America's Top Welfare Recipients

No story here. Just a list. Whenever someone talks about -in code of course- about the takers of society I always find it helpful to look at this list. The takers are, of course, not really the elderly, rural Whites, our veterans, people who serve in the Armed forces. The takers are largely code of Black and Latino people, single mothers, and those seen as being a drag on our society.

This list is where most of the surplus and hundreds of billions of dollars went to, in order to prop up billionaire and trillion dollar corporations This is where a large percentage of government money goes to every year, much more than hungry children and the 'inner city problem.'

And these are their assets. Yet we blame illegal immigrants, single mothers, and the elderly which represent a fraction of our costs and have an infinitesimal amount of assets.

Citigroup: $2.5 trillion ($2,500,000,000,000)
Morgan Stanley: $2.04 trillion ($2,040,000,000,000)
Merrill Lynch: $1.949 trillion ($1,949,000,000,000)
Bank of America: $1.344 trillion ($1,344,000,000,000)
Barclays PLC (United Kingdom): $868 billion ($868,000,000,000)

Bear Sterns: $853 billion ($853,000,000,000)
Goldman Sachs: $814 billion ($814,000,000,000)
Royal Bank of Scotland (UK): $541 billion ($541,000,000,000)
JP Morgan Chase: $391 billion ($391,000,000,000)
Deutsche Bank (Germany): $354 billion ($354,000,000,000)
UBS (Switzerland): $287 billion ($287,000,000,000)
Credit Suisse (Switzerland): $262 billion ($262,000,000,000)
Lehman Brothers: $183 billion ($183,000,000,000)
Bank of Scotland (United Kingdom): $181 billion ($181,000,000,000)
BNP Paribas (France): $175 billion ($175,000,000,000)

Romney's Nation: Is Poverty Now Un-American and Immoral?

There's a popular clip of Mitt Romney talking privately to donors

The belief is that half of the country doesn't pay federal income tax and, therefore, are freeloaders and portray themselves as victims.

The math doesn't work. Over half of America doesn't pay taxes for a variety reasons.

1. many are children
2. even more are elderly who have worked their whole life and now are in retirement
3. many more are homeless and/or are so poor that they have no income that can be federally taxed
4. and finally even more are working poor: which means these are families who usually have one or two people who are working jobs that are so bad, that they don't even qualify for taxes. These are millions of Americans who work and still go hungry.

It's often been stated by socialists, that American remains oddly independent even as the wealth gap explodes. That's because a significant amount of the working poor have been convinced that they're poor but are going to get rich real soon.  Yet, upward mobility has been stagnating for a generation which means the more likely you are to have the misfortune of being born poor, then more likely you are to remain there.

The logic is beyond Republican and Democrat, conservative vs. liberal. It's a belief that half of the people are leeches, which means the concept of giving is doused in condescension. The poor are to be pitied at best but mostly ignored because they are illogical and immoral.

The greater concept is that poverty is now being equated with being 'Un-American' and unethical, similar to how being a Communist was considered un-American or how being gay is un-Christian. This fits in with the trajectory of the culture: wealth makes right. Corporations are people, and freedom of money is equal to freedom of speech. Therefore the wealthy have more freedom of speech than the middle class.

The logical conclusion of this ideology has been growing for half a century and now comes to light in this video. But it's not shocking. It's completely logical within the Rand-ian concept of rugged individualism and corporate capitalism. Mitt Romney is merely carrying out the philosophy to its dead-end suicide pact.

We are watching a philosophy implode on its own cruelty, craven power lust, and un-Christian, un-religious, utilitarian talking points. The question is how much longer will we endure the death throes of politicized hatred and demonization of the poor? It wasn't long ago that poverty was considered a social problem to be fixed, not to be condemned.

9/11 Memories and Deja Vu

This year I haven't thought that much about 9/11. To be completely honest, I found myself unable to conjure up anything authentic. What runs through my mind is memorial niceties and historical platitudes: we will never forget, I will always remember, etc.

I flew back to Miami this morning to visit my parents. The flight from LaGuardia was mostly empty and the Ft. Lauderdale airport was quiet. I wondered if the tranquil atmosphere was due to it being a lazy Tuesday or if it was a superstition about air travel on this day. But I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind as I moved through the desolate terminal and baggage claim.

A few hours after settling in, having lunch, I stood by the kitchen bar trying to collect my thoughts. My mom asked me, "do you remember where you were on that day?" I didn't roll my eyes or numbly recite a laundry list. I suddenly became aware: 11 yrs ago on this day I was in almost the exact same spot, doing the exact same thing.

I was in between undergrad and grad school in 2001. I had moved back home to save money and was working two jobs as a managing editor for a business magazine and a documentary filmmaker. On Tuesday, I had finished working out at the gym and jogging. I was putting on my socks and trying to call into New York City to set up an interview and all the phone lines were busy. I found this highly unusual and that had never happened before and has never happened since that fateful day. Unable to do any reporting work, I stood by the kitchen bar collecting my thoughts. Both my parents were at work and I debated going into the magazine office or continuing to find a way to make phone calls. I decided against that and -instead- I turned on the TV to see if there was some news to explain the busy phone signals in New York. I didn't know that a lot of the cell phone signals were bounced off the WTC antennae.

Eleven years later I scratched my head by the same kitchen bar in a completely different world. I'm visiting my parents now and in my 30s. In 2001 my Dad was well enough to work, walk, and drive.  Today he's bed-bound from a decade of strokes and health complications. My mom and him were making plans to travel after retirement.

