GET WHAT YOU WANT: MARCH 2022

 1. NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB

DEADLINE: March 1st

WEBSITE: https://nama.media/7th-annual-virtual-native-american-tv-writers-lab-call-for-applications/

The 7th Annual NATIVE AMERICAN TV WRITERS LAB call for applications is now open. The lab is sponsored by Amazon Studios and Kung Fu Monkey Productions. The lab  is an online five-week intensive script writers program that prepares Native Americans for writing careers at major television networks. The lab takes place mid – April through late May of 2022 and offers 7 Native American writers an opportunity to participate. Each participant will complete an original pilot during the five-week program and receive feedback from peers and an experienced writing instructor.

During the virtual lab, fellows meet with executives and literary representation from several of our industry partners. Scripts from the lab are read by several of our network and studio partners as well as being included in the Native Writes database. The Native American TV Writers lab will culminate in a pitch workshop during the 16th Annual LA SKINS FEST in November, 2022.  Each Native writer will pitch their scripts to creative executives from numerous production entities. Past executives have come from Bad Robot, Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros. and United Talent Agency.

The Native American TV Writers Lab was created in accordance with the Barcid Goundation’s mission to improve media portrayals of native americans and to increase the number of native americans employed in all facets of the media industry. The lab is designed to familiarize participants with the format, characters and storyline structure of television. The five-week, total immersion workshop will be mentored and guided by an experienced writer with industry credits. The lab will be conducted virtually with a maximum of 7 writers accepted and will consist of group discussions, one on one meetings and workshops. One of the main components to be introduced is the writers room. This is an opportunity to have each participant’s script offered up in a professional capacity as a new television script. All of the writers will participate in offering ideas, suggestions, and thoughts on making each script a strong piece. The goal is that the writers garner the skills necessary to obtain employment in the industry.

2.BLACK MOTHERHOOD AND PARENTING NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: March 15th

WEBSITE: www.bmpfestival.com 

Since 2008, Blackboard Plays has been devoted to Black Playwrights throughout the African Diaspora.  Blackboard Reading Series was incubated at Nancy Manocherian's the cell in Chelsea's Manhattan as a resident series for 10 years before Blackboard made its home in The Mary Rodgers Room at The Dramatists Guild in 2018.  Feature Readings and Community Nights are two ways that Blackboard supports the development of new work by Black Playwrights. 

Blackboard Plays and Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) partner to uplift the experiences of Black Parenthood. The Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival was established to tell stories from and about Black artists with families.Please submit up to 10 pages MAX of a play that you would develop into a One-Act (30 - 45 minutes.)

Ten (10) Semi-Finalists will have a feature digital (zoom) reading as part of Blackboard Plays’  ‘21-22 Season.  Four (4) Finalists will develop their One-Act centering on the Black parenting and caregiving experience to premiere digitally during the Fall of 2022.

• If you are chosen as one of our ten (10) semi-finalists, we will request the full script for review.

• Diverse Gender representation will be prioritized in the review and selection process.

• Each produced play will have digital production elements and an assigned director.

Although we ask for a sample of 10-pages, this is not a 10-minute play festival. . Video Submissions will not be accepted.The Final four (4) plays will be produced virtually.   Pending partner theatre preferences, we will consider a hybrid presentation. Vaccination will be required for all participants of in-person productions

Each of the four (4) Finalists will be paid a stipend of $1,000. USD, as well as $500 USD Caregiver Reimbursement Stipend per artist. 

 While we encourage new work we also support the developmental process.  If your piece is in development, has had a reading, or been produced at smaller theatres then send it along. 

3. STRONGBOX THEATER IN THE PARK FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: March 1st, 2022

WEBSITE: www.strongboxtheater.com

Strongbox Theater in East Rockaway, New York seeks submissions for our "STRONGBOX in the PARK" short play festival. This outdoor, free or pay what you wish, event will feature 6-7 short plays performed over three weekends this summer by a professional team of actors and theater makers.

Submitted plays should be no longer than 20 pages in length and be original, unpublished works (it is fine if the script has been produced previously). Scripts with large casts are acceptable, as are monologue shows. Comedies or plays with lighter tones are encouraged, but plays of any genre or tone will be accepted and seriously considered. Playwrights from communities underrepresented in the theater field are strongly encouraged to apply and submissions from anywhere will be accepted. 

Only one play per playwright please. Each selected play will receive 9 performances, weather permitting, July 22 - August 7, in East Rockaway, New York.

Submissions can be sent via email to info@strongboxtheater.com. Submissions must include a title page with the playwright's name, contact information, as well as a resume. We will accept submissions through March 1st. Playwrights will be awarded a $75 honorarium if their play is selected.

4. THE PLAYWRIGHTS' CENTER'S CORE APPRENTICE PROGRAM

DEADLINE: March 4th

WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/core-apprentice?mc_cid=6a31d4bc7b&mc_eid=7ef197c927

The Playwrights' Center's Core Apprentice program is offered in partnership with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Each year the Playwrights' Center will offer fully funded play development workshops for three student playwrights combined with a nine-month mentorship with a professional playwright. 

Eligibility:

1. Any current student (graduate or undergraduate) or recent grad from a New Plays on Campus (NPOC) Member School may apply for the Core Apprentice program. Schools will no longer be limited to three students, and there is no need for a faculty nomination, only a letter of recommendation from someone chosen by the applicant. 

