Paul Bowles and Eurocentric Art

I am watching "Let it Come Down," the documentary about Paul Bowles. I think Bowles was of the most underrated writers of the 20th century. I discovered his writing when I was a teenager and I found his short stories and novels to be unlike anything else. His work reads like a mixture of European/African frontier desert mysticism. I am fascinated by this quadruple consciousness of him and white queer writers from America and Europe living in Tangiers in the 1950s while it was under international rule. From Bowles, to William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Joe Orton, Allan Ginsberg Gore Vidal, and many other Broadway writers and novelist were flowing into Northern Africa during a time when it was dirt cheap to live there, you could have servants, and sex tourism was booming (particularly sex with underage prostitutes). I imagine it was very idyllic for ppl having to the power advantage of culture, race, nationality, class, and sexuality in an area filled with poor brown people. Maybe it wasn't complete exploitation (many of these men were outcasts in their own country due to their lower class and sexuality), but it was probably partial exploitation combined with a surreal psycho-sexual culture clash. It's noted that Black writers like James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry could not write in Northern Africa under colonial conditions, but felt more comfortable in France where their triple consciousness was to their advantage (and there was no sexual exploitation factored into their work). I wonder if this sort of debauched freedom for whites is a psychological subtextual requirement for great Euro-centric art b/c European consciousness has its foundation in colonialism and slavery. And if you remove that anchor of colonialism, the white male is unmoored and unable to tap into these deep roots. It should be noted that Michel Houellebecq is probably one of the greatest living European writers and he is completely unapologetic in his racism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and misogyny. His stories wallow in old-world thinking like a pig in shit. Back in the 1950s and 1960s Tangier, there was a European arts explosion: from Beatnik poetry, to Broadway musical, Capote's first novels, and one of the greatest novels of the 20th century: Paul Bowles' "The Sheltering Sky." It flowed out of these pockets. It's a paradox similar to knowing that most of the structural wonders of the world owe their existence to some form of slavery, exploitation, and extreme cruelty. 

9/11 Memorial Tour

I am still processing the 9/11 tour. My guide was Ed, a retired firefighter from Staten Island. We waited until 12:10 before we realized that I was going to be the only person for the noon tour. Ed took me to Firehouse 10 10 (10 engines, 10 ladders). These were the first-responders. There was a mural on the side of the firehouse in honor of the 400+ firefighters and cops who died that day. An older and crazed black guy was bellowing on the sidewalk about 9/11 conspiracies to passing tourists, while two PAs from the CBS show "Bull" were checking out a site. We crossed the street toward the abyss waterfall/fountains. The names of the deceased are printed on a metallic ring that encircles the waterfalls set on the site of the North and South towers. We went to the south tower waterfall first. You really can't stare down into it. It's so deep and massive that it seems to flow into a bottomless void. Most people don't know this, but there's stone shelf under the names. A river of water flows on this shelf and goes around the fountain. Ed said the idea behind the water was so that people could put their hands in the water, take them out, and put their hands across the etched names of their loved ones. It's supposed to be a visceral experience of sight, sound, and touch. I put my hands in the river, took them out and gently wiped them across two names as he told the story of these two people. I found myself crying. The ablution, the tactile feel of the water on metal, my fingers tracing the names, made me very present. An older white woman was standing next to us and saw our ritual. She put her hands in the river, smeared it across the names she had been staring at, and then she cried. After a moment she put her hands to her chest, nodded toward us, and went off. Ed said that on birthdays, a white rose is placed in the names of the deceased. We walked around the two waterfalls. Ed talked about the engineering of the towers, how the South tower was hit later but fell first b/c the plane was going at a higher speed and hit the building at a lower point. And then Ed dived into his own story. He was off work and on Staten Island that day. He saw the smoke billowing from the tower and had his son drive him to the Staten Island ferry. He just missed a ferry filled with Staten Island firefighters and cops who were headed toward Manhattan. He waited for what seemed like a long time. When his ferry arrived there were even more firefighters jostling to get on in order to rush into the chaos. The South tower collapsed while they were still on land. The North tower collapsed as the ferry was making its way across to Manhattan. On the boat, the firefighters organized themselves into teams so they could run out with their equipment toward the WTC. When they arrived at the Manhattan station it was flooded with office workers trying to flee to Staten Island as firefighters and cops were fighting through the crowds to rush toward the buildings. The smoke was so thick that none of the buses were running, so most of the firefighters went on foot. He thought he had accounted for everyone in his family, but Ed's wife reminded him that two of his firefighter nephews had also gone to WTC (were they possibly in the ferry Ed had just missed? Ed didn't speculate this, but I did.) There was no response from his nephews for six days after the attacks. Their remains were eventually found under 7 stories of rubble and debris. Ed said that he was shocked by how everyone rallied together. A firefighter from Mexico City drove all the way to NYC and begged him to do something, so Ed put him to work as crews began digging through the hundreds of feet of twisted metal and smoldering concrete. Ed took me to the names of his two nephews. We dipped our hands in the water and ran our palms over their names.