In 2001 I was bored with my work, but young and full of ideas to 'break out.' I was tossing the idea in my head of what it would take to become a creative writer: perhaps movies, maybe plays. I had connected with someone working at an Army magazine about jobs. There was a vague buzz when I thought about New York City. Now I've been living in the Big Apple on and off for the last 9 years.

When I speak with my New York friends, many of them are worried these days. Not about terrorist attacks but about something much bigger that's about to happen. More than a few people have moved out of New York. A few spiritual healers have said that a big disaster is about to happen and that the city will be underwater. Perhaps an earthquake that will trigger a flood. Perhaps a storm.  We will see how future 9/11's will make us feel and make us remember.

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King

I've been doing research for a few projects and keep coming across the Malcolm X/Martin Luther King debate. Last week I was walking through Crown Heights, when I stopped in on a arts gallery with paintings about protests throughout the world. The artist, Mildred Beltre, had several packets of Martin Luther King's speeches next to Malcolm X's, as if they were engaging in a dialogue by the close proximity they shared.

I took one speech from each and read through them on the subway. Two Black men were sitting next to me talking about the evils and corruption of the unions that controlled the Coca-Cola factory. One of the men was older and looked back on his troubles, while the younger one seemed to be living through the conflict. I wanted to hand them Malcolm X's speech to the workers about unity.

The main crux of the debate between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King revolves around love. How we as a people see and express love. How is love used and given? If love is seen as a burden, a passive allowed, taken by the strong, then Malcolm X's call to arms sounds appealing. As Blacks are continually called to 'love' those who seek to kill and beat them it seems demeaning and weak from this perspective. Love is like a mother or a vessel which allows itself to be filled.

If love is seen as strength, then Martin Luther King's position is more favorable. If love is stronger than hate, wiser than ignorance, bigger than fear, then love is the way. As King said, 'love is NOT bondage.'  Love is like a father or protector who guides and gives.

Of course love is neither one of these things. Love is God. It doesn't pick sides or gender pronouns. Love is total, all there is and the greatest force. The application of love to political movements is something done by man. Once love is taken from its God-like placed and used in the world of binary concepts then it must be one thing or the other: masculine or feminine, aggressive or passive, gay or straight, Black or White.

After all these years, the beauty of MLK and Malcolm X's argument is that they are both right deceptively and both wrong ultimately. And I have a feeling they both were aware of this. In the deceptive world of social movements, love can be big or small. It can be hunger strikes and sticking flowers in rifle barrels. Love can be Gandhi, bringing an empire to its knees from the lotus posture of meditation. And when the time is right, even Gandhi himself stood up and marched. But he didn't march to the capital or march to the army bases. He went to the sea. Deceptively he was fighting for the rights of Indians to make their own products such as salt and clothes and that was the reason for the march to water. But ultimately he was reminding people of that even an empire can't stop us from going to the water. He was tapping into people's instinctive power that is as vast as an ocean. He was walking to a body of water to bathe, eat, pray, and Be.

MLK's walks through the south had a similar tone of surface goal combined with a greater theme. Marching to the schools to prove that learning trumps even the greatest intolerance. Marching over the bridge to show that there is a path to bring people together. Sitting at the lunch counter to eat. Love can become a marching force as much as a sitting posture.

The two were reflecting different aspects of the same jewel. And as their lives progressed they moved toward each other. Reluctantly, Martin Luther King stood up for peace protests against the Vietnam War. He was slammed by many Black and liberal leaders for taking a strong stance against violence abroad. Conversely, Malcolm X had his epiphany on love at Mecca. And he realized that things weren't black and white any more than having to choose between night or day.

Love transformed both great leaders because it came from someplace higher.

Eastwood'ing It: Fall Predictions and Ramblings (Sans Chair)

I recorded this in my backyard two weeks ago when I had a free moment. Maybe this will be a time capsule for failed or successful predictions and hopes.  And yes, I know, I say 'ah' too much. But I'm new to the vblogging stuff. I intend on getting better.

In the Kitchen: Azure D. Osborne Lee (video)

I love talking to Azure. But most of the time he's running around or I'm off doing something weird in some funky place with other likeminded weirdos. Hence the lack of face time. So we tried using Google Hangout to get that long-overdue promise of interviewing him and getting the word out about Roots and River Production and Half Moon House. I think it went pretty well.

This is my first time trying to use google hangout as an actual conversation. I used it before to talk with Matt Vorzimer, e-cussionist but I literally was learning on the fly when we were talking.

If anyone has any better suggestions on how to use google hangout or another chat service I'm all ears. For now I'll continue learning about this potentially exciting video service. 

Real Stories and the 2012 Election

I have stories. I didn't ask for them or seek them out. I have stories that were given to me by people who often think they don't count. These were personal stories that people told me as they struggled with their lives.

After the first night of the 2012 DNC convention, I feel overwhelmed. The organizers have brilliantly focused on personal stories and how they have been changed. It made me think about how the banners and parades DO have an effect on people's lives. It made me remember all the people who have directly been effected by policy decisions made over the last 10 years.

1. I remember a woman I worked with in college in 2000. She was a single mother who had a laser-beam intense focus for her job. She was naturalized citizen raising a family on her own. Her dedication to her job was so extreme that she developed carpal tunnel syndrome. At first she wore a wrist brace. Then a more extensive brace. By the time graduation rolled around she was taking days off because her condition had degenerated so much. President Clinton passed a bill to ensure greater health care coverage for people with work-related injuries that would have covered her. When Bush got into office, he repealed this bill in his first 100 days. That's when I first became of the direct impact of policy on a person's health and ability to live and work.

