Resist Nostalgia

 After the second deadliest school shooting in US history, FB reminded me of a post I wrote a year ago on this day. From 2021...

I want some of my life back, but I don’t want to go back to normal. I was talking to a creative who is battling her boss’s attempts to lure/cajole/threaten employees back into the office with a resumption of 8 hr work days and one hour commutes. There is strong resistance to this. Most of her coworkers have moved to less congested areas, work from home, have less stress, and are as productive as before. The creative said that the demands were old ‘normal’ thinking and restrictive and silly. She said it just felt like a managerial power move to say ‘back to the normal grind.’ Customer service employers are now getting pushback from job applicants because they are demanding to know how much they’ll be paid and if they can live off it. Can you imagine? The audacity of wanting to be able to LIVE off a full time job?!? Employers are trying to crack down and keep poverty wages of the old normal. My dad passed away in January and you know what we didn’t get? A $10k bill from the hospital or a ‘death fee’ or a ‘funeral home ambulance transfer fee.’ He passed away at home in his own bed of natural causes...relaxed. The hospitals were crowded with covid but now that things are returning to normal they want that ‘death money’ so they can run up charges on grieving families. Healthcare should be free. It shouldn’t cause stress, depression, anger, and bankruptcy. The old normal was filled with mass shootings, school shootings, healthcare bankruptcy, poverty wages, and pyramid scheme capitalism. In the arts, the old normal was rife with abuse, sexual predators, and inequalities in race/class/gender/age. We tolerated this because we expected nothing. Now we know better. Don’t let them buffalo you with that ‘now you can hug your mema’ hype so you can be back in the bullshit. There are specific cultural moment in our lives where things could change for the better for the worse. Most of the time it’s for the worse. 9/11 was one of those shifting moments, and we let them use it to militarized our lives, our security in our police force. 2020 was painful but it opened a door to ‘a new’ way. Don’t let them close it.

Fire Never Touches Wood

When I was down in Miami working on the musical I became fixated on a new dharma course about the emptiness of the mantra. We're 3 yrs into this global pandemic and there's been this surge in people doing the Medicine Buddha mantra to heal. The monk Geshe Michael wanted to clarify something radical 'mantras don't work.' Of course then this begs the question 'then why are we doing them?' And then he unfolds this amazing discussion about the nature of reality and how things play on each other according to Buddhist logic from Master Nargarjuna. It was incredible to be down in Miami dealing with shutdowns and panics over this musical and to retreat into wisdom. There's some mind-bending logical analysis of fire and wood. It's hard to describe it but it's logical syllogisms that are so unusual and yet so obvious that stops the minds in its track like 'Wait, that's been going on the entire time.' 

In logic fire never touches wood. There is no fire inside wood, but also there is no fire outside of wood so you can't start a fire in mid-air. The two things appear to be connected and yet they're not entirely and yet they're not entirely unconnected. And it becomes a 'what came first: chicken or egg' analysis of the way we perceive things in the world. Well what does that have to do with prayers and mantras. Mantras don't work...if you chant to cure cancer and the cancer does go away, the chanting has long since ceased when the cancer is cured. And when you're Medicine Buddha chanting or praying to God... the cancer is still there. So -like fire and wood- there is no connection between the two and yet there is no complete separation. The two things never touch each other. And if they don't touch each other, how can one logically say that one thing influences another thing if they don't ever meet? And yet my mind creates the connection. The same thing with the seed and the plant. Two separate things. There is no exact point when a seed becomes a flower. One can never find the moment when what we define as a 'seed' suddenly becomes a 'flower.' And yet there seems to be a clear link between the two b/c flowers aren't popping out in mid-air. Flowers don't magically appear. And yet not all flower seeds become flowers. There is a magic ingredient or glue which connects cause-and-effect in our reality. 

Every single thing in the 'cause and effect' universe has this magical element b/c there is no direct connection between wood and fire, or seed and flower, or a child and their adult self. Something seems to happen. Even biologist agree that you replace every cell in your body within 7 yrs. There is no part of the visual image of me as a child that connects to middle-aged me now, and yet there 'appears' to be a connection because I'm able to recognize myself, others recognize me. Thus...it's all a mental image. Like flipping the pages of a cartoon flip book and getting a character that seems to be moving, our mental images operate like the individual pages of that flip book. Each mental seed paints an individual page and then there's another mental seed which activates 'the flipping' which connects the different moments in our reality together. We know this b/c when we lose that glue that connects moments together we lose our senses or have dementia or Alzheimers. When that continuity is knocked free it's like ripped pages falling out of a flip book and scattering on the ground. Each cartoon frame is a split second of reality glued together. So a fire never burns the wood, just like a child never becomes an adult. 

A mantra or prayer never touches the cancer or covid. Yet the activating ingredient is the deeds we do...that's what glues it together, that's what makes it possible for a prayer or mantra to be 'activated' from just a single cartoon cell to a series of actions that leads to covid being cured long after the mantra has stopped existing. 

I probably relistened to some of these classes while driving around 6 or 8 times. Then meditated on them at night. And still I am not doing it justice. 

https://www.theknowledgebase.com/en/nagarjuna-nov-2021/

Male Humility

At a certain age it becomes more important to 'feel right' than to 'be right.' The learning process stops and then it's about rhetorical tactics and tricks rather than expanding the mind. Although it's human nature, I have found this trait more pernicious in men. The male ego values being right more than learning because that intellectual growth requires flexibility and humility, two traits that are seen as more feminine. Softness, flowing like water, give and take, these are elements defined as passive. Learning is passive. "Education is pussy, bitch, fag, weak, lame." The class clown, the attention-seeking extroverted male teen is seeking to smash this softness and flexibility with braggart energy, distraction and -ultimately- challenging the authority. The male student who learns is a passive, a Chad, a sexual deviant for allowing themselves to be dominated. They are teased and mocked for listening instead of stealing attention. The big man on campus demands attention because it's about 'power in the now.' The only form of learning valued is that which will allow them to dominate and control space even more. 

I run three artists' groups. For the past several years, I have dedicated my time to helping other artists out in their various quests. For free. The process is about learning the dharma for myself and helping other people is the best way to increase the learning curve in my mind. I have found that there is a low percentage of success in my writers' groups. Maybe 10% go on to do something they wanted.  Most participants come in with a head of steam and fade away after a few months. But among the rare wins,  almost all of the cases involve women. 