Quarters

I flew back to nyc this morning. I was at the JFK AirTran station this morning behind a distinguished-looking Old Brit. He got to the MTA machine to purchase AirTran + subway card. I told him it was $7 or $8. He thanked me and took out a bag of coins. He was going to pay in quarters. 🙈 I politely offered my $5 bill and two dollars in exchange for his quarters. “No, no, no. You are too kind.” He proceeded to put $8.75 in quarters into the machine while other passengers scattered to the adjacent lines. A plastic 'poker smile' was on my face as his shaky hand continued to fish quarters out of a Ziploc bag. I purchased my card with a debit charge that took about 10 secs, and made the incoming A train. The Brit guy plopped down next to me and started counting his quarters. The train rocked and a quarter fell out of his hand and did an epic roll under a few passengers. The Brit guy was up, searching for the errant quarter. The plastic smile returned to my face as he peeked under and through the leg of passengers. An older New Yorker handed him 25 cents...perhaps as reparations so that he would stop looking. The Brit was satisfied for a few minutes, but then started looking again. A Spanish-speaking woman handed him 50 cents. The Brit thanked her with a very Anglo-sounding ‘muchos gracias.’ He looked shocked at how nice we all were but most of us were like ‘stop with the fucking quarters! We will pay you to stop!!’ The Brit sat for the rest of the subway ride, basking in the warmth of our hospitality. I bet he’s in Manhattan by now with his bag of quarters.

NYC Hunch

Hunch. First night back in NYC. I went to the Union Square Regal Cinema at 8 for Blackkklansman tixs. I misread the times and there's no 845 showing...only 1010. Fine. Two hrs of roam time. I got the tixs and wandered over to The Strand. I remembered that I agreed to do some research for someone else's new (and sure to be brilliant) musical. I asked the clerk at the information desk if they knew any authors from West Virginia. The guy punched something into the computer and apologized: he can't look up books by regions. I told him that it was no big deal: I just had a hunch. That word hung in the air between us for a moment... (such a strange midget sound...hunch...hung...hunch). As I started to walk away he said 'wait a minute' and raced from the computer off into the obscure labyrinth of stacks. He came back and handed me this book. "Breece D'J Pancake!" He said a former employee from the Appalachians raved about this guy. I look him up. Born 1952. Died 1979...the year I was born. Suicide. He left the earth two days before I arrived. Huh. Okay.

After buying the book I go to Blue Water Grill. I just want to sit at the bar for a light snack but almost all the seats are taken. I sidled up at the end of the bar next to an older white guy. I ordered and started reading the book. The older patron asked me if he could see the book. I handed it over to him and looked at me. "How did you get this book? This used to be really hard to find." He told me he was an English major, and a friend suggested that he read Breeece D'J Pancake. He was stunned by the writing. I told him that I literally just picked up the book 10 minutes ago on a hunch from a Strand clerk. We started talking about literature and Pancake. I reached into my bag and took out Michel Houellebecq's "The Elementary Particle" which I had just finished a week ago. I told him I was in silent meditation and could only read the books I had with me. And there was nothing else to do in between meditations so started reading "The Elementary Particle." I absolutely hated it...at first. Revolting people. But, I had nothing else to read so I kept going. I'm 'hate reading' this novel and about 2/3rds of the way through a reveal happens and I almost fell on the floor. I understood everything. I raced through the book and all the disgusting things made sense. The patron said 'oh, I can't read that guy. I love humanity too much' I told him yeah, I know, Hoellebecq is a bit despicable, and he's definitely a racist, anti-Muslim, misogynist...but there's always a shocking reveal that changes things. The bartender joined in on the conversation and she snapped a picture of Pancake for her records. He asked me about the research project and I said that it involved something in West Virginia and something in rural China.

The patron said that his family was living in West Virginia...in a really isolated valley. His brother-in-law was walking on a highly sensitive super telescope that required no cell phone or radio activity in the surrounding area, so there was a valley town in West Virginia that agreed to host this project. None of the residents have cell phones, there's no radio, no Wifi or satellite. Only land lines and computers with wires. He said that his in-law's company works in West Virginia...and in China. Hunch. We continued talking about West Virginia and China and Pancake suicide, and literature and racism in the Appalachians vs racism in the South, culture, America. And then I raced off to see the powerful and amazing "Blackkklansman." First night back in NYC. Hunch.

Vermont Lerung

I stayed in a Vermont barn for three weeks and meditated. It was up in the mountains, overlooking a tranquil range of peaks. The sun rose over these peaks and set toward another mountain range. There were lightning storms, meteor showers, swirling vortexes of birds, blankets of Daddy Long leg spiders, and roiling dells of fog. The angels blessed the space.

Vermont is a plush green carpet rolled out of a few thousand miles. Then the carpet was scrunched and gathered by the winds to make the landscape. It's a tiny forest of mountains. When it's stretched out, Vermont has more square miles than Texas. But it remains -as of right now- a bunched scroll of green.

