Contemporary Performing Arts Research Residency

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay invites local and international artists, curators, programmers, writers, researchers and practitioners across all disciplines in the performing arts to apply for the Contemporary Performing Arts Research Residency, taking place in Singapore between April and June 2026. In its third edition, the Contemporary Performing Arts Research Residency is an artistic research development programme by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, supported by the National Arts Council, Singapore.

This fully-funded residency aims to support creative research in contemporary performing arts by providing its residents the time and space for artistic inquiry, experimentation, development, research activities and opportunities for interdisciplinary and transcultural dialogues. The residency welcomes various manners and methodologies of enquiry, embracing a pluralistic approach towards research that unfolds not only through the written word, but also includes forms of experimentation with the body, performed moments, and other non-traditional systems of knowledge.

There is no commitment for residents to create a production during or after the residency. Instead, residents will be asked to present at least one public programme of their choosing, developed in conversation with the Esplanade Team.

The residency is a duration of between one month to three months long and residents will receive a stipend, access to a shared-working space, studios when required, as well as accommodation and international travel to or from Singapore, if from abroad.

There will be biennial open calls held for applications to the residency and each edition will revolve around a thematic focus conceived to respond to current critical issues in our society. In 2026, the residency presents the thematic focus This Time.

Residents are chosen through a Selection Panel comprising leading international curators, programmers, academics, artists and managers. They have been appointed based on their thought-provoking practices, dynamic networks with practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines and their invaluable knowledge of the performing arts across Singapore, Asia and beyond. The Selection Panel will also serve as interlocutors in the programme’s development and be available as consultants for all residents.