2. One of my friends was diagnosed with a rare and insidious form of breast cancer last year in 2011. This was the kind of cancer that kills and she didn't have proper health care coverage. But because Obamacare she was able to get rare and expensive treatment at Bellevue Hospital. If it wasn't for new, expansive cancer programs funded by the government she would be dead. And yes, she works a job, pays her taxes, and deserves a chance.

3. Last month I met a man in Clifton, PA. He's in his 50s and worked a job in a warehouse while dealing with serious health issues. His job had safety violations that he reported to his boss. Since he wasn't in a union and had no recourse, the company fired him. His company fired him for reporting on a safety issue that was jeopardizing the lives of many workers because they wanted to keep a clean record with OSHA. I sat there as he made phone calls, desperately seeking another job. He's a warehouse worker in his 50s, with a daughter, a bad back, and no other experience.  I wonder what he's supposed to do, where is he supposed to go?

4. My Dad no longer has a donut hole in his Medicare coverage. He has suffered several strokes and has had to deal with ridiculous health care laws. Obamacare in under a year has changed his life. He no longer has to worry about coverage and paying thousands out of pocket on a technicality.

When his wheelchair broke, my mom spent weeks arguing on the phone with insurance companies. He depends on this wheelchair. But the insurance company deemed it 'not a necessity' on their calendar and schedule. A friend had to go out and find a broken wheelchair, repair it, fix it up for them, and bring it over.

5. I have a friend from school who lost his father. He died of a heart attack. His father went into the hospital for chest pains but the doctors told him how much it would cost to do the full set of exams. He was unemployed and unable to pay. Instead he went home to sleep it off. He died in his sleep from a preventable heart attack because he was scared of getting a huge medical bill.

6. My mom was sexually harassed and underpaid for most of her career at work. And at the threat of being fired, she had to keep quiet. Eventually she persevered but not without many nights of tears and prayers. No woman should have to be vulnerable and scared because of their gender. The pay gap is real. The inequality is real. Policy does matter.

GET WHAT YOU WANT: SEPTEMBER 2012

FESTIVALS AND CONTESTS

1.
The Decision: 2012 Play Festival
Deadline: September 30th
EMAIL: 2012playfestival@gmail.com

After all the hype, hoopla and voting what do we have as a nation and a people? “The Decision” is a short play reading festival about what happens after this heated election but also where we will be or should be after this November election. The plays don’t have to be about politics but should address some aspect of our culture, media, and our relationships with each other.

We’re looking for funny, witty, insightful, dramatic 10 minute plays. Tell us where we’ll be in 2012 and beyond in our politics, media, and community. The festival will take place the weekend of Nov 10th-12th (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). They’ll be a talk back after each night that will allow the audience to engage with the writers and directors.

Plays will be evaluated by a small panel of directors and producers. The top plays will be selected for the 3-day play reading festival at Three Jewels in the East Village.

Guidelines:
-submit plays by Sept. 30th
-10 minute plays
- include your name and contact info on title page along with list of characters
-send synopsis of play in cover email
-E-mail submissions: 2012playfestival@gmail.com


2.
Source Theatre Festival 10-Minute Festival
Deadline: Oct. 9th

Looking for Directors and Playwrights

Each year, Source Festival produces 18 new 10-Minute Plays. Scripts are staged by a wide cross section Washington theatre directors, from early career to seasoned veterans. The 18 selected playwrights receive a $100 stipend and 5 performances of their play in Source’s 100-seat black box theatre in DC’s buzzing Mid-City District. Directors will be selected and receive a stipend as well.

The Source Festival is driven by creativity, collaboration and invention. The most successful scripts tell an original story in a fresh distinctive voice. Other requirements are as follows:

• Plays may not have been previously produced or published;

• Playwrights may submit only one 10-Minute Play;

• Plays may be no longer than 10 pages and must be submitted as a PDF;

• Playwrights must be based in the United States. We are not currently accepting international submissions.

Go to website to submit work: http://www.sourcefestival.org/opportunities.html

3.
Theatre Three One-Act Festival
Deadline: Sept. 30th

THEATRE THREE, Port Jefferson, New York, is now accepting submissions for its... 16th ANNUAL Festival of One-Act Plays to be held on its Second Stage, the Ronald F. Peierls Theatre, during March.

Only UNPRODUCED works will be accepted.  Plays that have had staged readings are eligible.No adaptations, musicals, or children’s plays. Cast size maximum:  8
Length:  40-minutes maximum.  No minimum. Settings should be simple or suggested.
Playwrights may make multiple submissions. (These need not be made under separate cover.)

Please do not submit works that have been previously submitted.
Scripts must be post-marked by September 30, 2012. Please submit a cover letter, a synopsis, and a resume along with one copy of the play.  Cover-sheet of play should have title, author, author’s address, author’s telephone number, and author’s e-mail.  Plays should be neatly bound or stapled on the left hand corner.  (No loose pages and no binders, please.)  All submissions must include a standard SASE for correspondence.  Or, if playwrights wish to have their works returned, an appropriate SASE must also be included.

Selected plays will be presented for ten performances.  Playwrights will receive a small stipend.

Plays should be submitted to The 16th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays, Attn. Jeffrey Sanzel, Artistic Director, THEATRE THREE, PO Box 512, Port Jefferson, NY  11777-0512.  We do no accept electronic (e-mail) submissions). Please do not call or stop by the theatre.

