In the Shadow of Angels

If "Angels in America" was written today it would be called 'a bit much' and cut down by critics for being the hysterical grandstanding of a show-off who went to a good school. If it was written by a POC it would be labeled as muddled and confusing (aka uppity). If it was written by a woman it would be considered didactic.

Note: white male writers possess the superpower to rant as a valid form of dramatic structure b/c there rage is deemed universal and cathartic. The psychological privilege to perpetually explode out on to others is the trick which convinces white terrorists and lone gunmen that their internal state is more valuable than other people’s lives, because their emotional fragility is more sacrosanct and real than the flesh of other humans. Yes, I am saying that our media and art quite literally trains white men to become psychopaths who think that dramatic arc of other people’s lives do not exist without their gaze. Any attempt to break this model in politics or art by implying that other ppl’s life is as valuable as their victim hood-aka black lives matter or AIDS protestors, or kids not wanting to get killed in school by crazy white guys with machine guns- is met with apoplectic fury because they are losing their dramatic license in history and storytelling.

In other words, women writers would never make it out of the workshop phase of development without being hacked into pieces by a thousand hands. And if it was written by a woman of color it would probably end up as a one-person show about Rosa Parks sitting on a bus seat eating pie. The young author would be buried in good intentions, and the play would be ground down into pre-chewed paste for toothless audiences to gum down with a room-temperature cup of nostalgia. Streaming TV has infected so many minds that even theatre critics look at new plays with a Netflix eye toward pruning.

 I have seen visionary "Angels in America" type plays in school and workshops. Most of these budding works are smothered in their cribs by the same people who praise the classic, and then wonder why there hasn't been another epic drama to come along with the same bold ambition in 20 yrs. So while we celebrate "Angels" premiere it's important to remember the raging queer black plays, explosive feminist fantasia plays, and bold re-inventors of all colors who are left to tinker with their masterpieces in the shadow of the theatre's blue-haired self-congratulatory gatekeepers.

In Memory of William Dale (1980-2018)

The last texts were lamenting on the awfulness of St. Patrick's Day in NYC. You wanted me to see "Love, Simon" with you but I already committed to meeting a friend for a farewell to NYC party. I said I could see the movie the following day, but you were busy.

Sunday came and went, but you were already gone.

I had tickets for shows on Tuesday but you were already gone.

On Wednesday another friend had already called dibs for an event, and I guess your funeral arrangements were being made.

Thursday I was finishing up boxing class and hadn't heard from you in a week. I thought that was strange. As strange as when you said you were excited to see "The Amateurs," and completely ghosted on the comp tixs. You texted a few hours later saying your phone had gone missing at a party the night before. My bullshit meter was going off, but I said 'it's all right.' I felt sad at the discrepancy between what I felt and what I was being told. Maybe you were already gone? You said you wanted to make it up to me. I said that wasn't necessary but you insisted: drinks? This made me feel more sad because my bullshit meter was screaming at this point. There was never going to be drinks, but you can't say this to someone trying to apologize, right? A few hours later you wanted to know if you could reschedule makeup drinks. You had something to deal with suddenly. I sighed. Maybe you were already gone.

On Thursday morning I figured you were busy. We are busy busy NYCers. I sent you a joke. No response. I went on about my day. As I was heading into Edward Albee's "Zoo Story" I got a text from an unlisted phone number telling me the news. I looked at the text and said to a friend 'this is a joke, right?' I was standing at the entrance to the theatre, and stepped aside to let others passed. My friend asked if I wanted to go home, but you were already gone. We went into the theatre. I watched the play through a veil.

It's strange that you were so inconsistent for small things and during good weather, but were so remarkably reliable during awful days and terrible weather. Maybe difficult times brought out the best in you. These difficult times have brought out the best in your wide swath of friends and colleagues.

Today there was a moving memorial at Hetrick Martin. The room was packed with artists and people from all walks of life. We were saying goodbye to our ‘bad weather’ friend from Florida. The last time we got together was on the night of a Nor’easter. The snow was coming in sideways and felt like sharp needles on my face. It was the kind of weather that was made for cancelling or feigning excuses about having stuff to do at home. Yet we both trudged to the river to watch a bunch of spandex acrobats throw themselves around in a Williamsburg warehouse. A few weeks earlier we were in Greenpoint checking out butoh dance in the midst of a freezing torrential downpour. In our last conversation, we were squinting our eyes against icy rain slapping us in the face after the acrobat show. I suggested LA. Everyone could use a break from the winter. You agreed but never went. We continued walking. May everyone have a bad weather friend like Will to walk through the cold nights and storms.

Now I look at the emails I have to answer, outlines to prepare, work to be done, the incessant churn. People tugging on the sleeve for attention, come to this reading, do this, go to this party, see this thing. I guess I should continue because you're already gone.

