ANNOUNCING THE 2025 PROJECT YZ COHORT
We are proud to announce the newest members of Project YZ, the company’s AAPI Artist Residency program. Launched in 2022, the goal of Project YZ is to support and build an artistic home for AAPI immigrant artists.
The 2025 recipients, who will receive $10,000 ($5,000 unrestricted, $5,000 in professional development) in support over one year, are the duo of writer and director Jing Dong and performer Julia Gu, playwright Jesse Jae Hoon, and writer and performer Jo Mei. During their one-year residency, Yangtze Rep will connect the resident artists with other collaborators, offer research support, and facilitate interviews and focus groups. Dramaturgical development and discussion with Yangtze’s artistic staff will take place throughout the residency.
Read the Press Release to learn more.
Jing Dong (董靖) is a theatre maker based in New York City. As a generative artist, she directs, writes, and facilitates devising processes. She makes theatre that creates spaces for people to gather, connect, and reflect on life experiences and the world’s current issues. Her theatre projects take various forms such as devised theatre, ethnotheatre, participatory performance, audio theatre, and puppetry. Her works have been presented in theaters and non-theater spaces in the US and China. She founded performance collective The Square Theatre, which focuses on socially-engaged performance. Her projects have been supported by Mercury Store, LMCC, The Laundromat Project, NYSCA, Korean Art Forum, and University Settlement.
Julia Gu (谷曦) is a New York–based performer originally from mainland China. For her, performance is a form of life practice—a way to explore, reflect, and connect. She draws inspiration from wandering, poetry, music, movement, and spiritual inquiry. One of her favorite creative rituals is disappearing into a crowd to observe the quiet poetry of everyday life.
Selected theater credits include Salesman之死 (Connelly Theater, Obie Award–winning), Language City (Little Island), 7 Minutes (Waterwell), Day 364: The Scaled Boy (Yangtze Repertory Theatre), I Know You (Abbey Theatre of Ireland), BAb(oo)shka (St. Ann’s Warehouse). Selected film credits include Desperado (feature), Data In A Bottle (short), Illness (short) and You Under Water (short). More at: juliaguxi.com
Jesse Jae Hoon (윤재훈) is a playwright, organizer, and occasional actor. He’s developed work with The Public Theater (EWG ’23-‘25), New York Theatre Workshop, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Rattlestick Theater (‘24 Terrence McNally New Works Incubator), Ma-Yi Theater Company (’22-’24) resident playwright), The Playwrights Realm (’22-23 fellow), Theater J, Egg & Spoon Theater Collective, The Parsnip Ship (’23 Radio Roots fellow), and more. 2023 Ollie New Play Award; 2024 MacDowell Fellow; 2025 Yaddo Residency. MFA in Playwriting from Hunter College, BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch. jessejaehoon.com
Photo credit: JMA Photography
Jo Mei (梅园) is an OBIE award-winning actress for her work in Yangtze Repertory’s world-premiere production of Salesman之死. Other notable New York stage appearances include Anatomy of a Suicide (Atlantic Theater), The World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theatre Club) and Lunch Bunch (PlayCo/Clubbed Thumb). Regional credits: The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep), King of Hell’s Palace (The Goodman), You for Me for You (Woolly Mammoth) and Fingersmith (ART). Jo co-wrote and starred in the award-winning indie-feature A Picture of You; other feature films include No Limits, Who We Are Now, Adult World and many others. Jo has also appeared on TV in HBO’s “Crashing”, “The Good Wife”, “Bones.” She graduated from The Juilliard School’s Drama Division, where she is a Guest Director and Faculty member. Fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese, Jo is based in Los Angeles and New York City.
2024
Nana Dakin
Chika Shimizu
2023
Đavid Lee Huỳnh
Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
2022
Rui Dun
Yilong Liu
Minghao Tu
Who is eligible?
Self-identified AAPI immigrant artists, creators and storytellers. Teams are welcome to apply but at least 50% of core team members must be NYC-based.
What/who are we looking for?
We are looking for artists who want to connect with their artistic impulses, dare to push boundaries, and are willing to challenge the mainstream narrative of how and what AAPI stories are being told.
Ideas for projects must be original. The project doesn’t need to be complete or finished by the time of the submission. However, projects that are (1) under option, (2) commissioned, (3) scheduled for professional production at another organization, or (4) have received public presentations prior to the submission or are scheduled for public presentations during the length of the residency, are not eligible.
What do you get?
During the one-year residency, Yangtze Rep will connect resident artists with other collaborators, lend research support, facilitate interviews and focus groups, and provide professional marketing capabilities. Dramaturgical development and discussion with Yangtze’s artistic staff will take place throughout the residency. A public-facing work-in-progress showing is required but could take place in various forms. Yangtze Rep is open to discuss the format of the final presentation to be most suitable for the resident artist and their project and will serve as the line-producer.
Each resident artist will receive a grant of $10,000, of which $5,000 to be an unrestricted financial award, and $5,000 to be used towards any expenses occurred towards the projects, including but not limited to tickets to shows/books/classes for research purposes, cost for renting rehearsal spaces, stipends to pay other collaborators to advance the development of the project.
The residency program does not guarantee a full production in Yangtze’s future seasons.
I have applied before but didn’t get it, can I apply again?
Absolutely. We see you as who you are today as an artist and we appreciate you considering applying again!
I’m interested, how do I get involved?
Application is open and we are accepting submissions until May 17.
Still have questions?
Join our upcoming information session on April 20 at 4p. Registration here!
Frequently Asked Questions
(Updated March 31, 2026)