Most of the adults willing to learn and humble themselves into growth are women. l meet tons of male artists who want to be rich, famous, successful, and fully booked. But they run up against an invisible wall. After a few weeks, a struggle begins to set in. It's an odd resistance because this isn't high school. No one is requiring them to learn and, yet, there is a great struggle within them. They struggle with changing their habits and, even deeper than that, they struggle with the belief that their habits are bad. Granted their habits are the very thing that have gotten them into the 'shit position.' Their habits and logic are the reason why they reach out for help. And yet, their habits are the same thing which prevent them from fully accepting help.  In particular, their male habits are set in how they define themselves as men: righteous, right, clever, strong, brave, unyielding, inflexible. They dwell in the narcissistic delusion of being the hero at the center of it all, even while drowning as boats pass them by. 

There is one participant who calls me 'kid.' He's older than me, less successful, less happy, stuck in a pattern of destructive negative habits. We have engaged in a relationship that is mostly one-sided for his benefit. He has requested help and I offer constructive workshop groups. These conversations must be undercut by establishing some dominance. So I'm a kid -a middle aged child apparently- and thus he is a full-grown man who is pretty much my same age. As the streets would say 'he's trying to son me.' I am aware of this 'need to dominate' and I let him have it. If calling me kid makes him feel good, then fine. But I don't think it's helpful for his actual learning process, because if you see me as a 'kid' there is some part of you which resists listening and learning. In Buddhism the student refer to their Lama with honorifics. A wise student wants to learn from their teacher. But a wise student also knows that the teacher has no nature from their own side. Whatever learning that happens comes from the seeds in their mind. Therefore it is CRITICALLY important to respect the teacher because you are respecting the wisdom you seek to gain. Respecting the teacher is respecting the process of growth and thus, you label the teacher with high rewards and accolades so that the knowledge grows within the mind. If you label someone helping you learn or grow as 'a kid' there is some dismissiveness in that. The learning is reduced, the knowledge is diminished. He drifts from the group, his progress stalls, he chases windmills of quick fixes. He is, of course, the smartest guy. A man among boys. Trying to undo this pattern of thinking is daunting. I'm sure the 'kid' thing is not malicious. In some ways it's a form of endearment. And yet, this behavior fits the pattern of so many men in these artists groups that represent the vast majority of failed cases. They can't learn. Their male ego is fixed in the cement of 'feeling right' and thus they can't get out of their own way. 

Gossip is another equalizing factor. If we can all bitch about the same thing then we are all equal. While this is true on the surface, sustained gossip just gets everyone to point the finger at the same villains. Small talk is useful way of warming up a conversation. How was your day...can you believe this weather...did you watch that episode...these are all natural ways of opening a dialogue. This is verbal stretching. The goal of stretching is to be loose enough to run the marathon and get into learning, get into the daily work, securing things. If you spend all your time stretching on the sidelines with gossip than you never run the race. You have worn the jacket, sweats, put on the headband, gotten the marathon number, the starter pistol is fired and you spend the next several hours chatting with the crowd. At the end of the day, the tent and starting line are packed up, the crowd disappears, and the gossiper is still stretching and talking about what a great race they ran. 

I was with a dharma person when I engaged in willful gossip. We were trying to rent a van. The clerk could not find our reservation. I noticed that the office radio was on to the sports channel. I engaged in light conversation about Tom Brady. The clerk perked up. A connection was made. He looked in his computer again and -will you look at that- he found our reservation. Magic it seems. When we left the office, my dharma brother asked why engaged in talking about sports. I told him 'because it was useful for getting the reservation.' Plus I'm not above an occasional indulgence. I'm not a strict adherent. Even I slip occasionally but in this case my small talk was aimed at forming a connection with this person who was not helping us. And all it took was a minute of conversation about something I actually enjoy -sports- to turn the situation around. 

The biggest thing is humility. I struggle with it. Some parts of me just wants to be right, just wants to be king, please no more notes or some corrections or yoga teacher repositions. Just say I'm wonderful and perfect and smart and flawless. But I also know that I won't grow with this attitude. Humility is the only thing which breaks the fever of delusion. 

Icarus on the 'Gram

Artists raised in the age of social media have this amazing practiced ability to deliver the eye-popping concept. They can give you the dazzling pitch, the action movie tagline, the instagrammable pic, the sizzling 2 sentences that make you think 'wow, I would love to see how they're going to pull THAT off.'  But much like ppl raised on thumbs-up and hashtags, things fall apart in the actual execution. An artist with an amazing concept and no actual plan becomes Icarus in flight: soaring higher and higher to their demise. As they fall they blame critics or audiences or the stage or the lighting, but their wings were made out of a shimmering, dazzling wax. They fall again and again, never trying to learn storytelling skills b/c it's easier to move on to the next sexy tagline than to develop actual craft.

In the past, the one exception to the rule was Hollywood. An Icarus could go out to Hollywood and live for years off of selling pitches. And as each concept melted underneath the demands of an actual script, they would get a lovely parachute. You could fall for years, switching over to different parachutes. When I was in college I interned at a major agency and at 2 studios which I will not name. I saw execs grumble about hacks not having an ounce of talent and then turn around and hand these maligned hacks a six-figure deal and Deadline article b/c...that hack was the new Icarus. Maybe their failure parachutes could be painted to look like wings, maybe the waxy combination of bragging, ego, and publicity will hold out under the glare of the sun. 

On my first day as a studio intern, I was handed the 'next big thing.' The packaging was there, the emerging hot talent was there, the concept was killer. I greedily read the script thinking I was getting my hands on the next Apocalypse Now. The actual story was an empty shell. I returned the next day and gave my very guarded, constructive, polite criticism and...I was told I was a fool. Of course the movie was going to be a hit: look at the packaging. I told them people don't flock to movies for the packaging. That's like people buying a car because of the hood ornament. If there's no engine, the manufacturer will be exposed. But the packaging, the marketing, the sizzle. During my internships I heard that a lot. Oh, you don't know how these wax wings work: 99% of the time the projects would come crashing back to earth, careers ruined, studios sold, houses mortgaged on a concept. 

I wish there could be some honest discussion of craft that separates the two different areas: concept and execution. If you can't execute, you shouldn't be able to hide behind concept. There are so many people riding on the wings of stories. It's not just the storyteller. But the crew, the actors, lives and jobs are all trying to fly. But they fall too when the work hasn't been done. 

My Commencement Speech

If you're a gorgeous 20-something... get you some ugly friends. B/c their reality is your future. You need to prepare for a time when you're not getting all the world's favors. Now I'm not saying these friends need to be butt ugly. But they need to be avg enough that they've had to a) develop layered personality b) have some shrewd sense of how to operate in the world c) been mistreated enough that they have thicker skin d) have perseverance and know how to bounce back from the world judging them by their book cover. We all get less attractive as time goes on, but do you have a beauty retirement plan? As I get older I'm meeting more and more former playboys and faded hotties who are bitter, confused, and totally unprepared for not getting the free drink from the bartender and the extra guac on their taco. They didn't have a beauty retirement plan, and it's rough out there. Bikini cute is just a short minute. But the future always belongs to the plain-looking, middle child wearing boxers and New Balance sneakers. Look at Silicon Valley, look at DC, look at who runs the world. It isn't Fabio.