The wood furnace outback provided heat and hot water for the entire property. Smoke belched from its fiery mouth throughout the day and sent silver plumes over the thatched barn roof. At the top of the barn was one long room. This was where I stayed. The owner converted it into a yoga studio, but it sat mostly empty. I slept on a futon, ate simple green/beans/grains every day, and meditated four times a day according to Vajrayogini teachings in The Short Path of Bliss by Pabongka Rinpoche.

It was idyllic. I missed it as soon as the train left the station for New York. I will be back.

Vermont teems with hippies, burn-outs, idealist, gun enthusiasts, and socialist. They have found a place on God's green scroll. 

Get What You Want: August 2018

1.
ALAP DIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: August 1st
Website: http://LAPlaywrights.org

ALAP is offering up to 10 Fellowships to young playwrights and playwrights of color: each Fellowship consists of a full year of membership in the organization and invitations to all ALAP events. The only "requirement" in return is that each new member attend at least two ALAP events, or participate in two ALAP programs, during the course of the Fellowship year.

If you’re a young playwright, or a playwright of color, who would be interested in such a Fellowship – or if you know someone you can recommend – please contact Co-Chair Dan Berkowitz by writing DanB@LAPlaywrights.org.


2.
EST MARATHON OF ONE-ACT PLAYS
Deadline: August 1st
Website: http://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/marathon-of-one-act-plays/

Inspired by the format in which Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill honed their craft, EST held its first Marathon in 1977. Praised by critics and beloved by audiences, it launched an industry-wide revival of the short play form and broke new ground by putting new and established writers together on one stage.

The Marathon is a biannual event, the next marathon will be in the Spring of our 2018-2019 season.

Submissions for the 2019 Marathon of One Act Plays will be accepted from June 1, 2018 through August 1, 2018.

Non-member playwrights may submit a single script, no longer than 30 minutes, which has not been reviewed in New York.

We prefer email submissions, which can be sent to literary@estnyc.org.

Please include your name and contact information in the body of your email but send the script without identifying information.


3.
SHAKESPEARE NEW CONTEMPORARY
Deadline: August 1st
Website: http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/index

Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries is a groundbreaking, industry-changing undertaking to discover, develop, and produce a new canon of 38 plays that are inspired by and in conversation with Shakespeare’s work. It’s an opportunity for playwrights of every gender, race, and creed to partner with Shakespeare. It will produce 38 plays over the next 20 years and award the writers of the selected plays $25,000 each.we are currently accepting script submissions for the next round of the project. We’re seeking potential partners for Henry IV, Part 2; Othello; Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Cymbeline. Applications are being accepted through August 1. Titles and details for the third round of applications will be announced in the coming months.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

DUE: AUGUST 1ST 2018

-The play must be written for a cast of 10-12 actors.
-The play must be able to be performed with minimal sets.
-The play must be able to be performed with universal (shared) lighting.
-The play must be able to be performed with any and all music and sound effects created in real time, unplugged, and by members of the acting troupe.
-The play must be 2(ish) hours long.
-The play must be inspired by or in conversation with Othello; Henry IV, Part 2; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; or Cymbeline.
-The play must have not yet had a professional production and preferably would remain unproduced through July 1, 2020.
-Remove your name and any contact information from the script.  Remove any agent or representation’s name and contact information from the script.
-Include a Character Breakdown at the start of the script.  The breakdown must include age and gender and may include any other information you’d like us to know. If your play contains more than 12 characters, please be sure to include information about actor doubling.
-Title the document with the title of your play.
-Save your script as a PDF or Word document.
-Optional: You may upload any supporting materials that may be related to the play; please be sure to name each file “[Title of Play]_Additional Content”
-Playwright bio.
-Play synopsis: please provide a brief overview of the plot of your play.
-How does your play engage with Shakespeare’s work?
Optional: Play History: If your play has had any development or production history, please briefly tell us about it.


4.
92Y MUSICAL THEATRE DEVELOPMENT LAB
Deadline: August 1st
Website: https://www.92y.org/soa/dance/musical-theater-development-lab.aspx

The 92Y Musical Theatre Development Lab is pleased to announce the application process for artists to participate in the second season of "The Collective”: a group of theatre artists working on creating their own projects within a supportive and challenging environment of feedback and group attention.

Please note: this year, the collective will only be focusing on TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) pieces. If you do not possess prior experience writing, directing, choreographing for TYA, that will not exclude you. You must, however, possess a strong desire to create for this specific genre and be open to constructive feedback on your material.

Our collective is looking for playwrights, lyricists, composers, and artists who highly hyphenate any of these, or work solely in one discipline. You may apply as a writing “team”. Applications accepted on a rolling basis beginning July 1st, 2018. The deadline for applying is August 1st, 2018.

Potential Collective Members will be asked to informally interview at the 92Y and those selected will be announced on prior to September 15th, 2018.

The forum provides resources, mentorship, performance opportunities, and community support to the artistic process. Geared towards theatre artists, the lab is a 6-month residency comprised of presentations every 3 weeks, discussions, lectures and master classes, life-after classes, and informal performances.

Musical Theatre Development Lab (MTDL) is a program devised, developed by Megan Doyle and Brian Feinstein for the 92Y, and is the umbrella for intersectional opportunities for artists. The Collective supports up to 10-12 emerging hybrid artists for a 6-month residency of educational and creative events.

