Notebook: Trump-Biden Debate

-The Biden-Trump debate was a glorious example of a bully and abuser flailing around. Trump was at his most unhinged. His typical tactics were just heightened in intensity and splatter. The goal is to make the victim tired. I think everyone is susceptible to gaslighting, weariness, being worn down, getting discouraged. My personal example of the high school debate tournament was among a mixture of different races and classes. I found that these techniques of manipulation were effective with men, women, the rich girls from the private school, the middle class and working class guys I debated. It just so happens that Trump has focused on suppressing blk votes and motivating white vote...in rural areas he knows that he isn't going to fulfill his promise of bringing coal back or manufacturing back in a major way, so the easiest thing to offer to that group of ppl is racial dog whistles to feel better than others. This isn't a new strategy. In the 1960s LBJ talked about how right-wing politicians offered poor white ppl nothing but feeling better than a black person...and most voters were okay with that trade off. In the 1980s Republican strategist Lee Atwater talked about the Southern Strategy that helped get Reagan, Bush, and eventually Trump elected. To quote Atwater's own words:

"You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger" -- that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about CUTTING TAXES, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me -- because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger."

-GOP operative Lee Atwater, talking about the "Southern Strategy in 1980

An extension of the Atwater Southern Strategy last night was to attack racial education classes, the 1619 podcast about America's history with slavery, going after #BlackLivesMatter, barking "Law and Order" at every question about the real injustice POC face. These are racial dog whistles that are an extension of Atwater's strategy. Trump's inability to just outright condemn white supremacists on the biggest national stage this year...now I can't say what is truly in Trump's heart. But I can say that this is a direct pattern with the Southern Strategy laid out by the GOP and described in detail by its founder who, later in life, had immense regret for the hatred and venom he unleashed on the world.

Atwater's brilliance is to convince white ppl in 1980 that biggest racism they faced was against white ppl. Similarly in 1970 and 1960s white ppl thought that they were the biggest victims of racism. The pathology continues but social media and 24 news has just increased the intensity of the same tactics.

-I was also thinking about something I loved as child: Dilbert. Cartoonist Scott Adams created a satirical newspaper strip about the absurdity of work and the banality of evil. I started reading it as a kid and was amazed. He was putting into clear concise set-up/punchline jokes that this was adulthood: gaslighting, Machiavellian bosses, and sheer unadulterated idiocy. And the bigger and brasher the idiot, the more glorious the victor. Adams started populating the Dilbert world with these hilarious awful figures. There was Catbert who was like the soft genteel moron in power and then there was the ultimate boss: Dogbert. Dogbert was Machiavelli incarnate. He was a manager who lived to contradict, torture, and gaslight Dilbert and the office. And Dogbert thrived. I remember reading this comic strip and Franken's book and thinking that this was pretty much Chicken Soup for the Sociopath. In very clear terms Franken was telling us where we were coming from and where political media was heading in the 21st century. Dilbert was showing us evil on a mundane level of capitalism how that is transferable to any aspect of life. More often than not the person screaming 'lies' loudest in Dilbert is the Dogbert in the middle of the most egregious lie. The thief screams 'criminal' at the person they are robbing, the racist screams 'racist' at blk ppl for not wanting to be abused.

Trump transformed into Dogbert. His spittle inflected slogan of psychobabble was so wild and illogical that it was breathtaking:

" Everything bad in the last 4 yrs is someone else's fault. All the good stuff I did. This election is a disaster. Racial sensitivity is un-American. My followers: please harass the polls. Voting is awful. I won't acknowledge democracy. So please give me 4 more years by voting in this awful system as I refuse to accept rules or limits. Oh and Law and Order. And my opinion about Nazis? Ehhh..."

There is Greatness Between Us, But Not Possessed By Us

 In Ancient Tibet master Lord Atisha was sitting with his disciple Dromtun Je.

Dromtun Je: Many ppl in Tibet are doing a wide variety of high practices, yet very few people are making any great spiritual achievements. Why?

Lord Atisha: All qualities -great or small- come from the teacher. In Tibet, you look at your teacher as normal. How can you get any great achievements out of that?

I was thinking about this conversation in regard to collaboration. Everybody wants to create the next ANGELS IN AMERICA or HAMILTON or STREETCAR DESIRE. But theatre is collaborative and great art comes from the actual spark of collaboration. In the era of MFA theatremakers, ppl look at collaborators as normal or -even worse- as servants. How can you create any great art out of that? If you treat your director or writer or actors like they are mechanical parts you move around for your ego...how can inspiration bleed into the living work? 

ANGELS IN AMERICA took several years and it was an intensive friendship/partnership/relationship between Oscar Eustis and Tony Kushner. HAMILTON took several years and it was an intensive relationship between Lin Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail. Tennessee Williams greatest work involved an intense and sustained relationship with Elia Kazan. For August Wilson it was a long-term relationship with Lloyd Richard that produced his finest work. And yet the avg director treats writers like short-term rungs on a ladder. I see so many brilliant directors who pour out of these fancy schools who are looking for the great play to direct...and so few directors willing to put in the time. 

There is a reason why there hasn't been a sustained POC collaboration between a black director and black writer since Wilson and Richards...and it has nothing to do with white theatre. If a black writer gets hot...they don't have to commit the time to forming a relationship. And if a black director gets hot they get a thousand jobs in which they hop around directing RAISIN, and MA RAINEY, and a sprinkling of new work...but no real roots are formed. The 'gig' mentality of snatching up all the opportunities at once prevents deep sustained relationships and actually kills great art. Other artists become instruments, devices, levers to manipulate before moving on. The muse fades, and then you're just cranking out theatre. Great directing becomes just efficient blocking to not waste time. Great writing loses its poetry and becomes linear and falls into Law&Order plotting. Great acting becomes mechanical (cry..now!! Okay...stop...now). 

There won't be another August Wilson-Lloyd Richards link to greatness until POC artists start talking to each other...and not just for the immediate job. Due to the collaborative nature of theatre, great art actually comes out of community and trust and empathy. I don't know any MFA programs teaching these hidden principles to great theatre. I see directors coming out of school knowing Grotowsky method and Anne Bogart's viewpoints, but few know how to see greatness in the writers, the actor, the designers. Ego and education takes hold and it becomes an exercise in displaying cleverness facilitated by shrewd administrative qualities. 