Buffalo Shooting and Times of Slaughter

 It's no one's fault but it keeps happening. I was looking for some way to wrap my head around a white teenager driving across town to kill 11 mostly elderly blk women and men (grandparents in the 90s and 80s) who were shopping. And to do this under the banner of an untrue racist battlecry promoted by Fox while seeking to erase black history as 'critical race theory' and a harmful toxin to white kids. The same white kids who have walked into church basements and killed black people praying, walked into mosques and temples and shot Muslims and Jewish worshippers, the same white teens who livestream shooting senior citizens in the back of the head b/c they think they're the real victims of American history, and they're oh so sensitive so can you please not talk about slavery or the civil rights movement or black inequalities or racism. Please don't talk about it and let them gun your 90 year-old grandmother down, who marched and fought, and struggled to die in a hail of bullets from a white teen livestreaming the carnage like it's a video game. 

It's no one's fault but it keeps happening so we'll keep saying these racist things and deleting your history and they'll keep killing old people in churches and stores and nothing can be done about. We can't stop them from owning assault rifles or hating or saying absolute bullshit or feeling like they're being picked on by facts and history. Kyle Rittenhouse is a hero. He killed 3 and got a book deal and is now on his way to being a future Congressman. It's no one's fault. He just couldn't help himself when he drove across state lines with weapons of war.

I go to art during these times. I'm looking for something timely and/or timeless in its catharsis. Something immediate but immortal. And what I have found is art that is both disposable, rootless, and not worthy of either the present or the future. How many times can I see ghetto black families held up for white cackles while 11 elderly blks lie dying in a pool of blood by white nationalists? How many riffs on making slavery trendy and contemporary and sitcom-ish can I see while actual slave history is being deleted from history books as harmful to white kids?

How can so much of what I see be cotton candy art that melts at the touch and leaves nothing but the residue of something sweet and buzzy, and during these times? During these times of war and mass shootings, and slaughter is there not one play which actually talk about the thing that is happening now or the things have been happening for hundreds of years? How about the ghetto white family that is a threat to civilization and delicate tastes of their white son who likes jazz or rap music?  How about the white nationalists? Or the teen with the assault rifle? Too heavy? Nothing to sink your teeth into for laughs? I guess the art scene is no one's fault but it keeps happening. 

It's no one's fault because we keep saying it's no one's fault and that's not a start of a conversation but it's the end of a very short dialogue that goes gunshots, thoughts and prayers, move on because nothing can be done about it because we have decided that nothing will be done, and that's the historical loop we feel comfortable with because it's more stressful to change than to continue erasing your existence on the page and on the streets. 

Interviewing Sisyphus

How much were you earning at your peak?

$40-50,000 a month after taxes.

So about half a million after taxes?

For about 7 or 8 years.

Mulitple shows?

No, it was just one show that ran for a long time.

And what happened?

It's gone. I spent it all.

On what?

Stupid stuff. First class tickets, real estate.

Next time you'll make smarter investments in things like drugs and alcohol.

Yeah, I was firing agents. I was awful. And you don't ever think things will change when you get like that. And then...

Yes, and then...

Thumbs up, Dad

 7:34 AM on a Monday

It hits me that my dad has been dead for over a year. 

Suddenly, the air around me will ache with an absence. 

A few pulse beats 

Phantom limb syndrome.

For 15 years I was a visitor to my dad's prison, 

where his mind did time inside a decaying facility.

Life sentence. No parole. 

His mind paced around the cracked and damaged cells,

watched the walls close in,

Saw the exits jammed with broken furniture of betrayals,

As a visitor I would bring snacks, talk about the weather,

see if he needed anything 'inside there.' 

He would look at me like a stupid child.

 I was here but I wasn't really here. 

At the end of my visitation 

I could leave and therefore missed the entire terror of prison. 

In some ways visitors make you lonelier. They remind you that life 

still races outside, the bustle you used to be apart of,

now makes you feel all the lonelier. 

In some ways it's better to have no visitors in prison, which

is what my dad did toward the end.

No visitors accepted. He would stare out from the crumbling cell

and refuse any requests for chit chat and sweets.

No more fucking conversations about a weather which did not impact him.

No more talk about aunts and uncles who were serving time at different prisons.

No more pitying looks. Please go away. The prisoner is seeing no visitors.

The slow wind down of 15 years.

As the walls caved in and the prison consumed him,

he turned his head to his right and vanished,

leaving behind the rubble.

***

I blame the holidays.

Mother's Day makes me think of Father.

Father's Day makes me think of lawn mowers.

4th of July makes me think of St. Patrick's Day.

It was always that way. 

Emotions and memories mismatched

with the public mood. 

On mother's day I looked for pictures of her 

and kept running into pictures of us with my Dad

for the last 15 years pretty much all her pictures are 

with my Dad in his wheelchair or hospital bed, or death bed.

always smiling like 'this is great. We're having a good time,'

those smiles you see at children's hospital. 

The desperate parental teeth baring grin, 

clinging to the pretend happiness of living.

All those hundreds of pictures of my mom 

standing next to my prisoner dad trapped inside his body,

giving a 'thumbs up.' A stupefying 'thumbs up' like Neil Armstrong

popping his head out of the Apollo. A 'thumbs up' I've since copied

for all the unsettling moments in my life. 

Hey, I'm just a visitor to this misery...thumbs up, looks good, 

I see what you've done with this place, with this disaster,

quite lovely how the misery smells this morning, thumbs up. 

I could write a book on 'thumbs up' in my family. 

Shocked expression, glazed over, zombie eyes and the 

hand gesture which says 'I know what you think you're seeing looks like hell, 

but it's actually Tahiti. And this IV bag is my pina colada, 

and this hospital bed

is white sand beaches.

This life sentence is a meditation retreat

to realign my chakras (Buddha would actually agree but for different reasons.)

Please don't ruin the fantasy, play along.

Give me a thumbs up back from Pompeii

as toxic ash embalms a city.

Thumbs up from the last helicopter out of Saigon 

as you cling to the rope.

Thumbs up, Titanic. 

Thumbs up across America. 

***

I was in Amsterdam waiting to have breakfast with a friend

she approached me with horror 'what's wrong?'

I had been thinking about something. 

The elephant in the room. 

The elephant in every room.

Death.

It's just that some times I grab the tail and you grab the horns,

and we both stand there like blind men trying to describe the same beast.