For more information please email Brian Feinstein: bfeinstein@92Y.org
Please apply online: https://form.jotform.com/71855360954161


5.
LIT COUNCILS’ INTENSIVE FOR MALE PLAYWRIGHTS OF COLOR
Deadline: August 3rd
website: http://thetanknyc.org/series/lit_council/

In partnership with The Tank, LIT Council is a development intensive for Male Playwrights of Color. During their time with the Council (September 2018 through April 2019), writers will hone a play guided by the Bechdel Test to ensure gender equity in storytelling. The program will culminate in a reading workshop of each participant’s play, hosted at The Tank (312 West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue). In order to further promote collaboration and communication between genders, each play will be attached to a female director of color, chosen from a group of professionals and mentors, who will be active presences throughout the process.

For each session, participants will receive feedback and mentorship from 3 professional Facilitators: Beto O’Byrne (playwright-in-residence at Stella Adler; 2050 Playwriting Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop), Jerome A. Parker (MacDowell and Dramatist Guild Fellow), and Akin Salawu (Inaugural Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater; two-time Tribeca All Access Winner) are all writers of color with working experience in the industry and theatrical credits in New York City and around the country. They created LIT Council with the Tank to have a professional setting where whiteness is de-centered and the “white gaze” isn’t a deterrent or the raison d’etre for a play’s birth, voice and steps in the world. Participants will be pushed to create works where female characters are given equal weight to their male counterparts and also supported to stretch their voice in writing for, and collaborating with, women.

LIT Council seeks daring applicants of color from all levels, and ALL who identify as male, to work on a play already in progress. The chosen participants will demonstrate great appetite and aptitude for crafting uncompromised stories, while understanding the pressing need to represent “other” voices, especially those of women, fully in their work. As this is a collective, the Council looks for artists not only with experience in taking the reign of their own creative process, but also with a desire to collaborate with the other participating artists in the room. The Tank is located in New York, so applicants need to be NYC-based in order to participate in weekend meetings, readings and other program-related events.

THE FACILITATORS

Beto O’Byrne hails from East Texas and is the co-founder of Radical Evolution, a multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary producing collective based in Brooklyn, NY. The author of 20 plays, screenplays, and original TV pilots, his works have been produced in San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles and New York City, where was the most recent playwright-in-residence at the Stella Adler School of Acting and a 2050 Playwriting Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop. In addition, O’Byrne is an advocate for the performing arts field, having worked with organizations such as Theatre Communications Group, La Cooperativa of Latinx Theatre Artists of NYC, and the Latinx Theatre Commons. MFA, Dramatic Writing: University of Southern California. www.betoobyrne.com

Jerome A. Parker is a MacDowell and Dramatist Guild Fellow from New York City. His work has been developed through readings and productions at the Public Theater, the Old Vic, the Cherry Lane, Classical Theatre of Harlem, the National Black Theater, BAAD!, Company of Angels, American Lyric Theater, NY Stage and Film, Freedom Train Productions, Celebration Theater, On the Boards, the Musical Theater Factory, New York Musical Festival, and the Los Angeles Theater Center amongst others.

Akin Salawu is a two-time Tribeca All Access Winner with a BA from Stanford and a Screenwriting MFA from Columbia. At Stanford, Akin founded ergo student theater troupe and was awarded the Sherifa Omade Ego Prize for mounting culturally diverse theater. Akin was a member of The Public Theater’s Inaugural Emerging Writers Group and wrote Chapter 5 in the book, “The Obama Movement.” Akin also wrote 2 short plays on Ferguson for Chicago's American Theater. Akin developed his first musical The Real Whisper in Ars Nova’s Uncharted residency which premiered in the 2017 Polyphone Festival at The University of the Arts.


6.
MACRO EPISODIC LAB
Deadline: August 6th
Website: https://episodiclab.staymacro.com/

MACRO and the Black List offer writers of color the opportunity to develop and produce an original digital or television pilot script. Our mission is to discover and empower episodic storytellers with the proper creative tools, resources, and access needed to help launch their careers.
In partnership with Emmy Award-winning writer Lena Waithe and Actress/Producer/Director Eva Longoria, MACRO aims to amplify fresh voices that are rooted in authenticity, creativity and excellence. Applications will be accepted from June 6 - August 6. Up to three (3) winners will receive development support and a pilot presentation or sizzle at a budget of up to $30,000 each.
We look forward to hearing from and supporting the next generation of game changers, rule breakers, and brilliant minds that exist at the intersection of craft and culture.


7.
KNOW THEATRE’S 2018 FESTIVAL
Deadline: August 8th
Website: https://knowtheatre.org/2016-playwrights-and-artists-festival/

When we look at a piece of art each person has a different interpretation of what they see. That is the beauty of art and the challenge to our playwrights. Each year we take three works of art and ask writers to write a play as they are moved or inspired by the artwork. We blind-read the submissions, select the best and produce them. The art is exhibited, we perform the play and ask the audience for feedback. It is our annual mixed media event that draws inquisitive art and theatre lovers to KNOW.