I deal with grief in different ways. I remember rushing back to Miami to attend a relative's funeral, helping out, actually speaking at the homegoing, and feel balanced. After flying back from the funeral, I was on the LaGuardia Airport moving walkway when it hit me. It was a sudden sense memory of my uncle that came from a gesture someone made, or a scent in the air, or a song. I doubled over like I had been shot, smothering a noise in my throat as the moving walkway propelled me forward. Then I looked around to make sure no one had seen me, and hopped on to an AirTran.

I feel like I am on a moving walkway. I appear to be going on with my life, but the sidewalks are hurling me toward the next thing. And I guess I'll let it right now. You're already gone.

DNC Backbone?

You know the craziest thing? If Trump just STFU on Twitter and released the bland statements, he could still implement all his hideous policies, and have a 60% approval rating. The economy is good for Wall Street, our media is broken and owned by Republican billionaires, white ppl love their Archie Bunker spicy racists, his admin was filled with enough 'Midwestern-looking' Neo-Nazis and Nazi sympathizers to create the illusion of normalcy, and Dems have not come up with one coherent msg to any problem. The DNC's main plan is to wait for Trump to mess up and react to it, thereby letting him control the media cycles under a rigged system that is tilted toward conservative voices. They've been playing that strategy since 2015 when he announced his candidacy.

We didn't lose the election. We lost our values. The un-moored left has no sustaining backbone. It is a gelatinous amorphous body politic. It is a fat floating target that the right-wing pokes and prods at the edges. The left-wing jellyfish squeals and squirms from the occasional outrage or school shooting, but then continues floating on the surface. We have mistaken mobility for motility and assume that because the jellyfish is moving on the currents, it has its own ability to direct itself. But it lacks legs or arms or even a fin. The left-wing blob floats on the tide of news cycles. It can wash ashore on to sands of change or the rocks of right-wing backlash, and squeal the same calculated spineless appeal to all of its flabby far-flung and disparate parts. And this modulated appeal inspires nothing but resentment in its followers and hatred from their enemies. Deep down, allies know that we will see out DACA, blacklivesmatter, or any person of color while appealing for their vote. Therefore the party consciousness is tainted with this awareness that loyalty is a one-way street.

Our greatest fear/hope is the continuing disaster of Trump's mouth, not his bad policies which don't receive coverage, nor a Dem plan that clearly states anything bold: single-payer system, repeal the second amendment or comprehensive gun regulation, forgive student debt, revolutionize America for the new millennium, put a man on Mars, Constitutional amendment to take big money out of politics, Wakanda forever, anything! And this is why -bereft of any msg- the Dems need to make Corey Booker or some POC their Dem nominee for president. It is a cynical move, but one needed to refill the courts with somewhat qualified corporate moderates, and remove Nazis and alt-right creeps from the gears of gov so that we can, at least, continue along a sane downward spiral as a divided nation of echo chambers. The lack of principle in public discourse has reduced both sides to identity politicking backed by corporate sponsors. 

Get What You Want: March 2018

1.
WOODWARD/NEWMAN DRAMA AWARD 
Deadline: March 1st
website: http://www.newplays.org/node/55?subnid=15&left_node=55

The BPP is accepting submissions for the 2018-19 Woodward/Newman Drama Award. Submissions are due by March 1st.

Full-length plays will have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes). Plays submitted must be unpublished at the time of submission. Plays that have received developmental readings, workshop productions, or productions at small theatre companies are acceptable. No scripts with previous productions at major regional theaters will be accepted. Once entered, the subsequent activity does not change the acceptability of the script.

Each submission must include a synopsis (1 page or less) including the cast size. A separate page should include a brief bio of the playwright, and production/development history if applicable.

Each submission must include a cover letter with contact information and a $10.00 reader fee. Agent submissions require no fee. The fee will be waived for Dramatist Guild members with an enclosed photocopy of a membership card. The BPP only accepts U.S. checks or money orders (Make check payable to "BPP"). No international checks or money orders will be accepted.

Make sure to note with your submission that you have paid the reader fee online.

It is preferable for musicals to include a demo CD. The complete score is not necessary but may be included. All plays are read by BPP's literary personnel led by and including the Literary Manager and Artistic Director.

We do not accept email submissions. Scripts will not be returned. Blind submissions are not necessary. Please include all contact information. Plays submitted in previous years will be accepted.

The BPP reserves the right not to name a winner and/or name a winner but not commit to a reading or production.

2.
BALTIC WRITERS PROGRAM
Deadline: March 1st
Website: https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit

Traditionally held in Latvia, this year's Baltic Writing Residency will be held in a week-long residency at a historic croft cottage in Brora, Scotland; and another writer is offered one to three months at Blackacre State Nature Preserve & Historic Homestead, respectively. Though the residencies offer privacy and seclusion, residents are encouraged, if not urged, to take full advantage the vibrant locations in which they find themselves.

The residency in Scotland comes with a free cottage stay, and the residency in Bernheim comes with a free cabin stay and $500

All residency periods are dependent on the overall schedule of the host location. Applications are chosen by an anonymous committee of judges (one member of the English Department of Harvard University, one poet of recognized standing, and one fiction writer of recognized standing). The submission fee varies depending on residency location.

