SPACE’s Family Residency

The Family Residency, founded in association with The Lilly Awards Foundation (spearheaded by Julia Jordan, Marsha Norman, and Pia Scala-Zankel), offers working-artist parents the unique opportunity to practice their craft while being in residence with their families. 

In September 2025, SPACE will offer a special Family Residency for working theatre artists and their families who have been displaced by the Eaton-Palisades fires through a generous partnership with The Colorado Lodge in Big Bear Lake, California (please see criteria below). The fully subsidized residency will take place from September 7-12, 2025, and is by nomination only. Residents will then be selected by lottery. Additionally, those selected for the Family Residency will receive a travel subsidy to offset their transportation costs to Big Bear Lake, CA.  

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY 

The Family Residency provides artist-parents with structured time and space to create while their child(ren) (ages 3-12) participate in nature-focused arts programming under the guidance of professional educators. All residents (parents and children) enjoy three fresh meals daily. The residency culminates in short, informal sharings of the work created by both parents and children while in residence.

For this special residency, SPACE will also provide additional resources to support the mental well-being and creative process in the wake of fires through the presence of a trained community care facilitator. These resources are optional and can be utilized by the residents throughout the week as needed.


The 2025 Family Residency nominations will be accepted from June 5, 2025, at 10 A.M. PT to June 27, 2025, at 11:59 P.M. PT.

ELIGIBILITY FOR NOMINATION:

  • The artist and their family must be current, full-time residents of Los Angeles County as of January 7, 2025.

  • The Eaton or Palisades fires have displaced the artist and their family. “Displacement” can encompass the total loss, severe damage, or lack of access to one’s primary home; an artmaking studio that has contributed to an income-generating artistic practice (such as a backyard studio or a commercial space); or both.

  • Given the resources available at Colorado Lodge, this residency is best suited for artists who can provide and transport their own supplies/instruments. This might be easiest for the following types of theatermakers: playwrights, librettists, designers, composers, directors, and/or multi-hyphenate theatre artists (i.e., an actor who also writes, etc.). 

  • A SPACE community member must nominate the artist and their family.

  • The parent being nominated for the Family Residency must be at least 18 years old, and the child(ren) who will be in residence must be 3-12 years old at the time of the residency (9/7/25-9/12/25). At this time, we can only accept a maximum of three children per family.

  • If the nominated family has a two-parent/guardian household, both parents/guardians are permitted to attend the residency. Both parents/guardians need not identify as working theatre artists (e.g., one parent/guardian is a playwright, the other is a doctor, etc.). 

  • Nominated families must be available to be in attendance for the entire duration of the residence. 

  • Nominations are made by this form and must be submitted by June 27 at 11:59 P.M. PT

TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS FAMILY RESIDENTS:

“Ryder Farm created a scenario where my children did not have to feel threatened by my work. They could enjoy their time with new friends, and then enjoy our time together in the evenings, and my work could be part of the day, but not the deciding factor that took one of their parents “away” from them. Since my children were able to feel included in this trip, and had their own artistic work, they felt fulfilled and most importantly, safe.”
-Kirsten Greenidge, Family Residency 2017

“My time at SPACE was one of the most productive and happy times in my life. The land is inspiring, the staff is extraordinarily kind and caring, and the ethos makes one want to move and stay all year long. SPACE is completely artist-centered, and the staff listens deeply to artists about what they need to thrive. The week I spent there was for parents and children, and was such a happy integration of my work and family life. It was more than a week of getting writing done—it was an experiment in how to live.”
- Sarah Ruhl, Family Residency 2016

QUESTIONS?

Please email us at board@spaceonryderfarm.org