2014: My Year in Review

2014: you were a beast. A rollercoaster. A fatherfucking, piston-pumping, adrenaline racing, agonizing, triumphant ride of glory. I do these reviews to remember, express gratitude, review what happened, what went according to plan, what was a surprise, disappointment, and how to plan/allow/flow better.

JANUARY

-At the top of the year, my roommate said I had to move out because his mother was moving in. This was a huge relief. I knew he was lying but I was happy to go along with it because the last few months had been excruciating, awkward. I had to sit by and watch a downward spiral in his finances, and attitude. I welcomed the opportunity to leave the apartment and immediately began looking. It would take me until the first or second week of February to find a new place, with a lot cooler people: fellow artists.
- I started dating a guy who I vibed with emotionally, intellectually, and physically. The relationship would run its course for the next 6 month and end mutually when I was going away for the summer. Very happy, because it's the first time in years I've been in a somewhat stable relationship for an extended period of time.
- My first biz trip to LA: YAY!! I actually really enjoyed this. Paradigm set up the meetings, I plugged them into my calendar, did my due diligence/research and mounted my best charm offensive.  I wasn't faking it, wasn't forcing my smile, or suppressing my NY judgmental cringe or sneer. I actually liked the people, but I might be rose-color glassing it. But nearly 11 months later, I still hold that I enjoyed myself, the people, and the interactions. It was good to see some of the execs at the major networks, to drive around in a car, enjoy clean food. Met up with Dylan for the first time in years. Good times.
- Finished edits on the "Generation Debt" video. Results are mixed. I liked some of what came out, but I thought other areas looked sloppy, particularly some of the lines and the audio. It was a rushed project that was rescued in the editing room and through savvy acting and some improv. For some reason things didn't gel as well as I envisioned. I need to revisit this and learn from the experience. The client appeared to be happy...overall. They, too, were distracted with other projects. It just felt like we were all overbooked, over committed at the start of the new year. But what we ended up with was a B+ results...which is fine but not my best.
- "Hansberry/Baldwin" selected as a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Conference.
JANUARY HIGHLIGHT: My drama "Freefalling" won 1st prize at the InspiraTo International Short Play Festival in Toronto. Prize money and key spot in the festival during the spring. 

FEBRUARY

- Moved into new apt. The building is busted but the people are great. I tell them that I will probably only be here for 6-12 months. If I move out it will either be at the beginning or end of summer.
- I finished "The Green Hills of Cambodia" on Super Bowl Sunday aka the day that Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away from a drug overdose. I ate at Potatopia (yum), lamented on the loss of a great talent, and then made my way to the Juilliard computer labs. Nirvana: the lab was completely empty and the Super Bowl was a blow out so I focused 100% on finishing the script. I was crying, pacing, getting worked up over the scenes. When I finished I knew I had something. Now, the question is will anyone give a black man a chance with a script about the Cambodian genocide? Maybe 2015 will reveal more. But I know the script is banging and important.
-my first time celebrating an actual Valentine's Day with an actual Valentine. Niiicccee!!
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHT: Finishing rough draft of "Beasts," Revise the following month to present at Juilliard in the spring in class and playtime lab.

MARCH

- Belarus Theatre and my play "Article 119-1 is presented in a few different countries this month.
- I get to sit in on a dress rehearsal of "Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill" with Audra McDonald in the lead. Glorious. Broadway glorious.
-plays "African Americana" and "Don't Smoke in Bed" are selected from readings and workshops in London and Amsterdam respectfully.
-bring my first draft of Beasts" into Playtime and then Juilliard class. It's well-received. Now to the rewriting cave!
- "Freefalling" selected to be published by DPS. I sign contract.
MARCH HIGHLIGHT: 20th anniversary celebration of Marsha and Chris leading Juilliard's Playwriting Fellowship. Gala, speeches, I get to sing (yes, ma'am). Agents Rich and Andrew come out from LA, even though I warned them that this was just a one-day celebration.

APRIL

- "Africana Americana" goes up at Theatre 503 in London. Thanks to Lydia Parker and so many others.
- finish first act of musical "Mandela/De Klerk."
- "Don't Smoke in Bed" has a reading at Orange Tea Theatre in Amsterdam. Well received.
- my birthday and I get to go to the Whitney to celebrate. Yaasss!!
- binge watch "Breaking Bad." Best. thing. ever.
- email "Beasts' to agents. Surprisingly, everyone reads it very quickly and responds back in a positive way.
- I get to see Jen Silverman's play at Cherry Lane and Brandon Jacobs Jenkins' "Appropriate."
- Broadway plays: "Act One, Cripple of Inishman. Bullets over Broadway." Loved it all, although I migh've been drugged into positive vibes for "Bullets."
APRIL HIGHLIGHT: going to Bennington College for presentation of "Article 119-1" followed by talkback. Nice trip. 