Candidates must submit files as one PDF or Microsoft Word document

Playwrights should submit one play or ten pages of playwriting (double spaced) and a CV- including a publication list, full contact information, and contact information for two references

Residency submissions for Scotland close August 25th, 2017; Blackare closes March 1st, 2018;


3.
WOMEN’S PROJECT LAB
Deadline: March 1st
Website: http://wptheater.org/lab/call-for-applications/

WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE ’18-’20 LAB!
WP Theater is looking for female-identified or trans playwrights, directors, and producers who crave an artistic home, professional support, and the resources to launch them into the next phase of their careers to join the 2018-2020 WP Lab.

The Lab provides up to fifteen artists with community, a vital professional network, entrepreneurial and leadership training, free rehearsal space and, most significantly, tangible opportunities for the development and production of bold new work for the stage.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBILITY:
Must be a female-identified or trans artist living within 90 minutes of WP Theater via car or rail
Must be able to attend evening meetings at WP Theater twice each month for the duration of the two years, as well as other events throughout the year, such as master classes, retreats, observerships and other special events at WP
Regular attendance is mandatory and therefore applicants should view the program as a two-year-long commitment
Must be available for an in-person interview

THE PARTICIPATING ARTISTS WILL:
-Receive a stipend
Participate in a monthly lab meeting led by WP Artistic Staff and Lab Liaisons
Participate in a bimonthly meeting of the five artists in their concentration led by a mentor in their field
Participate in master classes led by established artists
Receive complimentary tickets to WP shows, invited dress rehearsals and other special events
Receive artistic support and professional development guidance from the artistic staff
Participate in The Pipeline Festival, a festival of five new plays, written, directed and produced by the WP Lab, to be presented during the second year
For further clarification of Requirements for Eligibility, please see the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

All applicants must submit the following:
Current resume
One page statement that describes your artistic vision and the specific process behind it and why this residency would be useful for you in this moment of your career.
A list of 3 professional references, including title/affiliation, phone and email
Playwrights:
In a separate PDF, the full length script most representative of your work and that you believe to be ready for production.
The draft should not have your name or any other identifiers.
The play must be at least 60 pages long, and must be a completed draft, though it need not be a final draft.
For further clarification of materials required for application, please see the Frequently Asked Questions Section below.


4.
PLAYWRIGHTS REALM FELLOWSHIP & INTERSTATE 73
Deadline: March 4th
website: http://www.playwrightsrealm.org/

In our ongoing efforts to let playwrights spend more time writing, and less time filling out forms, we’re implementing some changes for the 2018-19 season. This year The Realm will have one simultaneous application period for these two programs, and writers can apply to both with a single process. We’re also shifting to an online submission system, to help keep things streamlined and simple! Applications for the 2018-19 open submission programs close at 11:59pm on Sunday, March 4th.

The Playwrights Realm’s coveted Writing Fellowship is awarded annually to four promising writers living in or near New York City. The Fellowship comes with a year of monthly meetings to work on a script-in-progress, collaborative rehearsal processes with a director and designers as part of a 15-hour internal reading and a 29-hour public reading, career development opportunities and discussions with industry professionals, open use of our office and amenities, and a $3,000 stipend.

Begun this past season, Scratchpad Series is a chance for The Realm to engage with an entirely new group of playwrights each year, erasing limitations of geography or access by identifying and inviting playwrights from across the U.S. Participants receive a developmental workshop of up to one week in New York City, working with top-notch professional collaborators—director, cast, and The Realm’s artistic staff. If the playwright is based outside of New York, The Realm will also provide travel and housing or per diem for the duration of the workshop.           

As we strive to find and foster the most exciting emerging voices out there, we hope you’ll consider applying for our programs again this year. Full information is available on our website: http://www.playwrightsrealm.org/general-info/.


5.
PRINCESS GRACE PLAYWRITING AWARD
Deadline: March 15th
Website: http://newdramatists.org/

We encourage emerging playwrights to apply at the beginning of their careers so that through the New Dramatists Fellowship, they can develop their work as well as benefit from being a part of a unique, diverse, dynamic community of professional playwrights. An applicant’s status as an emerging playwright is evaluated during the adjudication process.

One playwright will be selected to receive:
-A grant in the amount of $7,500
-A one-season (September – June) artistic residency at New Dramatists, Inc. in New York City (For Award recipients living outside of the New York metro area, your on-site residency can be adapted according to your schedule with reimbursement provided for transportation costs to/from New York)

Inclusion of your script in New Dramatists’ library
Advocacy for the recipient and their script to New York and National theatre communities for the duration of the fellowship Mentorship from a New Dramatists resident playwright for the duration of the fellowship Opportunity for winning play to be licensed and published by Samuel French, Inc.