That is not to say there aren't brilliant artists out there. America is overflowing with brilliant and well-educated directors, writers, and actors. And yet, they see themselves as normal. They see their potential collaborators as normal. They see the process of creation as utilitarian. They see community as ticket sources. How can anything great come out of this mindset? We are squandering our brilliance on being clever gig'ers and politickers. And the art suffers.   

TV, Me, Diversity

 TV: I got it!  GOLDEN GIRLS but with blk ppl.

ME: ...ok. Yeah, sure why not?

TV: And...FRIENDS but with Blk ppl.

ME: It was called LIVING SINGLE, but yeah we can try. Fine.

TV: Hehehe, diversity is easy. DIRTY DANCING but w/ blk ppl: DURRTY TWERKING.

ME: there are like 30 blk movies like that.

TV: CRAZY RICH ASIANS but with blk ppl.

ME: Don't give Tyler Perry any ideas!

TV (demented cackling): MARY TYLER MOORE, but with blk ppl...and we call it MISS MARY JENKINS.  I Love Lucy...but with blk ppl and we call it I LOVE LOOSIES. Lucky Charms cereal but with blk ppl and we call it Luther Charms. McDonald's but with blk ppl and we call it-

ME: McDowell's.

TV: Yes! How did you know?

ME: There was a...nevermind.   

TV: Obama but with more blk ppl and we call it Obama n' dem'

ME: How about banks...but with blk ppl. Justice but w/ blk ppl.

TV: ...um...yeah. Or maybe Where's Waldo and we call it Where Dat Fool At?!? And you gotta find 'dat fool.'

Beyond Foreign Policy Dualism

 What I'm gleaning from foreign policy article I'm reading...

-in 2011, Libyan dictator Qadaffi threatened genocide on his ppl while the world looked on. The US intervened and helped rebel forces overthrow Qadaffi. Our actions had disastrous consequences and destabilized the region. 

-in 2013, Syrian dictator Assad threatened to slaughter his ppl and rebels. Genocide. We did not intervene and our non-action had disastrous consequences and destabilized the world. Apparently, we should have armed 'moderate' rebels in Syria.

- in the 1980s we armed moderate rebels in Afghanistan which led to disastrous consequences and they turned against America with our own training and became terrorists.

- in 2001 we armed moderate rebels in Afghanistan. 18 yrs later we're still there and the gov is still unstable and about to collapse.

-  in the 1980s we armed moderate rebels in Central America, and that led to death squads that have turned into radical gangs causing entire villages to flee from the violence to this day.

- in 1990s Somalia we armed moderate rebels, semi-intervened, and got dragged into a war.

- In Sudan, we didn't arm rebels, and the massacre has continued. 

Does anyone notice that the solution isn't arming or not arming rebels, killing or not killing dictators? The disastrous consequences seem to come regardless of our dualistic actions of kill or let them kill. So maybe we should be looking for different responses, based on different indicators? Maybe another solution is out there...

-maybe we should educate and arm the women of the countries?

- maybe the model of western capitalism that we spread around the world is a fundamentally unstable, psychotic, and dangerous system that leads to inequalities. And those inequalities give rise to religious zealots and radicals that perpetuate a cycle of fighting over small supplies and stirring endless civil war?

NYC is Back?

 Last night my sister asked if 'nyc was back?' Back from what? She heard online that nyc was back. I thought about it: is it...are we...back? Welp there is no...

- live music

- theatre

- tourism

- gatherings

- school

Offices only have 8% of their employees back. I haven't been on a subway in 6 months. My gym keeps calling me like a thirsty ex...'hey, i miss ur face...did I tell you we have new classes? Yeah...super fun...and, um, we got all the floor space you can handle...um, we are now serving crack-cocaine smoothies? Yeah, first smoothies 10 are free. Just stop by...so...please...please.'

But the infection is low. Ambulances aren't wailing around the clock to mark the spread of the plague. There are no refrigerated trucks parked next to hospital or nursing homes to serve as portable morgues. You can have a meal at a restaurant...outside...in limited capacity with waiters who are both desperate for income and anxious about the possibility of dying from a highly infectious airborne disease while serving tapas which makes for an odd sort of hospitality energy. 

Capitalism is a trip. You can be damn near death and the second your fever breaks, moneyed interests are sitting by your bedside smiling 'you're back, baby. Wow, you're glowing...you look all healthy and glistening. Those lip blisters are hawt! They look like punk girl piercings... so can we give you a work shift this week? Just tell us if you want double overtime because you kinda let us down by almost dying. It's no big deal, we just started up a tab of how much backmoney you owe us and you can pay us back at a low low interest rate.' 

Capitalism will bring you to the point of death, watch you start to get better, and then try to kill you again with false enthusiasm. 

I can't speak for everyone but my nyc is not back. My nyc is coping, managing, putting on a brave face in the middle of a long recovery. My nyc is trying to not explode in choking fits of rage at a federal gov that said 'letting them die during an election year is a good campaign strategy. We can totally blame the Dems.'  My nyc has gov attorneys sharpening their knives to go after tax fraud. My nyc is patiently seething like a slow cooker, breaking down the sinewy tendons of horror and tragedy. Boiling and breaking down the bits. Inchoate justice will not due in this case. The meal must be fully cooked. 

My nyc is not back, as in back to normal. It has crawled out of a grave to face a gathering crowd of robbers, landlords, and lies that it has to fight through like an army of zombies. NYC might do it too. It is relentless. 

Disintegration of Local Culture

Hip hop is international and -at the same time- incredibly local. In America there are no less than dozen different hip hop hubs each with their own flavors: Seattle, Bay Area, Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Myrtle Beach, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, are just the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. And then for cities like LA and New York, you can break down hip hop into neighborhoods and city blocks...each style overlapping and competing with each other as there's a difference between Compton and Inglewood and South Central...just like Queens, Brooklyn, and Bronx have their own vibe. The local hip hop culture is driven by black youths and it's strange because you don't see the same movement with white people. It seems like they have surrendered their culture to social media. It's interesting dynamic that social media unified the world but destroys the local roots because there is an impetus to compete with the world rather than establish dominion over one's block, neighborhood, and city. I think hip hop culture has been resistant to this trend because hip hop depends upon sampling the past and so young artists already need an education in their local culture to have success. You can't really be a great rapper with sense of history or geography. Half of the sport of rapping is claiming turf and showing your roots. 