2. Recent grads are eligible to apply for the Core Apprentice program up to one year after they graduate. This means that anyone who graduated in 2021 from a New Plays on Campus school is eligible to apply for the 2022-23 Core Apprentice program.

The three writers selected for the Core Apprentice development experience will receive: a professional mentorship with an established playwright who will read the student's work, provide career advice, and serve as a connection to the field; recognition on the Playwrights' Center website and consulting opportunities with Playwrights' Center artistic staff; Playwrights' Center Membership for two years; professional development and educational opportunities; an intensive workshop with professional actors, a dramaturg, and a director; a $500 stipend for the workshop in March 2023. Applicants do not need to be residents of Minnesota.

Each application will contain the following pieces:

-Application Form (including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information)

-Professional Resume

Include a professional resume that details work, education, and life experiences that are relevant to this opportunity.

-One-page Artistic Statement

-Script Sample

Please submit a 15- to 25-page sample of the script that you are proposing to workshop. Please include a brief play synopsis and casting description at the beginning of the sample. Be sure your name and the play title are on the cover page. All script submissions must be written only by the applicant—no co-written submissions will be accepted. Scripts for musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. If you advance to the finalist round, you will be asked for the full script, but please only submit a play for which you have a complete, full-length draft. Full-length plays are defined as those that run at least one hour in performance.

-One Letter of Recommendation

Questions may be addressed to University Programs and Partnerships Assistant Shalee Mae Cole Mauleón at shaleec@pwcenter.org.

5. 2022 GOTHAM TV SERIES LAB

DEADLINE: March 4th

WEBSITE: https://thegotham.org/apply/labs/screen-forward-lab/

The Gotham TV Series Lab annually selects 10 narrative series projects — all in development and written or created by first-time series creators — and provides the creative teams behind these projects with key support through the strategy, marketing, and exposure of their work. 

The TV-Series Lab participants will convene two times in the year. First during a week-long virtual lab in the spring (TV-Series Lab), then pitching their project at the Gotham Week Project Market in September.

As part of the participation in the TV-Series Lab, selected projects are pitching in the Project Market at Gotham Week, which takes place in Brooklyn each September. At Gotham Week, Lab Fellows can connect with key industry members — producers and EPs, production companies, management companies, platforms and more — to help move their projects forward. 

The Gotham is looking for 10 outstanding debut or “breakthrough” series creators working independently on fiction episodic projects in development created for TV and digital platforms. The series project submitted to the Lab is not necessarily the Creator’s first work on a series, but displays a bold and innovative talent whose unique vision suggests significant future accomplishment. Series Creators who have won or been nominated for significant episodic awards (Primetime Emmys, Golden Globe, Gotham Awards, etc.) for other digital and/or television episodic works are ineligible. Series Creators who have created prominent web series will be judged on a case by case basis. Series Creators with prominent experience in the TV Industry looking for Industry connections and exposure of their project are invited to directly apply to Gotham Week.

After participating in the program, past Gotham TV-Series Lab alumni have gone on to, among other successful stories: find partners and executive producers; connect and sign deals with production companies; work in writer’s rooms; find representation with top management companies; have their project acquired by television and streaming companies

All submissions will be notified of their status by mid-April 2022. Questions? Please contact Gotham Senior Manager, Gabriele Capolino (gcapolino@thegotham.org) 

6. CANTHIUS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

DEADLINE: March 5th, 2022

WEBSITE: http://www.canthius.com/submissions

Submissions are now OPEN for Issue 10, guest-edited by Sanna Wani! We will be accepting works of poetry and prose from January 31 to March 5, 2022. Please read below for specific guidelines. Please note that Canthius celebrates poetry and prose by women, trans men, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming writers. Canthius is committed to publishing diverse perspectives and experiences and strongly encourages Indigenous women, Black women, and women of colour, to submit. 

We consider unpublished work of poetry and prose (both fiction and creative non-fiction). We welcome experimental works and play excerpts. Please limit prose submissions to 3500 words and poetry submissions to five poems. For play excerpts, please limit submissions to 5-8 pages. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please let us know if another publication accepts work you've submitted to Canthius.

Along with your submission, please include a cover letter with your name, home address, email address, phone number, the date, and the name(s) of the piece(s) you're submitting. If you are comfortable disclosing your racial background and/or gender identity in your cover letter, we encourage you to do so. This information will be held in confidence and will be used solely to help us uphold our mandate to publish diverse work. For prose submissions, please include a word and page count in your cover letter. Finally, your cover letter should include a short bio that tells us a bit about yourself and lists your previous publications, if any. Please include a header on each page of your submission with your name.

We respond to all submissions by email. Our average response time is 12 to 15 weeks. Please be sure to designate Canthius as an approved sender to prevent our response from being caught in your email spam filters.

Writers accepted for publication will receive $50 for one page, $75 for two pages, $100 for three, $125 for four pages, and $150 for five pages or more, regardless of genre. Contributors will also receive a complimentary copy of the issue and a discounted price on any further copies of the issue in which their work appears. 