6.
MISE-EN_PLACE
Deadline: March 15th
Website: http://place.mise-en.org

MISE-EN_PLACE Bushwick was established in 2014 as a home for ensemble mise-en (http://ensemble.mise-en.org), led by composer, conductor, and current Artistic Director Moon Young Ha (http://moon.mise-en.org). Since its founding, MISE-EN_PLACE Bushwick has provided rehearsal, performance, and studio space in the heart of Brooklyn, New York to a growing body of musicians, composers, and multimedia artists from New York City and across the world. MISE-EN_PLACE Bushwick aims to bring a repertoire of challenging new sounds to diverse audiences and impart an experience that is simultaneously multi-cultural, intellectually stimulating, and aesthetically pleasing. As a collective, its multi-national personnel has coalesced around a real aesthetic agenda, crystallized in the name mise-en: “mee”, in Korean, means “beauty”, and “zahn”, “to decorate.”

The residency at MISE-EN_PLACE Bushwick invites artists to live, work, and create in a focused and supportive environment. This residency is designed to support artists interested in exploring the boundaries of the space through music/sound art, performance, video, and audio/visual installations. Private studios and rehearsal spaces are provided for developing works-in-progress, and artists will have the opportunity to connect with the community through presenting lectures, workshops, masterclasses, exhibitions, concerts, or live performances. Projects may also be documented with provided audio and video recording equipment. This residency hopes to not only support the development of artists’ current works but also inspire future projects and possibilities for exchange.

Residencies may be for two nights to three weeks. Living-in is optional but welcomed (note: living accommodations can support up to two individual artists at any given time). A public presentation of work is also optional, as artists may request an internal presentation or portfolio review. Artists interested in working with musicians may propose to collaborate with ensemble mise-en, and musicians’ exact availability will be determined pending proposal approval.

EQUIPMENT

-Pianos (baby grand & upright)

-Percussion (Vibraphone, Marimba, Gongs, Glockenspiel, Crotales, Drums, etc.)

-Electronics (7.1 Speakers, Video/Audio Recording Devices, HD Projector, DMX lightings, Guitar Amp, etc.)

-Recording equipment (mics, audio interface, cables, DSLRs, etc.)

–More details (https://goo.gl/RNUuGN)

ACCOMMODATIONS

-Private live/work studio (professional-grade sound mixers, speakers, headphones and outboard gears)

-Shared living room, kitchen, and bath

-High-Speed Wi-Fi


7.
ASIAN WOMEN’S CIRCLE
Deadline: March 16
Website: https://forwomen.org/grants-2/awgc-2018-rfp/ 

We are an all-volunteer group of Asian American women in New York City who are passionate about amplifying the transformative power of arts and culture to advance an equitable and just society. We pool our resources to fund projects led by Asian American women artists and community groups. We take risks by investing in emerging and cutting-edge change makers. We stay rooted in the community, learning and innovating together. We believe funding can be a form of activism.

In this grants cycle, we anticipate that 5-8 project grants will be awarded, contingent on available funding. The maximum grant amount is $15,000. For a description of past project grants, please visit our website: www.asianwomengivingcircle.org

Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC) believes culture is an essential part of any strategy for social change. We support Asian American women-led organizations and individual artists in NYC who are using arts and culture to:

-bring about progressive social transformation,

-raise awareness and catalyze action around critical issues that affect Asian American women, girls and families, and highlight and promote women’s central role as leaders, creators, developers and managers of these projects.

For a history of past projects check www.asianwomengivingcircle.org.


8.
PLYSPACE FUNDED RESIDENCY
Deadline: March 15th
Website: http://www.plyspace.org

Now accepting applications for the Summer 2018 term (mid-May to mid-August)

PlySpace is an artist-in-residence program in Muncie, Indiana, that is dedicated to offering visual artists, writers, performers, designers, and other creative individuals time and space to investigate and pursue their own practices. Additionally, it serves as a platform for experimentation and provocation by catalyzing conversation and collaboration with various Muncie communities. PlySpace facilitates opportunities for residents to engage with the public through partnership and programming that is tailored to their area of interest.

PlySpace is pleased to support practitioners in a variety of creative fields and facilitate access to a wide range of media-specific equipment and facility accommodations for individuals and teams working in areas including, but not limited, to painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, glass, metals, ceramics, performance, photography, video/film, time-based media, writing, poetry, theatre, non-object based practice, and social practice. All residents will have provisional access to the Ball State University School of Art facilities, with 24-hour access to personal studio spaces.

Each resident is expected to work with a community collaborative partner and complete a community-based project while in residence. This experience is meant to benefit the resident as well as the community of Muncie. The community project proposal is part of the application process, and projects should take up 5-10 hours of time per week in residence. For detailed information about the community collaboration aspect of the program, please see the website.

Selected residents will be offered one of two types of residency: a position as a PlySpace Resident or as PlySpace Resident Fellow. The type of residency offered will be determined by the Admissions Panel and Final Selection Committee during the admissions process.

