2026 OP x Skidmore Summer Core Fellowship

Professional development opportunities for Skidmore Theater Majors

No program cost. Students are responsible for room and board.

 

The Orchard Project (OP) is a preeminent artistic development laboratory and accelerator for creators of performance and dramatic stories. Through programs in New York City, Saratoga Springs and online, The Orchard Project inclusively supports and empowers dramatic storytellers from the United States and around the world. Through summer labs and other year-round programs that provide resources including community, accountability, and opportunity for artists at multiple stages of their careers, The Orchard Project pushes the dramatic form and lifts up a diversity of voices that inform, inspire, and provoke.

 

Please visit our website at www.orchardproject.com for more information.

 

Start/end dates:

• Summer Option: June 15 – July 13, 2026 (onsite in Saratoga Springs, offsite extensions before or after may be possible).

 

About this fellowship and The Orchard Project:

• The Fellowship is best suited for those interested in any of the following, or an overlap thereof: Directing, Writing, Producing/Management, and Dramaturgy.
• The Orchard Project values Fellows as crucial contributors to our artistic and administrative endeavors. As part of the OP team, Fellows gain hands-on experience working alongside staff members to provide administrative, artistic, and management support to our various artistic labs, programs, and ongoing operations.
• Working with The Orchard Project provides an unparalleled lens into the fields of contemporary dramatic storytelling, and given its role in the industry, a key focus of this fellowship will be in providing an overview as to how, why, where, and who is making groundbreaking new work in various verticals. This fellowship aims to bridge the gap between previous academic interrogation of the form and the nuances, both exciting and challenging, of contemporary professional practice. The network of The Orchard Project, with over 40 projects worked on each year and 2000 alumni, is vast. Through work with The Orchard Project, Fellows will gain exposure to numerous working methods, business concepts, and artists. Additionally, Fellows will receive personalized mentoring and instruction by the staff members of The Orchard Project, with a goal of supporting artistic development and increasing understanding of the business aspects of the entertainment industry.
• The Orchard Project supports creators of dramatic stories through its Lab programs, providing resources in flexible, collaborative environments that empower artists to create new works. In its Saratoga Performance Lab residencies each year, companies and artists are provided room and board, staff support, and technical resources, including lighting and sound equipment, musical instruments, and access to local performance spaces. Participants have ranged from playwrights working alone on drafts to full ensembles working in large rehearsal spaces. Additionally, The Orchard Project runs its Episodic, Audio, and Greenhouse lab programs in a hybrid fashion (online and in NYC) to support the development of professional work and artists in other dramatic verticals.

 

Testimonials from Past Participants:

• Ellery Shea (‘25): Spending the summer with The Orchard Project after graduating was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. The Summer Fellows opportunity is an invaluable program which enables young professionals to further develop their administrative assistance skills, all while making genuine interpersonal connections with a wide variety of industry professionals. It is utterly inspiring work, and the perfect prelude to anyone interested in a career in theater or arts administration!
• Javier Soto (‘24): The Orchard Project was really hands-on in the best way. I got to be in the room with artists across disciplines and see how new work gets built. I loved talking with writers, directors, composers, and actors about their process, then watching the work shift in real time. I left with a deeper understanding of how the creative and production process works, and I’m still running into people from that summer and seeing their work out in the world.
• Stephanie Kemple (‘25): Get ready to work! This fellowship had me coming home in a satisfied exhaustion, where I felt like I was contributing to something great. The artists, although highly successful professionals, were always friendly and open. I definitely learned a lot and loved seeing the behind the scenes processes of the work. It was a summer to remember!

 

 

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Core Fellows provide an essential role in the day-to-day operations of The Orchard Project, supporting one of two sides of The Orchard Project on a day-to-day basis: rehearsal room support (project-based), and residency support (holistic support for the residencies as a whole). Both components of this are essential to the community nature of The Orchard Project. Each apprenticeship pairing is carefully chosen to provide the Fellows with opportunities to work with artists whose projects can positively enhance their creative trajectory. Fellows will generally rotate between responsibilities weekly (e.g. one week on rehearsal support, one on residency support, etc), and responsibilities will include:

• Assist in planning and executing the 2026 artistic labs and programs.
• Support communication and coordination between artists and staff.
• Assist in administrative tasks related to artistic programs and labs.
• Engage in research and advocacy for lab members.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and other relevant gatherings.
• Support the preparation and distribution of promotional and informational materials.
• Work with visiting artists, serving those artists’ projects in a variety of capacities: assistant directors, readers, actors, dramaturgs, and beyond.
• Because of the small number of Fellows, they will have direct ongoing contact with resident artists and an ability to directly engage with work in progress, work that will likely span from new plays to musicals to devised and solo work.
• Typical Schedule for Fellows:
  • 9am: Daily meeting with Orchard Project team
  • 10am – 1pm: Apprentice time in rehearsal or Residency Support
  • 1pm – 2pm: Full Company meal
  • 2pm – 6pm: Apprentice time in rehearsal or Residency Support
  • 6pm – 7pm: Full Company meal
  • Evening: optional company events (pick up readings of new work, sharings of works in progress, etc)
• Staff Oversight:
  • Fellows, depending on their focus, will have one Orchard Project staff member serve as their advisor:
    • Ari Edelson – Directing
    • Ramona Rose King and Maija De Jesus-Gustin – Writing and Dramaturgy
    • OP Associate Producer TBD – Producing

 

Qualifications:

• Undergraduates who are current juniors and seniors preferred; sophomores may be considered.
• Interest and background in the arts, particularly in dramatic form and performance among various media forms such as theater, TV, podcasts, and film.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a small, dedicated team.
• Excitement about working with generative artists.
• Experience in one or more of the dramatic forms supported by the Orchard Project.
• A desire to learn how to support the artistic work of others and develop new work to support an ever-expanding American canon.

