Residency FAQ

Wait, first, what do you mean by an “interdisciplinary” residency?
Interdisciplinary work is about putting people from different creative worlds into the same room and letting the collisions happen. When artists with different skills, questions, and ways of seeing approach a problem together, familiar patterns fall away, and ideas appear that might never surface alone.

At Indy Convergence, we make that happen on purpose. We curate cohorts of artists from a wide range of disciplines and give them the structure, resources, and support to experiment together. Choreographers might design costumes, dancers pick up drums, painters translate environmental data into visuals—everyone brings their own artistic language, and when those languages mix, surprising things happen.

We welcome artists from all corners of the creative spectrum: visual art, theatre, dance, music, writing, film, puppetry, circus, and more. The residency thrives on this mix. When different approaches collide, old habits shake loose, new pathways appear, and ideas that have been circling in your head for months suddenly feel ready to take shape.

The Convergence is designed around five main program components:

Daily Movement & Check Ins
Every day begins with an all-levels movement class and group check-in, grounding the cohort and setting the tone for the day.

Side Projects
Select artists are invited to develop in-process work. They receive eight hours of nonconsecutive rehearsal time, an interdisciplinary ensemble of creatives curated by our leadership team, and a modest materials budget (determined case by case).

Imagine a playwright developing a new play. Their ensemble might include a dancer, a composer, an actor, and a visual artist. As the Side Project director, they get to decide how to use that talent. Maybe the dancer helps map out movement for a key scene. Maybe the composer devises a short motif that captures the emotional tone of the world. Maybe the visual artist experiments with setting concepts or designs a poster graphic. Or maybe they bring everyone together for a table read and feedback session. The point is to see your work through other trained eyes, discovering possibilities you didn’t know were there. The ensemble is not just support, they’re a lens, a sounding board, and sometimes the key to a door you didn’t know was locked.

While many side projects begin within a single genre, it’s the collaboration with artists from other fields that reveals new possibilities and brings unexpected dimensions to the work.

Umbrella Project
Each year, one of our residency alums is invited to direct a project that brings together the talents of the entire cohort in what we call the Umbrella Project. Think of it as the residency’s collective heartbeat: an inclusive, interdisciplinary piece that everyone shapes. Over 20 hours of rehearsal, every artist contributes, experiments, and discovers how their own practice fits into—and is transformed by—the collective whole.

Workshops
At the Convergence, we believe every artist carries knowledge worth sharing. Each participant leads a workshop in their area of expertise and attends workshops led by their peers. These sessions aren’t optional—they’re a core part of the residency experience. They build a shared vocabulary, offer space to experiment with new techniques, and infuse fresh ideas into your own practice.

Through the program’s workshops, you’re both teacher and learner. Leading one lets you share what you know, explore your craft in a new light, and spark curiosity in your peers. Attending others’ workshops introduces you to ideas, approaches, and techniques you might never have encountered, some of which hopefully ripple directly into your own projects—especially if you have a Side Project in development.

Never taught before? Don’t panic. Our staff will help you shape a workshop that highlights what excites you most about your craft. Past workshops have included everything from Theatre Sustainability and Aerial Dance to Puppetry, Improvisatory Singing, Karate, Dance for Parkinson’s, and Social Media for Nonprofits—demonstrating the wide range of expertise, interests, and creativity our cohort brings to the room.

Open Lab Performance
The Open Lab Performance, held on the final day of the Convergence, is the residency’s culminating showcase. Participants share a portion of the work they’ve been developing, giving it a chance to live and breathe in front of an audience. This informal presentation brings the work into a live setting, where it takes on a clarity and immediacy that rehearsal alone cannot provide.

The Open Lab includes each Side Project and the Umbrella Project, and features the ensembles who helped shape the work. Artists may present a short excerpt, run an open rehearsal, or discuss what’s working—or what’s not working—with the audience. The event highlights how ideas land outside of the studio and informs potential next steps in the project’s evolution.

While basic technical elements are available to support each project, the Open Lab is understood as a work-in-progress rather than a polished performance—a living, breathing snapshot of the residency’s energy and experimentation.

All artists in the residency will:

• Participate in 2-3 Side Projects, helping develop new work
• Contribute to the Umbrella Project (directed by a residency alum)
• Teach an all-levels workshop in their area of expertise
• Participate in workshops taught by fellow cohort members
• Attend morning movement sessions and daily check-ins
• Participate in the Open Lab performance
• Select artists are chosen to lead a Side Project, developing their piece over 8 hours and presenting a portion of their work in progress at the Open Lab.

How can I make the most of the Convergence experience?:
Reciprocity is at the heart of the Convergence. The residency thrives when artists lend their curiosity, care, and artistry to one another’s work—because when you invest in someone else’s process, that same attention and insight often comes back to you. Every workshop question, every experiment in a Side Project, every moment spent listening or riffing with another artist can change the way a piece unfolds—and the way you see your own practice. The residency hums when people show up for one another. It grows in those moments of shared risk, shared energy, and shared discovery. That’s how the work evolves, and how the community does, too.