A performer sings passionately into a handheld microphone on a small stage under blue lighting, backed by a live band with guitars and drums. Colorful posters hang behind the musicians, creating a vibrant, community theater atmosphere.

Claudia Quesada (center) in Krystal Ortiz's FrikiNation as part of National Queer Theater's 'Criminal Queerness Festival' at HERE Arts Center, June 2025. Photo by HanJie Chow.

National Queer Theater accepting applications for expanded Criminal Queerness Studio global playwriting program

February 13, 2026/in Culture, Art/by Queer Kentucky

National Queer Theater is accepting applications for its free Criminal Queerness Studio playwriting program. Trans Americans, queer writers living outside the United States, and those who have left their home countries as immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers are encouraged to apply to the seven-week virtual program.

The program will be led by Ugandan playwright Achiro P. Olwoch and is designed to create a supportive space for global queer artists. Criminal Queerness Studio includes seven weekly two-hour Zoom workshops in April and May 2026 with queer writers and activists from around the world. Participants will work toward completing an original 10-minute play to be performed by professional actors.

Three actors sit around a small table onstage during a theater performance. One wears a military uniform with a rifle resting beside his chair, while the two others wear civilian clothing. They share a meal together under warm stage lighting, with a modest set and framed artwork in the background.

Left to right: Odera Adimorah, Natasha Hakata, and Shiro Kihagi in Jedidiah Mugarura’s Tomorrow Never Came as part of National Queer Theater’s ‘Criminal Queerness Festival’ at HERE Arts Center, June 2025. Photo by HanJie Chow.

“Criminal Queerness Studio invites queer artists to write from the places they’ve been told to hide,” Olwoch said. “It honors queerness as a site of knowledge, survival and creative power, where making art becomes an act of refusal and care.”

Workshop times will be scheduled based on participants’ availability and time zones. Writers may participate from anywhere in the world, provided they have access to Wi-Fi and can attend all sessions.

Applications for Criminal Queerness Studio are available online.

Criminal Queerness Studio is a project of National Queer Theater. More information about National Queer Theater’s programs supporting LGBTQ+ artists, youth and seniors, as well as donation opportunities, is available at nationalqueertheater.org.

Three actors perform an intimate scene onstage under dramatic blue and red lighting. Two stand close together in the foreground holding hands, while a third sits in the background watching, creating a tense and emotional moment within a minimalist theater set.

Left to right: B Bastian, Julyana Soelistyo, and Debbie Tjong in Dena Igusti’s What You Are To Me as part of National Queer Theater’s ‘Criminal Queerness Festival’ at HERE Arts Center, June 2025. Photo by HanJie Chow.

About National Queer Theater

National Queer Theater is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that uses live performance to imagine a more just and joyful future. Working alongside social justice movements, the organization uplifts queer communities through theater productions and education programs that celebrate free expression in the United States and internationally. Programs include the Obie Award-winning Criminal Queerness Festival and Staging Pride: Queer Youth Theater. More information is available at nationalqueertheater.org.