I laughed it off. 

Thumbs up. Two thumbs up. Uh-oh. Double barrel joy joy.

Then I spun a long dizzying allegorical

philosophical tale with anecdotes, 

running as quickly as I could 

from my face.

Middle-Age Wunderkind

 When I started off in theatre I was so jealous of the wunderkinds. The hot young emerging talent that sparkled in the magazines and newspapers. Everything seemed like a long slow haul for me. I didn't win anything in theatre until my late 20s. Didn't receive any truly positive reviews until my early 30s (thanks to London press). Published in my mid 30s. First fellowships and commissions also in my mid-30s. Play at the O'Neill in mid 30s. 

The biggest cash prize I ever received was the Helen Merrill and I was 37. At the time I was writing on "This is Us" and driving to the Paramount Lot when I got the shocking awards phone call from the east coast. I won for being an 'emerging' talent. Despite 15 years of obscure basement productions and off-off broadway plays on Equity showcase codes, I was a blossoming young flower lol. Emerald Prize was a year later when I was 38. And so on and so forth. 

Occasionally ppl will come to me with their sad tales of struggle. I hear about artists quitting, getting fed up. Some times I recognize the 'fed up' names as a former wunderkind I admired in my early 20s, people who shot up to meteoric fame in anticipation of their great masterpiece. Some times we talk and they express bitterness at how theatre or tv or film failed them. Theatre never promised me anything but community so my expectations were always low. I was never heralded, acclaimed or expected to do anything so I was not chained to future promise. All I could be was present. All I can be now is present. This is the only place where there is no bitterness or anger at what I expected people to do for me. 

Be present. Your path will unfold quickly or slowly. Your progress will ebb and flow. There will be barren seasons. That's when you plant and water the seeds for future harvests. Thank God that your life isn't just one long spring harvest. Thank God you didn't have meteoric success spoil you at 21 in expectation that the rest of your life would unfold as one long awards banquet in tribute to your genius. Appreciate the ebbs, use the quiet time, leave the party. Go home. Sit and be present. It's someone else's time to be in the spotlight. Be happy for them. Those shiny periods are few and far between. Your harvest is at your time.

Writing Pains

 10 yrs ago, I met up with an extremely talented writer who switched careers and became a doctor. She said the switch happened b/c writing was exhausting and painful. It was required too much emotional honesty and self-examination. "Medicine is easier." she said. I laughed thinking it was a joke, but the doctor was serious. For her, it was easier to become an MD than to rake yourself over the emotional coals of life. 

Fast forward to several years later, and I'm at a doctor's appointment. The doctor asked what I do and then he lights up. He always wanted to write a book. Memoirs. He described his childhood. It sounded interesting. Now that he's older and only working part-time, he has the money, he has the time, he has the space. Just a matter of doing it. Sounds great to me. A few months later I have a follow-up appointment. I asked the doctor about how the writing was going. He sort of grimaced and said he stopped all that. He didn't ask me any further questions about my career or craft. In fact, he seemed annoyed. I touched a soft spot. 

These days, I find that I'm writing with more deliberation. It's not that the truth isn't there, but what's on the surface has already been explored. I'm looking for new stuff buried even deeper. The excavation means I experience new sensations, new discomforts, things that I thought were healed that turn out to be just sealed tombs of ghosts. I've been thing about that as I'm both writing multiple projects and caretaking for a loved one and working my way through the medical profession.

The writing discomfort doesn't go away with experience. But I flinch less and I'm less likely to equate a new sensation with pain. Perhaps that's what a true masochist is really thinking. It's not pain, it's scintillating, shocking, vibrant sensations that others categorize as torture. Writing is that self-administered shock therapy that transmits itself into words.  We are constantly adjusting the dials on the electrodes, searching for the searing truth that resonants through our bodies with electrical clarity. 

GET WHAT YOU WANT: May 2022

 

1. PARAMOUNT WRITERS MENTORING PROGRAM
DEADLINE: May 1st, 2022
WEBSITE: https://www.paramount.com/writers-mentoring-program

There are many different paths writers can follow to get their first foothold in being hired in television. As part of its ongoing commitment to create additional access for writers of diverse backgrounds Paramount's Office of Global Inclusion has launched a different kind of writers program which highlights one of those paths. The focus of this eight month program is on opening doors: providing opportunities to build relationships with network and studio executives and show runners; to support new and emerging writers in their efforts to improve their craft; and to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break in and succeed. The Writers Mentoring Program is not employment and there is no monetary compensation. It is, instead, a structured program of career development, support, and personal access to executives and the decision-making processes, with the goal of preparing aspiring writers for later employment opportunities in television. Each participant will be teamed with an executive mentor. A Paramount network or studio executive with whom they will meet on a regular basis, to discuss their work, get creative feedback on their material and get advice and support in furthering their career. Once a week, for 16 weeks participants will be invited to a small workshop-style meeting with various Paramount show runners and other industry professionals. Speakers include executive producers, agents, managers, development and current executives and show runners. The purpose of these gatherings is for participants to gain a better understanding of how the business works from many different perspectives as well as creating the opportunity to make critical networking connections. Another important part of the program is the opportunity for each participant to spend time observing in a writers room. Each participant will have help in creating a rigorous career action plan and there will be on-going support in evaluating and achieving those goals. Another important benefit of the program is the development of a close-knit peer support group that will sustain participants through the program and beyond. The Paramount Writers Mentoring Program helps aspiring writers to understand the unwritten rules of breaking in and moving up. It is a combination of mentoring and networking opportunities. Program opportunities such as mentoring, workshops, and observing can be scheduled around participants’ existing work commitments. In order for a participant to get the most out of the Program a meaningful commitment of time and effort are required. It has been found that in order to derive the greatest benefit from the program, participants should be available to 1) attend a once a week (evening) workshop and 2) attend meetings or observe in various situations for a minimum of five full days (not necessarily in sequence) over the course of the eight-month program. The primary focus of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program is to provide access and opportunities for talented and motivated diverse writers. Aspiring diverse writers with a strong desire to write for Paramount television series are encouraged to apply. You must be 21 or older to be eligible. Finalists will be notified in mid September 2022 (or such later date as may be determined by Paramount). The program is scheduled to begin in October 2022 and continues through April 2023.

 
2.FESTIVAL OF XIII
DEADLINE: May 1st, 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.

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.


