Left-Wing Christianity

Another immigrant friend who hated Clinton during the campaign and touted Trump's 'blow everything up' stance as a good thing, has fallen into a state of depression. Reason? He's facing an expired VISA and a merciless ICE. He though the GOP xenophobic talk just referred to the 'bad hombres.' Not him. Even though me and other people told him directly 'this is about you' he simply didn't include himself in the oppressed group under attack. Now he's depressed. Whenever I want to make him feel better I tell him that 'Clinton wasn't a very good candidate' and he perks up at that statement. With that cue, he's reminded of his hated target. He transforms and seems to relax because he has someone to despise...even at the expense of his immediate danger, Clinton hatred is a soothing drug. I am reminded of the Semantic Scale of Polling which states there are 3 dimensions ppl rate concepts on: a) good or bad? b) strong or weak? c) active or passive? Many ppl will choose a bad policy if it's strong and active over a weak policy that's good. Example? Open borders. Open border immigration policy really really works. Statistically it has made America wealthy. But it's seen as weak and passive: our borders are penetrated. The thought makes ppl angry, even if you try to explain all the stats. Many ppl -even immigrants- will support a destructive policy if it's framed as strong and active. Clinton's hatred was a strong and active thing...even if it was idiotic to one's self interests, it was favored over my kind of mild 'like' of Clinton based upon stats. My Clinton emotional 'like' wasn't strong...but it was consistent. But it's no match for strong and active hatred. So I wonder to myself 'how do we make love a strong and active thing to...well mostly men?'

I think it's difficult to combine the typically liberal education with religious faith and political activism, but it's not impossible. A new 3-dimensional paradigm must be formed on the left so that religion is not laughed out of the room: gov policy + religious org + activism. The GOP uses and cons the religious right in the most craven way in combining these 3 things. I've read reports of Karl Rove herding religious figures into rooms and coming up with anti-gay policy. And then GOP advisors laughing at the same Christian leaders as 'idiots' after they leave the room and giving their marching orders of hate to activate their congregation. The Koch Bros organize pastors to speak out against environmentalists and to discount global warming (it's God's will..so just let it happen). So the right has effectively figured out a way to rewire some christians into an Orwellian doublethink: praise Jesus and Christian values while simultaneously espousing hateful policies which are in direct contradiction to Jesus. Doublethink is very effective b/c in requires a sort of self-brainwashing that becomes air-tight in its illogic: whenever confronted by something difficult, the brainwashed individual shuts down critical thinking and pivots toward emotional rage at a perceived 'enemy.' If you show a contradiction to an alt-right they will rage and threaten to destroy and at the same time claim to be the victim being destroyed. A well-trained conservative Christian will both claim to represent the might and will of God and say 'they are under attack' or Christmas is under attack or they are being oppressed or there is a 'gay agenda' or patch together any number of deranged conspiracies to avoid confronting their own hypocrisy. They will engage in 'whataboutism' and false equivalency to return to attack mode. Can leftists create an effective way to engage in right-wing doublethink without creating a left-wing version of brainwashing? Is there a facile, smart, constructive, religious activism movement that can counteract the hate activism that's disguised as white christianity?

In this country's history there were two very strong Christian movements: Protestants in the North and the Baptists in the South. Northern Christians were the foundation of the abolitionists and the suffragists: these were passionate ppl who believed that God put them on the earth to be a good keeper of faith and justice. They went after anything seen as a grossly unjust like slavery or women's rights. In the South, Baptism tends to operate more like a Hindu caste system: explaining the wrongs of the world as the will of a higher power, and thus pacifying poor white people...and when that failed, finding a scapegoat in black people. This is where fanatic hatred is so effective when you can blame a weaker and smaller group for societal ailments and get poor white people to buy into that concept then they have a passionate and active choice of wrong-headed hatred rather than the slow deliberate process of progressive change.. The clash between white New Engalnders and Southerners reached its peak during the Civil Rights Movement. Southern Black Baptists were working with White Northerners to not only seek racial equality but to stop the Vietnam War, start unions, and pass a litany of progressive issues. And then in the early 1970s the Northern Protestants movement just died. Either they were satisfied with the end of Vietnam and the Civil Rights Act, or rife with drug use and decadence, or they were bought off by careerism and/or they splintered into a hundred tiny factions. But the New England churches that used to be so full of protestors were empty. Meanwhile the Southern churches surged and this idea of 'right-wing Christianity' was backed and supported by big money interests. There was no George Soros for left-wing progressive Christians. Marilynne Robinson writes about this in her book of essays 'The Death of Adam.' So history has shown us that it is possible to have left-wing progressivism, but it's just harder to maintain without strong leaders, organizing principle of what to fight for, and financial backing.