7. NBC TV WRITERS PROGRAM

DEADLINE: March 7th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.nbcuniversallaunch.com/tv-writers-program

The NBC TV Writers Program is for emerging diverse episodic television writers with the goal of creating the next generation of showrunners and content creators. The program, which replaces the long-standing Writers on the Verge, develops diverse writers whose distinct points of view and lived experiences provide unique perspectives to the writers’ room.

During the eight-month program, writers develop an original pilot to which they retain all rights.  They are paired with NBCUniversal programming executives from the NBCU Television and Streaming portfolio and Universal Studio Group who mentor them, as they write their original pilot and polish samples for staffing consideration. 

Writers also attend weekly evening workshops to enhance their creative and professional skills, including branding, pitching, and interviewing, as well as expand on their knowledge of the ever-changing television landscape. Additionally, they have opportunities to learn from and build relationships with industry professionals, including network and studio executives, showrunners, agents, and managers.

At the conclusion of the program, participating writers will be considered for available staff writer positions on NBCU Television and Streaming as well as Universal Studio Group series. 

Applicants are encouraged to review the FAQs carefully as they are designed to guide you in creating a strong submission.

• Applicants must be authorized to work legally in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not offered to program participants.

• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age as of September 1, 2022.

• Entertainment industry experience is not required.

• While in the program, applicants must reside in Los Angeles as weekly workshops are in-person.

• Writers who have received a staff writer credit on more than one streaming, cable, or broadcast television scripted series are ineligible and cannot apply.

• Writing teams can apply.  Pilot samples submitted by writing teams must be co-written by both individuals applying to the program.

8. RESPECTABILITY LABS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONALS WITH DISABILITIES

DEADLINE: March 11, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.respectability.org/respectability-la-lab/

RespectAbility’s fourth annual innovative Entertainment Lab for entertainment professionals with disabilities is a 6-week, 12-session Lab for people with experience in development, production and/or post-production, and careers as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, animators, and other production roles. This is not a program for actors.

The Entertainment Lab aims to help develop and elevate the talent pipeline of professionals with disabilities working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while introducing them to studio executives and other decision makers who will advise Lab Fellows on various aspects of the industry and their craft. Lab alumni currently are working at Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Disney, and more. 

This year we are excited to return to an in-person Lab and offer a virtual version for those who would find an in-person Lab inaccessible. Sessions for both include:

• Presentations, roundtables, and other workshops with high-level executives and talent from major studios, networks, and production companies

• Informal networking with your cohort

• Project workshops and table reads

Important Details for Lab Applicants

• Excellent communication and organizational skills are strongly preferred, and participants should exhibit leadership skills to complete their own projects.

• A bachelor’s degree is not required as long as applicants have acquired the skills needed for their chosen career path in another way.

• Commit for 12 sessions over six weeks.

• The value of this Lab is thousands of dollars. However, there is no cost to apply for or participate in this competitive program.

• While people at all income levels are encouraged to apply, extra consideration will be given to people on SSI, SNAP, and TANF.

• Up to 20 candidates will be selected for each Lab.

• Your application materials will be evaluated by RespectAbility staff members as well as faculty advisors who are experts in each field. View the 2021 Faculty Advisors: www.respectability.org/respectability-la-lab-2021.

RespectAbility provides ASL interpreters and captioning for all educational and related networking events, and welcomes other accommodations requests. For questions pertaining to the Summer Lab, please contact Jacquill Moss at Lab@RespectAbility.org.

9. THE OVERTIME THEATRE NEW WORKS PROGRAM

DEADLINE: March 12th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://theovertimetheater.org

The Overtime Theater in San Antonio, Texas is seeking new works from playwrights who self-identify as women, transwomen, or nonbinary individuals for its 2022 New Play Development Series. The chosen play will be given a staged reading at the Overtime Theater on March 10, 2022 in celebration of Women’s History Month. The script submissions window is open from Feb. 8, 2022 until 11:59 p.m. Mar. 12, 2022. 

Though full-length plays are welcome, the Overtime especially seeks previously unproduced one-act plays that require one to four actors, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The chosen play (or plays) will be given two rehearsals and one staged reading, which includes an audience feedback session. 

Devoted to producing new and original work, the Overtime is particularly interested in bold, innovative plays from across the female spectrum that are both provocative and entertaining. 

For environmental reasons, the Overtime Theater is unable to accept script submissions delivered by mail or in person. Only submissions in a Word document or PDF will be considered. Applicants should use the title of the play as the name of the document, followed by the full name of the playwright. One play per applicant. The Overtime accepts submissions from writers based in the U.S. or Canada.

The Overtime Theater, an all-volunteer organization, compensates playwrights with one equal share of donations to our tip jar at the end of the play’s one-night presentation. 

Submissions should be sent to submissions@theovertimetheater.org. Attn: Jade Esteban Estrada, artistic director.

10. FESTIVAL OF XIII

DEADLINE: March 15th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.brockport.edu/academics/theatre_music/festival_of_ten.html

The Department of Theatre and Music Studies at SUNY Brockport is pleased to announce its 13th Biennial Festival of Ten-Minute Plays.

Brockport’s Festival of Ten began in 1999, and every two years since then audiences have enjoyed these performances consisting of 10 ten-minute plays. Our Festival of Ten has grown over the years and now has an International reputation, with playwrights from as far away as Australia. For each festival we accept 500 submissions, ultimately selecting ten to produce. Plays can be submitted beginning March 15, 2022, until May 1, 2022, or until we reach 500 submissions.

