Criminal Queerness Studio
Are you an aspiring LGBTQ+ writer from a country that criminalizes or censors queer and trans artists? Join National Queer Theater's virtual free Criminal Queerness Studio, led by Playwright Achiro P. Olwoch, to explore your creativity and build global community.
Come check our Spring 2026 Cohort's Work Below:
Criminal Queerness Studio: Staged Readings
Brooklyn Art Haus, June 2 at 7PM
Join us for an evening of new 10-minute plays written by queer writers from around the world. National Queer Theater’s Criminal Queerness Studio (CQS) supports writers from countries where queerness is criminalized or censored. The 2026 cohort includes work from Singapore, Uganda, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, Pakistan, and the United States. Directed by Achiro P. Olwoch, starring professional NYC actors.
Featuring: Temidayo Amay, Petrina Ampeire, Clew
Arjun Dhawan, Aspen Narain, Lei Nico, Mahima Saigal
Michele Selene Ang, Julyana Soelistyo.
Launched in 2024 as a program for playwrights from countries that criminalize queerness, we will continue to opening up the program to include trans applicants from the US. Beyond a writing program, Criminal Queerness Studio is a radical, supportive space to build a global queer community.
Criminal Queerness Studio includes seven weekly two-hour Zoom workshops with queer writers and activists from around the world with the goal of finishing an original 10-minute play. This program will cover storytelling, advocacy, foundational playwriting techniques, and the business of playwriting. Workshops will culminate in an informal reading of participants' plays with professional actors.
Be on the look out for our Spring 2027 Applications!
Workshop times will be determined according to participants' schedules and time zones. Interested applicants are welcome to participate from anywhere in the world, given they have access to wifi and can commit to attending all sessions. Applicants who have left their home countries as immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers are welcome to apply.