Do They Really Need a Wheelchair?

Fox News Commentator speculated that a lot of the excessive healthcare costs comes from unnecessary costs. The commentator then said about some patients 'do they really need a wheelchair?' Speaking as the son of someone whose wheelchair collapsed after two yrs, and was then denied coverage for a new wheelchair b/c it was an excessive and unnecessary cost, I think our healthcare system has gone from Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' to 'Mad Max: Thunderdome.' Trumpcare will take us into "Human Centipede" territory so that the Koch Brothers can watch the livefeed of poor ppl dying on the ER waiting room floor surrounded by medical bills and bankruptcy notices. Despite this horror, i think that over half of these dying, bankrupted, diseased patriots would continue to vote Republican b/c they don't want Mexicans to get free vaccines or are worried about black women having access to pap smears. Fox and the alt-right media train people in how to de-empathize. One of the most successful ways of getting people to de-empathize is to rile them up into a constant state of rage against an 'other.' That rage disconnects the wiring of the human conscience: the link between other people's suffering and our own. It's the reason why there are so many Trump voters who are surprised to find out that they would be harmed by immigration deportation, Trumpcare, allowing the EPA to loosen regulations. These are people incapable of seeing a society unless it involves their direct and immediate interests. They think 'fuck ppl in wheelchairs' until they themselves are in a wheelchair. They think 'fuck clean air' until they are inhaling dirty coal. This media, this party, and this movement is a bootcamp for sociopaths. If I react with my own rage then I am disconnecting my own wiring to empathy and -ultimately- the foundation to my conscience. Responding with clear and concise arguments grounded in compassion is the only way. And that is -despite their many flaws- I appreciate people like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden for their empathy...and humanity. They would never ask the question 'do they really need a wheelchair?' Instead I think they would ask 'how can I help?'

Dems Need New Blood

I think the Democratic Party needs new leadership. I'm not saying this b/c their candidates have lost recently. All four of these off-cycle elections took place in staunchly GOP districts and the Dems outperformed on a statistical level that bodes well for them retaking the House next year. The reason I think the Dems need new leadership is b/c of what happened during Occupy Wall Street. And Black Lives Matter. And several other waves of grassroots, youth-inspired activism that was met with the blowtorch of so-called centrism, which is really just Dems pivoting to the right while ignoring their most passionate base. We are facing a chaos candidate and party. Their main tactic involves sucking up all the media oxygen by finding enemies, riling up their base, and keeping them in a constant state of delirious rage that shuts down all coherent and constructive debate. I think you beat rage-a-holic snowflakes in 3 parts: 1) vivid bold messaging 2) grassroots fundraising and activism, 3) and political moralizing. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are very smart but they do not have the skill for any of these things: they are keen legislators who speak like wise lawyers. They fundraise through major corporations, display a skittish reluctance on working with young activists, and staunchly refuse to moralize. I don't blame their line of thinking. It makes sense b/c the older generation of Dems grew up in a time when hippies where condemned as immoral, the white backlash agains the civil rights movement was well-funded and in full effect. But these are new times and the panic party of delirious rage can't be contained by sensible language from DC old-timers. Furthermore not only did Bernie Sanders campaign prove that small donations, moralizing msg, and socialism can get out young voters, but Obama employed the same tactic. In 2008, Hillary Clinton was the clear favorite and hired the most experienced Dem advisors. Obama's team out-hustled, out-muscled, out-msg'ed the Clinton campaign. Obama stole the momentum through caucuses, kept the spotlight, framed the news cycles around their issues, and won by having a smaller more passionate group of believers whose tenacity wore down the larger but softer group of Clinton supporters. Passion wins over numbers in a long-term battle. And youth is the way for bolder messaging, connecting to activist, grassroots fundraising, and keeping the fire burning during these dark and cold times.  