This festival is an important part of our season. It is about inspiration and interpretation. We challenge playwrights to look at our three chosen pieces of art and see where inspiration takes them and each of the journeys are unique. After blind reading the plays we whittle those 60+ submissions down to six plays, two for each artwork. And this year we are happy to bring back the element of music to the collaboration, coordinated by Strange Fangs Song Factory (www.strangefangs.com).

Then it is you, our audience, whose turn it is to come and be a part of the process. For a playwright there is nothing better than seeing their work fleshed out onstage. And in seeing it also receive feedback about their work. Each night of the weekend we choose one artwork, perform the two plays, and hear the music inspired by it. Afterwards there is a talkback that includes the playwright, the composer, the director and actors. We also like to include our artists if possible. This makes for an exciting night of theater.

The art is exhibited, we perform the play and ask the audience for feedback. It is our annual mixed media event that draws inquisitive art and theatre lovers to KNOW. New to this year’s festival we are offering three prizes. AWARDS: $300 for Best of Festival. $200 for Artistic Merit. $100 for Audience Favorite.

In order to view the paintings you should go to the website: https://knowtheatre.org/2016-playwrights-and-artists-festival/
Native Voices at the Autry
Deadline: August 10th
Website: https://theautry.org/events/signature-programs/native-voices/annual-call-scripts

Native Voices is currently accepting submissions of full-length plays (60+ pages) by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations playwrights addressing all themes and topics.

2019 Playwrights Retreat and 25th Festival of New Plays

The Retreat and Festival bring artists to Los Angeles to work on 3–5 plays through a rigorous directorial and dramaturgical commitment for 8–10 days in May/June. The retreat culminates in public presentations of the plays at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles and La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Selected playwrights receive directorial and dramaturgical support as well as an honorarium; out-of-town artists receive roundtrip airfare plus lodging in Southern California.

Selection Process: Full-length plays (60+ pages) received by August 10, 2018 will be read and evaluated. A select number of playwrights will be invited to submit formal proposals detailing their developmental goals should their play be chosen for the short list. Scripts will then be sent to a committee of nationally recognized theatre artists for further evaluation. With their help, Native Voices selects up to five plays for the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays. Playwrights will be notified in December 2018.

2019 Submission for Production Consideration

Do you have a full-length script that has been developed and produced that you’d like us to consider for a future Native Voices production in Los Angeles? Please follow the Checklist for All Submissions below and in the Native Voices Script Submission form check the box for 2019 General Submission for Production Consideration.

A Note About the Native Voices Distance Dramaturgy Process

Months prior to residencies at the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays, selected playwrights participate in dramaturgical conversations with an assigned director and dramaturg. Workshops with these creative teams and a cast of professional actors commence once the playwright arrives on-site. It is important to note that these conversations and workshops are playwright driven, allowing the writer to shape his/her own developmental path. Selected playwrights should be prepared to dedicate adequate time to this process prior to arriving on-site.

Checklist for All Submissions

Please label script attachment as follows: PlayTitle_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc).

All submissions must conform to a standard play-script format (one-inch margins, #12 Times or Courier font, all pages numbered).

Include a title page with full contact information (mailing address, phone numbers, e-mail address) and a draft or revision date.

Include a character breakdown at the beginning of your script.

Provide a biography of 75–100 words. Please label attachment as follows: Bio_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: Bio_Doe, J.doc).

Provide a press ready photo of at least 300dpi.  Please label attachment as follows: Photo_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: Photo_Doe, J.doc).

Provide development history for the play. Label attachment as follows: DevHistory_PlayTitle_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: DevHistory_MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc).

To submit, fill out our online form and upload your submission materials here: Native Voices Script Submission Form

Please do not send treatments or outlines. Previously submitted plays should only be resubmitted if the play has undergone significant dramatic changes. Previously produced plays should be submitted under the 2019 General Submission for Production Consideration. Plays that are not selected are kept on file for consideration for future opportunities. Playwrights are encouraged to make multiple submissions (up to three per event), but selection will be limited to only one play per playwright, per event.

To submit go to: http://form.jotform.co/form/33177331513852


8.
LORRAINE HANSBERRY PRIZE
Deadline: August 11th
Website: http://www.lhtsf.org/playwrights-competition

The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT) is seeking submissions for its Playwrights Competition July 9th through Friday, August 10, 2018. Plays must address a social issue(s) in a comedic way and have a hopeful ending. The script must have at least two African American women characters, one of whom is at least 40 years old. The script must have at least one scene where two females have a conversation that is not primarily about men. Three semi-finalists will be selected by a panel of theater arts professionals to include LHT’s Interim Artistic Director, Aldo Billingslea. Judging will take place in August 2018. Three semi-finalists will be announced in early September 2018. Three semi-finalists will receive a public staged reading during a weekend festival October 12-14, 2018. The winning finalist will receive $7,500 and a workshop to further develop the script to be considered for a full production in 2019.

