Friday, January 9, 2026

21st Century Colonialism : Iran, Venezuela, Ukraine and More

Talking to my sister last night, and she wanted my take on the Iranian protests, and I said it's all about colonial capitalism. Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, Ukraine, Taiwan. On a macro level, I think the major powers are trying to accumulate as many resources as possible for the next century. Four main resources are natural resources (oil, minerals, water), financial market resources, currency, and military (weapons and bases). US dominates in all four areas. The US accounts for less than 4% of the world's population but makes up 30% of global GDP. Dollars are the international currency; Wall Street drives other markets; and we have hundreds of military bases on every continent, serving as sentinels of reconnaissance and power. US weapons are considered the best and are sold worldwide to our allies. The rest of the world knows this, and they either love it, hate it, or are ambivalent to having to deal with the US in every facet. The primary countries that hate this scenario are Russia, China, and Iran. That is why the US has bases around all of those countries. That's why they have a belt of naval bases along China's coast, from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines. US Navy can make trade w/ China very difficult at any time. And the Chinese gov HATES this and is trying to put a hole in that belt by taking over Taiwan.

If you're a small country and you hate the US you're going to run to Russia, China or Iran for help. The problem is that 2 out of 3 countries are incredibly corrupt, dysfunctional, terrorist states hated by their own ppl: Iran and Russia. And also Iran and Russia are paper tigers: they have terrible currencies that nobody trades in, int'l markets ignore them, their weapons are crap, and they're under sanctions b/c of war.

As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (to acquire more resources), they triggered a domino effect: they lost Assad in Syria, Venezuela got weaker, and so did Iran. When Iran became weaker so did Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis. US gives more weapons to Israel to counter the regional power of Iran and its terrorist orgs who want to rip down all Western (read US) influence by using radical Islamic fighters. The problem is -as stated before - Iran and Russia are incredibly corrupt and therefore incompetent. And in comparison, Israel and the US are usually efficient, forward-thinking, technologically advanced, diplomatically savvy, and financially stable w/ a population that isn't trying to overthrow their gov (emphasis on 'usually' during these Trumpian times).

So now Iran is backed into a corner: they support Russia in Ukraine and provide the bulk of its drones, Syria is in US hands, Hezbollah and Hamas leadership are decimated, Houthis can only fire off rockets at ships, and Tehran is suffering from a lack of water. Due to a 60-yr drought and water mismanagement, the population is parched, poor, and angry. And the only thing Iran has to offer is 'hate Jews...hate America,' but the ppl aren't buying it anymore. They can't turn on their faucets and get water. Russia can't support them with as many weapons b/c they're still entangled in Ukraine.

Now it pretty much boils down to the US and China. If you're a smaller nation with poor infrastructure and natural resources, those are the options. Both countries are going to colonize you for your resources, get you on their 'sugar daddy credit card,' and tie you up with debt you probably can't pay back; it's just a question of which is the better bet. China has no interest in uplifting the ppl of Venezuela or the Sudan or anywhere. They're just as vicious as US corporations when it comes to doing business. So, considering what has happened to Iran and Russian allies, the US is looking like the better bet. The preening and bragging that Trump is doing is odious, but he knows that with Russia fading, most countries in the world are going to have to choose between China and the US. And the US -for now- has the upper hand in weapons, bases, financial markets, currency, and economic might. Iran's regional power is done. Russia has its own "Vietnam" in Ukraine that is draining the nation. Maduro was meeting with Russian and Chinese officials before he was kidnapped. b/c he knew the deal: he was running a corrupt, dysfunctional nation that he destroyed. And the only thing he could offer to major powers was the nation's natural resources.

All across the globe, most of these conflicts are being driven by the 4 resources (natural, market, currency, and military). Iran and Russia are falling dominoes in a bigger game.

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Get What You Want: January 2026

Relentless Award – American Playwriting Foundation

Deadline: January 1, 2026
Website: https://americanplaywritingfoundation.org

This award changes careers. The Relentless Award is not just a financial windfall—it’s a declaration to the American theatre ecosystem that a playwright’s voice is significant. Winners receive a large cash prize, but more importantly, they receive industry advocacy, meaningful development support, introductions to theatres and producers, and often subsequent productions. The foundation is highly intentional about championing the playwright, not simply rewarding them. Scripts tend to be daring, emotionally ferocious, politically aware, and theatrically explosive—plays that take big risks rather than coloring inside the lines.

Mudhouse Artist Residency (Crete, Greece)

Deadline: January 1, 2026
Website: https://mudhouseresidency.com

This is a creative immersion experience. Writers receive two weeks of distraction-free time in a stunningly beautiful, remote Cretan village, along with housing, studios, curated artist talks, shared meals, and a serious, thoughtful artistic cohort. It’s perfect for playwrights who need deep reflective time, want to break a creative block, draft something new, or reconnect to joy and curiosity in their process. It’s less “industry development” and more “soul restoration and artistic deepening”—which sometimes is exactly what makes the next great play possible.