MAY

-my play "Morehouse Men" selected in Fade to Black festival in Houston. Yes!
- "Freefalling" goes up in Toronto at InspiraTo Theatre
- I decide to move back to Queens apt. Old roommate is leaving.
- end of Juilliard semester
- reading excerpt of "Obama-ology" on Juilliard's Playwrights night.
- "Obama-ology" selected for Juilliard's New Play Festival in September.
- I get to see "An Octoroon!"
- wrote pilot for "The Book of Kings."
-nominated for Sundance TV lab
- Athena Theatre does a table reading of "Beasts." Very powerful and helpful. Now to rewriting.
- go to the Gauguin exhibit at MET. Love it.
MAY HIGHLIGHT: my play "Defacing Michael Jackson" wins Lincoln Center's Act One Contest.

JUNE

- my Juilliard e-publishing proposal selected for emerging business program at school. Given mentor in the fall for development.
- move back to Queens
- leave and go home to Miami
- have to come back for BAX artist-in-residence final round interview
- talkback with Lama Chunzom about 3-year retreat and experience.
- JUNE HIGHLIGHT: selected as artist-in-resident at Brooklyn Arts Exchange for 2014-2015.

JULY

- go back to Miami to write and plan
- 2nd business trip to LA: meeting production companies. Get linked up with a few cool companies and producers. Another fun trip. No complaints, good meetings, good vibes.
- JULY HIGHLIGHT: selected for the "I Am Soul" fellowship at National Black Theatre for 2014-2015.

AUGUST

- more LA meetings
- Ferguson erupts and white people become aware: 'hey, these cops are beating up and killing blacks. Huh. Who knew?' Black people did.
- rehearsal for "Obama-ology" at Juilliard begins.
- Uncle Ben passes away and I go back to Miami for the funeral.
- met with theatre producer in NYC through agent.
AUGUST HIGHLIGHT: selected as fellow for the Dramatists Guild's 2014-2015 program

SEPTEMBER

- back at Juilliard for fall semster and last year of fellowship!
- "Obama-ology" has workshop at Juilliard.
- "Obama-ology" selected for workshop production at Finborough Theatre in London.
- start regular BAX AIR meetings
- start BAX AIR rehearsal for new writing
- go to Dramatist Guild Gala in honor of last year's fellows
- start Dramatists Guild fellowship
- TV development deal in place
- start and finish "War and Peace."
- go on month-long Facebook hiatus until I finish War and Peace. Glorious
- weird stomach ailment appears for a few weeks and then disappears
- start going to dance classes at Juilliard
SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHT: gratitude of health and love. Start taking creative non-fiction class.

OCTOBER

- publishing of "Freefalling" in DPS anthology
- bring in "Running on Fire" to Juilliard class. Well received. Start revising.
- meet with Atlantic Theatre Company
- meet with Williamstown Theatre Festival
- saying goodbye to John Adams: producer, surly patriot, friend.
- OCTOBER HIGHLIGHT: Oberon  signing on to publish "Obama-ology" as a book.

NOVEMBER

- "Running on Fire" goes up in lab.
- write short play "Mississippi Goddamn" for ATC in Chicago.
- interviews for BBC and The Independent for "Obama-ology" in London
- Radio City's "Christmas Spectacular."
- also get to see "Whiplash" "Dear White People" and MET exhibit on first African American films.
- meeting other London artist via google video and connections.
-see Lypsinka and too many incredible plays to list.
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHT: work in progress presentation of "The Gospel According to F*ggots" at BAX goes very well. And I get to see other resident artists and their incredible projects.

 DECEMBER

- "Boxing the Sun" selected to be published in Proscenium Journal

- bring in full-length version of "A Family Manual for Kwanzaa" to Juilliard. Very well received. And back to revising!
- great reviews for "Obama-ology" continue to come in.
- finish bringing first act of "Storytown, USA" at DGA.
- finish rough draft of "The Zoohouse" for the National Black Theatre.
- saw too many great plays to list but enjoyed almost all of them.
- Maxamoo Year in Review Podcast. A lot of fun, reliving the year with other theatre people on-air.
- fun meeting with Erika in Gramercy. Yay!!!
- get to go back home to Miami
- plan out next act of "The Gospel According to F*ggots"
- met with directors for "The Zoohouse."
- flurry of submissions to 15 different fellowships and contests before the end of 2014.
- "Obama-ology" mentioned as 'little gem of a play" in British Theatre Guide's 2014 Highlights of London Theatre.
- offered writing gig at The New Republic.
- finish second short play for ATC: "Putting Wings on a Pig."
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS: Reliving this year and having gratitude for it all. 

Notice the Difference

Notice the difference?

A police officer is killed and everyone lines up, salutes, gives praise, vows to figure out how to never let this happen again, political parties unite, stop the violence, united front, the slain are highlighted in positive tones, on the other side of the country LAPD wears mourning strips on their badge, statements about 'assassination,' called 'killers' and murderers. The news notes the unfair tragedy at man discriminating and committing violence against one group, 'every person should feel like they were attacked' according to officials.

VS.