For a detailed list of guidelines, go online to http://www.lhtsf.org/playwrights-competition


9.
YALE DRAMA SERIES
Deadline: August 15th
Website: http://dchornfoundation.org/competition-rules

The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2019 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series' current judge, Ayad Akhtar. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of his/her manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at Lincoln Center's Claire Tow Theater. The prize and publication are contingent on the playwright's agreeing to the terms of the publishing agreement.

There is no entry fee. Please follow these guidelines in preparing your manuscript:

1. This contest is restricted to plays written in the English language. Worldwide submissions are accepted.

2. Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays written in English. Translations, musicals, adaptations, and children's plays are not accepted. The Yale Drama Series is intended to support emerging playwrights. Playwrights may win the competition only once.

3. Playwrights may submit only one manuscript per year.

4. Plays that have been professionally produced or published are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading, or non-professional production or that have been published as an actor’s edition will be considered.

5. Plays may not be under option, commissioned, or scheduled for professional production or publication at the time of submission.

6. Plays must be typed/word-processed, page-numbered, and in professional play format.

7. The Yale Drama Series reserves the right to reject any manuscript for any reason.

8. The Yale Drama Series reserves the right of the judge to not choose a winner for any given year of the competition and reserves the right to determine the ineligibility of a winner, in keeping with the spirit of the competition, and based upon the accomplishments of the author.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS:

The Yale Drama Series Competition strongly urges electronic submission. By electronically submitting your script, you will receive immediate confirmation of your successful submission and the ability to check the status of your entry.

Electronic submissions for the 2019 competition must be submitted no earlier than June 1, 2018 and no later than August 15, 2018. The submission window closes at midnight EST.

If you are submitting your play electronically, please omit your name and contact information from your manuscript. The manuscript must begin with a title page that shows the play's title, a 2-3 sentence keynote description of the play, a list of characters, and a list of acts and scenes. Please enter the title of your play, your name and contact information (including address, phone number, and email address), and a brief biography where indicated in the electronic submission form.

If you would like to submit an electronic copy of your manuscript please go to: https://yup.submittable.com/submit.


10.
LOTUS LEE FOUNDATION TRAVEL GRANT
Deadline: August 27th
Website: https://www.lotus-lee.foundation/lotus-lee-travel-fellowship/

Through the Travel Fellowship, Lotus Lee Foundation hopes to stimulate an in-depth discussion on the future development of the theater and performing arts industry. The fellowship will provide its recipients an opportunity to explore the theater industry in Shanghai, China; to broaden their experience and knowledge on the cultural exchange; to deepen their insights on the future of international performing arts field. Learn more at https://www.lotus-lee.foundation/lotus-lee-travel-fellowship/

Reward:
Lotus Lee Foundation will pay for the one-week trip to Shanghai China, including
round-trip flight tickets (worth $1500)
-7 days hotel stay (worth $500)
-$200 cash reimbursement for show tickets and/or related research expense (recipes required)
-Studio visit to Lotus Lee Drama Studio
-1 year free membership on Cennarium.com (worth $100)
-Invitation to the award ceremony
-US and China media exposure


11.
BLACK BOX NEW PLAY FESTIVAL
Deadline: August 31st
Website: http://galleryplayers.com/play-submissions/

The Gallery Players in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, is seeking plays for its 22nd Annual Black Box New Play Festival to be held in January 2019. Each play selected will be given a black box production at Gallery Players and will be performed in a festival format with non-Equity actors.

DETAILS
Plays must be un-produced (i.e., plays must never have had a previous production) – readings are ok; must be the play’s world premiere

The length may be from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. No monologues. No period costume pieces.

You may submit as many plays as you wish

Pages must be numbered

A cover page with the title of the play and playwright’s contact information is required, along with a plot synopsis of the play and a character breakdown

Submit a copy of your resume

Playwrights may not direct their own work

Send TWO copies of your play(s), along with your resume, to:

The Gallery Players
Black Box New Play Festival
199 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

We will only contact you if your play has been accepted into the Festival. If you want confirmation that your mailing was received by us, please include a self-addressed stamped return postcard.


12.
PIPEDREAM PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS: Piping Hot New Works–In the Dark
Deadline: August 31st
Website: https://denverpipedream.com/

We are looking for short play submissions (10-15 minutes MAX).

Easy enough? Well, there's a catch. The audience will be blindfolded; therefore, your play will be read to an audience in total darkness. If your play does not take this into consideration, we will not accept your submission. Get creative, get wacky, and show us what you've got!

Guidelines
-Please provide the following contact information in the body of your email: full name, address, and email.
-The plays themselves should not contain any contact information. Any contact info should be in the body of the email—do not put your name on the script itself. Your script will not be considered if it contains your contact information.
-The subject line for your submission should read as follows: PHNW Dark Submission
-Preference will be given to scripts with fewer than five characters. All plays must be unpublished.
-The deadline for submissions is August 31 at 11:59pm MST. We will cut off submissions once we've reached 200, so the sooner the better. Late submissions will not be accepted.
-Please send scripts in PDF format to: pipedreamsubmissions@gmail.com
-All playwrights will receive two complimentary tickets to a performance of their choosing.
-You will receive an email by September 15th letting you know whether or not your script has been chosen.