Kumu Kahua / University of Hawai‘i Playwriting Contest

Deadline: January 2, 2026
Website: https://www.kumukahua.org/playwritingcontest

This contest is mission-driven: plays must center Hawai‘i, Pacific Island life, or Pacific diaspora experience. Winners receive cash awards, prominent recognition, and serious artistic engagement from an institution that has cultural responsibility at its core. This is one of the few spaces truly designed to honor these stories with artistic rigor rather than token interest. Writers gain legitimacy, community grounding, and meaningful institutional partnership.

Papatango New Writing Prize (UK & Ireland)

Deadline: January 6, 2026
Website: https://papatango.co.uk

One of the most career-transformative opportunities in the UK. The prize guarantees:

A fully staged professional production
Publication by Nick Hern Books
Professional development and mentorship
Deep industry exposure
Career advocacy

And uniquely: every single entrant receives written feedback. That alone is remarkable at this scale. For many writers, Papatango is the bridge from talented unknown to working professional with a production track record and national legitimacy.

McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting – Playwrights’ Center

Deadline: January 8, 2026
Website: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-fellowship-in-playwriting

This is a major mid-career fellowship, offering:

A substantial financial stipend
Year-long artistic support
Access to the Playwrights’ Center’s development engine
Dramaturgical guidance
Workshop and reading opportunities
National institutional visibility

It is designed not just to recognize a playwright’s existing body of work, but to protect their time, deepen their craft, and expand their future possibilities.

JMU Playwrights Festival – James Madison University

Deadline: January 10, 2026
Website: https://jmu.edu/theatredance

Selected playwrights receive:

A staged reading or production
Time in rehearsal
Collaboration with student and professional artists
Community conversation and engagement
Honorarium support

University festivals like this offer a rare balance of curiosity, safety, and experimentation. It’s a place where a play can “grow up” in a supportive environment while still being respected as serious art.

The Leah – Leah Ryan Fund

Deadline: January 12, 2026
Website: https://leahryanfund.org

This award is deeply personal, political, and artistic. The winning playwright receives:

A $5,000 cash prize
Development residency at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater
A creative team of world-class collaborators
Continued advocacy from the Leah Ryan community

It prioritizes women, trans, and nonbinary playwrights and celebrates imagination that refuses limitation. The Leah is known for its warmth, seriousness of purpose, and genuine care for playwrights as human beings.

Anderson Center Artist Residency (Minnesota)

Deadline: January 13, 2026
Website: https://andersoncenter.org/apply

Residents receive:

Private studio
Housing
Meals
A peaceful natural environment
Cross-disciplinary artistic community

This residency creates the rare gift of time with structure and nourishment. Writers often complete major drafts here, or do the kind of high-focus rewrite that’s impossible in day-to-day life. It is contemplative, serious, and protective.

Wichita State University Playwriting Competition

Deadline: January 14, 2026
Website: https://wichita.edu/playwritingcompetition

Benefits often include:

Staged reading or production
Invitation to campus
Engagement with faculty and students
Blind submission fairness
Artistic conversation space

It’s an academically rigorous yet creatively open contest—perfect for a play that would benefit from thoughtful rehearsal room exploration.

Provincetown Community Compact – Dune Shack Residencies

Deadline: January 15, 2026
Website: https://thecompact.org/dune-shacks.html

Writers receive:

Total isolation
No electricity
No internet
Deep connection to environment
Support for underrepresented artists
Some fellowships include $500 support

These residencies are historic, raw, and spiritually charged. They’re for writers who want to strip away distraction and listen deeply to themselves and their work.

Jesse L. Kearney Playwriting Initiative – Black Broadway Men

Deadline: Opens January 15, 2026
Website: https://www.blackbroadwaymen.org/jlkplaywriting

The selected playwright receives:

A professionally cast 29-hour reading in NYC
A $1,000 honorarium
Professional director
Mentorship from Black theatre leaders
Industry presence at the presentation

This is pipeline, visibility, craft support, and economic respect rolled together. It is not symbolic support—it is real resources.

Ucross Residency – Wyoming

Deadline: January 15, 2026
Website: https://ucross.org

Residents receive:

Private studio
Housing and meals
Breathtaking wilderness
Structured time
Name recognition that resonates nationally

Many nationally celebrated playwrights have developed career-defining work at Ucross. It is an artistic reset button of the highest caliber.

SPARC Ten-Minute Play Contest

Deadline: January 16, 2026
Website: https://nycplaywrights.org

Benefits include:

Live presentation
Professional environment
Festival audience exposure
Visibility inside a curated artistic event

If you write short plays that land cleanly and powerfully, this festival respects the form and presents it well.