Submission Guidelines

• All plays will be submitted online. Submitted plays should have the name of the playwright removed.

• Each script must have a running time of 7–14 minutes.

• Only original scripts allowed.

• Maximum of two scripts per playwright.

• Plays that have been read or performed in any manner for a paying audience prior to submission are not accepted.

• Plays written by current  Brockport Department of Theatre and Music Studies faculty and staff (full and part-time) are not accepted.

• Entries will be acknowledged via email.

• Only the first 500 scripts received will be considered.

• The top ten scripts will be produced in fully realized productions as part of the SUNY Brockport’s Festival of Ten XIII (February/March 2023).

Finalists will be notified by November 30, 2023. If you are unsure how to format your play, view this website for an example. If you have questions or need more information, please email festivalof10@brockport.edu.

11. ISA DIVERSITY INITIATIVE

DEADLINE: March 17th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.networkisa.org/contest/view/isa-diversity-intiative

The International Screenwriters’ Association’s Diversity Initiative strives to elevate writers from underrepresented and marginalized communities. We are seeking writers with unique perspectives based on race, sexuality, gender, neurodiversity, disability, economic inequality, age and other. Our aim is to break down barriers and celebrate authentic narratives. 

Exceptional writers will be considered for acceptance onto the ISA Development Slate, the top tier of ISA writers. The ISA supports, applauds and promotes these writers to producers, managers and agents in Hollywood and beyond, forging relationships and building careers. Selected writers will also receive an ISAConnect Membership plus other benefits.

 

Projects to Be Considered By: Producer and Director Randall Winston (Scrubs, Cougar Town, Grace and Frankie), Radicle Act Productions, One Community, and executives from HBOMax, Miramax, Lifetime and Intrigue.

12. CLUBBED THUMB BIENNIAL COMPETITION

DEADLINE: March 20th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.clubbedthumb.org/biennial-commission

Every other year Clubbed Thumb invites playwrights to propose plays inspired by a particular prompt. The application is open to all, and read blind. The winning proposal(s) receive (or split) a $15,000 award and two years of development support. We are pleased to announce our next Biennial Commission.

For this commission, we invite you to write using the constraints common for community theaters – smaller, non-professional theaters operating under specific constraints, in which many or most of the “makers” are not full-time theater artists. But think: Community theater with a Clubbed Thumb aesthetic. Our hope is that these commissions inspire unusual stories, unusually told for small theaters outside of big cities, all across the United States.

THE FORM:

It should have short scenes – no one lasting longer than 15 minutes. (It could be a collection of very short plays, so long as they are cumulative.)

No one ever speaks more than three sentences in a row.

There should only be three stage directions.

Only employ language and situations that you would be comfortable asking a five-year-old or an eighty-year-old to hear, speak and/or enact.

• Your proposed play should involve the solving of a mystery – but not a murder or violent crime. 

• It should reckon with idealism in an honest or unexpected way.

• It should feature a moment of mockery gone wrong.

It must also contain at least four of the following ingredients:

– A loud, delightful, robust cackle of laughter

– A thank-you note or a weekly call

– Unusual female (physical) strength

– Throwing heirlooms into the sea

– An island or a garden or both

– A squandered gift

– A brief reenactment of part of an episode of Columbo

– The phrase “good red herring” or “get the cake” or both

And please consider the general parameters of a Clubbed Thumb play.

TO APPLY: SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING THROUGH THE FORM ONLINE

(this is a BLIND submission, see notes below)

1) A one-page letter of intent describing your proposed project;

2) 10 exploratory pages from the proposed project (either contiguous or from different sections of the proposed play);

3) One of your finished plays, for reference;

4) Your resume

13. CREATIVES REBUILD NEW YORK ARTISTS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

DEADLINE: March 25th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/apply/artist-employment/

Creatives Rebuild New York’s (CRNY) Artist Employment Program (AEP) will fund employment for up to 300 artists, culture bearers, and culture makers (artists) in collaboration with dozens of community-based organizations across New York State for two years. Participating artists will receive a salary of $65,000 per year, plus benefits, with dedicated time to focus on their practice. Participating organizations will receive funds that range between $25,000 and $100,000 per year to support artists’ employment.

By supporting artists working in collaboration with community-based organizations, AEP will offer a pathway to transforming relationships between artists and organizations. Equitable relationships encourage creative solutions, expansive thinking, and new methods of engagement while building capacity and stability for all involved. CRNY believes such partnerships can also support and enrich communities, demonstrating the power of artists as agents of social change and the importance of their labor to New York State’s social and economic vitality.

Building off vital relief programs that put artists back to work amidst the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, AEP seeks to support artists and organizations within historically marginalized communities—as well as artists who face systemic barriers to employment.

Collaborations between artists and community-based organizations can take many forms. These collaborations do not need to be new relationships or involve new work. An artist may work as an artist-in-residence, teaching artist, artist organizer, documentarian, or creative consultant, for instance. Organizational partners may be arts and cultural organizations, government entities, or non-arts community-based organizations.

Check out the website for more information.