4.
B.REVA SHINER COMEDY AWARD Bloomington Playwrights Project
Deadline: Oct. 31st

We are currently accepting submissions for the 2013-14 Reva Shiner Comedy Award (deadline Oct. 31, 2012). The top 10 finalists and the winner of the 2013-14 Reva Shiner Comedy Award will be announced at the end of March.

The Reva Shiner Comedy Award presents an unpublished full-length comedy with a cash prize ($1,000), a full production as part of the Bloomington Playwrights Project's Mainstage season, and travel expenses up to $300. Previous winners have gone on to enjoy productions around the world and to garner additional honors such as the National Play Award. Past winners of the award include Amanda Rogers, Anne Flanagan, Lynda Martens, Johnna Adams, Terri Wagener, Sarah Treem, Buzz McLaughlin, Janet Burroway, Jamie Pachino, Itamar Moses, Judy Sheehan, and Alan Brody.

Types of material:  full-length comedies.  

Please check the website for more details:
http://newplays.org/cmsms/for-artists/submissions/reva-shiner-play-contest

Submission procedure: script, synopsis, cover letter and $10 fee (waived for Dramatist Guild Members and agent-submitted scripts); scripts will not be returned.
Deadline:  31 Oct.  


5.
LSU Outworks 2013
Deadline: December 8th
Award:  $150 and production videotape

LSU is now accepting submissions for Outworks 2013, a festival of new lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or queer (LGBTQ) themed one-act plays.   

Submissions must be the author's own original work. Each entry shall be free from copyright restrictions and the author agrees to hold LSU, its officers, and directors free and harmless from all copyright claims.

• Scripts must be LGBTQ-themed.  
• Submissions must be one-act plays, ranging from (20) twenty to (30) thirty minutes in length.   
• There is a limit of two scripts per playwright.
• All Entries should be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format via e-mail to outworksfestival@gmail.com with “Outworks 2013” in the subject line.
• Deadline is December 8, 2012
• Scheduled production dates are April 30 – May 5, 2013

Submissions will be read and scored by a faculty/student committee. The committee will select six plays.  These six playwrights will receive $150 in monetary compensation, each play selected will be guaranteed three staged
performances, and each playwright will receive a video of his/her production.  Playwrights wishing to attend the festival are responsible for all travel expenses.  

The LSU Theatre Lab season retains all rights and privileges concerning casting, production, and programming for Outworks. LSU Theatre reserves the right to:
Reproduce as many copies of the play as are necessary for distribution to the judges and participants in the production.
Videotape the performance for archival purposes.
Use the title, author's name and images from the production for publicity purposes related to the Outworks Festival.  

The final play list will be announced January 21, 2013.  

Submissions sent via email are preferred.  Please send submissions or inquiries to:  

Nichole Ingalsbe and Macy Jones, Outworks Festival Curators, at:
outworksfestival@gmail.com and put “Outworks 2013” in the subject line.


6.

Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Play Contest 2013

Deadline: Oct. 1st
web site

All scripts must be postmarked by October 1, 2012

The Castillo Theatre sponsors the Mario Fratti-Fred Newman Political Play Contest annually. In its sixth year, the purpose of the political play contest to encourage the writing of scripts for the stage that engage the political/social/cultural questions affecting the world today and/or historical events and issues that impact on our political/cultural heritage.  While Castillo recognizes that in the broadest sense, all theatre is political, the contest is seeking politically progressive plays that: look at social and/or economic problems and challenges; explore possibilities of social transformation; and, reflect the concerns and interests of communities and/or which explore the importance of community. The contest also welcomes scripts that experiment with form and seek new ways of seeing and new ways of experiencing theatrical performance. The plays submitted to the Fratti-Newman Contest may be written in any style, set in any historical time, geographic or imaginary location, contain any number of characters and be of any length. The plays must be in English and cannot be musicals or adaptations. No scripts will be considered that have previously been submitted to this contest, have received a production or won other contests. Only one script per playwright will be accepted.

DETAILS


The contest is judged by a team of distinguished theatre artists. The winning script(s) will receive a reading and/or a production at the Castillo Theatre in New York City during the theatre’s 2013 summer season.
All scripts should be submitted in hard copy and must be accompanied by:
• A statement of the political/social/cultural questions that the script engages (scripts without a statement will not be considered);
• A brief synopsis;
• A character breakdown, including gender, age and ethnic requirements, if any;
• A 100-word biography of the playwright;
• A current email address
Please note:
• Receipt of script will be acknowledged via email.
• Scripts will not be returned.
• Castillo will not give critical feedback to playwrights/contestants.
• Contest winners are required to sign a letter of agreement, which will include but not be limited to granting the right for Castillo to produce one or more readings and/or a full production of the winning play.
• Contest winners are responsible for travel expenses or any other expenses incurred as a result of participating in the development of the play with Castillo, or as a result of attending the reading and/or full production.
All scripts must be postmarked by October 1, 2012. The winner(s) will be publicly announced at the Otto René Castillo Awards for Political Theatre in New York City in May of 2013.

Send all submissions to:
Castillo Theatre
543 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Attn: Fratti-Newman Political Play Contest
Questions and inquiries should be addressed to Madelyn Chapman at 212-356-8485 or mchapman@allstars.org


7.

Yes Festival seeks full-length plays

Deadline: Sept. 30th

web site

Scripts accepted between May 1 and September 30, 2012

1. Scripts must be standard sized, legibly typed, and bound. Standard Dramatist Guild form is preferred.

2. Submissions (ONE per playwright) must be full length and should include a one-page synopsis and a cast list with brief character descriptions.

