it will help us to a) seek support from donors to pay for this in future, and b) understand the needs of our applicant pool. If we are able to receive additional funds before curation, our team will review the applicants who depend on funding and see if we are able to support them.
Your show may be performed alone, in a split bill with another show, or as an opener for a longer piece (if yours is 5-15 minutes).
The festival will have matinee, evening, and late-night slots for performances. Shows should be a maximum of 75 minutes. Some shows are scheduled for only one performance. Most multi-performance shows perform back to back on a single evening, e.g. 7p and 8:30p. You can write in your application how many and what time slots you are open to.
Performances may include multi-act proposals that are composed of various pieces under a singular umbrella (e.g. “Student work from PS310” or “Queer voices in movement,” etc). If this is the case:
- A multi-act proposal receives the same amount of tech time as other applicants
- For a multi-act proposal, any two performances (e.g. Monday night and Tuesday night) need not be composed of exactly the same content or line-up.
There are three different categories of application for performances: existing shows, debuts, and works in progress. Works in progress will most likely be split bills and performed once, as they did in 2025; they will also receive a facilitated post-show discussion with the audience and/or a guest director to give feedback.
In 2024 and 2025, we featured two durational installations. If you have an installation to propose that would not be ticketed, please fill out the performance application under whichever category best describes your proposal.
Note on differentiating between existing works and debuts: existing works are typically easier to program because they are known entities and have performance footage. However, if your show has had a long performance or touring history, please share why it would be valuable to share it at this moment in time in your performance description. For debuts (which we also love to program!), we suggest painting as vivid a picture as possible on all of the curation criteria so that the curators can get a solid sense of your offering. For video, please send something that helps us imagine the piece, even if it's filmed in your living room!
Technical Considerations
All shows will be performed in a small black box theater with a Standard Lighting Rep Plot (ETC programmable interface Control System), and Sound Playback (Qlab 4 if using in-house computer).
One of our black box theaters can be flexible to thrust or in the round configurations, the other will be exclusively proscenium. Please state your preferred seating configuration in your application. Theaters are small; there are approximately 25-50 seats in each house, maximum, depending on added rows, floor seating, standing room, and configuration.
- Here's a draft of the Betsy Theater with dimensions; unknown if the seating will remain exactly the same by the time of performance. The Betsy Theater Dimensions // The Betsy Theater Grid (there will be a rep plot hung tbd)
- Here's the Jimmy Theater with dimensions, again unknown on the seating, but the Jimmy is more flexible than the Betsy. The Jimmy Theater Dimensions // The Jimmy Grid (there will be a rep plot hung tbd)
- We will likely also have access to a no-tech space, essentially a black box studio, where performances can take place.
- We do not currently have access to performing outside or in the hallways of Stella Adler Center for the Arts.
Much like a Fringe festival, we can provide a black box space with a rep plot and sound system, but all other materials and specifications should be provided by the artist. A few specifics:
- We have access to some simple prop pieces (tables, chairs)
- We may be able to hang legs or curtains, though we can not currently promise soft goods and suggest you list this this a preference and not a requirement in your application
- We do not have a projector and/or screen available to us, but are open to you bringing your own, and can try to help group-source materials or equipment like this with other programmed shows
With all of this in mind, we ask in the application that you describe your tech needs as specifically as possible, even if that means differentiating between a preference and a requirement. We encourage you to be clear about what you can provide for your own show, and consider the amount of tech time you will have. When you list your requested tech hours, please include if you have experience with this amount of hours for your show.
Workshop Format
Workshops will be a standard length of two hours. They will be provided a large studio at Stella Adler; they may be daytime or evening. We have had workshops with 5 - 25 people; more than 15 starts to feel crowded. If your workshop sells out and we have time on the schedule, we may discuss offering a second session.
Each workshop session will be compensated with a $200 teaching fee (regardless of number or instructors). Workshop proposals are encouraged to describe not only their session, but also details on who their workshop is for and its desired impact. We ask for an outline of your lesson plan. We hope to have a variety of offerings across the festival!
How to Apply: Application Form
Please only fill out one application per person or collective. If there are extenuating circumstances that make it particularly difficult to narrow down your proposal, we suggest briefly mentioning your alternative show or workshop in the application with how it differs from your primary proposal.
The application form is a single google form that has various sections. There is one place for sharing a video link if you are performing, and a workshop outline if you are teaching; the rest are written questions. Feel free to write as little or much as you’d like within the word count.
If you prefer to have a verbal/video response instead of writing your answers, you are welcome to email us a video in the place of text. We were inspired to do this by the practices at A.R.T./New York, who have informed many of our access considerations.
As you prepare to apply, take a look at our concept note HERE to familiarize yourself with our priorities and vision.
Please send in your application by Thursday, August 28th at 11:59pm, Eastern.
What Happens Next?
After you submit your application, it will be scored across the three criteria by our Artistic Leadership Circle; the 2026 circle will include curators from 2024/2025 plus new voices; their bios will be on our website by Sept 1. The Producers will then work the highest-scoring applications into a cohesive schedule of offerings for the festival. Offers will be made by mid-October. Feedback will be offered upon request.
Other curation considerations:
- Some slots may be curated by Honored Curators; in the past this has included Adrienne Kapstein, Tatiana Desardoin, Matt Saltzberg, and various Producers.
- Some works, once curated, may be an honoree of a certain supporting organization. For example, in 2025 the Vaudevisuals Grant supported one curated emerging artist with $500, as did the One Year Lease Grant for an international artist. The urbanStages grant awarded two artists with 5 hours of free rehearsal time each.
- Some applications may be read and scored by you, our applicants. We will enlist your help to curate a portion of the festival.
All applicants to PhysFestNYC will be included in an applicant guestbook if they opt in. We want to make sure your valuable work is honored, celebrated, and shared! You can look at last year's Yearbook on the homepage at physfestnyc.org.
Email physfestnyc@gmail.com with any additional questions and we will do our best to get back to you promptly. Thank you!