Guru Yoga

 "If you've been given everything then you won't know how to ask for anything."

I was thinking about that today as more people reach out to me for help. In the past it was easy for me to racialize the inquiries into two types: POC who tip toed around asking/apologizing for making a request and white men who I have never met who ask of my free work and time because...well because they are used to getting what they want whenever. But taking it outside of race for a moment, I realized that anybody of any race can suffer from the same haughtiness. A spoiled child grows into a rotten adult. There is an approach when asking strangers. A deep ask requires humility. In Buddhist sadhanas and prayer books have a slavish and devotional tone toward teachers. They are the key to everything. Yet in Western culture teachers are the less regarded and most underpaid. It's no wonder that the ignorance gap increases with each generation. We have trained ourselves to not approach a teacher or ask. Due to public schooling we think we are all just deserving of teachings wherever we go and under any situation. Poisonous arrogance undercuts deep learning because you can't get deep knowledge from a teacher you only half respect.  What you end up with is half-ass teachings with broken information. 

I think colleges should teach a class in guru devotion. It's so important to know HOW to ask for something and why. It is the gateway to everything. As I get older, this becomes more apparent. I have to un-train myself from expecting people to help me just because I asked. 

My Toxic Romance

 I keep checking these polls like a wronged wife compulsively checks her husband's phone. I keep looking for the evidence that I will be wronged again come November. I realize I am in a toxic marriage with White America. They are serial cheaters and liars who can't quit their addiction to racism and won't even admit that it's a problem. They are caught with their knees on the neck of men, shooting women in bed, killing children in parks, numerous Karen's caught harassing blk ppl trying to just live. They are caught with statistical proof, actual verified data of their lies. And like Shaggy they go 'it wasn't me.' But I have the videos, I have the data, I have hard numbers! It wasn't me. And now finally after all these years, White America is saying 'okay...it might've been me. That was...maybe me.' It's not a full admittance and it sure as hell isn't an apology. It's a serial liar who realizes that if they continue buying into the full-on denial that it might trigger some sort of lie-based dementia or insanity. And so mostly for the sake of their own sanity they grudgingly say 'okay...maybe that was me. Maybe...just maybe I do have a problem.' But they still won't apologize and I'm not even sure they'll vote against the demented lies they have been telling.

 Even when their lies have resulted in horror and chaos, their addiction is too strong...the pull of privilege is so strong that I fear that they will eventually go into default and choose fascism over democracy, disinformation over facts, tribal cruelty over justice. I am waiting like a wronged wife waits in bed for a husband who is still out on a work night. I comb through my mind for any suspicious clues. I am waiting for 60% of white ppl to slowly trickle back to the side of denial and death and cruelty. Right now we are at about 52%. I keep checking the polls. I know it is futile. You can't stop a cheater from cheating by checking his phone, you can't stop an alcoholic from drinking by throwing out their bottles. The addiction will always find a way unless someone is willing to change. And change is so hard to believe in. Biden will manage their addiction...maybe. He won't heal it, he won't fix it, but he might be able to make them manageable. And I'll call that win...which is a sad compromise.

I am in a toxic marriage with White America. We have home, career, and something built together that is impressive and rotting from the foundation. I could divorce myself, flee to London or Paris. Other people have done it. But my pride won't let me admit that I've poured this much energy and time into a rotting relationship. And my suspicion won't let me sleep. So I keep checking the polls..waiting for my worst fears to be reconfirmed. There is a flicker of hope but it is blanketed on all sides by the darkness of cynicism and a track record.

Get What You Want: September 2020

1. RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE FELLOWSHIP

Deadline: September 10th

Website: https://radcliffe.onlineapplicationportal.com

Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world.

Radcliffe Institute fellows are in residence for a period of nine months from September 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022 and receive a stipend of $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses. Fellows are expected to be free of their regular commitments so that they may fully devote themselves to the work outlined in their proposal.

As this is a residential fellowship, fellows are expected to reside in the Greater Boston area for the duration of their fellowship. Fellows may be eligible to receive additional funds for moving expenses, childcare, and housing to aid them in making a smooth transition. Healthcare options are made available as needed.

Radcliffe Fellows receive office or studio space in Byerly Hall and full-time Harvard appointments as visiting fellows, granting them access to Harvard University’s various resources, including libraries, housing, and athletic facilities. If fellows would like to hire Harvard undergraduate students as Research Partners, we will cover their hourly wages.

Fellows are expected to engage actively with the colleagues in their cohort and to participate fully as a member of the Radcliffe community. To this end, all fellows present their work-in-progress, either in the form of a private talk for their cohort or a public lecture, in addition to attending the presentations of all other fellows during that academic year (up to two talks per week). We offer group lunches and other opportunities to connect with members of your cohort, but attendance at these is optional. Each application is reviewed in a two-tiered process–first by experts in the relevant field, then by a multidisciplinary committee charged with selecting a diverse class of fellows of the highest achievement and potential.

Applications are evaluated on the quality and significance of the proposed project and the applicant's intellectual and creative capacity, as evidenced by a strong record of achievement or extraordinary promise. We seek diversity along every dimension, including geography, ethnicity and race, stage in career, and ideological perspective. 

Project proposals should be original, well-conceived, imaginative, and feasible. 

As a uniquely multidisciplinary community, we highly value collegiality and openness to cross-disciplinary conversation. 

Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process in March 2021. 

2. Blue Pearl Theatrics

Deadline: September 10th

Website: www.bluepearltheatrics.com/

We are currently seeking writers for our upcoming project titled, ""Silver Linings"". This project is a theatrical short film featuring a series of monologues. Each monologue should be 3-10 minutes in length, and be written from the perspective of a person facing personal demons. Pieces should be written in the first-person narrative, giving an intimate account of a particularly difficult time in their lives. The narrative must be deeply introspective, take us through an emotional journey, and end with a ""silver lining"". The silver lining will be how this person/character has learned, grew and/or overcome this circumstance. 