Unarmed black 7-year-old or 12-year-old or 17-year-old is killed by cops: they were a thug, blacks need to be better parents, look into his records to find anything condemning, blame parents, millions donated to cops, police union expresses no remorse or even concern for murdered kids, racist come out of the woodworks to find excuses, and the grand jury never indicts anyone. Oh and the killers end up millionaires.

They say now is not the time for politics, while police officers turn their back on the mayor, tweet threats, and claim that blood is on the hands of everyone from Al Sharpton to Obama for saying that America has a problem with racism. The president is responsible for a crazy lone gunman...and yet no politician, leader, or chief is ever responsible for cops killing black lives. Not even the cops. We live in a society where insane people are held to a higher standard that trained and licensed public officers.

Notice the difference? You better, because the continuation of the inequality depends upon blindness. 

I Can Breathe Pt. 3

*Eavesdropping on an uptown subway at 7am*

A Black man in construction boots comes and sits down next to Black man in a red leather jacket.

Construction (opening newspaper): damn, man. 

Red Leather: Yeah.

Construction: It's like...it could happen to me. 

Red Leather: It could happen to any one of us. 

Construction: Damn.

Red Leather (suddenly irritated): We need to stop worrying about material things like what clothes and shoes we're wearing and start....(trails off)

They sit in silence for a few moments. Man in leather jacket turns away from him. His eyes are red and glassy. He looks at me. I can't tell whether he's sleepy or weary. 

I get off at the 72nd Street stop.

I Can Breathe Pt. 2

Yesterday in creative non-fiction class, we were given the prompt of 'I can breathe' and told to write for 10 minutes. Afterward when it was time to read our work aloud, students began talking about nature, the mountains, personifying air. I sat there, listened respectfully, nodded. When I was asked to share what I wrote for "I can breathe" I looked at my paper and thought 'hmmm...this isn't going to go over well. But okay,'

I launched into my essay about white, privileged artists willfully ignoring the struggle right in front of them; creating apolitical disconnected aesthetically comfortable, intellectually smarmy, quirky, safe, escapist work in the midst of the privileged evil that supports them.

I read about the 1000 yard stare me and other artists of color invoke when we're sitting through another story about neurotic, neutered, and privileged dilemmas; that 1000 yard stare into space that tries to hold in the violent worm thrashing in our throats; that 1000 yard stare and sigh.

I read aloud about the black and brown kids who pass by Juilliard every day on their way to Martin Luther King High School who are met with police officers who tell them to 'move along.' Entire fleets of armed cops who suddenly appear on the street, whose singular mission is to make sure black feet don't gather on the corner; black voices don't talk too loudly around Lincoln Center, modern jazz, ballet, and opera; blacks bodies move immediately from the high school holding pen and directly to the subway to return to whatever holding pen society has devised for them, being carried from shipping container to storage facilities, moving past the tall citadels that are within reaching grasp but they will never enter. Black, brown, and beige kids under the coercive watch of police.

I read about the pernicious virus in our blood: the default comfort and fear of inconvenience. The disease that poisons, blinds, chokes. But 'I can breathe.'

Afterward there was a LONG silence.  I exhaled. 

I Can Breathe

I can breathe.

Arguing with friends in person and on Facebook about Trayvon Martin. He was a thug. He must have done something wrong, look at that bruise on Zimmerman's head.

I can breathe.

Eric Garner was asthmatic and overweight. He died as a result of his own poor life choices, not the cop's chokehold.  as the reason for his death.

I can.

Beavercreek, Ohio. Wal-mart.  Shots inside a store and a black man falls to his death screaming the question of why his life was ending. Why he was taking his last breaths?

Breathe.

Michael Brown was a thug robbing a store. He was not, but it sounds good. Official. He was a monster, a demon. The cop was the victim, the attacker is the unarmed dead body. The attacker was the thug, the threat, the evil that can not speak for itself, so we will take up his voice on his behalf.

Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice immediately shot and killed by police.  This is tricky. He's twelve. But his father's troubles with the law shine a light on his death.

Breathe

And now it's just a growing silence. The 'thug argument' has been used so much for so many cases that it seems ridiculous and impossible and cheap and total embarrassment. Rather than apologize, recant, or admit that maybe we've been smearing Black men with the 'thug' label ever since the day after the Emancipation Proclamation and everyone has just bought it, there is just this silence. Chokingly bitter and suffocating blankness, the absence of words and comprehension. The horrific realization that in the wake of all those dead bodies, the ghosts cry out.

Maybe some of these silent awakeners will sit on a grand jury one day and when the lazy DA throws around 'thug' label on a dead black body something will register inside them as painful, choking flammable and toxic. They will be impelled against their softer judgment.  Their mouths will open to clean out of the kerosene from their insides in order to avoid their own self-immolation. And instead of their own words falling out, the cries of all those ghosts will possess them. Their questions will register in the consciousness of a nation.

I can breathe. 

A Question of Blackness

Am I Black Enough ?

Beyond the skin and collection of parts that I identify with, I look through the eyes and wonder if this is enough?