**We are also always open to general submissions. If you think you have a piece that's perfect for us, please feel free to email it. Be sure to make the subject "General Submission" to ensure it doesn't get buried.**

13.
BLUE INK SUBMISSIONS (American Blues Theatre)
Deadline: August 31st
Website: https://americanblues.wufoo.com/forms/blue-ink-playwriting-contest/

Submissions will be accepted July 1, 2018 through August 31, 2018 @ 11:59pm. The winning play will be selected by Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and the Ensemble. The playwright receives a monetary prize of $1,000 and a developmental workshop or staged reading at American Blues Theater in Chicago. Cash prizes are awarded for finalists, and semi-finalists too.

There is a $5 administrative fee. All proceeds of the fee are distributed for playwrights’ cash prizes.


14.
360 INCUBATOR
Deadline: August 31st
Website: https://blackpublicmedia.org/360-incubator-fund/

Black Public Media, the nation’s only nonprofit dedicated solely to media content about the black experience, has announced an open call for round three of its incubator and fund. Applications are available for 360 Incubator+, a competition that will see producing teams vie for up to $150,000 in funding for their pilot or program. The aim is to fill the need for quality works about important subjects facing the black community by working to get them into the pipeline and to market. The application deadline is August 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.

The Harlem-based national media arts organization, one of the members of the National Minority Consortia of public television, has been funding, developing, producing and distributing stories about the Black experience since its founding in 1979.

The 360 Incubator+ is a competition for development funds. Participants get tailored training and mentorship in proposal development, script writing, fundraising, distribution options, outreach, and more and work to complete a pilot or funding reel, a full project proposal and a robust fundraising strategy. Producers with projects currently in the preproduction phase—on areas in BPM’s current content priorities of health in black communities, environment, mass incarceration, LGBTQ issues and immigration—can compete in the current round.

The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. Those selected to participate as fellows will be announced on Friday, November 30, 2018. To apply and for additional rules and guidelines, visit https://blackpublicmedia.org/360-incubator-fund.

Those 360 Incubator+ Fellows chosen to participate in the program will need to be available for the boot camp and incubator from January 11, 2019, through January 25, 2019, in New York (with travel elsewhere during that period). Producers will then return to their home cities and work for nine weeks under mentorship to prepare for the Pitch Black pitching session, which takes place on Thursday, April 4. Winners will be announced at an awards reception on Friday, April 5.


15.
LIVING ROOM THEATRE: CULTURAL IDENTITIES
Deadline: September 7th
Website: http://www.marcusyi.com/new-play-incubator.html

Living Room Theater is seeking playwrights to develop plays on the theme “Cultural Identity” for its New Play Incubator. In the course of 3 weeks, the playwrights individually will create a 10 minute play related to cultural identity. Each group will culminate in a staged reading for the public. Actors and director will be provided for the reading. Playwrights must be able to attend all meetings. All meetings/rehearsals/readings will be held in Manhattan. Non-New York based playwrights may apply but must be able to travel to the meetings/reading. No travel stipend is provided.
DETAILS
Dates
9/23/18 from 1-4pm
9/30/19 from 1-4pm
10/7/18 from 1-4pm
Staged reading date: 10/25/18 from 6-10pm

Submission Guidelines
There is no fee to submit or to participate. Please submit a resume, a 10 minute play, and a short paragraph in the email why you would be interested in writing about the theme “Cultural Identity” to lvtnewplays@gmail.com Only selected finalists will be asked to interview the week of 09/10/18. Submission deadline is September 7, 2018.


16.
BSC'S "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICAN DREAM?"
Deadline: September 1st
Website: https://bismarckstate.edu/community/humanities/theaterevents/

Bismarck State College Theatre, in collaboration with the Humanities North Dakota, as part of the HumanitiesND year-long “GameChanger Ideas Festival” is pleased to announce a call for brand new ten-minute plays exploring the question: What happened to the American dream?

Theatre has had a long history of examining the American dream: whether through Arthur Miller’s cutting critique in Death of a Salesman, August Wilson’s poetic and revelatory Pittsburgh Cycle, the modernist anxiety of Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal, Suzan-Lori Park’s “Rep and Rev” of The America Play, or Lin-Manuel Miranda’s re-envisioning of the Founding Fathers as played by actors of color in Hamilton, the theatre has always been a forum for exploring the possibilities, anxieties, limitations, and opportunities afforded to people pursuing the American dream.

“Man cannot live without hope. If it is not engendered by his own convictions and desires, it can easily be fired from without, and by the most meretricious and empty of promises.” Eleanor Roosevelt, April 1961, The Atlantic, “What Has Happened to the American Dream?”

Americans find themselves at a crossroads politically, socially, economically. Simultaneously more connected than ever before, and more estranged and dispossessed. In an era of fake news, of foreign governments attacking our social media outlets, what are our convictions and desires? What feelings do those convictions and desires engender, if not hope? Are we living without hope? Are we being fired upon by meretricious and empty promises?