There will be a few versions of this series touching on circumstances such as: Covid Lockdown/ Quarantine, Abortion, Family Issues, Addiction, Mental Health, etc.

There is monetary compensation, copy of video provided, and credit on media marketing materials.For immediate consideration, please email  jstein@bluepearltheatrics.com: samples of your writing, and a summary of your monologue. Place "Silver Linings Submission" in the email subject. 

3. Silent Roar

Deadline: September 11th

Website: www.silentuproarproductions.co.uk Silent Uproar is looking to support early-career playwrights who: were born, raised, and/or live in the North of England, have already completed one full-length production (60+ mins) and/or one full-length commission and whose identity is currently under-represented in modern theatre, whose identity is currently under-represented in modern theatre, and who could work well with us as a company and are interested in our style of work. Writers have always been crucial in creating this work, and we would not be where we are today without the exceptional writers we have worked with and been inspired by. Alongside creating and touring shows Silent Uproar runs a year-round support program for writers. We are determined to ensure there are as many opportunities for writers in the North of England as there are elsewhere in the country.  To apply for both the Year Long Writer Support, and the Writer Care Package, please complete the two forms below, and then email us your play script to scripts@silentuproarproductions.co.uk. We wish to use this as an opportunity to build relationships with writers so we can get to know them and their work better. If you want to get involved please send us a full draft as an example of your work. We are not asking for people to write something original for this submission window. Existing scripts- including ones submitted to other companies/venues/awards, etc, are welcome. This will help us understand how we can best collaborate in the future/what support we can give. We are looking for play scripts rather than TV scripts.

4. JAN MICHALSKI FELLOWSHIP

Deadline: September 14th

Website: www.fondation-janmichalski.com/en/residence-pour-ecrivains/devenir-resident

The Foundation features an original group of seven residential modules that are available to writers, translators, and other creative individuals for residencies of varying lengths. Hanging from the openwork canopy surrounding the Foundation, these living spaces are called “treehouses” and offer ideal conditions to anyone looking to start, continue, or put the final touches on a writing or translating project. The Jan Michalski Foundation lies at the foot of the Swiss Jura Mountains in Montricher. The village is approximately 30 minutes from Lausanne and one hour from Geneva. Residences are open to all types of writing. Priority is given to writers and translators but the residences are open to other disciplines where writing is at the heart of the project. Residencies can be granted for individual projects or projects in pairs. Applications will be assessed based on three criteria: the quality of the project, the candidate’s professional background and whether or not the duration of the stay matches the scope of the project. Beginners’ applications are assessed based on the quality of the project and the motivation they are able to convey in their application.

5. NANCY DEAN LESBIAN PLAYWRITING AWARD

Deadline: September 15th

Website: www.openmeadows.org/nancy-dean-lesbian-playwriting-award.html

In these times of social definition and refinement the age-old conflict of acceptance and the right to live our true lives as we truly are is still our continuing fight which is refined and embolden by each new generation. We understand people have their own language for their gender and sexuality. We are open to submission from people who are lesbian, queer or gay, trans, and nonbinary. We are asking professors, teachers, artistic directors, directors, literary managers, actors, writers, and others to nominate promising writers. As we want to be inclusive, we will allow people to self-nominate. The awarded playwright will receive $5000 + $1,000 from Arch Brown.

The following are our guidelines:

-Writer is lesbian, queer or gay and nonbinary;

-Writer has written at least one play;

-Writer is writing plays about lesbians;

-Writer is committed to writing plays and furthering her/their career; 

-Writer is interested in receiving the award.

How to submit:

Please send a letter(pdf) describing why your writer should receive this award and a full-length play (pdf) to openmeadowsfdn@gmail.com.

In your letter, please be as detailed as possible in up to 2 pages. Include the writer’s resume and website or other social media links.

6. CROSS AWARD

Deadline: September 15th

WEBSITE: www.crossproject.it/en/application/

LIS Lab Performing Arts – in collaboration with Fondazione Piemonte dal Vivo and Ricola – announces the fifth edition of the ‘International CROSS award’ for artists and companies in the field of performing arts and music, with particular attention to original productions focused on the close interaction between artistic creation and environment, understood as landscape, territory or community. With respect to the profound changes that shake our everyday life, CROSS Award 2020 aims to be an incubator of images and practices which are engaged on the rewriting of the present as well as the re-appropriation of public spaces.

The award aims to promote investigation and artistic expressions related to the combination of different styles and genres, considering multi-language practices and the mix of techniques and codes pertaining to the various performing arts as reward factors. The artistic creation aims to be a mean of research and intervention on the reality. Through their relational and permeable quality, performative arts represent the place to build again trust on the community and social dimension of our experience of the world. The goal of the competition is to identify new productions – thoroughly unpublished – that put in dialogue the language of the body and of the stage performance with musical composition, without any restrictions or constraints of kind, category or practice.

The call is open to individual artists, professionals and companies. The project must be submitted as a production that can be developed during the different phases of the residency and that could include multiple expressive practices at the same time (as such: dance, music composition and interpretation, DJset, live soundtrack, composition of a soundtrack, activity of noise music, theatre, body performance, urban performance and dance, walkways, participated workshops, singing, new technologies, video art, motion capture, readings, site-specific design).

For this edition will be selected 5 projects for a 15-day residence in Verbania (Italy) with a fee for the production of € 2.000,00 each.

7. NANCY DEAN LESBIAN PLAYWRIGHT AWARD

DEADLINE September 15th

WEBSITE: www.openmeadows.org/nancy-dean-lesbian-playwriting-award.html

Open to playwrights who identify as lesbian, gay, queer, trans, and nonbinary. Playwright must have written one play and am writing a play about lesbians. In these times of social definition and refinement the age-old conflict of acceptance and the right to live our true lives as we truly are is still our continuing fight which is refined and embolden by each new generation. We understand people have their own language for their gender and sexuality. We are open to submission from people who are lesbian, queer or gay, trans, and nonbinary. We are asking professors, teachers, artistic directors, directors, literary managers, actors, writers, and others to nominate promising writers. As we want to be inclusive, we will allow people to self-nominate. The awarded playwright will receive $5000 + $1,000 from Arch Brown.