All residencies include living space, studio space, and a $500 travel stipend, paid upon completion of the program. Resident Fellows are eligible for additional supply and project funding and will work directly with Ball State University as a community partner.

Three individual or collective applicants will be accepted for each residency term (one PlySpace Resident Fellow and two PlySpace Residents). Separate application terms are in Spring, Summer, Fall. Applicants can submit one application per residency term.

The length of individual residencies can range from a minimum of 4 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks for the entire term. Resident Fellows must plan a stay of no fewer than 9 weeks. Residents are free to negotiate their length of stay, start dates, and end dates within this block of time.

There is no cost for lodging and studio space with the PlySpace Residency Program. Residents are expected to arrange their own travel and provide their own meals, supplies, and other personal expenses. PlySpace will arrange activities, dinners, and other events to complement the resident’s experience. There is a $25 non-refundable application fee for each application submitted for review.

For detailed information about the PlySpace Residency Program, community collaborations, application instructions and guidelines, and frequently asked questions, please see the website at http://www.plyspace.org.


9.
DJERASSI RESIDENCY
Deadline: March 15th
Website: http://www.djerassi.org/artistresidencies.html

Residencies are awarded competitively, at no cost, to national and international artists in the disciplines of choreography, literature, music composition, visual arts, media arts, and science.There are 6 residency sessions; 5 are 29 days long and 1(the Open House Session) is 36 days long. There are 11 - 12 residents with varied disciplines in each session.

We seek applications from emerging and mid-career artists, for whom appointments as resident artists may make a significant difference to their careers, as well as from established artists with national and/or international reputations. Applicants are evaluated by panels of arts professionals in each category.

The Residency Program is designed as a retreat experience to pursue personal creative work and share in collegial interaction within a small community of artists. It is unpaid with no practical training or educational components involved. In this spirit, residents are expected to commit themselves for the entire residency session awarded to them.

HOUSING, STUDIO SPACE & MEALS

Residents accommodations on the ranch are determined according to artistic discipline and creative project. Living quarters and studio space consist of a four-bedroom house a unique, remodeled twelve-sided barn and the Diane Middlebrook Studios.

The rooms in the Artists' House are set up to accommodate writers, each with a large desk, workspace, and outdoor deck. The Artists' House also contains the main kitchen, living and dining area, a library, laundry facilities, shared bathrooms, and a large deck.

The Artists' Barn contains three visual art studios, a large dance studio, a darkroom, and a music composition studio with a baby grand and electric piano. The studios are rustic with wood burning stoves and modest sleeping lofts. There is also a kitchen, a large common area, shared bathrooms, and laundry facilities in the Barn.

The Diane Middlebrook Studios consist of four private live/work studios for writers, media artists and other artists with clean/non-messy projects. The studios each have private bathrooms and outdoor space.

The Program employs a chef who prepares communal dinners Monday through Friday, and provisions both kitchens. Residents are expected to prepare their own breakfasts, lunches, and weekend dinners using ingredients supplied by the Program. We offer vegetarian and gluten-free meals, although we cannot guarantee a gluten-free environment.


10.
GEORGIA FEE RESIDENCY, PARIS SUMMER TERM 2018
Deadline: March 19th
Website: http://www.artslant.com/ew/articles/show/33747

The Residency selects artists and writers who critically engage with the city of Paris, its history and its potential. It provides an opportunity for awardees to explore the cultural landscape of the city; to deepen their practice through experimentation and research; and to increase exposure of their work to an international audience.

Visual artists of all mediums, art writers, and critics, 24 years or older are welcome to apply. Selection is made based on the merit of past work, the potential for future success, the ability to independently develop new work, and the proposed project’s relevance to the city of Paris. Recipients will be required to produce a serial, web-based component (blog, visual essay, hypertextual experiment, etc.) which will be hosted on ArtSlant.com.

The Georgia Fee Artist | Writer Residency in Paris provides the recipient with lodging for 2 months in an apartment/studio in the 15th arrondissement, travel to and from Paris, and a $1000/month stipend. There is a $25 application fee to cover administrative costs and support the residency. Residents are expected to secure their own travel documents and visas. Requirements depend on country of origin.

The Georgia Fee Artist | Writer Residency was established in memory of ArtSlant’s Founder who passed away December 8, 2012. Georgia was dedicated to supporting and investing in artists and writers, and had a deep connection with the city of Paris.


11.
THE LESLIE SCALAPINO AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE WOMEN PERFORMANCE WRITERS
Deadline: March 21
Website: http://lesliescalapinoaward.org/
   
In memory of Leslie Scalapino, her extraordinary body of work, and her commitment to the community of experimental writing and performance.  Read about Leslie here.

The Leslie Scalapino Award recognizes the importance of exploratory approaches and an innovative spirit in writing for performance.  See our dedicated website www.lesliescalapinoaward.org about the winners of our previous cycles:  Joyelle McSweeney's Dead Youth, or The Leaks, and Khadijah Queen's Non-Sequitur, and Brigid McLeer's The Triumph of Crowds, as well as our wonderful finalists. 

