About

The Salo Farm retreat is currently a collaborative retreat for alumni only, by invitation.

The Stillwright retreats are intensives in which playwrights gather and write in silence. This collaborative alumni variation is based on the Erik-led structure but without his presence; we take turns leading warm-ups and prompts. 

The upstate retreat will take place at SALO Farm, 33 wooded acres four hours north of NYC in Granville NY. Once part of a working farm begun over two centuries years ago, it was converted in the 1990s into an arts retreat with the farm house and a small cluster of buildings including a lovely large rehearsal space where we’ll work together. It’s tucked away at the end of a dirt road, a quiet, green place with forest trails for walking.

Each writer will have their own bedroom, with shared bathrooms. We’ll share our meals in silence; a local chef will come in to make our dinners (we’ll ask for dietary restrictions when you’re accepted), and we’ll put out a buffet for breakfast and lunch. There will be a small amount of chore pitching-in for setting up before and cleaning up after meals. There is little-to-no cell service and no wifi, but a landline for emergencies.

The retreat is fully funded; writers are responsible only for travel to the area. We will pick you up from the Amtrak station in Fort Edward, NY, or arrange carpooling from NYC if that’s possible.

Unlike other retreats or residencies, Stillwright is very much geared around the generation of new work. However, we’ve found this collaborative variation works equally well for that, or of working on an already begun project. The real goal of the retreat is to have a chance to work in a thoroughly absorbed and uninterrupted fashion and to perhaps work in a new and entirely idiosyncratic way. The silence is part of the challenge, and part of the unusual level of concentration the retreat creates.

For more of a sense of what it’s like to do a silent retreat, here is the 2015 American Theatre magazine article about them.

If you have been to a Stillwright retreat in the past and are interested, let us know.

If You’re Coming

CONFIRMATION

You’ll be fully confirmed once you have sent us your booked bus/train/flight information (or let us know your alternate travel arrangements). We’ll let you know the deadline for that. 

WHAT TO BRING

For Sure

• Wrist watch and/or travel clock (because you won’t have your phone)

• Your laptop

• A notebook or pad of paper, and pens, for the sessions with Erik

• Any personal first aid items (aspirin, bandaids, Neosporin, moleskin, etc.)

• Sun block and insect repellent, bearing in mind that ticks are an issue in the northeast

• Toiletries, including soap

• Your own set of sheets and towels (pillows and blankets are provided)

Optional but Perhaps Handy

• Fave snack. We will have lots of snacks, but if you have a particular something you really like to be assured of having, bring it.

• A personal water bottle

• Books. Erik’s advice is to bring reading that isn't particularly taxing—this isn’t the time to bring that serious book you've been waiting for an opportunity to concentrate on.

• A flashlight (again, because you won’t have your phone to use for that)

Clothes 

• Sturdy shoes or sneakers for walk/hikes

• June is a variable time of year there; it can get well up into the 70s on a sunny day, and still be in the chilly 40s at night. Check the forecast before you come and bring layers, including rain gear.

• We'll be doing warm ups so bring things you can move around in easily. 

• FYI for packing: there is no laundry on site.

CONNECTIVITY

SALO Farm is in a rural area and cell service ranges from unreliable to non-existent, except for AT&T. In any case we’ll ask you to turn off your phone for the duration (or if you do get a signal, to use it rarely for your sake and secretly/silently for everyone’s). 

There is no wifi or internet connection at the farm; we’ll all be taking a break from that.

There is a landline for emergencies; we’ll give you the number to share with loved ones for true emergencies only. No one will answer the phone, but we’ll check regularly for messages.

We suggest using an outgoing vacation message on your email account, and bidding your nearest and dearest farewell for a few days.

Check the FAQ page if you have any questions, and feel free to write to us at silentplaywrights@gmail.com.
The portal for expressing your interest in the Upstate retreat will open here when the time comes.