About the Residency

The Polyphonic Residency prioritizes the translation and creation process of multilingual theatre makers. In it, rice & beans will welcomes two multilingual projects in development, one from a local artist and one from out-of-town. Artists are hosted in Vancouver, British Columbia for 10 days, and be provided everything they need for focused, uninterrupted time on their work. Over the residency, they have access to a shared studio and writing space where they can workshop with collaborators, and then, as a culmination of the residency, they each present an excerpt of their work to a public audience. The residency is an expansion of our existing DBLSPK Program in which the artist and audience members are able to engage in the nuances of language translation on the theatrical stage. 

With the Polyphonic Multilingual Creation Residency, artists have the space to reclaim their languages unapologetically through the art they create and foster a space where community members can see their languages legitimized onstage.   

What the Polyphonic Residency offers:

• 10-Day Writer and Lead Collaborator Fee 

• 10 days of Housing, Per Diem/Food and Transportation in Vancouver, BC for each writer and lead collaborator (or co-writing duo, if applicable)

• Airfare for Out-Of-Town Artists

• Artist fees for Dramaturges, Performers, Consultants and/or Designers, as needed for the development

• Resources for the workshop and public presentation including:

• Shared Studio Spaces

• Equipment & Supplies  

• Sign language Interpretation

The 2025 Polyphonic residency has been postponed until further notice. Please sign up for our newsletter and keep an eye on our website for when submissions reopen!

Carolyn Nakagawa
Playwright of Anne’s Cradle

Carolyn Nakagawa is a fourth-generation Anglo-Japanese Canadian poet and playwright who makes her home in the territory colonized as Vancouver, BC. Her work addresses themes such as the nuances of identity in collective contexts, and history’s continuing impact on the present. Nakagawa’s poems have appeared in publications such as The Malahat Review, CV2, and The New Quarterly, and she has read her work at Powell Street Festival and Heart of the City Festival. Her plays have been presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre and Ruby Slippers Theatre. She holds an honours degree in English Literature and Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies from the University of British Columbia.