Drama 5 – playwriting residencies. A warm welcome to the fabulous 11th edition in 2026!

OPEN CALL

Reactor de creație și experiment is thrilled to launch submissions for the wonderful eleventh edition of Drama 5!

This project is warmly dedicated to all playwrights—whether you have years of experience or are just starting out—who want to write a brand new play in a creative space specially designed just for that!

Drama 5 happily supports the growth of Romanian playwriting through an exciting writing residency program that welcomes five selected playwrights each year. From June to July 2026, the five chosen writers will have the perfect creative playground to bring their plays to life: reading and feedback sessions with an inspiring mentor, meetings with directors, actors, playwrights, and producers, plus all the support and encouragement needed to complete their amazing ideas!

Across the ten wonderful editions held since 2016, 51 residents have written an incredible 52 plays! Eleven of these have been joyfully staged at Reactor, and many others have made their way onto stages across the country, been translated, won awards, or turned into lovely radio plays. All the scripts have also been published in e-books on the LiterNet platform, where they can be read for free, and in 2025, the very first printed Drama 5 anthology was released, bringing together four texts under the theme "Identities." This year, the exciting autumn reading performances concluding the residency will take place both at Reactor and as part of the National Theatre Festival in Bucharest!

The mentor for this edition of Drama 5 will be Maria Manolescu, a wonderful writer and playwright with great experience in both independent and public theatres. She currently teaches at the Master of Playwriting program at UAT Târgu Mureș. Her cheerful message: “As a participant in the 2018 Drama 5 residency, I felt so inspired by meeting the lovely people at Reactor and Alina Nelega, and I was so grateful for the safe space and growth mindset I discovered here. After the 2024 and 2025 editions—my first ones coordinating the playwriting workshop and feedback sessions, filled with wonderful, generous people and super creative, brave, and wonderfully diverse texts (which you can read on LiterNet)—I absolutely cannot wait for the 2026 edition! Wishing you all lots of joy and inspiration!”.

One of the five resulting texts will be joyfully staged at Reactor, while the other four will be showcased in exciting reading performances. All five will be published in a collaborative volume in partnership with LiterNet.

Submissions are open until May 1, 2026, at rezidente.drama5@gmail.com. Your exciting submission package should include your CV, a short, enthusiastic motivation letter, and a playwriting project proposal (a synopsis, a detailed presentation of the script you want to work on, and a fragment of at least 1500 words—please note, the text does not need to be finished!). There are absolutely no restrictions regarding the theme or subject of the play; the only requirement is that it can be performed by a maximum of five actors. The residencies are paid, and accommodation will be happily provided for residents coming from outside Cluj.

The exciting results of the selection will be announced on May 15.

In selecting our residents, we will be looking for original concepts, the project's relevance to contemporary society, a fluid and quality writing style, and a clear, enthusiastic motivation to join this program. We are looking for writers with a unique voice, who have something wonderful to say and are not afraid to experiment; people who are open to feedback and friendly collaboration.

Key Dates:

• May 1 – submission deadline

• May 15 – announcement of the 5 selected residents

• June (date to be decided) – first stage of the residency: a 2-day workshop with Maria Manolescu

• July 1-31 – second stage of the residency: a wonderful month spent in Cluj

Eligibility requirements:

The Drama 5 residency is open to anyone over 18 years of age.

Former Drama 5 residents are welcome to apply again after a period of at least five years from their participation.

Poster design: Mihai Păcurar

You can discover more details and exciting news about Drama 5 by visiting our website at www.reactor-cluj.com and our project page: www.facebook.com/Drama5.rezidente

Partners: Replika Educational Theatre Center in Bucharest, "Fani Tardini" Dramatic Theatre in Galați, UNITER – Romanian Association of Theatre Artists, the Faculty of Theatre and Film in Cluj-Napoca, the National University of Theatre and Film "I.L. Caragiale" in Bucharest, the University of Arts in Târgu Mureș, "George Enescu" National University of Arts in Iași, TVR Cluj, Radio Cluj, LiterNet.

A cultural project co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.