The Prize: The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize, print publication of the winning text by Litmus Press, and a staged reading of the piece in New York this fall, by Fiona Templeton's company The Relationship.  The award is biennial.

The Call:

Please read the guidelines carefully as the terms of the award have changed.

We are looking for a full-length work for live performance by a woman writer with an inquiring approach to language and content. The poetic practice of Leslie Scalapino was interdisciplinary, including photography, plays, performance, and collaboration with dance and music. We would like to honor this aspect of her work in the award.

The Award for Innovative Women Playwrights intends to support new writing by female-identified people, inclusive of transwomen.  The prize is open to international submissions in English.

While the principal focus for the award is on innovative writing for performance, competitive submissions may consider a range of approaches to innovation in performance, including but not limited to integrated experimentations with language, gesture, movement, sound, visual art / vision, site / location and/or activist practice. The writer should demonstrate some experience in the discipline, materials or medium involved. 

Applicants should have had no more than 3 productions of their work, as the award is intended to open up opportunities, although it is not limited to emerging writers. Artists from other disciplines newly working in performance are welcomed. The submitted work should not have been previously published or produced, with no publication or production scheduled before December 2019. We do not define productions according to an Equity theatrical hierarchy, but as a professional realization of the work beyond a reading or work-in progress presentation.

 The award will be biennial, but until further notice there will be no confirmed production attached to the award, although we will work towards this possibility. We will retain production rights until December 2019, at which point they will revert to the author.


12.
CULTURE PUSH: SPRING 2018 FELLOWSHIP FOR UTOPIAN PRACTICE
Deadline: March 23
website: http://www.culturepush.org/about-fellowships/

Are you an artist working to develop a socially engaged project in NYC and searching for support to help you realize it? Apply for the Fellowship for Utopian Practice (http://www.culturepush.org/about-fellowships/), a process-based program that provides artists with institutional, financial, and strategic support as they create interdisciplinary artworks. We believe it is imperative to give artists a supportive structure as they invent new hybrid forms of art, social justice, and civic engagement.

Refer to our Guidelines (http://www.culturepush.org/guidelines) and Fellowship page for information on what the Fellowship includes, applicant eligibility, application requirements.

Check out the work we have supported in the past by looking at the Fellows’ pages (http://www.culturepush.org/2017/). Any questions? Write to cp@culturepush.org


13.
SSW SUMMER RESIDENCY PROGRAMME 2018 (Scotland)
Deadline: March 26th
Website: http://www.ssw.org.uk/summer-residency-programme/

SSW is set in a unique rural location which offers optimum conditions for both thinking and making. Our location within the foothills of the Grampian Mountains, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, provides artists with the opportunity to retreat from their everyday and spend time with their practice within this rural setting. Artists will live and work onsite and have daily access to our facilities coupled with support from highly skilled technicians. This offer is accompanied by critical dialogue, peer exchange and wider expert support. Through our residency programmes we aim to sustain artistic freedom and experimentation across a diverse range of practices both those associated with contemporary sculpture and beyond.

SSW’s Summer Residency programme is specifically formatted for artists wishing to spend a month working on the development of their practice – whether this is for production, research or experimentation. The programme runs between May and August, with each group residency lasting four weeks.

Residency costs are highly subsidised by SSW but artists pay £560 per 4 week residency. There is one place per month allocated for an Emerging Artist*, this place is further subsidised and costs £370 per four week residency.

This opportunity is open to artists of all disciplines and to International applications.

Application Deadline: Monday 26 March, 10.00 am.


14.
LARK PLAYWRIGHTS' WEEK
Deadline: March 30th
website: https://www.larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/

The Lark’s Open Access Program seeks to provide development opportunities for new and diverse voices for the theater by identifying and advancing promising plays that reveal unheard and vital perspectives.  This submissions program allows The Lark to serve a wide range of playwrights through an extensive multistage selection process with an emphasis on inclusion and advocacy.

Our support criteria emphasize ambitious, fresh, playful, engaging, energizing, provocative, powerful and theatrical work by writers with clear statements of purpose who are open to a collaborative development process.

Writers selected for Playwrights’ Week are provided with ten hours of rehearsal and a public staged reading, towards addressing self-defined developmental goals for their plays, as well as opportunities to engage with other Playwrights’ Week participants in a peer-based community of support and conversation.


15.
THEATRE 503 PLAYWRITING AWARD 
Deadline: March 31st
Website: https://theatre503.com/writers/award2018/

The Theatre503 Playwriting award is made possible by the long term support of Carne Trust. We are also grateful to Nick Hern Books who are returning as Publishing Partners and Award Ceremony Sponsors for the third time.

The 2018 Theatre503 Playwriting Award is now open for entries until 31st March 2018. Before applying please see below for more submission information and full terms and conditions.
 Theatre503 supports debut and emerging writers. Submissions can be made by any writer who has not had a play professionally performed for 4 weeks or more in a subsidised London, major regional or international venue.

