If you experience any technical difficulties or questions about the submission form itself, please contact Submittable directly through this link: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/ 

Application Instructions

Please complete your application by 11:59pm PST on February 6, 2025. Early submissions are strongly encouraged. Please review the 2025 PUP Application Guides on our website before starting your application. This form will request the following materials:  

• Contact and Demographic Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, housing and dietary considerations, and optional demographic information. 
• Resume: This must be a single-page PDF file that includes your contact information, current occupation, work history, and education. 
• Headshot: This must be a recent photo saved as a JPEG file.
• Artistic Statement: You will be asked to provide a response to the following three questions. Each question should be answered in 500 words or fewer. 1. Are you a practicing puppeteer? 2. How do you plan to contribute to the Conference? 3. In 500 words or fewer, what is your mini-statement on puppetry? 
• References: Name and contact information for two references. 
• Work Samples: You'll be asked to provide a link to your website or portfolio. 
• Strand Preference:  You will be asked to select your first-choice and second-choice strands here. You'll also be asked to share a few sentences about why you would like to participate in the strands you have selected. Please note that some strands have additional application requirements, outlined below. You MUST provide all required materials for BOTH your first and second choices.
• Scholarship Information: Main Conference applicants are eligible to apply for scholarships to help offset the cost of tuition. Eligible applicants will be asked to rank the available scholarships in order of applicability and provide additional information regarding your current financial situation. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer scholarships to Pre-Conference participants. 
• Administrative Fee: The administrative fee for the 2025 National Puppetry Conference is $15. If this fee poses a barrier to you, please fill out this form to request a fee waiver before you begin your application. 

Additional Information

• At time of writing, all staff, artists, and participants of O'Neill programs—including selected National Puppetry Conference participants—are required to show proof of a negative PCR or rapid antigen COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of arriving to the O'Neill campus. The O'Neill also follows CDC guidelines by strongly recommending everyone ages 6-months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19. While this is not a requirement to participate in the National Puppetry Conference, it is strongly encouraged to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. If this policy changes, we will let you know via email right away.  
• If we discover an error in your application, the O'Neill will contact you through Submittable. You will have 48 hours to correct your materials. If your application is not corrected, it will be withdrawn from consideration and your fee will not be refunded. Otherwise, please expect to hear from us no later than April 2025 with an application status update.
• If you have any technical questions regarding the Submission form, login information, or payment, please contact Submittable directly through THIS LINK.
• If you have any questions regarding your application's content, please contact the O'Neill literary office at litoffice@theoneill.org.

"NTI is a practicum. It is your laboratory. It is a place to test your limits. It is a place to exceed your own expectations and perceptions of what those limits may be. It is a place to redefine what you believe is possible, the possibilities of what can happen in a day, and the possibilities of what can happen on the stage." - Rachel Jett, NTI Artistic Director   

Thank you for taking interest in the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute (NTI)! We look forward to reviewing your materials and working together to support your artistic aspirations.  

While applications are accepted and considered on a rolling basis until the deadline passes, we recommend applying as soon as possible to take advantage of our Early Bird incentives.

We are now accepting applications for the following semesters:

SUMMER 2025 THEATERMAKERS — Focuses in Acting, Directing, and Playwriting

• Early Bird Deadline: Monday, March 3rd, 2025 - Apply by this date to receive a $500 tuition discount
• Regular Deadline: Monday, April 7th, 2025 - Apply by this date for best consideration for admissions and scholarship.

NTI FALL 2025 SEMESTER — Focuses in Performance, Directing, Playwriting, and Music Theater (NMTI)

• Early Bird Deadline: Monday, April 7th, 2025 - Apply by this date to receive a $2,500 tuition discount
• Regular Deadline: Monday, May 19th, 2025 - Apply by this date for best consideration for admissions and scholarship.

*Applications may be accepted following the deadline for waitlist consideration as well as future terms. Please consult with NTI Program Representative & Admissions Manager Rachel Kelsey at ntirep@theoneill.org for more information on applying.

QUESTIONS?  Contact us at ntirep@theoneill.org.
 

If the $30 application fee poses a financial barrier to you, please contact ntirep@theoneill.org before you begin your application.