The American Dream means many different things to many different people. Is the American Dream the spread of democracy across the world? Is it the Jeffersonian concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Is it the promise of upward economic and social mobility?

BSC Theatre seeks brand new ten-minute plays that engage with the question of the American Dream, construed broadly. Plays may be written in any style, set in any time, and may use as many or as few characters as the author wishes.

BSC Theatre seeks only brand new, never before produced plays, outside of readings, workshops, and/or festivals. Plays should be no more than ten pages long (exclusive of cover page/dramatis personae), following traditional playwriting format. Plays will be entered into consideration for production during BSC Theatre’s annual Short Play Festival in May 2019. If selected for performance, authors agree to provide BSC with performance rights for the duration of the Short Play Festival.

Selection of scripts for performance will be at the discretion of a coalition of academics, theatre artists, and representatives from HumanitiesND.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Danny Devlin, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Bismarck State College at Daniel.devlin@bismarckstate.edu or 701-224-5530


17.
Cullman Fellowship
Deadline: September 29th
Website: https://nypl.onlineapplicationportal.com/misc/guidelines/default.aspx

The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers supports projects that draw on the research collections at The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). The Center looks for top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. It aims to promote dynamic conversation about the humanities, social sciences, and scholarship at the highest level — within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows’ published work.

Candidates who need to work primarily in The New York Public Library’s other research centers — The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry and Business Library — are not eligible for this fellowship.

In order to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest, the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers does not accept applications from New York Public Library staff members or their partners, or from people active on the Library’s Board of Trustees, Board Advisory Committees, or Library Council.

Please visit www.nypl.org/research-collections for detailed information about the collections of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Fellows are required to work at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship term and may not accept other major professional obligations during the term. Some fellows may have a few prior commitments, but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements to short periods of time. Anyone who needs to be away for more than two days must notify the Center's Director or Deputy Director. The Library will pro-rate fellowship stipends for fellows who spend too much time away from the Center.

Fellowships will not be granted to post-doctoral fellows or to applicants doing graduate-school dissertation research.

Notification: March 2018
Award Period: September 4, 2018 - May 31, 2019
Stipend: $70,000

**ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES**

RED BULL ARTS RESIDENCY
deadline: August 24th
website: http://redbullarts.com/detroit/news/applications-for-2019-open-now/

Red Bull Arts Detroit is now accepting applications for the 2019 Artist Residency terms, as well as the Curatorial Fellowship and Visiting Writer Fellowship. Applications for the three programs are open from July 11th through August 24th, 2018. Recipients will be selected by the inaugural Red Bull Arts Detroit selection committee and notified in November of this year. Read more about the various programs, the selection committee, and the applications on the Apply page of our site.

The organization provides housing, studio space, and a $12,000 stipend.


2019 BRECKENRIDGE Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: August 31st
website: http://www.breckcreate.org/opportunities/artist-residence-application/

BCA’s artist-in-residence program offers regional, national, and international artists of all disciplines an opportunity to focus on process rather than product while engaging with the local community in a meaningful way.

Visiting artists live and work for 4–8 weeks in the Breckenridge Arts District, an intimate campus of historic structures nestled under majestic snow-capped peaks in cozy downtown Breckenridge. During their live/work residency, artists partner with a local organization to explore a place-based thematic narrative—whether that means interpreting our spectacular mountain setting, rich local history, or risk-taking spirit; or focusing on an environmental or social topic important to the community. BCA will reimburse artists up to $500 for travel, and artists are offered a weekly stipend of $200 to cover food, materials, and other expenses. Artist expectations include: 1) mentoring a local artist-in-residence; 2) participating in monthly Second Saturdays*; 3) facilitating a weekly class, lecture, or activity on campus; and 4) planning and hosting a final presentation or event produced in collaboration with a local partner.

Local artists are invited to apply for a studio residency in the Fuqua Livery Stable for 4-8 weeks, where they will contribute to and benefit from a communal atmosphere that fosters creative practice, new relationships, and knowledge-sharing. In exchange for a private work station and personal storage; a BCA artist membership; and unlimited use of all campus studios for independent work; artists must commit to hosting three “working studios” weekly between the hours of 3-8 p.m., and participate in monthly Second Saturdays for Adults. When working in the studio, artists in residence are asked to keep Fuqua Livery Stable open to the public. Up to three artists will be selected for each residency.

Exhibiting artists are curated artists who participate in BCA’s annual exhibition or festival programs, which include both indoor gallery spaces and outdoor installation sites. These artists may be eligible to receive housing on campus along with a negotiated artist fee. Exhibiting artists staying in the Tin Shop or Robert Whyte House are asked to host one artist talk, workshop, or event each week of their stay, in addition to any exhibition-related obligations that have been contracted separately. Click here for more information and how to apply.

Co-op artists are local creative entrepreneurs who rent affordable space on the Arts District campus and host regular visiting hours in their studios for the public to observe their process. Email Becca Spiro at becca@breckcreate.org to inquire about availability.

The artist-in-residence program is a partnership between Breckenridge Creative Arts and the Saddle Rock Society.