Applications can be made using an online directly accessible via the Theatre503 website.
Writers will need to complete the application form in full, which will include submitting a synopsis of the play and the full length play in PDF form only, with no images or other material included.
Plays will be read anonymously and in order to do this all writers must ensure that their name or contact details DO NOT appear anywhere on the PDF of the play.

Writers may submit one full-length play (min 60 minutes stage time) only. This must be an original, unproduced work, unperformed anywhere in the world, apart from rehearsed/staged readings and workshops.

Co-written plays will be accepted for the award.

Writers are free to submit for the process with work that has previously been considered by this or another theatre.

In line with Theatre503’s commitment to equality and diversity of storytelling, we would be most grateful if you filled out the Equality Monitoring Form. You will also be helping create a picture of debut and emerging writers from all over the world.


16.
P73 FELLOWSHIP AND I-73 WRITERS’ GROUP
Deadline: April 1st
Website: http://www.page73.org/programs/programs-application/

The P73 Playwriting Fellowship provides a year of comprehensive support to one early-career playwright who has not received a professional production in New York City (please see eligibility requirements below). Through this program, Page 73 provides artistic and financial resources to this writer as he or she develops one or more new plays of his or her choosing. The P73 Playwriting Fellow receives an unrestricted award of $10,000 and a development budget, managed by Page 73 and the Fellow over the course of the Fellowship year, up to an additional $10,000.

The Fellow is encouraged to think creatively about using Fellowship resources to meet concrete goals that might not otherwise be possible. These goals may include, but are not limited to, development of one or more new plays, assistance in building relationships within the New York City theater community, research, and/or travel. Please note that funds from the P73 Playwriting Fellowship do not cover full-scale productions, nor does Page 73 commit to producing the work of the Fellow. The Fellowship incorporates at least one public presentation by the Fellow. Page 73 also helps the Fellow identify and connect with collaborators, including directors, designers, actors and dramaturgs, for Fellowship projects.

The Fellow is associated with Page 73 for the calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. After being selected, he or she works with Page 73’s staff to develop a plan for the year and establish a timeline for the development work to be done on the new play or plays. The Fellow may also be invited to participate in the Page 73 Summer Residency and, if eligible, Interstate 73 (described below) during the Fellowship year.

If the Fellow is not a New York City resident, he or she must be prepared to travel to New York during the Fellowship year in order to fully engage in the opportunities that the Fellowship provides.

Interstate 73
Interstate 73 is Page 73’s yearlong writers group. Consisting of six to eight playwrights and led by Page 73’s Producing Artistic Director, Interstate 73 meets twice monthly on weeknight evenings at our office in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Each playwright receives a stipend for participating. Participants bring in pages that are read aloud and discussed by the group. Each participating playwright is also given an opportunity for a reading of a completed work, which can be a public or private reading, depending on the playwright’s interests and needs. Page 73's staff works with each playwright to craft the reading to be as useful as possible for the writer.
Interstate 73 begins each year in January, and meetings run through December; sessions are typically suspended for a period in the summer. Please consult the eligibility requirements below. Page 73 selects participants from individuals we meet through this application process as well as from individuals who have become known to the company through other means.

Note: While Page 73's staff may, from time to time, offer a spot in Interstate 73 to a playwright who meets the eligibility requirements but has not completed an application for the program, anyone who wishes to be considered for the 2018 Fellowship must submit this application.


17. 
FADE TO BLACK FESTIVAL
Deadline: April 1st
Email your submission in pdf format to submissions@wmgellc.com

We are seeking 10-minute plays for our upcoming season. Submission indicates you have read, understand and consent to the rules and guidelines. Failure to comply will result in disqualification.

-Submitting author must be an African-American/Black playwright and the sole owner of the copyrighted work.
-Submission form must be completed before emailing your play.
-Play must not be previously produced.
-“Produced” - Your play was marketed for production date(s) by either you (its playwright) or a theatre company and was performed before an audience who purchased tickets to see the event.
-*Staged readings are not considered productions. If your play has only had public or private readings but has not been produced as a full-scale stage performance, you are permitted to submit the play.
-Play must not be published.
-“Published” - Your play is an officially published work and commands royalties from the producing theater each time it is performed.
-Play must not exceed 8-10 minutes.
-Plays that exceed this time frame will be disqualified.
-Play must be submitted in pdf format.
-Play should accommodate a “bare-stage” set requiring only minor accommodations of removable stage props and require basic lighting and sound cues.
-No more than three (3) submissions per playwright are accepted.
-The playwright may choose any theme or subject matter they desire.
-Play must not be a musical.
-Play must not be written for children or youth.
-Play must not be a re-submission from previous Fade To Black festival seasons.
-Play must not be considered a translation or adaptation.
-You must be at least 18 years of age to submit.