Am I Black Enough? Political, active, forward-thinking, my mind churns out new theories, homilies, and analogies seeking to break through the reductio ad absurdum, the banal and bland bludgeoning. There is a blackness beyond black, beyond race or night. An inking oblivion where every color and characteristic disintegrates into the cosmic gloam. There is a black quintessence at the heart of each atom, in the breath of each pause, in the howls of the ragged sun. Blackness so dark that it is invisible and omniscient. Void of color and emotion, this force draws the Gods in, so that even they circumambulate around her heaving ebony breast in order to prostrate before her veiled face.  

Am I Black Enough? Has care and comfort weakened the ferocious knife needed to excavate this darkness. To incise the base of my spine and disembowel it, hewn out on the railroad bones.

Here in the darkness I carve out these insufficient and incomplete words. The full expression has not been achieved. They think I’m talking about race or nationality or gender or orientation or artistic persuasion. They think it’s reactive instead of a protoplasmic primal howl of midnight children marauding through the sunless catacombs.

I gnash my pen’s teeth against the chalk white spasms which crumble into dust, leaving behind the apparition of deities.

I grind a dark tempest into celestial sirens calling for night, for darkness, for the blackness behind the sun and seeded in each syllable.

GET WHAT YOU WANT: December 2014

1.

Premiere Stages Play Festival

Deadline: Jan. 15th

website: www.kean.edu/premierestages/play.asp

Premiere Stages is committed to supporting emerging playwrights by developing and producing new plays. Through our Play Festival script competition, Premiere Stages offers developmental opportunities to four playwrights. We provide playwrights with an encouraging and focused environment in which they can develop their work through discussions, rehearsals, sit-down readings, staged readings, and fully-produced Equity productions.

At Premiere Stages, we pride ourselves on a uniquely accelerated process, in which plays we find particularly promising are developed and fully produced within a year of submission. In many professional theatres the time span between meeting a writer, staging a reading and producing the play can be years. At Premiere Stages, immediately following the Spring Readings, two plays enter an intensive development phase. Playwrights work with a director, dramaturg, and design team to develop the play for a staged workshop or full production only a few months later. When we find a writer we believe in, our play festival process allows Premiere Stages to fully commit the time, talent, and resources necessary to share their work with a broad regional audience.

Premiere Stages' productions offer playwrights the chance to see their work fully realized on stage. We hope, however, that the plays developed at Premiere will go on to subsequent productions throughout the country. Because of this, playwrights whose scripts we produce retain the coveted World Premiere brand on their plays. Premiere Stages also strives to facilitate relationships between playwrights and other theatre professionals who we think will respond to their work.

2.

Cape Cod Theatre Project

Deadline: Dec. 31st

website:http://www.capecodtheatreproject.org/

The Cape Cod Theatre Project began as an experiment between two actors in 1995. Andrew Polk and Jim Bracchitta sensed that Cape Cod provided the perfect sanctuary for developing new work, combining an idyllic and comforting atmosphere with a community that enjoys and engages with the arts.

20 years later, CCTP is proud to continue supporting the most exciting voices in American theater in one of the most beautiful locations in the country. Each summer during the month of July, four playwrights are invited to develop a piece, utilizing a full week of rehearsal with a director and actors that culminates in a series of readings and talkbacks.

The Cape Cod Theatre Project has an open application policy.

Playwrights may send us one play per season for consideration. The proposed play must still be in development and cannot be receiving a professional production prior to August 2015.

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

In addition, please include in your email a short biography and a brief artistic statement on how you propose to use your development time at CCTP. The bio and statement of intentions should be one page combined, sent as a PDF or Microsoft Word Doc and labeled with your first and last name. For example: janesmithbio.doc

As of November 1, 2011, we no longer review hard copies of scripts sent by mail.

Applications will be accepted from September 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.

3.

Mcknight Advancement Grant

Deadline: Jan. 8th

website: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-advancement-fellowships

The McKnight Advancement Fellowships recognize playwrights whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic merit and excellence in the field, and whose primary residence is in the state of Minnesota. The fellowship includes:

●     A $25,000 stipend

●     $2,500 to support a play development workshop and other professional expenses

●     $1,400 in travel funds

Past recipients include: David Adjmi, Carlyle Brown, Lisa D'Amour, Barbara Field, Keli Garrett, Jeffrey Hatcher, Melanie Marnich, Gregory Moss, Kira Obolensky, Dominic Orlando, Christina Ham, and Martín Zimmerman.

4.

The Julliard School’s Lila Acheson Wallace Playwright Program

Deadline: Dec. 15th

website: http://www.juilliard.edu/apply-audition/application-audition- requirements/playwrights-program-application-requirements

The Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program encourages and aids the development of new and diverse voices in the American theater.

Under the direction of Christopher Durang and Marsha Norman the Playwrights Program offers one-year, tuition-free, graduate level fellowships to four writers. Selected playwrights may be invited to continue their studies through a second academic year, thereby completing a total of 52 credits for the two-year fellowship period and earning an Artist Diploma in Playwriting.

