CRITICAL BREAKS

CRITICAL BREAKS is a residency program for artists who are in a pivotal phase of developing new theater and/or performance work. The residency aims to provide artists with time and space to concentrate on a specific project and/or element of a project. This is an ideal for works that have already been started, and/or have perhaps received some institutional support, but are still in need of additional concentrated focus, funding and space. 

Forms of work may include traditional theater, dance, performance and/or storytelling, or it may experiment with new technologies, movement, duration, site-specificity, hybridity, and more.

The residency period culminates with a WORK IN PROCESS [WIP]. [WIP] programs are designed in collaboration with the artist and Hi-ARTS.

Applications for Spring 2026 will close October 31, 2025. If you would like to be informed of when applications are open, please sign up for Backstage Buzz.

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CRITICAL BREAKS ARTISTS

  • CRITICAL BREAKS is intended for theater and performing artists. Artists must be willing and able to commit to 50 hours of development over a 4 week period.

    All artists and residency collaborators must be able to legally work in the United States. All personnel are required to complete a W9 form in order to receive payment. If you have questions about student participation, citizenship, or other eligibility questions that are not answered in the FAQs below, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org.

    Hi-ARTS considers an artist’s individual experiences, perspectives, and values with the same degree of care and attention that we pay to your creative portfolio. Both are considered alongside one another during the application process. We value artists who:

    • respond to social justice themes and/or bring visibility to their lived experiences;

    • innovate and push known aesthetics into new and dynamic interdisciplinary forms;

    • create new original works that expand the perspectives traditionally represented in contemporary theater, performance, and other creative areas;

    • value interaction with the community as a means of both developing content and providing broad public engagement;

    • embody diversity along the lines of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, and sexuality;

    • create boundary-pushing forms of expressive culture and aesthetic practice.

    While all are welcome to apply, Hi-ARTS prioritizes supporting Artists of the Global Majority.

  • Artists must complete an application form which includes a project description and/or proposal as well as work samples. Candidates can apply for both CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB Residencies in the same application form. 

    Please note, the application form must be submitted in one sitting. Your answers do not save if you exit the application. Click here for an Application Preview.

    The application asks for:

    • Applicant Information: Application and Collaborator names and roles and basic information

    • Project Information: Project overview and current stage of development

    • ResidencyInformation: Ideal timeline and residency goals

    • Budget Submission: Preliminary outline of needed resources and monetary allocation

    • Work Samples: 1-3 examples of the applicant's work and/or the project

    • Demographics: optional questions for statistic and funding purposes only

    For questions, or assistance accessing any part of the application, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org.

  • General

    • Rehearsal space at L10 Arts and Cultural Center (studio and theater)

    • Artist Stipend

    • Project Budget

    • Residency Administrative Assistant

    • WORK IN PROCESS Program

    • Archival photo and video documentation

    • Pre- and post-residency reflection and evaluation spaces

    Creative

    • Creative consultation and check-ins with Hi-ARTS staff

    • Programmatic and curatorial support

    • Administrative and scheduling support 

    • Collaborative marketing support

    Financial & Administrative

    • Budgetary advising and preparation support

    • Financial Distribution (paying, etc.)

    • Hiring Support (for both creative and technical collaborators)

    • Personnel contracting 

    • Material purchasing and/or printing

  • Applications for the 2026 Cohort of CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB artists will open in October 2025. The application deadline is October 31st, 11:59 PM. Artists will be notified of their status by December 8th, 2025. Pre-residency administration will begin in mid-December, and the cohort will be publicly announced February 2026. 

    Residencies will take place in the months of: March 2026, April 2026, and May 2026. The application will ask you to specify which month(s) you prefer. We do our best to work and accommodate artist schedules, but do ask for flexibility. 

    To preview the application, please click here. 

  • We recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions. For any additional questions, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org. You can expect a response within 2-3 business days.

2024-2025 CRITICAL BREAKS Residency Highlights