REMEMBER!
There is no submission fee.
Selected playwrights will receive an honorarium of $100.00.
Selected playwrights will have their play produced in front of a live audience.
Submissions open February 1.
Submission deadline is April 1.
Playwrights will be announced no later than May 1.

Email your submission in pdf format. Email address: submissions@wmgellc.com
Email header should read: Submission: Fade to Black. Your name. Title of play.
Your play should include cover pages including your name, contact information, title of play as well as any character descriptions or pertinent details you have regarding the play.
For more information, please contact Denise O'Neal at sdoneal12@yahoo.com


18.
HALCYON ARTS LAB (Washington, DC)
Deadline: April 4th
Website: http://halcyonhouse.org/arts-lab

At the intersection of art and social change, this nine-month residential fellowship is designed to provide support and resources to emerging artists working on projects which address issues of social justice, civic engagement, and community building. Arts Lab fellows strive to hone their practices and grow as leaders in their respective fields.

Call for Entry: By The People http://halcyonhouse.org/by-the-people/about

Are you a digital artist interested in exhibiting your art in the 'physical world'? Want to see your art displayed throughout Washington, DC during a major international festival? In partnership with ARTECHOUSE, an innovative art space dedicated to showcasing experiential and tech driven artworks, By the People invites you to submit your digital designs to take part in an augmented reality exhibition 'art' hunt'. Through ARTECHOUSE's uniquely designed app, guests will be emboldened to discover the city searching for artworks with their smart phones on the sides of major landmarks, public spaces, and buildings.


19.
DR. FLOYD GAFFNEY PLAYWRITING CONTEST 
Deadline: April 13th
Website: http://www-theatre.ucsd.edu/playwritingcontest/index.htm

The UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance seeks from all enrolled undergraduate students submissions of previously unproduced, unpublished scripts highlighting the African-American experience in contemporary or historical terms. Adaptations from books and other forms are not allowed.

Click here to download a PDF of the contest flyer

Prize: A $1000 honorarium will be awarded to the winning playwright.

-A staged reading of the winning script on May 12th, 2018, in the Wagner New Play Festival attended by national theatre professionals.

-Travel and housing cost to and from UC San Diego to be present for the performance.

Adjudication:

Finalists and the eventual winners will be selected by a team comprised of the faculty and staff of UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance and invited judges from other theatre facilities, the professional theatre, local media or the UCSD student body.

The decision of the team of adjudicators is final. The UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance reserves the right to select no winner.

Guidelines:

Scripts must be original, unpublished, unproduced and free of royalty and copyright restrictions. Plays which have staged readings are acceptable.

Scripts must be 50 pages or longer, typed. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically.

Scripts will be accepted beginning January 1st, 2018.

Deadline for entry Friday, April 13th, 2018.

The winner will be announced by April 27th, 2018.

Please include with your submission your contact details (name, college email, address, and phone number), play title, number of characters, institutional affiliation, and a one-page story summary.


20
ACADIANA REPERTORY
Deadline: April 15th
Website: www.acadianarep.org 

The Acadiana Repertory Theatre (Lafayette Louisiana) is committed to serve playwrights as a place where they feel they can develop work with a company that has a desire to help in the growth of both the playwright and the play. We strive to create a safe, creative, open environment for our playwrights and, using our own experience, along with the experiences of some of our friends from across the country, we seek to help playwrights create and develop shows that have the best chance of a long life of production. Through developmental readings,developmental productions, and soon, the possibilities of residences, we hope to help, through working with the amazing playwrights we come in contact with, the voices of new american playwrights be heard.

We are now accepting submissions for our 2019 Season, which kicks off in in early February.

We accept submissions of full length plays and musicals. In order to be eligible for consideration, submissions:
-Should be no longer than 90 minutes (we occasionally make exceptions)
-Should be full length.
-Should be actor/story forward
-Have minimal technical and set requirements
-Have a cast no larger than 10
-Should have limited to no production history and should not be published. We are looking specifically for work that you are looking to further develop and are looking for playwrights who want to be involved in the process.
Please note: There are no submission fees nor is there a fee to be a part of the season. Playwrights will be responsible for travel expenses should they choose to join us for any part of the process.

Plays should be submitted as a PDF to submissions@acadianarep.org

To find out more information about us, submissions, or our past work, visit www.acadianarep.org

We look forward to hearing from you!


21.
BOGLIASCO FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: April 15th
Website: ttp://www.bfny.org

The Bogliasco Foundation is pleased to announce a new residential Fellowship for an American scholar in European art history. The five-week Fellowship, which will take place at the Foundation’s Study Center near Genoa during the Spring 2019 semester, includes full room and board and a travel stipend of $1000. The Fellowship is open to American art historians of all ages who are working on pre-modern projects (antiquity to early 19th century), and who are not currently in a degree-granting program.

For complete instructions and eligibility details, kindly consult the Foundation’s online application site at http://www.bfny.org/en/apply. The deadline to apply is April 15th, 2018.