The following are our guidelines:

1.   Writer is lesbian, queer or gay and nonbinary;

2.   Writer has written at least one play;

3.   Writer is writing plays about lesbians;

4.   Writer is committed to writing plays and furthering her/their career; 

 Please send a letter(pdf) describing why your writer should receive this award and a full-length play (pdf) to openmeadowsfdn@gmail.com.   In your letter, please be as detailed as possible in up to 2 pages. Include the writer’s resume and website or other social media links.   The awarded playwright will receive $5000 + $1,000 from Arch Brown.

 

8. THEATREFOLK

DEADLINE: September 15th

WEBSITE: www.theatrefolk.com/

 Theatrefolk Inc. is seeking one-act Middle School play submissions by BIPOC playwrights for immediate publication. Plays must be between 25 and 35 minutes in length. Simple staging requirements, for middle-school-aged audiences and performers. Our mission is to represent student voices and to let students know they are not alone. It has been made clear where we have succeeded and where we have failed in this pursuit. We want to do better and we want to start with Middle School plays.

Submission Criteria

·       Plays must be between 25 and 35 minutes in length.

·       Plays must have a majority of middle-school-aged characters.

·       Plays must be contemporary.

 Please submit your work via email to submissions@theatrefolk.com with a cover letter and contact information. Tell us about yourself and your play.

9. JENTEL

Deadline: September 15th

website: www.jentelarts.org/

Sitting just eight miles away from UCross is Jentel, which hosts month-long residencies year-round. The program accepts both established and emerging artists, so long as you’re dedicated to your craft and your work has a “personal voice or vision.” Though food isn’t included, they do provide a $400 weekly stipend to help with the costs of your trip. Applicants must be over the age of 25. Deadlines are January and September 15; $23 application fee.

10. PRINCETON ARTIST FELLOWSHIP

Deadline: September 15th

Website: https://arts.princeton.edu/fellowships/princeton-arts-fellowship/

Open to early-career artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise. Princeton Arts Fellowships, funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, David E. Kelley Society of Fellows in the Arts, and the Maurice R. Greenberg Scholarship Fund, will be awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching. Applicants should be early career composers, conductors, musicians, choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, poets, novelists, playwrights, designers, directors and performance artists–this list is not meant to be exhaustive–who would find it beneficial to spend two years teaching and working in an artistically vibrant university community.

Princeton Arts Fellows spend two consecutive academic years (September 1-July 1) at Princeton University and formal teaching is expected. The normal work assignment will be to teach one course each semester subject to approval by the Dean of the Faculty, but fellows may be asked to take on an artistic assignment in lieu of a class, such as directing a play or creating a dance with students. Although the teaching load is light, our expectation is that Fellows will be full and active members of our community, committed to frequent and engaged interactions with students during the academic year.

An $84,000 a year stipend is provided. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.  Holders of Ph.D. degrees from Princeton are not eligible to apply.

All applicants must submit a resume or curriculum vitae, a personal statement of 500 words about how you would hope to use the two years of the fellowship at this moment in your career, and contact information for three references. In addition, work samples are requested to be submitted online (i.e., writing sample, images of your work, video links to performances, etc.)

11. PRINCETON HODDER FELLOWSHIP

Deadline: September 15th

Website: www.arts.princeton.edu/fellowships/hodder-fellowship/

The Hodder Fellowship will be given to artists and writers of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the academic year. Potential Hodder Fellows are composers, choreographers, performance artists, visual artists, writers or other kinds of artists or humanists who have “much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts”; they are selected more “for promise than for performance.” Given the strength of the applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the “studious leisure” to undertake significant new work.

Hodder Fellows spend an academic year at Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. An $84,000 stipend is provided for this 10-month appointment as a Visiting Fellow. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.

Writers:

Please apply by submitting a resume, a 3,000-word writing sample of recent work, and a project proposal of 500 words. If you are a performance artist, include: Examples of ten minutes (total) of performance through a link* to sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Flicker, etc. If you are a visual artist, include: up to 20 still images organized into a single PDF file

If you are a musician, include: 1-2 scores and/or Examples of ten minutes (total) of performance through a link* to sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Flicker, etc.

12.Creative Support for Individuals Grant Program

DEADLINE: Sept. 18th

http://www.arts.state.mn.us/

Creative Support for Individuals is designed to help Minnesota artists and culture bearers adapt to changes in their working environment caused by the global pandemic. Grantees will be able to use funds to sustain their practice and stay relevant and connected to audiences, participants, students, or communities now and in the future. This grant program aims to help Minnesota artists and culture bearers maintain their visibility and financial sustainability by using their creativity and connections to community.

Program overview and application instructions

FY 2021 Program Overview and Application Instructions — All applicants should read this document thoroughly before beginning the online application.

There is no advantage to apply to the first versus the second deadline. The likelihood of being funded is the same for applications submitted by either deadline. 

When will funds be awarded?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting as soon as possible after the deadline that they are received. The date funds are awarded will vary based on when the application is reviewed. The first round of awards will be approved at the October board meeting; grant contracts will be issued beginning in November 2020. Once awarded, grantees will have one year to use the funds. 

Who can apply?

Carefully review the eligibility requirements in the Overview document.

Grant range

Applicants may request between $2,000 - $6,000. No cash match is required.

Resources for applicants

Webinar

Applicants are encouraged to view this  informational webinar for additional information about the program.

If you have questions or need assistance

If you have questions about the content of the application form or narrative, please contact the program officer team:

CreativeSupport-Individuals@arts.state.mn.us

(651) 539-2670

Apply.Arts@state.mn.us

13. BROOKLYN ARTS FUND

Deadline: September 18th

Website: www.brooklynartscouncil.submittable.com/submit

Brooklyn-based artists, artist collectives and Brooklyn-based 501c3 organizations with budgets under $100,000/year. Applicants may not have applied to DCLA for FY2021 funding.

Project eligibility* 

High-quality local visual, literary, folk, theater, music, dance, interdisciplinary and/or multi-disciplinary arts projects that engage a diverse array of Brooklyn’s communities. All proposals must show other sources of income for at least 10% of the overall budget. 