Madison New Works Lab

Deadline: January 16, 2026
Website: https://jmu.edu/theatredance/experiences/madison-new-works-lab.shtml

Selected playwrights receive:

A 10-day development residency
Director + cast
Dramaturgical attention
Paid support
Housing and travel generally supported
Public sharing opportunity

This is work. Not literary committee talk. Not surface-level “feedback.” Actual rehearsal, script interrogation, and growth.

Glass Ceiling Breakers – Theatre Revolution

Deadline: January 17, 2026
Website: https://theatrerevolution.org

Playwrights receive:

Full festival production
Actor + director collaboration
Curated audience dialogue
A platform explicitly designed to elevate marginalized voices

It is politically conscious, artistically empowered, and community rooted.

Fenimore Art Museum Short Play Initiative

Deadline: January 18, 2026
Website: https://fenimoreartmuseum.org

Playwrights gain:

Integration of theatre and museum culture
Context for art-inspired storytelling
Live performance alignment with historical and cultural narratives

A strong platform for writers drawn to art history, archival thinking, or site-inspired performance.

Valhalla Tahoe WordWave

Deadline: January 19, 2026
Website: https://valhallatahoe.com

Benefits include:

Staged reading with professional artists
Audience engagement
Cash prize
Lodging support
A festival steeped in natural beauty

It feels like a celebration of creativity rather than a competitive grind.

Core Writer Program – Playwrights’ Center

Deadline: January 22, 2026
Website: https://pwcenter.org/programs/core-writer-program

This is a three-year artistic partnership, not just a credit line. Writers receive:

Travel support
Multiple development workshops
Dramaturgical support
National networking
Institutional belonging

It is structural support that stabilizes and accelerates artistic life.

LaBute New Theater Festival – St. Louis Actors’ Studio

Deadline: January 31, 2026
Website: https://stlas.org

Playwrights receive:

Full production
Professional actors and direction
St. Louis AND often NYC presentation
Visibility for darker, intense, provocative work

It rewards playwrights who write sharp-edged, fearless contemporary drama.

Equity Library Theater Festival

Deadline: January 31, 2026
Website: https://equitylibrarytheater.info

Benefits include:

No submission fee
Hybrid performance formats (live and online)
Broad accessibility
Community-forward ethos

Perfect for getting work performed without financial barrier.

Old Miner TYA Contest – Utah Valley University

Deadline: January 31, 2026
Website: https://uvu.edu

Benefits include:

Developmental support
University community engagement
Consideration for future production
Respectful, serious TYA platform

Ideal if you write children’s theatre with artistic sophistication.

FEBRUARY 2026

Heartland Theatre Ten-Minute Festival

Deadline: February 1, 2026
Website: https://heartlandtheatre.org

Full productions, strong audiences, professional energy, and a festival known for quality and integrity. A meaningful résumé credit and a joyous theatrical process.

Princess Grace Theater Awards

Deadline: February 2, 2026
Website: https://pgawards.org

A signal honor placing you in lineage with some of the most impactful theatre artists in America. It opens doors and rewrites professional trajectories.

New Works of Merit

Deadline: February 2, 2026
Website: https://newworksofmeritplaywritingcontest.com

Validation for socially urgent playwrights. Offers advocacy, legitimacy, and a powerful mission-driven platform.

Core Apprentice – Playwrights’ Center

Deadline: February 5, 2026
Website: https://pwcenter.org

Career entry point. Mentorship. Partnerships with theatres. Paid development. A clear step onto the national radar.

Forestburgh Playhouse – In the Works / In the Woods

Deadline: February 16, 2026
Website: https://fbplayhouse.org

Retreat setting + professional workshop + audience engagement. A space to push your play and grow it.

Inkslinger Playwriting Contest – Southeastern Louisiana University

Deadline: February 20, 2026
Website: https://southeastern.edu

One of the rare programs that guarantees a full production. If your script needs staging, this may be the opportunity that gives it life.

MARCH 2026

Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Festival – One Act

Deadline: March 1, 2026
Website: https://tennesseewilliams.net

Prize money, festival recognition, and cultural prestige intertwined with literary heritage.

Scribe Playwriting Competition

Deadline: March 7, 2026
Website: https://scribeplaywriting.weebly.com

Serious artistic evaluation, international participation, credibility, and recognition.

Arkana Micro Play Issue

Deadline: March 16, 2026
Website: https://arkanaliterarymagazine.submittable.com

Publication + artistic experimentation + literary visibility. Perfect for bold miniature theatrical forms.

Teatro Salón Reading Series – Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

Deadline: March 31, 2026
Website: https://guadalupeculturalarts.org

A deeply culturally-rooted development space with meaningful dramaturgy, community conversation, and institutional care.

Weathervane 8×10 Festival

Deadline: March 31, 2026
Website: https://weathervaneplayhouse.com

Full production, enthusiastic audiences, thoughtful staging, and vibrant festival energy.

Central PA Playwriting Festival

Deadline: March 31, 2026
Website: https://centralpatheatre.com

Community warmth + artistic seriousness. A great place to build production history and regional artistic relationships.