3. A play may not have had a previous professional or university production.

4. Scripts are not returnable (unless specifically requested and accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope).

5. Enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard if you wish the project director to acknowledge receipt of your script.

6. All rights must be fully owned by the author.

7. No children’s theatre, one-acts, or reader’s theatre pieces will be considered. Adaptations will be considered only if the adapted work is in the public domain.

8. in deciding which play to submit, a writer should know our actors will be students ranging in age from 17-30. Some faculty members or guest artists may be available for the festival. However, a play with especially strong demands for mature character roles would not be as likely for selection as one of equal quality with roles for young adults.

9. Musicals with small orchestra demands will be considered. Musicals should be submitted only if a vocal score and piano conductor score is available.

10. A Y.E.S. entry form must accompany a submitted script - see this flyer (PDF Format.)

11. Scripts may be submitted from May 1 until September 30, 2012 to this address:
Northern Kentucky University
Sandra Forman,
Project Director
NKU Y.E.S. Festival of New Plays
Department of Theatre and Dance
Nunn Drive
Highland Heights, KY 41099
12. Selections will be made and winners notified no later than December 31, 2012. Returnable scripts will be mailed back after the winners have been notified.

13. An honorarium of $500 will be awarded to each selected playwright as well as travel expenses and housing while attending the festival.

14. it is important that selected playwrights be available to visit the festival about a week before opening so their visit can be arranged to include late rehearsals and the premiere of their play. Festival dates are April 11-21, 2013. The visiting dates are at the discretion of the festival. Playwrights and the directors of their plays will participate in one post-show question-and-answer session with the audience.

15. in addition to the three plays selected for full productions, one script may be selected for a staged reading during the festival. The playwright of this script will also be brought in for late rehearsals and opening.


8.
PlayPenn
Deadline: Sept 30th

Beginning on September 4, PlayPenn is accepting applications for its 2013 new play development conference and we are pleased to request your full length, unproduced script for consideration. Application materials will be accepted between September 4 and September 30, 2012. Your application must be uploaded and complete by September 30, 2012 or it cannot be considered.

The 2013 conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA from July 12 – 28 at the Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. Invited playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a director, dramaturg, designer and Philadelphia-based, professional actors over a 17 day period that allows for 29 hours of rehearsal and staged reading time along with ample time to reflect and write.

The work will be preceded by a three-day pre-conference retreat (July 12 – 14) that will help in laying the collaborative groundwork for the development time ahead. The conference concludes with public staged readings that are intended as a part of the process, giving playwrights an opportunity to measure the efficacy of their work and provide an opportunity to gauge the work ahead.

PlayPenn will provide travel for casting for both writer and director, travel to and from the conference, housing, per diem and a stipend.

Applicants should be aware that we are a development conference rather than a festival or showcase for new work. The distinction is important and meaningful to us in the current climate of the increasing commercialization of play development. We seek to avoid participation in what has become known as "development hell" by fostering an environment in which risk is rewarded and honest assessment is provided and encouraged. TO THAT END, WE FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF THE TEXT. THE END-OF-CONFERENCE READING IS INTENDED TO PRESENT A GLIMPSE INTO HOW THE TEXT LIVES OFF THE PAGE RATHER THAN HOW THE HOW THE PLAY MIGHT BE STAGED IN PRODUCTION.
To apply go to the following link – http://www.literarymanager.org/submit_step_one_u.php?t=8
Please follow the instructions to upload your play into our system. Because script reading by our evaluators is a blind process, you must include the following documents, absent your name or any identifying information. Because the data base identifies you through your registration, NO NAME SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON ANY DOCUMENT, INCLUDING YOUR RESUME.
1. An original script in .pdf format with no identifying indicators (no name on the document). Applications that are submitted in non-pdf format will not be considered
2. Your current resume (pdf) (no name on the document)
3. A casting breakdown and the number of actors required (pdf) (no name on the document)
4. The play's development and production history (pdf) (no name on the document). Plays that have been produced or that have been through an extended development process are not eligible. Plays that have had readings are eligible.
5. An articulation of your goals for the development process using the resources offered by PlayPenn (pdf) (no name on the document).
PlayPenn does not accept applications by agents.
And as stated above, applicants should be aware that we are a development conference rather than a festival or showcase for new work. The distinction is important and meaningful to us in the current climate of the increasing commercialization of play development. We seek to avoid participation in what has become known as "development hell" by fostering an environment in which risk is rewarded and honest assessment is provided and encouraged.

9.
Stage Q
Deadline: Dec. 14th

StageQ invites you to submit a short play for our eighth annual festival of short queer plays, Queer Shorts 8. Queer Shorts 1 - 7 were sold-out smash hits, and you could be part of the fun during our 2013 playfest!

Plays should be no longer than 15 minutes in length, and are due
December 14, 2012.

Please include a one-page precis, including:

* One-paragraph description of the plot
* Casting requirements (number of actors, gender, ages, special
requirements, if any)
* Set requirements (remember, this is a playfest with 10 - 12 plays
in one evening; we use cubes to create the sets; simple is better!)
* Running time (no more than 15 minutes!)
* Special technical requirements, if any
* Who is the intended audience?
* Is there lesbian, gay or other queer content? (Required)
* Is there nudity? Adult language?
* If a musical, is there a written score?
*** If a musical, what are the instrumental requirements? Vocal
requirements?

Please send us no more than 3 scripts. And please don't re-submit scripts that you have sent us in the past.

You can email your script and precis to QueerShorts@stageq.com.
                       