14. CREATIVES REBUILD NEW YORK ARTISTS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

DEADLINE: March 25th, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/apply/guaranteed-income/

CRNY’s Guaranteed Income for Artists program will provide regular, no-strings-attached cash payments for 2,400 artists who have financial need. Each artist will receive $1,000 per month for 18 consecutive months. Our guaranteed income work joins with that of municipalities, policymakers, community leaders, and activists from across the US who are engaging in public conversations about guaranteed income and economic stability for community members who are living with financial uncertainty. CRNY’s Guaranteed Income for Artists program aims to help artists meet their basic needs outside of traditional or merit-based grantmaking.

Artists are not permitted to apply to both the Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment Programs. We encourage all potential applicants to consider, prior to applying, which program is best suited to their needs. For more information about the Artist Employment Program, click here. 

Eligible participants must meet the following requirements:

• 18 years of age or older as of January 1, 2022

• Primary residence in New York State at the time of application

• Have financial need (as determined by the Self-Sufficiency Standard) – For this program, an applicant qualifies if their household income falls under the Self-Sufficiency Standard.

• Identify as an artist, culture bearer, or culture maker – An artist, culture bearer, or culture maker (‘artist’) is someone who regularly engages in artistic or cultural practice to: express themselves with the intention of communicating richly to or sharing with others; pass on traditional knowledge and cultural practices; offer cultural resources to their communities; and/or co-organize and co-create within communities toward social impacts. Artists aspire to sustain themselves through their practice and maintain a commitment to continuing their practice. Artists can work both individually and collaboratively, or as educators within their field of practice.

• Not a staff member or related to a staff member (e.g., an immediate family member) of Tides or Creatives Rebuild New York

Visit the full Guaranteed Income for Artists application guidelines to learn more and apply.

15. COVERFLY THOUSAND MILES PROJECT

DEADLINE: March 31st

WEBSITE: https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/thousandmilesproject?fbclid=IwAR07V56e_bV3eZg0Plmqu8mYYF3DK59BQKHWHsmWC1VxxK1LnYTzZKZe534#prices-deadlines

We at The Thousand Miles Project are committed to helping emerging writers tell their stories and jumpstart lasting writing careers in the entertainment industry. In partnership with Universal Content Productions (UCP) and writer/producer Soo Hugh (The Terror, Pachinko), the program will provide up to 20 writers/writing teams the opportunity to learn about television writing and the industry through panels and lectures with writers, development execs, managers, and agents in a two-day intensive virtual workshop.

After the workshop, participants will be invited to apply for a 24-week development lab by submitting a series idea for further development. Television project proposals in any genre are welcome. We are interested in narratives told through the lenses of any Asian and Pacific Islander community (all Asian or Pacific Islander countries or cultures). From those proposals, up to 3 writers/writing teams will be selected to join the development lab with Soo Hugh, her team and UCP to write a pilot script and potentially develop their project further with UCP. The lab writers will meet on a bi-weekly basis, with additional monthly meetings with Soo and her team.

Up to 20 writers/writing teams will be invited to free virtual workshops to learn about television development and career strategies from writers, showrunners, managers, agents, and studio execs. 

Virtual Workshop dates will be June 11, 2022 and June 18, 2022.  Workshop participants will be invited to apply for the development lab by submitting additional materials by August 1, 2022, which are currently contemplated to include:

• Short answers to a series of questions regarding their series concept

• An artistic statement of intent about themselves (750 words or less)

 

Up to 3 writers/writing teams who participated in the workshops and submitted series development ideas will be selected to participate in a 24-week paid development lab. With guidance from Soo and her team, plus peer-to-peer feedback, writers will write a pilot. Selected writers are expected to fully participate by giving support and feedback to each other in the lab.

 

Writers/writing teams from the lab may be invited to further develop their project with UCP after the development lab is completed.

 

If UCP chooses not to further develop a project from the lab, UCP will give the rights to the applicable script back to the writer/writing team (and UCP will no longer continue to own it). Further details, and an agreement, will be provided to writers/writing teams selected to participate in the lab.

16. HALF INITIATIVE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT INTENSIVE

DEADLINE: March 31st, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.halfinitiative.com/copy-of-about

The Production Assistant (PA) Intensive program provides access to mentorship, education and job opportunities with Ryan Murphy Productions.

​

The Half Initiative PA Intensive creates an educational opportunity for emerging talent to learn how to be an episodic production assistant by training alongside production assistants on a Ryan Murphy production; supporting and shadowing the crew at all levels of production with a mission to provide them with a skill set to become a viable hire in the world of television production.  

 

Through an application and interview process, 4-6 participants, who have not had access to working on a professional episodic television production, are selected to participate in a 4-week PA Intensive on a Ryan Murphy Production taking place in the summer. The cohort of mentees go through orientation together and then get placed as a PA in various departments on the production. The mentees work as PAs and are paid the PA rate on the show they work on.

 

In addition to on the job training and mentorship, participants engage with their peers in the form of educational sessions that include career building, networking, etiquette and industry communication in an effort to continue their momentum in the entertainment industry.

17. PORTLAND STAGE CLAUDER COMPETITION

DEADLINE:  March 31st, 2022

WEBSITE: portlandstage.org/script-submissions

  

 

The Clauder Grand Prize Winner will receive a cash award of $3,000, as well as a full production at Portland Stage with a professional director, designers, and actors.