Juilliard's Playwrights Program is purposely small and allows the artists to focus on the practical aspects of dramatic writing while at the same time they are encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of resources within Juilliard's walls, and those afforded via the School's prime location on Broadway — the greater New York City theater scene. Students may take any class in the Drama Division and are encouraged to see productions around the city by receiving free or discounted tickets to many events on- and off-Broadway. The essence of the Playwrights Program lies in the weekly master class with the playwright heads focusing on dramatic structure and the cultivation of each writer's individual voice. Twice monthly lab readings of the students' work allow the writers, with the help of Juilliard acting students and alumni, to tackle the practical aspects of creating a new play. In addition, seminars centering on other aspects of the theatrical profession are planned on a quarterly basis. The year's end culminates when students in the playwrights residency present their work to professionals from New York and around the country in a showcase evening. The intention is that these events will create a bridge for these artists between Juilliard and the larger community.

5.

Geva Theatre

Deadline: Jan. 31st

website: http://www.gevatheatre.org/play-submission/

The following guidelines apply to submissions for our Festival of New Theatre, Plays in Progress and general production consideration.

Playwrights with professional representation may have their agents send full manuscripts at any time. Please note that lawyers and law firms do not qualify as professional representation.

To best accommodate our schedule of new play activities, we have an Inquiry Window, during which playwrights who are not working with an agent may send a submission inquiry. This year’s window is from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015. Inquiries submitted outside this time period cannot be processed. Looking for other places to submit your play before the next Inquiry Window? The blog Play Submissions Helper keeps an updated list of new play deadlines.

Before submitting a play for consideration, please look at our production history and at the lists of new plays we have commissioned or produced, as an indication of the kind of work we are likely to produce.

Please do not send us the first draft of a play. Due to the number of scripts we receive, we can only read any play one time, so make sure you are sending us your best work. Plays for consideration in our play development series must not have had more than one production at another theatre.

To have your play considered, submit the following:

●     A cover letter introducing yourself, with your full contact information.

●     Your creative resume and a development or production history of this play. If the play has had other developmental readings or productions, they must be included here.

●     A description of this play, no more than ½ page. This need not be a summary of the plot – we welcome a description of the play’s world, characters and conflict, and your reasons for writing it.

●     A complete list of characters.

●     A ten-page dialogue sample. Pages do not need to come from the beginning of your text but must be sequential.

●     Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like materials to be returned.

Direct your inquiry to:

Jean Ryon

New Plays Coordinator

Geva Theatre Center

75 Woodbury Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14607

After reviewing your query, we will let you know whether or not we wish to read the entire script. Playwrights submitting Inquiries can anticipate hearing from us by June 30. Agents submitting plays should expect a response within 6-12 months.

6.

CULTUREHUB MICRO-Residency

Deadline: Dec. 12th

website: http://www.culturehub.org/residency/

CultureHub is an incubator for creativity focused on the intersection of art and technology. We connect artists from diverse disciplines and cultures and provide them with environments in which to collaborate, experiment and explore. We serve local and global communities by providing an open space for creative research, artistic exchange and learning.

CultureHub is now accepting applications for its micro-residency Winter 2015 program. The program is for artists and technologists interested in experimenting in a fully reconfigurable studio environment. Up to two individuals will be selected for one-week micro-residencies taking place in February 2015 at the CultureHub studio. In addition to a stipend and workspace, residents will receive technical and materials support. The program seeks to incubate new artistic projects and investigate creative implementation of technology.

Residents will have access to AV equipment, hardware codecs, motion and depth-sensing cameras, a 30-foot projection surface, theatrical lighting and grid, and the support of CultureHub technicians.

To apply, please submit a proposal including a project description of up to 500 words as well as an outline of material and technical needs. Please include CV and/or links to online work samples.

To apply to please submit a copy of your resumé or CV, links to portfolio or work samples, a proposal of no more than 500 words, and a short biography. The application deadline is December 12th, 2014.

For more information and a full list of available resources please contact residency@culturehub.org

7.

East West Players 2042 Playwriting Competition

Deadline: Jan. 5th

Web: eastwestplayers.org/news/2042-see-change-playwriting-competition-2014/

It is estimated that by 2042, people of color will make up a majority of the United States population.* With this shift in demographics, the face of America will look and feel different. East West Players is seeking submissions of unproduced new works that explore this new reality and represent and reflect the future of the American landscape.

Subject matter may include biracial or multiracial identity; multicultural experiences; international/transnational connections to America; conflict and collaboration between cultures; American stories with Asian or Asian-American characters in leading roles; or ethnic-specific themes about Asian culture in the United States.

Type of material: Original full-length plays and musicals. If submitting a musical, please enclose a music or song sample. No translations or adaptations. All submissions must be professionally unproduced, unpublished, and with no existing attachments for production.

Award: $5000 First Place; $2500 Second Place; $1000 Third Place. The First, Second and Third Place winners will all receive readings by EWP. All winners will be considered for further workshops and/or production; EWP must have the first option to produce.