3. APPALACHIAN FESTIVAL OF PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS
DEADLINE: May 1st
WEBSITE: https://bartertheatre.com/appalachian-festival-of-plays-and-playwrights/


Six plays are chosen from the submissions to be given public readings by Barter’s company.
The playwrights are given travel, housing, and a stipend for the week. Each play will be given 6-8 hours of rehearsal time.  The directors are instructed to direct for clarity not effect.  Our goal for the reading is that script/story/relationships are illuminated.  These readings are about getting your story out there. After each reading, a panel made up of three regional theatre professionals will give a few thoughts on the piece with the AFPP director moderating the discussion.  After that, we engage with the audience for their comments so that playwrights can get feedback from three separate groups: artists, panelists, and audience.

Playwrights have found this to be a very useful step in developing their plays, as well as a nice little vacation/writer’s retreat with a chance to meet other playwrights, make new friends, and enjoy the beauty of Southwest Virginia!

Plays must be written by an Appalachian playwright (currently living in a state that contains the Appalachian Mountain Range— which, for our purposes, run from New York to Alabama.)
OR  The plays must be set in the Appalachian region.

Plays must be unpublished and must not have had a full professional production.
Plays must be full length.
Plays must be submitted electronically.

Please send play and a brief synopsis to:  apfestival@bartertheatre.com


4. WB TELEVISION WORKSHOP
DEADLINE: Opens in May 1st, deadline unclear
WEBSITE: https://televisionworkshop.warnerbros.com/writers-workshop/

For over 40 years, the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop has been the premiere writing program for new writers looking to start and further their career in the world of television. Every year, the Workshop selects up to eight participants out of more than 2,500 submissions and exposes them to Warner Bros. Television’s top writers and executives, all with the ultimate goal of earning them a staff position on a Warner Bros.-produced television show. The Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop consists of three components, all geared towards preparing the writer for a successful career in television writing.  The 2021-2022 Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop will run October 2021 – March 2022, with meetings on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, one evening a week from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Full participation is mandatory.


5. AURAND HARRIS MEMORIAL PLAYWRITING AWARD
Deadline: May 1st
Website: https://www.netconline.org/aurand-harris-memorial-playwriting-award

This award was created in 1997 to honor the late Aurand Harris (1915-1996) for his lifetime dedication to all aspects of professional theatre for young audiences.

A panel of judges named by the NETC Executive Board will administer this award. A staged reading of the prize-winning scripts will be held along with the Annual Excellence in Theatre Awards ceremony.

The contest is open to all playwrights and is for new full-length plays for young audiences. No musicals nor plays targeted at adult audiences
All plays will be submitted online to harris-award@netconline.org
Plays submitted to the contest must not have been previously published, submitted to NETC’s Gassner Playwriting Contest, or previously produced by a professional or Equity company; Plays submitted which have had workshop productions or staged readings are eligible and encouraged.
Plays submitted to this contest may have been submitted to another playwriting contest, and may have previously won a prize or an award in another contest. However, such plays must not have been published or professionally produced and must not be under option for publication or professional production.
Playwrights may submit only one play to the contest in one year.



6. THE SIXTH FESTIVAL
DEADLINE: May 1st
WEBSITE: http://thesixthfest.org

The Sixth Festival is calling for play submissions for Off-Broadway readings happening June 2 - 12. One night will be short plays (10-30 minutes) and one night will go to a single full length. The Sixth Fest is a fringe festival in its second year inviting events of all types to draw attention and inspire action to stop the end of the fucking world.

In our first year we had 25 events from over 80 presenters in Chicago and online, from urban gardening in underserved communities to poetry to panels to yoga to a pageant for kids, with the knowledge that everyone of every walk will be needed to avert the climate crisis.

The venue: Theatre 80 is an Off-Broadway theater located at 80 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood. It will be underwater after we reach 4 degrees of warming which we are on course for by 2100. Due to the pandemic, this historic location is in a fight to keep from shuttering.

Submission details:
Plays, like all our events, do not have to be about climate change, at least in what immediately comes to mind with that. Ice caps and disappearing forests and weather are the symptoms. Humans are the cause. Some things stories could be about: children being nice to each other; farming; migrants; butterflies; the fact that our government is controlled by private interests or runs on tribalism; globally or locally racist, exploitative systems that pretend human beings and the planet are dispensable--just to name a few. An aim of the festival is to show climate change is much different than the boxes we have it in, and affects and is affected by everything. Plus, if Rihanna can play her regular playlist for climate, we can all do the same.
Send a PDF of the whole play to submissions@thesixthfest.org with either "Short 80 Submission" or "Full Length 80 Submission" in the subject line, depending on play's length.
One play only. Plays that have been produced before accepted.
No fee. Produced by the festival.
Plays must include at least one occurrence of the words "climate change" or "climate crisis."
$200 for full-length winner. $50 for shorts.


7. 2022 RIPPED FESTIVAL
DEADLINE May 2nd
WEBSITE: https://americanbluestheater.com/#

We’re now accepting short play submissions for the 2022 Ripped Festival online library!

The Living Newspaper Project began in 2009 with a series of staged readings of short plays based on the 1930s WPA era program “The Living Newspaper” and Federal Writers’ Project, enabling artists such as Ralph Ellison, Susan Glaspell, Zora Neale Hurston, Eugene O’Neill, Studs Terkel, and Richard Wright. Since our inaugural 2009 launch, we’ve presented 21 events and utilized 610+ artists that feature short plays ripped from today’s headlines.

In 2013, we expanded our staged readings into the sold-out, one-night-only, annual event – The Ripped Festival. All proceeds of these annual events benefit our free arts education program, including “The Lincoln Project” in Chicago Public Schools. In addition, we showcase short plays from CPS students who’ve completed our course.

Due to the 2020-2021 pandemic and industry shutdown of live events, we presented The Ripped Festival as an online library, featuring 30 short plays throughout the month of June. Selected scripts were used during a theater course at the University of California – Berkeley.

Our annual festival cultivates new material and allows audiences to discuss topical issues together. American Blues Theater provides community service and raises awareness through creative collaborations. The following organizations have been supported by Ripped events since its inception in 2009: AgrAbility, American Indian Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois Farm Bureau, Lincoln Park Community Shelter, NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund, No Kid Hungry, University of Chicago’s Urban Education Teachers Program, and more.

Send your script to Ripped@AmericanBluesTheater.com.

 
8. I AM SOUL PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
DEADLINE: May 9th
WEBSITE: https://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/playwrights-residency

Launched in 2012, The I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency Program uniquely serves the best and brightest emerging Black playwrights from around the nation. Through this program, NBT seeks to foster mutually-beneficial relationships between Black institutions and creatives to re-establish historically Black theatrical institutions as the foremost supporters and producers of Black artistry. This 18-month residency aims to unleash the souls of two to three Black playwrights per cycle. Coined as a dream MFA program, this program is about process, not product, so playwrights experiment with form, style, and narrative to develop, hone and explore new ways of artistic expression in a nourishing environment.  Each resident is provided a financial stipend, dramaturgical and developmental resources, a full production team, and two 29-hour workshops.  