Funding Opportunities:

• Students may apply for the SEE-Beyond Summer Funding (Deadline here March 19 by 4:30 pm) This generous $6,000 Skidmore award “may be used at the student’s discretion to cover a summer stipend/salary, participation fees or tuition, travel expenses, and summer room and board. Experiences must be a minimum of 8 weeks/320 hours.” If you are interested, read the Skidmore guidelines as soon as possible to give yourself time to write a successful application. This is a competitive award that is first screened by the department/program that you select on your application.
• Students may also apply for the Skidmore Summer Experience Fund (Deadline April 9 by 11:59pm). This fund offers $4,500 stipends to support unpaid summer opportunities.
• There may be additional funding opportunities available to Skidmore students. Ask the Chair of the Theater Department and other faculty for recommendations.
• Please carefully read application guidelines and plan accordingly.

 

Compensation:

• Skidmore Core Company Fellows from Core Company are remunerated as part of various partnerships and scholarships with Skidmore College.
• For Skidmore Students on a SEE-Beyond award, the maximum compensation allowed as per SEE-Beyond guidelines is $2000, provided by SEE-Beyond funding.
• Interns/Fellows completing pre and post summer residency work may be eligible for additional compensation based on responsibilities, additional engagements, and other work duties. Such arrangements will be made directly with each fellow.

 

 

Room and board:

• Finding and securing housing is the student’s responsibility; you may choose to live on- or off-campus as long as you are on-site for all scheduled hours and events.
• If a student needs summer campus housing, the base cost for a Fellow to be on-site with The Orchard Project in 2026 is $2,800. If a student has housing, but would like to eat meals with OP staff, artists, and other Fellows, the cost for all meals is $900. (These are direct costs from Skidmore College. We highly recommend the meal program since meal sharing provides further opportunities for conversation and relationship building. The Orchard Project does not cover room and board, nor does it charge students to be a Fellow or Intern.)

 

Hours per week:

• Approximately 40-50 hours per week between June 15 and July 13. Fellows will have one full day off per week, scheduled in coordination with staff.
• If a Fellow is a recipient of a SEE-Beyond award, additional pre- and post- season hours can be arranged to satisfy the fellowship requirements. These might include working on other Orchard Project initiatives, including our TV and Audio labs, which occur virtually throughout the summer.

 

Application Process:

• Submit a resume, cover letter, transcript (unofficial or official), and one letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to the prospective Fellow’s interest in the larger professional ecosystem of new work creation in the various areas (theatre/performance, TV, and podcasts) that The Orchard Project supports.
• The cover letter should include a personal statement that shows the prospective Fellow’s interest in supporting storytellers and stories of extraordinary promise and impact.

Contact:

• Application materials should be sent to Emma Claire Gibson and Maddie Groff at The Orchard Project – adls@orchardproject.com.
• For more information and inquiries, contact The Orchard Project through their official contact channels.

 

Application Deadline: March 29, 2026

 

 

Equal Opportunity:

• The Orchard Project is an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. We strongly encourage applications from candidates from historically underrepresented communities and first-generation students in the arts, with an interest in pursuing a career in theater, music, dance, and/or arts administration.

 

 

ABOUT THE ORCHARD PROJECT – www.orchardproject.com

 

The Orchard Project is a leading American arts institution committed to supporting the most innovative artists and companies from the US and around the world in the creation of new bold new work. The Orchard Project identifies and promotes new and established voices, and has propelled over 500 ideas to production professional lab, episodic lab, audio lab, and Greenhouse. The Orchard Project’s programs and initiatives push the industry and the theatrical form, as well as building diverse audiences and educating young members of the theater community.

 

Works created at the Orchard Project have been seen by audiences in New York, Boston, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, Washington D.C, and more. From TONY winners like All the Way to OBIE winners The Aliens and from An Octoroon to Olivier Award Winner Posh, the Orchard Project has played a significant role in the development of countless new and varied works that have been produced on and off Broadway and at theaters including St. Ann’s Warehouse, MCC Theatre, BAM, Arena Stage, Philly Live Arts, PS122, The Public Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, the Edinburgh Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Rep, the Royal Court, and beyond.

 

The core activities of the Orchard Project are a series of accelerated residency and artist support programs that occur in New York City and Saratoga Springs, NY. Programs include laboratories for theatrical plays and musicals, episodic content, audio storytelling, and a world class apprentice program for young artists. In recent years, The Orchard Project has also maintained a strategic partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, providing pathway programs for artists of promise to various developmental opportunities in the Sony ecosystem.

 

The Orchard Project (The Association for Development of Dramatic Arts, Inc.) is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates of historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.