Funding Priorities

This program is appropriate for arts and culture makers developing projects that contribute to the rich creative experiences that engage audiences all across the borough. Competitive applicants will clearly identify the audience they strive to reach, and articulate how the project’s outcome(s) will impact the cultural life of the borough. Brooklyn-based 501c3 organizations and individual artists with Brooklyn residency may apply directly to this program. Program areas of funding include: dance, film, folk arts, interdisciplinary arts, literary arts, multi-disciplinary arts, music, theatre and visual arts.

Review Criteria

Taking into account the specific goal of this program, panels recommend funding according to the following equally important criteria: 

Artistic merit of the proposed project

Quality and clarity of application narrative and budget

Demonstrated community support for and interest in the project 

Audience benefit to be derived from the project 

Non-duplication of similar project in type of programming, geographic area, and/or community served 

Clearly defined ability to successfully complete the project 

14. JONATHAN LARSON GRANT

Deadline: September 24th

Website: www.americantheatrewing.org/program/jonathan-larson-grants/

The Jonathan Larson Grants are intended to honor and recognize emerging musical theatre artists. Composers, lyricists, and librettists who work in musical theatre are the focus of the grants. ATW is committed to serving artists who are creating new, fully producible works for the theatre, and advancing the art form. The grants do not honor a specific piece or project. Grant awards are based on merit, and are intended for those artists with a demonstrated commitment and dedication to a career in musical theatre. Further, the grants are not intended to be scholarships, and artists applying for grants should be working professionally in the field. Individuals may apply as lyricists, composers, librettists, or any combination of the three. Collaborative teams may apply together as composer, lyricist, and/or librettist, or any combination of the three. Collaborators who work together regularly are strongly encouraged to apply as a team. If your collaborative team has more than three individuals, please contact the ATW offices. Required Materials–Applicants must submit the following through our online portal to be considered: Artistic Statement—on the form provided, describe your achievements and goals for your career as a creative artist or collaborative team (one per application). Please do not make specific monetary requests as part of the application. Creative Curriculum Vitae—productions/workshops/readings, educational history, and including list of awards (one for each applicant or each member of a team, please submit multiple CVs in one, combined .pdf or .doc file). Work Sample List: Applicants are also required to submit a comprehensive Work Sample List; a list of all the song and libretto selections with authorship information. Work samples are only required in accordance with your application focus.

The Jonathan Larson Grants are intended to honor and recognize emerging musical theatre writers. We are aware that artists work in multiple disciplines; and while it is not necessary that you only work in musical theatre, selections of representative work submitted for the grant must be for musical theatre.  Applications submitting oratorios, operas, symphonic scores, or film scores will not be considered.

15. THEATRE VISCERA

DEADLINE: September 25th

WEBSITE: www.theatreviscera.com/work-with-us-playwrights

We are only able to accept the first 100 submissions, upon which the submission period will close. If we reach our cap of 100 submissions before the stated close date we will make an announcement on our website and social media that the contest will close the following day. 

As the situation with the Coronavirus and COVID-19 continues to develop, we are moving to virtual work for the time being in order to continue our commitment to telling queer stories while focusing on the health and safety of our community. We are therefore accepting submissions for the 2021 Podcast season with Theatre Viscera. We are looking for pieces that will read well in a podcast format, but we are not producing Radio Plays. This is a great opportunity to send us weird work that might be “less producible” because of strange conventions or unique storytelling.

At this time we are accepting only one submission per playwright. Submissions may be full length plays, a collection of one acts totally no more than 100 minutes reading time, or a collection of 10 minute plays totally no more than 100 minutes reading time. Submissions must be between 60-100 minutes of reading time, or about 60-100 pages of formatted script.

For collections of one acts or 10 minute plays, we are accepting collaborations as long as the individual pieces have a through line of plot, theme, or theatrical device. We are not accepting musicals at this time. We have a preference for pieces with modest cast lists (8 characters or less.) We have a preference for pieces that tell  stories of trans and GNC characters, as well as stories at the intersections of oppression; disabled queer characters, BIPOC queer characters, etc. We are looking for plays by queer artists, about queer characters, for queer actors.

For your submission please include: A cover page with a brief synopsis and cast breakdown; Your full script as a PDF or Word Doc formatted appropriately; Your artist bio and contact information, including your pronouns.

Email submissions to theatreviscera@gmail.com and use subject line “Podcast Play Submission”.

16.  THE DOROTHY AND LEWIS B. CULLMAN CENTER FOR SCHOLARS AND WRITERS FELLOWSHIP

DEADLINE: September 25

WEBSITE: www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/center-for-scholars-and-writers/fellowships-at-the-cullman-center

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. Visual artists whose projects require extensive use of Library collections are also encouraged to apply. The Center 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. Successful candidates for this Fellowship will need to work primarily at the Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library. Applications from those working in languages other than English are welcome; however, the applicant must be conversant in English, and the application materials must be in English. 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 stipends for Fellows who spend too much time away from the Center. Fellowships will not be granted for academic projects to post-doctoral fellows or to applicants doing graduate-school dissertation research. The Cullman Center will not accept dossier letters in place of new letters of recommendation.

We offer a $75,000 stipend.

17. LIVERMORE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Deadline: September 26th

Website: https://livermoreshakes.org/

Up to $6,000 playwright commission (full length play) with Livermore Shakespeare Festival (LSF).

This commission is for a playwright of color to celebrate scientists of color while exploring a current science theme. The selected playwright will be tasked with writing an original play which includes a component about scientific research currently pursued by our local Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Many possibilities include using supercomputers to identify a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment candidates. We will partner the selected playwright with advisory support from scientists at the LLNL and/or Sandia National Laboratory.

Here is a link to the request for qualifications (RFQ) as well as the details of the commission. www.Livermoreshakes.org/ScienceAtPlay . There you will see our program called “Science At Play” under which this commission falls. The RFQ goes into much greater detail about the commission. Please know that you MUST follow the submission guidelines. Failure to adhere to submission guidelines will disqualify you from the commission opportunity.