9. NEW VOICES: PLAYWRITING 2022
DEADLINE: May 9th
WEBSITE: https://www.olneytheatre.org/education/new-voices

New Voices is fueled by the ideas of student playwrights, who are tasked with writing one‐act plays or musicals in response to an open‐ended question. Shows are selected by the “New Voices Board,” consisting of Olney Theatre administrative staff and student

Program leaders. Playwrights are invited, but not required, to participate in any of the other five pathways.

The deadline for writing submissions and Writers’ Profile Form is May 9th.

Writers: your job is to write a one-act play or musical that reads a minimum of 10 minutes in length and a maximum of 30 minutes in length. Plays must be written in script format with dialogue, stage directions, etc. No stories written as narratives will be accepted. From all of our writing submissions, 3-6 one-acts will be selected to be produced in this year’s program. Your show must respond to this prompt:

Tell us about a time when a situation or event made you change your perspective on a major aspect of your life.

We urge you to be as creative as you can. Think outside the box, and write about what is important to you.

Email writing submissions to teencouncil@olneytheatre.org. The email’s subject must read “Last Name, First Name: Writing Submission” and contain a PDF of your script.  Additionally, please submit the writers’ profile form online. Any one-act submitted without the accompanying form will not be considered.

Writers’ Profile Form:

https://forms.gle/JieerN8z37SDwCHN8


10. . NBC WRITERS ON THE VERGE
DEADLINE: MAY 10th, 2022
WEBSITE: https://nbcunitips.submittable.com/submit/164495/writers-on-the-verge-2020

Writers on the Verge is a program focused on polishing writers and readying them for a staff writer position on a television series. We are looking for writers who are “almost there” but need that final bit of preparation with their writing and personal presentation skills. We particularly encourage writers of diverse backgrounds to apply.

The program will consist of weekly evening classes at NBCUniversal in Universal City, CA. Once accepted, students must attend all classes and turn in all written assignments.
Classes concentrate on creating exceptional material to enhance their portfolio, and understanding the dynamics of pitching oneself in the television industry. Writers are given the chance to interact with industry players ranging from network executives to show runners to agents and receive valuable feedback on their work and pitch style. Writing assignments on a NBCUniversal television show may be available after successful completion of the program but are not a guarantee. Past participants have gone on to series including “The Blacklist,” “Indebted,” “Community”, “Council of Dads”, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector”, “Chicago Fire” and “Parenthood.


11. CARLO ANNONI INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING PRIZE
DEADLINE: May 15th
WEBSITE: http://premiocarloannoni.eu/guidelines/?lang=en

Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize accepts plays on any topic affecting the LGBTQ+ community, and the promotion of diversity in love, society, politics and culture.

We dedicate the 2022 Carlo Annoni Prize to all those individuals that fight to see their right to love respected both in Italy and in the world, and to those experiencing discrimination because of their identity.

Two plays (one in English and one in Italian) will be awarded the amount of 1.000 Euros each.

Special mentions might be given to:
BEST COMEDY
BEST SHORT PLAY: a special mention will be given to a short play of a maximum of 10 minutes length
NEXT GENERATION: A special mention will be assigned to a play chosen by a jury of under 25s

Plays must be submitted via email at info@premiocarloannoni.eu
 
We are happy to consider plays that have already been performed.

12. ALICE JUDSON HAYES FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: May 15th, 2022
Website: https://ragdale.submittable.com/submit/137680/2020-alice-judson-hayes-fellowship

The Alice Judson Hayes Writing Fellowship is an annual award in memory of Alice Hayes, who created the Ragdale Foundation in what had been her family home. All her life she was committed to working for a just and peaceful world. An 18- or 25-day residency, free of charge, and a $500 stipend will be given to a writer who is working on a project designed to bring awareness to a contemporary issue having to do with peace, social justice, education, or the environment. Projects can be nonfiction or fiction (including journalism, essays, memoir, script-writing, creative nonfiction). No academic writing.

One Alice Judson Hayes Fellowship is awarded annually. Ragdale encourages applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics, and to that end, emerging as well as established artists are invited to apply. While there are no publication, exhibition or performance requirements for application, applicants should be working at the professional level in their fields.

Ragdale encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply, and does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, disability, gender, origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

13. THE BELLAGIO CENTER RESIDENCY
DATE: May 17th, 2022
WEBSITE: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/bellagio-center/residency-program/

A Bellagio residency is intended for leading actors working within a wide variety of fields and disciplines to advance groundbreaking work. Among many other activities, Bellagio residents have completed books, edited films, composed operas, written business plans, and formulated new organizational strategies, utilizing the gift of time to realize truly pioneering projects. New this year, we are actively recruiting applicants who have projects related to specific themes: Gender Equality, Green Economies, and The Responsible use of AI. Applicants may be working in any academic or artistic discipline, or they may be practitioners working in any field. Bellagio residencies will be offered to successful candidates within the 2023 program year.

14. SOHO REP WRITER DIRECTOR LAB
DEADLINE: May 27th
WEBSITE:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CpSEEWzUmfnmSBWclw6s-L0fj2n_RV8tJfIP5r23jNo/viewform?edit_requested=true&dm_i=75O2,493P,27P3II,KE56,1

The Lab is an engine for creating lasting artistic relationships and giving the artists the means and resources to make a tangible piece of theater. The Lab supports the development of four projects created by collaborative teams over 12 months, culminating in work-in-progress presentations at Soho Rep. Our goal is that the artistic teams will emerge from the Lab confident in the work they have made with a substantive piece of theater that has enhanced and enriched the collaboration between the two artists.

We are seeking collaborative teams of two theater artists who will work together to create a text-based live performance event.

We seek to prove the hypothesis that theater can be made in all types of ways.  Therefore, the artists in each collaborative team can come from a variety of artistic specializations, but they must identify as the lead artists on the project, and they must be able to work together toward an in-process presentation of a performance work at the culmination of the 12-month Lab process. Historically, these teams have involved one “writer” and one “director,” but we do not require a background in either discipline, and welcome fluidity in artistic roles. We are excited by language, by bold theatricality and by challenges to form.

Applicants who are full time students (undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree granting organizations),  will not be considered.

Applicants must be based in the greater New York City area and be able to attend twice monthly meetings and presentations in person for the duration of the 12-month program. The Lab runs September 2022-Sept 2023 with a small break from meetings in the summer. Because Lab participants will be working on the same piece for 12 months, this should be a piece that is not being developed in conjunction with any other organization or any other primary collaborators outside the Lab.