Rules for Submissions

Submissions will be accepted electronically only and the submission must include:

●     The online entry form

●     2 pdf files:

●     - The script (paginated but without your name on it). In this file, also include a title page which lists the title of the play, a 5 sentence or less description of the play, and a list of characters – (again please make sure there is nothing in this file that identifies the author)

●     - A separate title page with the title of the play, your name, address, phone number, email, and a brief bio (optional).

●     A $20.00 entry fee

Other Guidelines:

1.    Plays must be accessible to a primarily English-speaking audience.

2.    Plays should require no more than 7 actors. Musicals should require no more than 12 actors.

3.    The story should be told in less than 2.5 hours including a 15 minute intermission.

4.    Playwrights may submit only one manuscript for this contest.

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

6.    East West Players reserves the right to reject any manuscript for any reason.

Scripts will be judged by a distinguished committee of theatre and industry professionals through a blind evaluation process. Previous judges have included Tony winning playwright David Henry Hwang, playwright Julia Cho, and Carmen Smith (Vice President Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering)

8.

Neil LaBute New Theatre Festival

Deadline: Dec. 31st

website:stlas.org/labute-new-theater-festival/

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions will be accepted October 1 through December 31, 2014. Professional Submissions: Successful entries will have no more than four characters and be crafted specifically to exploit our intimate performance space. (18′ x 18′ stage) Changes in scenery or setting should be achievable quickly and with few major set moves. Our focus is on fundamental dramaturgy: plot, character and theme.

PROFESSIONAL SUBMISSIONS

Professional, new and previously unproduced one-act play submissions should include a letter of inquiry, a synopsis and a 10-page sample from the script. Running time for each performance should not exceed 45 minutes. Up to Eight plays will be chosen. In addition, a new piece from Mr. LaBute will be performed every night for the run of the festival.

HIGH SCHOOL SUBMISSIONS

Winning plays by high school students will be presented in readings. The guidelines are straightforward: The one act should include no more than four characters featuring a clearly developed plot and distinctive characters. No longer than 15 minutes in length. Non-Professional, new and previously unproduced one-act play submissions should include a letter of inquiry and complete script.

Submissions should be sent to:

LaBute New Theater Festival, St. Louis Actors’ Studio, 360 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108

For more information: 314-458-2978 or help@stlas.org

9.

Ashland New Play Festival

Deadline: Jan 15th

Website:  www.ashlandnewplays.org

ANPF's flagship festival is an international playwright competition that culminates in the reading of four new plays culled from hundreds of submissions by a cadre of volunteer readers. This unique and much-loved five-day festival in Ashland, Oregon, features professional actors from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the community. The event includes rehearsals and two staged readings of each winning play. The winning playwrights receive a $1,000 stipend and local accommodations. There is a $10 submission fee. For details see > submit a script.

1.    Script legibly typed in a standard 8 1/2" x 11" play format

2.    Full-length drama or comedy (total 90-to 120- minute running time)

3.    Previously unproduced

4.    No more than eight characters; no doubling

5.    The submitting author is the sole owner of the copyright of the script

Submissions will be accepted until January 15, 2015.

10.

Yale Institute for Music Theatre

Deadline: Jan. 7th

website: http://drama.yale.edu/YIMT/institute-home

                                                     

Established in 2009, the YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE is a program of Yale’s Binger Center for New Theatre that bridges the gap between training and the professional world for emerging composers, book writers, and lyricists. The Institute seeks distinctive and original music theatre works to be developed in an intensive two-week summer lab at Yale School of Drama. The Institute matches the authors of the selected works with collaborators, including professional directors and music directors, as well as a company of actors and singers that includes professionals and current Yale students. The lab culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as part of New Haven’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Brokaw, two original music theatre works will be selected for the 2015 Institute, which will take place June 13–28 in New Haven. Online applications are being accepted now through January 7, 2015, 11:59PM (EST). Click here for more information and to apply.

11.

MACDOWELL COLONY ARTIST RESIDENCY

DEADLINE: Jan 15th (for summer residency)

website: http://www.macdowellcolony.org/apply-appguidelines.html

The MacDowell Colony is an artist residency program located in Southern New Hampshire. MacDowell awards Fellowships to artists of exceptional talent, providing time, space, and an inspiring environment in which to do creative work. A Fellowship consists of exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for two weeks to two months. There is no cost for a Fellowship; travel funds and stipends are available to artists-in residence based on need.

There is a $30 application fee, but Macdowell is a well-established and prestigious residency for any artist.

For more information: http://www.macdowellcolony.org/

12.

CARMAGO FELLOWSHIP

Deadline: Jan. 13th

website: http://www.camargofoundation.org/pdfs/Guidelines%20EN.pdf

Application Overview

The Foundation’s primary program consists of individual fellowship residencies of one to three months. The Foundation welcomes applications from individuals in the following areas:

●      Scholars working in French and Francophone cultures, including cross-cultural studies that engage the cultures and influences of the Mediterranean region

●      Visual artists, creative writers, film/video/new media directors, playwrights, composers, choreographers, and multidisciplinary artists

The Camargo Foundation supports Fellows who are:

●      committed to artistic and scholarly excellence

●      take risks and embrace challenge

●      are rigorous in their approach to their work, and

●      have a record of strong, promising professional achievement

The Camargo Foundation welcomes scholars and artists from all countries and nationalities as well as all career levels.