 

The Clauder Competition was created in 1981 by Jeb Brooks to support New England playwrights and bring their work to the attention of the greater theater community. The goal of the Clauder Competition is to provide exposure, encouragement, and critical feedback to promising playwrights who typically receive little more than a return postcard for material they send to theaters and producers. Brooks offered his experience as a writer, "I remember how discouraged I felt when the only response to my submission was a curt statement in the mail saying that my work had been rejected. I wanted to make the competition a more positive experience by ensuring that all submissions would be given a thoughtful reading and feedback.” One of the key components of the Clauder Competition is that every writer who submits a play has that play read and reviewed by at least two readers, and every writer receives a letter from Portland Stage containing details from the evaluations of their submitted play. 

 

Beyond providing feedback to every author, the Clauder Competition identifies exciting new works by New England playwrights and ensures their successful launch through readings and productions. Since 1998, it has been supported by Portland Stage, which adjudicates the competition and provides a creative home for the winning playwright. In addition to the Grand Prize winner, the Clauder selects two Gold Prize winners who each receive $1,500. The Grand Prize winners will be invited to workshop their play at the Little Festival of the Unexpected, Portland Stage’s annual new play festival where playwrights, professional theater artists, and audiences develop new works in a nurturing environment. The Grand Prize-winning play is then provided a full production in the following year. 

Past Clauder Competition winners who have launched successful playwriting careers include Pulitzer Prize winners Paula Vogel and Quiara Alegría Hudes. The winning play will be announced in March 2023.  Additional commendations will be awarded to the best play submitted from each of the six New England states.

18. VIVID STAGE SEEKING SCRIPTS

DEADLINE: March 31st, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.vividstage.org/play-submissions

Are you a playwright with an original new play? We’d love to read it! Your play could be selected for a reading in our “Meet the Artist” series in May. Or it might even end up on our mainstage!

We accept scripts from January 1 through March 31. Please DO NOT SUBMIT plays from April through November. Responses are made annually in late spring.

Also, please DO NOT SUBMIT BLIND COPIES of your script. Make sure your name and email address are on the script itself. We use your contact info in the script to reply to your submission. If you submit a blind copy, your script will not be considered.

Script Parameters

• Full-length comedies or dramas (no musicals)

• One script per writer

• Cast size of no more than 9

• Roles for women (if any) are realistic and substantial

• Contemporary topics

• Focus on “the human story”

• Warmth and optimism

Please note:

No teen or child casts

No historical or period pieces

No short plays (less than 60 minutes)

No musicals

Submit by e-mail: info@vividstage.org

19. THE CREATIVE CAPITAL AWARD

DEADLINE: April 1st

WEBSITE: https://creative-capital.org/about-the-creative-capital-award-open/

Creative Capital provides grants to support the creation of groundbreaking art by innovative and adventurous artists across the country through our national, open call process. Grants are awarded through an annual competition open to citizens, permanent residents, and O-1 visa holders of the United States. We are committed to funding and supporting conceptually and formally challenging, risk-taking, never-before-seen projects. Innovation is our primary selection criterion, and our focus on championing groundbreaking projects and ideas distinguishes Creative Capital from other granting organizations. While selecting projects that are genre-stretching and adventurous is at the core of our mission, we welcome multidisciplinary projects as well as projects that push boundaries within a single genre. 

Awardees receive direct project funding in varying amounts up to $50,000, advisory services, and a community of fellow awardees and other professionals who may provide additional support for the project. Creative Capital is fiercely committed to groundbreaking ideas that challenge what art can be. As countless visionary projects selected for the Creative Capital Awards have demonstrated, socially impactful ideas are embedded in the work of forward-thinking artists in a myriad of forms, often with the goal of imagining new forms of living. 

• Performing Arts: including dance, theatre, music, jazz, sound, non-traditional opera, multimedia performance, and socially engaged and/or sustainable performance-based practices

• Technology: including digital art, gaming, interdisciplinary arts, AR, VR, or XR, bio art, AI, data visualization, net art, new genres, and socially engaged and/or sustainable technology-based practices

• Literature: including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, genre-defying literary work, and socially engaged and/or sustainable text-based practices

Along with your project title, one line project description (25 words max), project description (250 words max), resume, and artist website (if applicable), please answer the following questions:

1. How does your project take an original and imaginative approach to content and form? Please be as specific as possible. (150 words)

2. Please place your work in context so we may better evaluate it. What are the main influences upon your work as an artist? How does your past work inform your current project? Please use concrete examples, which may include other artists’ work, art movements, cultural heritage, science, philosophy, research/work from outside the arts field, etc. (150 words)

3. What kind of impact—artistic, intellectual, communal, civic, social, political, environmental, etc.—do you hope your project will have? What strategies will you employ to achieve the desired impact? (100 words)

4. Who are the specific audiences/communities that you hope to engage through this project? Please think beyond the broader art community where possible. How are you hoping to reach them? (100 words)

5. How might your proposed project act as a catalyst for your artistic and professional growth? In what ways is it a pivotal moment in your practice? (100 words)

6. In addition to funding, Creative Capital also provides scaffolding and support services for awardees (such as expert consultations, gatherings/retreat, alumni network, workshops). How would our non-monetary services help you to realize your goals for this project and/or your long-term artistic and professional growth? (100 words)

20. ALPINE FELLOWSHIP

DEADLINE: April 1st, 2022

WEBSITE: https://alpinefellowship.com/writing-prize

Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2022 - Freedom.