We have a strong preference for receiving scripts electronically. But if that's not possible for you, send via snail mail to:
                       
Queer Shorts c/o StageQ
113 E Mifflin Street
Madison, WI. 53703

We're serious about the 15 minute time limit. 5 or 10 minutes would be even better. We'd love to have a musical in the fest! And call us language snobs, but synopses and scripts full of typos, spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors are not going to knock our socks off. We read almost 300 scripts for Queer Shorts each year and accept 10 or 11, so make yours easy for us to love.
           
We acknowledge all scripts received, so if you dontt hear back from us within a couple of weeks, we didn't receive your submission. We'll also let you know by early April, 2013 whether or not we selected your script, but please don't start bugging us about it on April 1st.

Queer Shorts 8 will be performed June 7-15, 2012 at the Bartell Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin, with possible teaser performances as part of other events in the spring and summer of 2013.

10.
The City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting
Deadline: Oct. 15th

City Theatre seeks to furthers the Company’s mission: to identify, acknowledge and award excellence in dramatic writing. Up to fifteen playwrights will be selected from among the hundreds who annually submit their ten-minute plays to the company for special recognition.  The winning play will be produced in the annual Summer Shorts festival, for which the playwright will earn royalties, be invited to Miami for the festival and to take part in the CityWrights Professional Weekend for Playwrights.  Transportation, hotel, the Weekend and a cash prize will be awarded up to a value of $2,000.00.  Finalists will receive free tuition to attend CityWrights, and may be considered for production in the Summer Shorts festival and other programming. City Theatre National Award scripts will be submitted to the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. The Summer Shorts Festivals are produced annually in Miami in the month of June.

City Theatre Play Submissions Rules and Information;
Please review the criteria thoroughly before sending your submission to City Theatre. Plays will be accepted yearly from August 15 – October 31. Scripts won’t be considered sooner or later!

With the mission of developing and producing original short plays by established talents and promising new voices, City Theatre is looking for wonderful ten-minute plays for our annual Summer Shorts festival and other programming. Having produced hundreds of plays, we know what we want; scripts that are lively and timely, hilarious and thought-provoking, poignant and dangerous. We look for plays that span style and genre. We will consider bilingual scripts and ten-minute musicals. We have no restriction on the age range of the characters. In other words, for us to consider a script for production, we are seeking compelling plays that rise above the ordinary.

• Each playwright may submit only one script - send us your best!
• No scripts will be returned - save postage. No SASE required.
• Each script must be no more than ten pages long. We start counting when the actual play begins. Please remember to submit scripts with page numbers.
• Previously submitted plays, children's shows, and any unsolicited longer one-act or full-length plays are not accepted and will not be returned.
• City Theatre will consider previously produced works, but there must be a production history included with submission.
• Manuscripts must be typed and individually bound or stapled. Title page must include name, address, email address and phone number. We will accept electronic submissions provided all of the contact info and production history is included.

The volume of scripts submitted prevents us from providing feedback or criticism.

NOTE: City Theatre will only contact the playwrights with scripts the company is interested in producing.  Playwrights with scripts in consideration will be contacted in February-March.

Deadline - Submission Postmark Every Year by October 31st.

Address Submissions to: Susan Westfall, Literary Director`
City Theatre,  444 Brickell Ave., Suite 229, Miami, Fl 33131
Susan@citytheatre.com
www.citytheatre.com


11.
ACME NEW WORKS WINTER FESTIVAL
Deadline: Sept. 15th

Acme Theater of Maynard, MA is proud to announce that it is now accepting submissions for our 12th annual New Works Winter Festival. The festival will be performed over two weekends in January 2013. Selected plays will be divided into two festival tracks and will be performed once per weekend. At the conclusion of each festival track, one playwright will be awarded the audience choice award, known as "The Charlie".

Submission Guidelines:
1) Scripts must be limited to a length of ten (10) pages or less in standard script format and be able to be legitimately performed in 10 minutes. Please keep type sizes at 10 pts or greater, double spaced, and leave some margin space.
6 standard wooden chairs
1 dining room table
1 coffee table
1 tall table/desk
1 end table
1 podium
1 small love seat
1 park bench

Tom Berry
Acme Theater Productions
Producer, New Works Winter Festival 2013

2) Maximum submission of 2 plays per playwright. Any subject matter welcome. Comedy or drama. Please no overuse of strong language.
3) Plays may have already been produced elsewhere, but any published works will not be considered.
4) Your script will be limited to the use of any/all of the following set pieces provided by Acme:
Hand props will be allowed, but nothing else.

5) Selected playwrights will be given the option to provide their own director, actors, props, etc., or have Acme provide someone from our pool of eager and capable directors for you and cast the play from our festival auditions in November 2012.
Acme Theater is a 72-seat black box in Maynard, MA with full light and sound equipment. Acme will provide sound and light operators, the stage and a 45 minute tech time the week before we open so that casts can become familiar with our space prior to the festival.

Submission Deadline: Saturday, September 15, 2012
Please email scripts in .doc or .pdf format to Tom Berry at acmenwwf@yahoo.com . Scripts sent to any other email address will not be accepted.

Selected playwrights will be notified by November 2012


12.
Southern Appalachian Repetory Theatre SCRIPTFEST
Deadline: Sept. 30th

ScriptFEST Guidelines

The submission period of scripts for ScriptFEST 2013 will be August 1, 2012 through September 30, 2012. Scripts postmarked before August 1st or after September 30th will not be eligible. Email submissions will not be accepted.

We welcome your submission and hope the following information will answer your questions. If you need more information, please send an email to scriptfest@mhc.edu or call the SART business office at 828-689-1384.