18. FOREWORD: NEW WORK SERIES

Deadline: September 30th

Website: https://www.prologuetheatre.org/submissions.html

Prologue Theatre is launching FOREWORD: A New Works Series. We will be selecting 5 new works to be workshopped via Zoom from November 2020-March 2021. All necessary info is listed below.

PROLOGUE THEATRE’S MISSION: “Prologue Theatre understands that it can be difficult, at times, to begin conversations about “certain topics” and focuses on presenting theatre that can serve as that starting point. Through theatrical performance, coupled with community discussion, we strive to challenge our community to examine and discuss their views of the world and those around them. Our focus is on those who are in the process of finding their own voice - whether 15 or 115 years old – and are looking for a place where they can hone those viewpoints by examining world issues within (and with) their community.”

BIPOC AND/OR LGBTQIA+ PLAYWRIGHTS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

PROLOGUE THEATRE IS COMMITTED TO A MINIMUM OF 50% BIPOC ARTISTS IN ALL CASTING.

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

-Selected works will be workshopped Monday-Friday for 2 weeks.

-Selected playwrights will receive a payment of $500/week.-Selected works will have one closed reading at the end of week 1 for Prologue’s staff, and a public reading at the end of week 2 for a virtual audience.

PLAY REQUIREMENTS:

-Scripts must be original works.

-Must be at least 50 pages long.

-No musicals.

-Must be able to be read with a maximum of 6 actors.

-Must be able to be cast with a minimum of 50% BIPOC artists.

-Must fit Prologue Theatre’s mission.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

-PDF copy of script.

-A synopsis of your play.

-A cover letter telling us a little bit about yourself and why you think your play fits Prologue’s mission.

19. CAPE COD THEATRE PROJECT

Deadline: September 30th

Website: www.capecodtheatreproject.org/apply/

Playwrights may send one play per season for consideration. The proposed play must still be in development and cannot have received a professional production, or a production that has been reviewed, prior to August 2020.

To apply, please email a PDF of the script to capecodlit@gmail.com. Please label the document using your first and last name as well as the play’s title. For example: janesmithplaytitle.pdf

In addition, please include in your email a short biography and a brief artistic statement on how you propose to use your development time at CCTP. The bio and statement of intentions should be included in the body of the email.

As we rely on the kindness of our donors for housing, we usually limit our cast sizes to no more than six actors, though there have been exceptions.

In addition, please include in your email a short biography and a brief artistic statement on how you propose to use your development time at CCTP. The bio and statement of intentions should be included in the body of the email. As we rely on the kindness of our donors for housing, we usually limit our cast sizes to no more than six actors, though there have been exceptions.

20. WINDING ROAD

DEADLINE: 9/30

WEBSITE: http://www.windingroadtheater.org

Winding Road Theater Ensemble is pleased to announce that we will begin accepting submissions for our third annual Eight 10s in Tucson Ten-Minute Play Festival on September 1, 2020. Submissions will be accepted until September 30, 2020, or until we receive 300 submissions, whichever comes first.

Eight original scripts will be chosen from hundreds of blind submissions from playwrights all over the U.S.. All genres encouraged! The 2021 Eight 10s In Tucson ONLINE festival will run online June – August 2021.  

21. ADIRONDACK THEATRE FESTIVAL

Deadline: October 1st

Website: https://www.atfestival.org/about/contact/

ATF produces new scripts of the highest caliber throughout each season. To help fulfill this mission, we welcome the opportunity to read submissions from skilled playwrights who feel their work would be a good fit at the Adirondack Theatre Festival.

**Please note our new policy. Submissions are now accepted from Aug. 15-Oct. 1 only. This new policy is to help us manage the large volume of submissions we receive and ensure that your play is heavily considered during the fall season selection period.

If you are interested in submitting your play to be considered for future seasons at ATF, please send the following via email to Literary@ATFestival.org:

Full PDF version of the script (Word also accepted)

Brief (3-5 sentence) synopsis of the play

Production history—including any readings, workshop or full productions 

Professional playwright resume or bio

Please note: all submissions MUST be sent electronically. Unpublished full-length plays and musicals only. Plays submitted via email can be sent either by the playwright or by a literary agent on the playwright’s behalf. Due to the high volume of inquiries we receive, please allow a few weeks for a response acknowledging receipt of your script. ATF does not provide dramaturgical feedback.

22. MILLAY COLONY OF ARTISTS

Deadline: October 1st

Website: www.artistcommunities.org/residencies/millay-colony-arts

This small artist’s colony occupies the former estate of Edna St. Vincent Millay in upstate New York, offering two-week and month-long residencies to six or seven artists between the months of April and November. Unlike many other residencies, they don’t emphasize social events or speakers, instead preferring for you to focus on producing your art. There are no costs, and food is included. You can also apply for a virtual residency or a group residency if you’re collaborating with partners. Application deadlines are March 1 and October 1 each year.

23. WOMEN’S WORK PROJECT

Deadline October 4th

Website: https://www.newperspectivestheatre.org/ww-project-index

The WOMEN’S WORK LAB for short plays provides a supportive and nurturing environment to emerging and mid-career women playwrights. Six members are selected each year, along with a similar number of directors. The LAB meets monthly (Sundays) from February through June, allowing for time in between sessions for writers to continue to develop and revise their work in response to feedback. Members are expected to bring work to each session beginning with the development of an original short play based upon an assigned theme.

Since its creation in 1994, NPTC Women’s Work Project has had the goal of not only helping to develop specific plays, but to support residents’ growth as accomplished and skilled playwrights—to give writers added tools in the practice of their craft and to strengthen their individual voices. Our focus has always been on bringing scripts to production quality. 

Playwrights receive monthly feedback on their play from the LAB’s group of director/dramaturgs. In a process unique to NPTC, feedback is given in a unified manner so playwrights do not have conflicting advice about what to work on. NPTC’s approach creates a collaborative group from which members can draw inspiration and energy. Scripts are then produced in our annual Women's Work Short Play Festival.

24. SO QUEER PLAY FESTIVAL (Richmond Triangle Players)

Deadline: October 9th 

Website: https://soqueer.org/about/

As RTP begins the submission process to find a playwright to develop a musical and/or non-musical full-length work, we are strictly looking for material that falls into our stated mission. For purposes of the Festival, preference will be given to southern playwrights and themes.