MORE ABOUT OUR THEME

The winner will receive a £10,000 cash prize. A £3,000 cash prize will go to the second place, and £2,000 to the third place runner up. The winner and two runners up are invited to attend the symposium.

• Open to all nationalities and to anyone aged 18 and above.

• All entries must be written in English.

• Submissions must be standalone and cannot be extracts from a larger piece.

• Poetry must be submitted to the Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize. Poetry submissions to the Writing Prize will be considered ineligible.

• Applicants can enter more than one prize in a single year, but it MUST be with different pieces of work. One piece of work can only be entered once.

• All genres permitted.

• A maximum of 2,500 words per entry.

• Limited to one entry per person.

• Text must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online, or have won or been placed in another competition at any time (including the Alpine Fellowship Academic Writing Prize).

21. THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES AT 92ND STREET Y

DEADLINE: April 1st, 2022

WEBSITE: https://www.92y.org/musical-theater.aspx

Theater for Young Audiences at 92nd Street Y (92Y.org/MusicalTheater) is seeking to commission playwrights for a new series specifically designed to introduce 6-10 year olds to the exciting world of Shakespeare.

Theater for Young Audiences at 92nd Street Y is a series of performances and discussions centering children as the audience. Our shows are stimulating and compelling, using storytelling as a vehicle for building empathy, and learning essential life lessons. Our shows gather around movement as a shared language, a way to meet each other through the most universally shared experience: moving. Audience participation and a crafted handmade design remind children that they are essential creators in the story.

The commission requires writing a 40-minute performance piece for children and their families envisioning movement as an essential storytelling component in the play. Pieces should contain music as a theatrical element- both Musicals and Plays with Music are eligible.

• Piece should be an age-appropriate adaptation of a Shakespearian play. You do not have to use original language and can take some liberties with the context (“a play about Shakespeare writing As You Like It…”)

• Piece will be performed in our 2022-2023 season by professional performers (over 18+), Cast/Director/Choreographer/Production provided by 92Y.

• Must be ready for pre-production in June 2022

• Creators retain all rights to their material, but allow 92Y an exclusive option to produce the show with royalty payments negotiated each season.

Plays you can choose from are:

• All’s Well that Ends Well

• As You Like It

• The Comedy of Errors

• Measure for Measure

• The Merry Wives of Windsor

• The Winter’s Tale 

The creative team will receive a minimum stipend of $2500 with increases based on experience, attendance of rehearsals or performances, participation in community engagement programs. 

To apply, please send: 

• A proposal for your play/musical of no more than 1000 words, including your basic premise as well as how it will incorporate the required elements of movement where movement is the vital element, and the story is told primarily through movement (as directed by the script). 

• A ten-page sample of your writing, preferably something that has been intended for a youth/family market. If you are proposing a musical please also include a demo recording of a previous TYA collaboration. 

• Your bio or resume 

• A statement as to why you think you are a good fit for this project 

• A description of your proposed timeline, participation and fees 

Send materials to Attn: Megan Doyle, Artistic Director, Mdoyle@92y.org (PDF and links preferred- please do not attach large files) or 92Y Musical Theater Attn: Megan Doyle, 1395 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10128

22. FADE TO BLACK PLAY FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: April 1st

WEBSITE: https://www.fadetoblackfest.com

Building on the growing success and popularity of our previous years, Shabach Enterprise presents its tenth season of the Fade To Black Play Festival, Houston's only short play festival celebrating the new works of African American playwrights.

 

See details below.

Three (3) script submissions are allowed per playwright.

Selected playwright winners will be awarded a cash prize of $100.00 and out-of-town travel expenses.

Winning playwrights will be announced nationally on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

 

TO QUALIFY:

1. Playwright must be the sole author of the submitted work.

2. Playwright must publicly and openly identify themselves as African-American, Black, or of the African diaspora.

3. Previously published or produced work by the author or theatre/company is not allowed (See definitions below).

4. Play must run no longer than 8-10 minutes long on stage. (Consider conducting an informal reading to ensure).

5. Play should accommodate a “bare-stage” set requiring only a minimum of removable stage props and require basic lighting and sound cues.

6. Play must not be a musical.

7. Play must not be written for children or youth.

8. Play must not contain characters that are under 17 years old.

9. Play must not be a re-submission of previous Fade To Black play festival seasons.

10. Play must not be considered a translation or adaptation.

11. Play must not be a film. Screenplays will not be accepted.

12. Play should be "stand-alone", a separate body of work that has not been extracted from a larger, previously written play.

13. Author must be at least 18 years of age.

14. Play must be submitted in a PDF format.

 

TO SUBMIT:

1. Complete the script submissions application. https://forms.gle/sUESPtTCvJrR9gfn9

2. Upload pdf of original work.

23. THE STOCHASTIC LABS

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE: https://stochasticlabs.org/residencies/

The Stochastic Labs offers fully-sponsored residencies to engineers, artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs from around the world. Residencies include a private apartment at the mansion, co-working and/or dedicated work space, shop access, a $1,000 monthly stipend and a budget for materials.