The Foundation’s campus includes twelve furnished apartments, a reference library, a music/conference room, an open-air theater, an artist’s studio with darkroom and a composer’s studio.

Conditions of the Fellowship:

●      The Camargo fellowship is a residential grant. Fellows who need additional funds for living or research expenses should apply for them from other sources. Fellows may not accept gainful employment that coincides with their stay at Camargo. Fees for occasional lectures or participation in seminars are allowed.

●      Spouses/adult partners and dependent minor children may accompany fellows for short stays or for the duration of the residency. Because of physical arrangements at the Camargo Foundation, accompanying children must be at least six years old upon arrival, and enrolled in and attend school. Only those whose names appear on the application form may be in residence.

●      Fellows must actually be in residence at the Foundation. This stipulation does not preclude absences during weekends and recesses that coincide with those of the French schools in the Marseille-Aix-Cassis area. Frequent or prolonged absences are unacceptable.

●      The time in Cassis must be spent on the project proposed to and accepted by the selection committee; i.e. the project may not be substantially altered without the approval of the committee.

●      Project discussions are held once a week (except during semester breaks) so each fellow has an opportunity to present the project s/he is working on to the group. The project discussion serves as a progress report. All Fellows are required to be present at these discussions. A written report will be required at the end of the residency.

●      Fellows are asked to give a copy of any completed work to the Camargo library. Any publication, exhibit, or performance resulting from the grant should give credit to the Foundation.

13.
Fresh Fruit Festival

Deadline: Jan. 1^st

Website: http://www.freshfruitfestival.com/

All Out Arts is now accepting submissions for the 13th Annual Fresh Fruit Festival, New York City’s grassroots, multidisciplinary international festival of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer arts and culture.  A cornucopia of various forms of artistic expression, the festival is presented across lower Manhattan each July. Entries are accepted through January 1st for no submission fee (through February 15th with $25  late submission fee).

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

“Last year’s festival was a breakout year, featuring over 40 multi-disciplinary works showcasing LGBTQ arts and culture, much more than ever before,” says Festival Founder and Artistic Director Carol Polcovar. “We can’t wait to see what this year has in store for what can only be another transformative year.”

The Fresh Fruit Festival showcases the whole spectrum of LGBTQ lives as expressed in theatre, performance art, dance, film, spoken word, graphic arts, music and beyond.  Thus, if it is “art” and it reflects any aspect of the LGBTQ community and its culture, you are welcome to submit.  Last years’ festival featured a poetry slam, two weeks of theater and performance art, dance, jazz, an art exhibit, variety acts, opera, and much more.

The Festival seeks diversity, “color,” and things less traditionally available in mass media.  Submissions are done electronically via the festival’s official website, www.FreshFruitFestival.com. Entrants will be notified in late-March 2015.  Accepted artists are showcased in a full-staffed AEA-approved venue, and also receive marketing assistance, networking opportunities and a share of ticket sales.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please complete all fields on the  pages, uploading requested information or providing the appropriate links.  Please note that this form does not save, so application will have to be finished in one sitting.  Once completed in its entirety, please click “Submit” on page 3 to officially submit to the Festival.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Please complete the application fully (incomplete applications will not be considered).  Up to two (2) works per artist will considered, regardless of genre.

In addition, please submit the following types of work samples for your particular genre (applications without said components will not be considered):

●      For Plays (not Solo works): Please attach a complete version of the play (.pdf or .doc format only). One-Acts (between 20-30 min. long) and Full-Lengths (45+ min) will both be considered. Short plays (<10 min. are ineligible). Submissions in English only.

●      For Dance: Please submit a video link (Vimeo or Youtube) to the complete work.  Works should be between 8-20 minutes long. If the video is password protected or “private,” please ensure that we have the requisite abilities to access said footage.

●      For Music: Please submit a link to the complete audio recording. If the link is password protected or “private”, please ensure that we have the requisite abilities to access said audio.

●      For Visual Art: Submissions are not accepted via this application process. This year’s art show curated is Alexis Handwerker she can be reached at coalitionforqueeryouth@gmail.com. Each art show has a theme; this year’s theme is female-identified queer artists who create work in resistance to body-centered oppression and invisibility, looking at the 1970′s-today.

●      For Musical/Opera/Cabaret: Please submit a link to audio recording of select musical numbers and a copy of the book  (.pdf or .doc format only), or submit a video link (Vimeo or Youtube) to the complete work.

●      For Poetry: Please submit a full-copy of work  (.pdf or .doc format only) and/or video link (Vimeo or Youtube) of you performing the piece.