• New scripts of full-length plays and musicals in English that have not been published nor fully produced, either professionally or by community and/or educational theatres. No One-Acts. No Children’s Plays. Scripts that have gone through a developmental process or other readings are eligible.
• Playwrights may submit only one title each submission period.
• Excerpts and summaries will not be accepted without the FULL script.
• No film or television scripts, translations or adaptations.
• Adaptations of novels and short stories are acceptable. Adaptations of movies and stage scripts are not acceptable.
• If you have submitted a particular title in a previous year, it may be submitted again if and only if you have made significant revisions to the script since it was last submitted. It would be best if you explained this in a cover letter so we wouldn’t have to contact you for verification.
• No scripts will be returned.

Submission Requirements:

TWO “hard” copies of script on white paper are required. One or two-sided paper format is the author’s choice. All pages much be standard 3-hole punched, or better yet, in a binder.
Synopsis Page(s) (optional) inserted directly behind the Title Page containing play synopsis, character descriptions, and other notes.
Do not have the author’s name and/or other identifying information anywhere on the title page, synopsis or pages of the script. If you do, your submission may not be accepted!
Provide one additional and separate Title Page that includes the author’s name, contact information, date, etc.
Author’s Resume, or detailed background information.
If you include a cover letter, DO NOT include synopsis, notes, or other important information in the letter. Anything you want the reviewers to read must be included on the inserted synopsis page(s) of the scripts.

Other Information:

Musicals should also include a score and/or a recording of at least four songs on CD or cassette. Only one score/recording is necessary.
If you wish notification of receipt of your submission, please include a postage-paid card for us to return to you.
SART will contact you by email if your submission is not chosen as a finalist. If you would prefer postal mail notification, you must provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with your submission.
Submit to:

SART ScriptFEST
P.O. Box 1720
Mars Hill, NC 28754-1720

13.

National 10-Minute Play Contest: Humana Festival

Deadline: First 500 scripts

The guidelines for the National Ten-Minute Play Contest recently changed!  Please read the following policies carefully before submitting your play. 

Beginning in 2011, we are redirecting the focus of the Contest toward the primary production opportunity for ten-minute plays at Actors Theatre: The Apprentice/Intern Tens. An annual event that takes place in January, the A/I Tens consist of a bill of 8-10 world premiere ten-minute plays, fully produced in Actors’ Victor Jory Theatre and performed by our Apprentice Company of young actors.

Go to website for guidelines: http://actorstheatre.org/participate/submit-a-play/national-ten-minute-play-contest/

As a result of this refocusing and our individual programming needs, Actors Theatre of Louisville and City Theatre of Miami will no longer co-sponsor the National Ten-Minute Play Contest, though each theatre will separately continue its commitment to finding and producing excellent ten-minute plays, and getting to know the work of writers around the country. Playwrights who wish to submit a ten-minute play to be considered for City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival should visit www.citytheatre.com for more information.

FELLOWSHIPS

1.
PRINCETON HODDER FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: Nov. 1st

The Hodder Fellowship
Princeton University, Lewis Center for the Arts,
Website: http://www.princeton.edu/arts/fellows

The Hodder Fellowship will be given to writers and artists of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the 2013-2014 academic year. Fellows receive a $65,000 stipend for 10-month term.

Hodder Fellows may be writers, playwrights, composers, choreographers, visual artists, performance artists, or other kinds of artists or humanists who have "much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts"; they are selected more "for promise than for performance." Given the strength of our applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the "studious leisure" to undertake significant new work.

Hodder Fellows spend an academic year at Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. Fellowships cannot fund work leading to the Ph.D. You need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.

Label each item submitted on-line and/or via mail with your name and genre (ex: writer/fiction, writer/playwright, visual artist, choreographer etc.)

Go to Jobs section on Princeton site and search for keyword “Hodder Fellow.” Fill out application online for quickest response.

Link below:
https://jobs.princeton.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=190475

Writers:
Submit a resume, a 3,000 word writing sample of recent work, and a project proposal of 500 to 750 words.

Performers and Visual Artists:
Submit a resume, a DVD of ten minutes of performance and/or 20 stilll images, and a project proposal of 500 to 750 words.

Submit written documents online: http://jobs.princeton.edu

Submit DVD & images via mail: Programs Office/Hodder Fellowship, Princeton University, Lewis Center for the Arts, 185 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ, 08544

2.
Doris and Lewis B. Cullman Fellowships
Deadline: September 28th

Go to website to apply online:
http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/36/node/29202

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

The fellowship allots $65,000 to each writer.
Please visit www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-collections for detailed information about the collections of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Fellows work at the Cullman Center for the duration of the fellowship term. They may have a few prior commitments, but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements, and may not accept other major work obligations during the course of this fellowship. Anyone who needs to take a leave of more than a week should notify the Director or Deputy Director in advance. The Library reserves the right to pro-rate stipends for Fellows who spend too much time away from the Center.

Fellowships will not be granted to people doing research leading directly to degrees.

Fellows must be conversant in English. Completed applications and supporting materials — research proposal, Curriculum Vitae, letters of recommendation, and art work sample or creative writing sample — must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST.

3.
Alfred B. Sloan Screenwriting Fellowship
Deadline: September 8th

Partnered with the Sudance Institute, this is a $20,000 fellowship for screenplays with a science and math theme. Additionally, $5,000 are given to a scientist advisor.