Applicants must have an interest in theater-making, collaboration, and relationship-building with other artists. Applicants may only apply with one project per cycle. Applicants who apply with multiple projects will not be considered. Past Writer Director Lab participants are not eligible for this round of the LAB.



15. OVERTIME THEATER NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT SERIES
DEADLINE: May 28th
WEBSITE: https://theovertimetheater.org

The Overtime Theater in San Antonio, Texas is seeking new works from LGBTQ+ playwrights for its 2022 New Play Development Series in June.

The chosen play will be given a staged reading at the Overtime Theater in celebration of National LGBTQ+ Pride Month.  The Overtime Theater is seeking plays that require one to five actors. Previously unproduced full-length and one-act plays are welcome, as well as longform monologues. The chosen play (or plays) will be given two rehearsals and one staged reading, which includes an audience feedback session.

The purpose of this program is to give new and seasoned playwrights an opportunity to further develop new works. Devoted to producing new and original work, the Overtime is particularly interested in bold, innovative plays from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum that are both provocative and entertaining.

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.

16. 9THIRTY THEATRE COMPANY
DEADLINE: May 30th
WEBSITE: http://9ttc.org/submissions.php

9Thirty Theatre Company (9TTC) accepts submissions from March to May each season. Please note that due to our small staff we are unable to respond to submissions that are not accepted. Please adhere to the guidelines below. Send submissions in either a .doc or .pdf format to Submissions@9ttc.org. In respect of our commitment to the environment please do not mail submissions to our office.9TTC produces works that incorporate environmental issues as part of the part, characters, or theme. We are uniquely dedicated to Eco Theatre, connecting humanity and nature, in various forms.

We accept original one acts, and full length plays and musicals.
We do not accept one-person shows, children's shows, screenplays, or works without environmental themes. 9Thirty Theatre Company also does not produce works that have already been produced in New York City.

To have your work considered, please submit the following as one file:
• cover letter, including your contact information
• brief synopsis of piece (500 words or less)
• character descriptions
• 20 page dialogue sample
• brief production history of the work (if applicable)
• bio for yourself and any other collaborators
• if submitting a musical, please include at least 3 recorded demo tracks


17. THE EMERGING ARTISTS THEATRE NEW WORK SERIES
DEADLINE: May 31st
WEBSITE: https://www.newworkseries.com/submissions/

The Emerging Artists Theatre (EAT) NEW WORK SERIES (NWS) is a three-week developmental program that provides theater artists of different disciplines the opportunity to present one performance of a polished “work-in-progress” with audience feedback. Most pieces selected for NWS will have never before been performed in front of an audience. Some selections will have been performed once or twice but will feature new material. We are not interested in seeing established pieces of theatre. We want to see something brand spanking new hit the stage for the first, or nearly the first time. We like to think of this series as an opportunity for artists to share an early draft of a new piece. There is no submission charge, and no obligation to participate if chosen. Plus participants receive 50% of the box office. Successful Fringe, NYMF, and Off-Broadway shows have been born out of this series, and Emerging Artists is excited to present a new round of opportunities to local artists for yet another year.

We are now accepting submissions for the following new works:

Solo Shows
Dance
Cabaret
Musicals (Short and Long)
Plays (Short and Long)
Subway Musicians
Storytelling Show
Sketch Comedy
Interactive
Other … Out of the Box


18. AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL - PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
DEADLINE: June 1st
WEBSITE: https://austinfilmfestival.com/submit/play/

Three finalists from the Playwriting Competition will have live readings during the festival which will be performed in front of an audience including the industry professionals already in attendance at the Conference. One winner will be selected and will receive a $1000 cash prize, AFF’s Bronze Typewriter Award, and reimbursements of up to $500 for travel and up to $500 for lodging if used during the 2019 Festival. There is a $25 application fee.

At Austin Film Festival, our mission is to champion all writers across mediums. Our Playwriting Competition (open to full-length plays) gives playwrights a chance to explore our film and television conference. It will also allow film professionals to discover storytellers who have mastered the art and craft of stage drama.

AFF has always promoted story as the most important element of film and TV. So giving playwrights their own story exposure and a chance of crossover into film and TV only advances our mission. There are many other playwriting competitions out there, but AFF offers playwrights broader access to successful writers and professionals in all the other related fields.


19. THE PEN/HEIM TRANSLATION FUND GRANTS
Deadline: June 1st
Website: https://pen.submittable.com/submit/191304/2022-pen-heim-translation-fund-grants

The PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants were established in the summer of 2003 by a gift from Priscilla and Michael Henry Heim in response to the low number of literary translations currently appearing in English. Its purpose is to promote the publication and reception of translated world literature in English.

Who is eligible:
The PEN/Heim Translation Fund provides grants to support the translation of book-length works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama that have not previously appeared in English in print or have appeared only in an outdated or otherwise flawed translation. Works should be translations-in-progress, as the grant aims to provide support for completion.
There are no restrictions on the nationality or citizenship of the translator, but the works must be translated into English.
The Fund seeks to encourage translators to undertake projects they might not otherwise have had the means to attempt.
Anthologies with multiple translators, works of literary criticism, and scholarly or technical texts do not qualify.
Translators who have previously been awarded grants by the Fund are ineligible to reapply for three years after the year in which they receive a grant.
Please note that projects that have been previously submitted and have not received a grant are unlikely to be reconsidered in a subsequent year.
Projects may have up to two translators.
Translators may only submit one project per year.

How to apply: The application form, with all items completed:
A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement outlining the work and describing its importance.
A biography and bibliography of the original author, including information on translations of their work into other languages.
A CV of the translator, no longer than 3 pages.
If the book is not in the public domain and the project is not yet under contract, please include a photocopy of the copyright notice on the original (the copyright notice is a line including the character ©, a date, and the name of the copyright holder, which appears as part of the front matter in every book), and a letter from the copyright holder stating that English-language rights to the book are available. A letter or copy of an email from the copyright holder is sufficient.
If the translation is currently under contract with a publisher, please submit a copy of the contract.


20. PARADOX THEATER WORKS NEW WORKS FESTIVAL SHOWCASE
DEADLINE: June 1st
WEBSITE: www.paradoxtheatreworks.com

Submissions are now being accepted for Paradox Theatre Works’ second annual New Works Festival Showcase 2022, entitled “THE LIVING ROOM”. Seeking original short plays 10 minutes in length that have not been produced in the Chicago area before, from playwrights from across the globe. This year’s festival is focused on scenes that occur in “The Living Room”.  Seeking original monologues and original spoken word pieces.