Richmond Triangle Players is looking for musical and non-musical full-length works that average a runtime of 60 to 120 minutes with no more than 7 performers featured. While we produce a variety of styles and genres, please keep in mind our spatial restrictions: our stage is 28’ by 20’ without wings or fly space.

We remain open to a large spectrum of musical and non-musical works for the submission process and appreciate everything from avant-garde to traditional approaches that a playwright might take. We are ultimately looking for a voice rather than a perfect script.

Submissions are limited to one work per playwright; we will not consider resubmissions.

Plays/Musicals must be unpublished and unproduced at the time of submission. This does not include workshops, staged readings, or developmental productions. All entries must be withheld from production during the period of the competition, reserving the premiere production for Richmond Triangle Players at a later date.

25. PLAYWRIGHTS FIRST

Deadline: October 10th

Website: www.playwrights-first.com/how-to-submit.html

Playwrights First consists of a panel of judges looking for original unproduced plays with a unique point of view, founded by Carolyn French. Requires one, original, unproduced play in English. Hard copies no longer accepted. No adaptations, translations, or musicals will be accepted. Include a summary of your playwriting history with your play.  $1,000 grant and a professional reading when feasible. 

26. BAY AREA PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Deadline window: Sept 4-Oct 16th  (Application goes live on site on Sept 4th)

Website: https://playwrightsfoundation.org/2020-21-play-submissions/

Applications for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival are open to any playwrights living in North America and writing primarily in English (multilingual plays are accepted) who consider themselves either an emerging writer (of any age) or mid-career playwright.  Playwrights Foundation is strongly committed to developing the work of emerging and mid-career writers, and we offer other opportunities for more established playwrights and long-time alums to continue sharing work with us. 

We invite playwrights to apply for the 44th Bay Area Playwrights Festival, where ultimately, four to five plays will be chosen for development. The reading process spans several months and everyone who applies will receive notification of their status before we announce BAPF’s 2021 summer festival. Applications must be full-length, unproduced and original plays in PDF form. We do accept adaptations, but not translations. Plays that have previously received a workshop or university production are considered unproduced. 

Only one application is allowed per playwright. If you were selected for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival we ask you observe a one-year hiatus from applying for the festival. Playwrights can submit a new draft of a play they previously submitted during one additional submission cycle. We will not accept new drafts of plays that have been submitted in at least two previous submission cycles. We do not accept musicals at this time.

Playwrights chosen for the festival will be paired with an artistic team composed of a professional dramaturg, director, and actors, and other artists as needed. The lead artistic team members will go on a 3-day retreat the weekend prior to the festival, and will subsequently receive two staged readings over two weeks, each one separated by five to six days for rehearsals and rewrites. Local and national producers, theater artists and the general public are invited to the festival to see the staged readings and meet the playwrights.

We want to emphasize that the public staged readings are not intended as a showcase for a finished play, and the readings are advertised to our audiences as rehearsals rather than performances; our festival actively fosters the creative process of playmaking, and not “finishing” the work before the public reading. We equally value the creative work in the room and the public readings as opportunities to advance each individual playwright’s developmental goals. Our organization also values connecting playwrights to creative partners and producers. 

Checklist before applying:

A full-length Script in PDF form, titled LastNameFirstName_PlayTitle_DraftDate

Resume in PDF form, titled LastNameFIrstName_Resume

A list of three Development Goals (500 words max)

A 1-2 sentence synopsis of your play

You are a playwright living in North America writing primarily in English (Multilingual plays accepted).

You have read our website and acknowledge the defined terms.

Application fees will be prompted at the end, and are Pay What You Can. If you would like to request a Fee Waiver, please contact literary@playwrightsfoundation.org

 

27. REVA SHINER COMEDY AWARD

Deadline: October 31st

Website: newplays.org/submit-a-play/reva-shiner-comedy/

The Reva Shiner Comedy Award presents an unpublished full-length comedy with a cash prize of $1,000, a full production as part of the Bloomington Playwrights Project’s Mainstage season, along with travel reimbursement. We are currently accepting submissions for the 2021-22 Season. Scripts must be submitted by October 31, 2020.

Guidelines for Submissions

“Full-length” plays should 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.

Each submission should be sent to BPP via email. Send your email to literarymanager@newplays.org

28. ALMOST ADULT PRODUCTIONS

DEADLINE: open-ended

WEBSITE: www.theatresantafe.org/auditions

Almost Adults Productions is looking for 10-15 minute LGBTQ+ themed plays for an ongoing reading series to be presented on Zoom starting this summer. Writers do not have to be LGBTQ+ identified, but their material should be thematically relevant to the queer community. There is no requirement for premiere status. Writers will be asked to participate in the production of their reading but Almost Adults can help out wherever needed. At least one rehearsal will be required prior to each reading.  Send plays as Word or PDF documents to Aaron Leventman at writingcoachsf@gmail.com. Questions may be sent to this address as well. Writers may send up to three plays and will be notified within one month of submission.   We are also looking for actors and directors for this series. Please send an email if interested in participating.

29. Theatre [Untitled] 

Deadline: Open

Website: /www.theatreuntitled.com

We are seeking original plays or musicals that celebrate stories not yet told on stage and uplift underrepresented people. Women, BIPOC, and LQBTQ+ strongly encouraged to submit. We are always looking for new pieces to produce. We are committed to exposing up and coming playwrights and their works.

If you would like to submit your play to us, please email theatreuntitled@theatreuntitled.com with the subject line "New Play Submission" with:

Your play as a PDF and

Tell us a little about yourself and your artistic viewpoint in the body of the email.

http://www.theatreuntitled.com

30. THE O'NEILL NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHT CONFERENCE

Deadline: September 4-October 9th

website:  https://www.theoneill.org/npc

Founded in 1964, the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is the country’s premier institution for new play development. Every summer, six to eight unproduced works are selected from a pool of 1,000+ submissions for a playwright-driven workshop on the O’Neill’s campus in beautiful Waterford, CT. At every step in the process, the O’Neill strives to foster an inclusive, collaborative environment in which artistic exploration and experimentation is encouraged.