24. THE FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE: https://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/grants/emergency-grants/

Created in 1993 to further FCA's mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, Emergency Grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists who:

• Have sudden, unanticipated opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding

• Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates

Emergency Grants is the only active, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad.VEach month FCA receives an average of 95 Emergency Grant applications and makes approximately 12-15 grants. Grants range in amount from $500 to $3,000, and the average grant is now $1,700. We recommend that artists review all of our eligibility guidelines and FAQs before applying. You may also complete our Eligibility Questionnaire, but please note that the questionnaire is not a substitute for a thorough review of program guidelines.

25. THEATRE ARIEL OPEN SUBMISSIONS
DEADLINE: Open

WEBSITE: http://www.theatreariel.org/opportunities

Theatre Ariel is always seeking the next great Jewish play to present to our audiences. Theatre Ariel is looking for plays that engage with the rich world of Jewish life, thought and practice; plays where Judaism, Jewish identity or Jewish perspectives are significant or driving factors in the story (In other words, not plays where the characters ‘happen’ to be Jewish or that have a few yiddishisms or “Jewish jokes” in them, but plays where Jewish life/thought/history is integral or particularly relevant to the story.). Theatre Ariel seeks plays with casts of five actors or less.

You do not have to be Jewish to have your work considered by Theatre Ariel. 

All our performances are presented as salon-style theatre readings in people’s homes, following a long tradition of Jewish theatre. For the foreseeable future, we will be presenting in a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual performances. To have your script considered, please email the following to submissions@theatreariel.org: 

Brief cover letter introducing yourself and your play, as well as a short plot summary and character breakdown (indicating doubling, if any)

Ten minute excerpt from the script (if these are not the first ten pages, then please supply a brief explanation of where we are in the story when your sample picks up)

Theatre Ariel is committed to reading and responding to every submission we receive. Please allow three to six months for a response. Please forward any questions you may have to the same email address listed above.

26. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION EMERGENCY GRANTS

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE: https://dgf.org/programs/grants/grants-for-writers/

It is vital to support writers in times of need so that they can get back to doing what they do best. DGF provides emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.

If you are a writer in need, we can help.

27. THE DOROTHY ROSS FRIEDMAN RESIDENCE

DEADLINE: Rolling 

WEBSITE:  https://actorsfund.org/services-and-programs/housing-resource-center?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2

and

https://actorsfund.org/sites/default/files/Friedman-Application-Revision-7-21-20.pdf?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2

If you think you are eligible, now is a fabulous time to apply to The Dorothy Ross Friedman Residence. The Friedman is a shared housing (roommates) residence that offers affordable housing for working professionals in performing arts and entertainment, persons with HIV/AIDS, and senior citizens (60 years of age or older). Most of the apartments are 2-bedrooms, where you would have one roommate and there are a few 3-bedrooms, where you would have two roommates.  All tenants have a rent stabilized lease. All apartments are complete with dishwasher, washer/dryer, central heating, and AC. Many apartments have terraces with spectacular Manhattan views, and everyone has access to the Colleen Dewhurst Community Room and the newly renovated Bette Midler Rooftop and Garden. On-site social services include a range of community programs and the Waldman Living Room for seniors. The Friedman Residence also features 24-hour security.

 Criteria: Income Eligibility: 1-person household: $28,500 - $47,760

 

28. WILD CULTURE PROGRAM @ WILD PROJECT

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE:  http://thewildproject.com/wild-culture-submit-page/

Wild Project is currently accepting artist submissions for its WILD CULTURE curation program. WILD CULTURE will produce the work of 15-20 artists, prioritizing projects by female, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, across theatre, performance art, music, visual art, and dance later this spring and summer. This program embraces the work of independent performance artists and productions to give these performers free access to valuable resources like wild project’s 89-seat theater and more. Curated artists will also have the option to live stream and/or film their work with our film production equipment and digital distribution platform. Wild Culture is primarily suited for work that is already more developed or previously workshopped. Wild Culture, launched in 2018, gives artists much-needed production support at an important time in their development. It strongly encourages artists whose projects address important issues like social justice, gender identity, equality, mental health, and climate change to submit their work.  

29. LONG WHARF THEATRE LITERARY PROGRAM & NEW WORK DEVELOPMENT

DEADLINE: Year round

WEBSITE: https://longwharf.org/casting-and-literary

Long Wharf Theatre has a proud and rich history of forming meaningful relationships with artists, supporting the development of their work, and moving their projects towards production. We are particularly interested in incubating new pieces that center BIPOC voices, push form, and feature innovative dramaturgy. We are also eager to support projects that originate with artists other than playwrights, such as designers, directors, dramaturgs, and activists. Many of these works have become part of the modern American canon with more than thirty Long Wharf Theatre productions transferred to Broadway or Off-Broadway runs.

We are revitalizing our commitment to playwrights at all stages in their careers, and are now welcoming scripts from unrepresented playwrights as well as agents.

Email scripts to: literary@longwharf.org

Type of Materials: Full-length, One act, 10-minute scripts, musicals, adaptations, translations, virtual/Zoom plays.