●      For Comedy: Please submit a video link (Vimeo or Youtube) to the complete routine. If the video is password protected or “private,” please ensure that we have the requisite abilities to access said footage

●      For Solo Plays/Performances: Please submit complete script  (.pdf or .doc format only) and a video link (Vimeo or Youtube) to the complete routine. If the video is password protected or “private,” please ensure that we have the requisite abilities to access said footage

●      For Film: Please submit a video link (Vimeo or Youtube) to the complete film. If the video is password protected or “private,” please ensure that we have the requisite abilities to access said footage.

Festival Dates: July 12-28th

14.

Long Island Theatre Collective

Deadline: Jan. 15th

website: http://www.litheatrecollective.com/new-plays-festival

The Long Island Theatre Collective (LITC) is accepting submissions for its inaugural New Plays Festival, to be performed April 17-18, 2015 in Bellmore, NY.

Selected playwrights will work closely with our collective of directors and actors to develop their piece and share it with our incredible audience.

Scripts of all lengths will be considered: full-length, one-act, ten-minute, or any other duration. Plays with smaller casts, minimal technical elements, and those with themes that are relevant to Long Island audiences will be of particular interest. We will not accept plays that have been previously produced or published.

Submissions will be accepted through January 15.

Please email your script as a PDF or Word attachment to

longislandtheatrecollective@gmail.com with the subject line, “New Plays Festival.”

Please include a brief synopsis of the play and a character breakdown as a separate attachment. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted. All writers will be notified of the status of their submission by February 15.

15.

 Kitchen Dog Theatre 2014 New Works Festival

Deadline: January 1st

website: http://www.kitchendogtheater.org/script-submissions/

Kitchen Dog Theater is now accepting full-length script submissions for its 2015 New Works Festival.

DETAILS

Scripts must be received by January 1st to be considered for the 2015 Festival.

Each year, Kitchen Dog Theater selects one original script to receive:

* A fully staged production (as part of our regular season – a five-week run)

* Paid travel to Dallas, TX (if necessary) to work with the Director, Cast and Crew

* Royalty stipend (amount TBD)

* Seven other original scripts will be selected for staged readings as part of the Festival (travel not included). 

Prospective scripts must meet the following guidelines:

* Full-length plays only (preferably one hour or longer)

* Submitted scripts must be type-written

* Completed scripts only

* Do not include a synopsis and/or reviews (if any) of the play

* Ideally have between one and five actors (character doubling acceptable)

* There are no restrictions on play content.

* Only one script per playwright may be submitted.

All un-produced scripts will be recycled.

Please send your script with cover letter to:

Attn: Tina Parker, Co-artistic Director

Kitchen Dog Theater

3120 McKinney Avenue, Ste. 100

Dallas, TX 75204.

16.

National Latino Playwriting Award

Deadline: Dec. 31st

website: arizonatheatre.org/inside-atc/artistic-department/latino-playwriting-award

Seeks unproduced, unpublished full-length & one-act plays (50 pp min) on any subject by Latino playwrights currently living in the US, its territories or Mexico for the Latino Playwriting Award. Submissions may be in English, Spanish or combination. Winner receives $1,000 & poss inclusion in Arizona Theatre Company’s Café Bohemia play reading series.

2015 National Latino Playwriting Award Guidelines:Latino playwrights residing in the United States, its territories, or Mexico are encouraged to submit scripts for the Award.  Each script will be read and evaluated by a culturally diverse panel of theatre artists. Finalists will be judged by ATC artistic staff.

Deadline for Submission:

Scripts must be postmarked by December 31st .

Submission Procedure:

We respectfully ask that you adhere to the following application requirements:

●      Submit one script, securely bound by brads, a three ring binder, a presentation folder or any other non-permanent binding system. Please do not send a script that has been spiral-bound.

●      Please include a title page on the script that includes the play's title, the author's name and contact information (including a phone number, mailing address and email) on the front page.

●      Include a cover letter of no more than one-page, describing the play's developmental history and any other relevant information about the play.

Mail manuscripts to:

National Latino Playwriting Award

ATTN: Katherine Monberg, Literary Assistant

Arizona Theatre Company

343 S. Scott Ave.

Tucson, AZ 85701

We do not accept scripts via email.

One playwright will be awarded $1,000 and the possible inclusion of the winning play in Café Bohemia, ATC's unique play reading series.

Eligibility

The award is open to all Latino playwrights currently residing in the United States, its territories, or Mexico.

Scripts may be in English, English and Spanish, or solely in Spanish. (Spanish language and bilingual scripts must be accompanied by an English translation.)

Plays must be unpublished and unproduced (professionally) by the time of submission.

Full-length and one-act plays (minimum length, 50 pages) on any subject will be accepted.

Selection Process

Scripts will be read by a culturally diverse panel of theatre artists. The award-winning play will be selected from a group of finalists by ATC's senior artistic staff.

Scripts

Scripts become the property of Arizona Theatre Company and will not be returned. In this case, "property" means the physical property of the theatre, not the intellectual property or any rights to the play.

Announcement

The winner will be notified by August 1, 2015.

For More Information:

Katherine Monberg, Literary Assistant

kmonberg@arizonatheatre.org