Go to website http://www.sundance.org/programs/grants-fellowships/


4.
Vermont Studio Center Fellowship
Next Deadline: Oct 1st

VSC awards a number of Fellowships for 4-week residencies throughout the year. Open to all artists and writers, the Full Fellowship application deadlines are February 15th, June 15th, and October 1st. In addition to VSC Awards, a variety of special fellowships are also available for full or partial funding as well as specific international fellowships with deadlines on April 1st.

To apply for a Full Fellowship, please use our brochure or download an application: http://www.vermontstudiocenter.org/

5.
Many Voices Fellowship
Deadline: information session on Sept. 14th in NYC

The Playwrights' Center is proud to announce a significant expansion to our Many Voices Program. Long serving as a local and smaller-paid fellowship for beginning and emerging Minnesota playwrights of color, for the first in the program’s history, the Playwrights’ Center welcomes both local and national writers to apply for this program. Two emerging playwrights of color that have chosen playwriting as a career path will receive a $10,000 stipend, $2,500 toward living expenses, and $1,500 in development funds.

There will be an information session about our newly revamped Many Voices program in NYC.

Led by Playwrights' Center Associate Producer Hayley Finn, this free informational session will introduce the expanded Many Voices Fellowship, share helpful tips and insights into applying, and give potential applicants an opportunity to ask questions about the fellowship and the application process. The session will be on Friday, September 14th, from 4:30-5:30 pm.

The session will be held at The Dramatists Guild of America, 1501 Broadway Ste. 701, New York, NY.

If we could ask your help in spreading the word - we'd love to invite any friends and colleagues in New York City and the surrounding areas to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the program. There's an event on our Facebook page as well - feel free to share it!

THEATRE SUBMISSIONS

1.
Theatre 503
Deadline: rolling

There is not an ideal ‘theatre503 play’ but our primary focus is original work from early career playwrights. Theatre503 is strongly committed to discovering new and emerging writing talent and as such ensure all submitted scripts are read in their entirety by two of our reading panel. Theatre503 currently receive no funding or subsidy to support any part of this process.

Please submit your script by email only to the following address: scripts@theatre503.com

Your submission should include : An email letter of introduction, full contact details, cv, a short synopsis and the script.

You will receive an email receipt for the script. We will aim to read your play within four months. You will be notified of the outcome of this process by email only. Limited feedback will ONLY be given upon direct request from a writer, or at the theatre’s discretion.

Please DO NOT send hard copies or stamp addressed envelopes for reply, or return of scripts. We are unable to provide this service.

Your play will be read and discussed at a group meeting where plays with potential for production, or writers we’d like to develop a relationship with, are identified. Those scripts will then be considered by our Senior Reading Team. Whatever the outcome, you will be contacted at this key stage, to inform you of our decision. You may then request feedback.

If you have any access needs in relation to submission of work, please do contact us.
Equally, if your work is being read or performed please keep us informed.
For all other enquiries contact us on : literary@theatre503.com
We look forward to reading your work!


2.
Bloomington Playwright Project + IU Musical
Deadline: rolling

The Bloomington Playwrights Project will be collaborating annually on a new small-scale musical with Indiana University. The next production is slated for February 2013. Submissions are being accepted for Spring of 2014.

Guidelines for Submission:
Please e-mail a synopsis with character breakdown, production history, and a selection of 1-2 songs (if possible) to the Literary Manager atliterarymanager@newplays.org. If interested, a member of the BPP Literary Committee will contact you for a full script. Musicals that have had developmental readings, workshop productions, or productions at small theater companies are acceptable. No scripts with previous productions at major regional theaters will be accepted. Primarily interested in musicals with 6 or less actors and contemporary in style.


3.

Thunderclap Productions wants comedic scripts and songs about sex

Deadline: Dec. 31st
web site

Material type: Comedic sketches, songs, or sketches with songs

Length: Shorts; recommended length 3-5 minutes (no longer than about 7 minutes)
Thunderclap Productions and the creative team behind Death, the Musical are now accepting open submissions from lyricists, book writers, and composers from anywhere in the world. Please direct submissions to submissions(at)thunderclapproductions(dot)com or questions to Aaron Alon, the project’s creative director.

GUIDELINES

1. Every sketch/song must be related to some aspect of sex and must be comic.
2. You may use up to 2 men and 2 women in your sketch/song.
3. You can write a sketch, a song, or a sketch with a song in it. Songs may include lyrics and music or just lyrics.
4. Those interested in writing music alone are asked to forward samples of their previous work.
5. Limit your set requirements to a table and chairs. Keep props to a manageable minimum as well.
6. Your submission can be up to about 7 minutes in length. Most selected sketches/songs will run 3-5 minutes.
7. Submissions are due by December 1, 2012. We will announce the selected sketches/songs in March 2013. Writers whose works are included will earn a share of any profits/royalties.

Please follow these instructions to submit:

1. Submit a script and/or score with your name removed.  Include a cover page with the title, a breakdown of characters by gender (e.g., 2m/1w), and a 1-2 line synopsis.
2. Provide an identical second script and/or score that now also includes your name and contact information.
3. Please also include a short bio and a performance history of your sketch and/or song if it has been previously performed.
4. Send all of your files to submissions(at)thunderclapproductions(dot)com with “Sex Musical Submission” as the subject line.
5. For sending large files, we recommend zipping them and sending them through yousendit.com or a similar service.

Accepted File Types:

• SCRIPTS or STAND-ALONE LYRICS: pdf, WORD (.doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt), Final Draft (version 7 or below)
• SCORES: pdf, Finale (.mus)
• AUDIO: mp3 strongly preferred (other formats may also be accepted)