The winning entries will be produced by Paradox Theatre Works and provided a venue, audience, directors and actors to perform your play live at our “The Living Room” New Works Festival Showcase 2022 in October.
The production will be in front of a live audience and recorded. It will subsequently be posted after the production on our website.
Scripts should stay between 8 and 10 minutes.
Each play must take place in The Living Room.
Your available set will consist of one coffee table, one rug under the coffee table, two accent chairs and one sofa.
Your play must be limited to between two and four characters.
Scripts that copy the exact plotline of existing movies, plays, TV series, and books will not be considered.
No more than five submissions allowed per playwright.
Please include a cover sheet for your submissions w/ play title, author’s name, place of residence, mobile number, e-mail that is checked regularly, and an author bio of approximately 75 words. You are welcome to include a brief play synopsis here as well.
The first page of the script should provide the name of characters and brief description of personality.
Send email using subject line: 10 Minute Play Submission
Send the email to: ParadoxTheatreWorks@gmail.com
The playwright may submit up to 5 plays.
We prefer plays that have never been produced anywhere but require plays never produced in the Chicagoland area.


21. AMERICAN BARD THEATER COMPANY’S FIRST PLAYWRIGHT INVITATIONAL
DEADLINE: June 5th OR the first 120 plays submitted
WEBSITE: https://www.americanbard.org

Your play could be our next fully-staged production! We are seeking full length plays for consideration for our fall 2022 Corner Stone Reading Series

Our Corner Stone Reading Series was started in 2015 as an opportunity to work with our network of artists and invite our audience into the incubation process of a potential fully-staged production for American Bard. These readings are offered as free programming and are open to the public.​

The top three plays selected by our panel of readers will receive a staged reading produced by American Bard Theater Company for our Corner Stone Reading Series in the fall of 2022.
These plays will be considered for American Bard Theater Company’s the next fully-staged production.

SUBMISSION RULES:
One PDF electronic submission of a single full-length play per playwright, written in English.
75 -90 minutes running time with NO intermission. (Approximately 75 - 90 pages)
Play must not have been previously produced as a fully-staged production.
No joint authorships, adaptations, translations, children’s plays or musicals.
Maximum of 8 actors, regardless of number of characters in the play.
All characters must be performed by adult actors (18 years or older).
No nudity, extreme profanity, glitter/confetti, or prolific use of liquids.
Simultaneous submissions accepted, but please withdraw if accepted elsewhere.

Please send to: americanbardco@gmail.com


22. BETC’s New Play Development Program
DEADLINE: June 15th, or when 200 applications have been received
WEBSITE: https://betc.org/programs-events/generations/

BETC’s new play development program, Generations, features the work of parent playwrights with children under 18. The name comes from BETC’s goals for the program: to welcome all generations into the theater to see new plays, and to empower playwrights to generate new work. Each season, BETC selects one playwright through a national competition to join us in Boulder for a one-week residency.  During the residency week, the playwright works with a professional director, dramaturg, and actors to develop the selected script.  The week concludes with a public reading and post-reading conversation.

23. SOUL PRODUCING RESIDENCE PROGRAM
DEADLINE: June 15th
WEBSITE: https://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/producing-residency

Launched in 2015, the Soul Producing Residency Program’s mission is to unveil, uplift and inform the next generation of Black leaders in cultural production. As writers and artists of color continue to conquer new feats in the performing arts industry, it has become increasingly important to equip emerging Black producers with the tools needed to step into their power as leaders, general managers and cultural curators.
Piloted as a fellowship with the two previous residents, Marie Cisco and Ngozi Anyanwu, this program calls back to Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s guiding principle of autonomy in Black storytelling, and provides an unprecedented opportunity for applicants of color to gain real-time experience. Under the supportive guidance of the L.A.B program staff, the 10-month residency supports residents by providing the network and guidance needed to produce in New York City in real time. Each resident will receive  a stipend and access to a library for resources to sharpen their skills.
With I AM SOUL, NBT seeks to foster mutually-beneficial relationships between Black institutions and creatives in order to reestablish historically Black theatrical institutions as the foremost supporters and producers of Black artistry.  

 

24. I AM SOUL DIRECTING RESIDENCY
DEADLINE: June 15th
WEBSITE: https://www.nationalblacktheatre.org/directing-residency

Launched in 2018, the Directing Residency Program is a rigorous yet creative playground for Black directors to gain exposure, New York City credentials and, most importantly, technical skills under the guidance of the L.A.B program staff. Piloted in fellowship with the inaugural Directing Resident, Ebony Noelle Golden, this program provides a home for one director for a minimum of 18 months who will focus on mounting an NBT main-stage production of an existing play.

In addition to arming emerging directors with focused training and professional mentorship, the program seeks to radically shift accessibility dynamics that have historically disadvantaged directors of color. Residents gain experience at a reputable New York City theater and expand their collaborative network. Each resident is provided a stipend, dramaturgical and developmental resources, a full production team, and three 29-hour workshops.


25. AUDIBLE EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS FUND
DEADLINE: Rolling
WEBSITE: https://www.audible.com/ep/audible-theater

In 2017, Audible launched a theater initiative, intended to radically increase access to exceptional plays and performances. A core pillar of the initiative is the Emerging Playwrights Fund, a program that invests in and nurtures self-identifying emerging playwrights, some of our most inventive, delightful, and provocative storytellers. Through the Fund, Audible aims to connect extraordinary performers with remarkable original work, amplifying new voices and harnessing the power and potential of audio to reach millions of listeners.

The Fund specifically supports t he creation of original dramatic work, written with audio in mind, but theatrical in spirit. Audible is dedicated to commissioning, developing, and producing work that reflects the diversity of our members and our world. To accomplish this, Audible is committed to granting at least 50% of emerging playwright commissions to artists of color and women.

To be considered as an applicant for a commission, please submit all of the following to AudibleTheater@audible.com:
1. One full-length script for an original or adapted play (in English language only) that represents your voice ("Script"). The Script can be in any genre and may include one-acts and solo pieces;
2. A short biography; and
3. A brief statement about why audio plays appeal to you.
If you have an idea for an original audio play, you are welcome to include a pitch or summary along with your statement (this is encouraged, but not required).

Any applicant over the age of 18 may submit a Script. Submissions are accepted year-round. Due to the number of Scripts that Audible receives, Audible will only consider one Script at a time from each applicant and will not consider resubmissions, including those that have been significantly revised. The Audible team evaluates submissions on a rolling basis, and applicants will be notified regarding the status of their submissions via email. Thanks in advance for your patience while we process your Script; our typical response time is 6-8 months.


26. 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.


27. 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.

28. 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.


29. 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.

30. 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

 
31. 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.  

32. 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.

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"The sea of bitterness is boundless,

turn your head to see the shore."