Philando Castille Verdict

# ppl shot and killed by cops in 2015: 991
# cops convicted = 0
# reasons cops will shoot a blk person: infinite

Philando Castile's death sentence was not an accident. The system did not make a mistake in freeing another cop who murdered an unarmed and innocent Black man. Our system was designed to work this way. It was designed to create a cognitive dissonance between what is written on paper and what is done in court. When faced with irrefutable and uncomfortable evidence it is easier for a jury of your peers to feign blindness than to demand change. The system encourages this inertia, helplessness, rationalization, blindness, silence, surrender, and death. Orwell called it Doublethink, Greek logicians named it paraconsistent logic, and Americans made it into the 13th amendment in the Constitution. Where some see the sword and scales of justice, others see barbed wire and caskets.
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The Art of Hate

I was having a philosophical discussion with a friend about the instinctive goodness of human beings that lurched toward the example of lynching. He thought it was just virulent racism and if you removed the racists things like that wouldn't happen. I said that while, yes, lynching in America was often about black people getting killed by a large group of white people, the idea of mob murder didn't start in America. The idea behind lynching is simple:it starts with a group of people who are 1) bored 2) angry but feel helpless and 3) want to focus their rage on something that is different from them (which often means race, religion, nationality, or ethnicity) 4) want something to rally behind. In Medieval Europe a group of people might be getting drunk and looking for something to do and they start doing what people do when they gather: gossip. And the most more outrageous, salacious, horrific gossip floats to the top of the cesspool, especially when it's about others in the community who are different. So a drunk might accuse a Jewish merchant of being behind the disappearance of kids. And then someone else might chime in that, speculate, elaborate into a horror scenario. The crowd gets lathered up and excited. They have someone to hate and possibly something to do. Over a series of nights the conversation may circle back to this one merchant as people get angrier and angrier. Finally someone makes the move: let's go throw stuff at this guy's house, break down his door, maybe drag him away. It becomes an event. Pitch forks, torches, a march from the pub to this poor guy's house picks up steam and followers along the route. People are swearing they saw this guy kill kids, drink their blood, do unspeakable horrors. Everyone is looking for an excuse to vent, rage, and be apart of something... even if they suspect the accusations aren't true. In America we just turned this kind of violence into an art form: picnic, carnival games, people traveling from miles around to enjoy a pleasant afternoon that will culminate in a black person being tortured and cut into pieces. People would take home souvenirs from that day: pictures in front of the desecrated body, a finger in a jar, or an ear. An event happened. That is what human beings are capable of, and we're not even talking villains or Hitler. Just 90% of humanity of a hot day or after too many drinks or just when they're desperate to be a part of something. 

The Holden Caulfield Syndrome

On a day when there were 3 mass shootings in America I sat in a theatre and watched "Six Degrees of Separation." One of the more remarkable parts of the play was Peter's thesis on why such a mild book as "Catcher in the Rye" became a manifesto for so many violent white men in the 20th century. Holden Caulfield's repeated mantra of labeling successful or ambitious people as 'phonies,' his sexual impotence as well as paralyzing fear around women, and his homicidal fantasies against anyone who threatened his masculinity reflects a boy's emotional understanding of the world. And yet this is NOT a manifesto used by men of color. It is a text linked specifically to white male killers who -regardless of political affiliation- represent the overwhelming majority of lone wolf terrorist attacks in this country. Today and many other tragic days feel like they are inexorably linked to all the Caulfield's of the world who bruise too easily, lash out too quickly, and seek to terrorize the world to compensate for their inadequacies. And yet they are still the most privileged demo in America who play the schizophrenic game of demanding the power of a master and the pity of a victim. To maintain such a fragile delusion requires a sociopathic level of narcissism. Those who win short-term gains through inequality end up rotting internally and raging externally. It is a unique disease: Affluenza. It has killed more people than cancer. No one is looking for a cure.

Trump: a Self-Incriminating, Self Immolating, Tornado of Subpoenas

Trump threatened an FBI Director with secret tapes of their conversation. The Secret Service is now saying that no such evidence exists and they're in charge of all White House recording (they were the ones who kept Nixon's tapes). Special Counselor Robert Mueller can subpoena Trump to turn over his imaginary tapes b/c they now count as evidence. If the evidence doesn't exist, Mueller or any Attorney General with a related case  can now go about serving subpoenas to every single person in the White House in regard to evidence, thus making their lives living hell by forcing people to hire lawyers, who will then advise their clients to protect their own interests and rat out any relevant info to save themselves. And then -after all that- if there are still no tapes, Trump is on line for witness intimidation by lying about tapes to bully a witness before their testimony. He has done this before so he has a legal track record of lying about tapes. That is how Trump's tweets are self-incriminating e-immolation. The lies since his inauguration have gotten worse and more egregious. He went from lying about crowd size (small stupid lie), to lying about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower (really stupid lie that burned all good will between him and the intelligence community), to now repeatedly lying about significant issues in the middle of an investigation that now is in the zone of perjury, obstruction of justice, collusion, and treason. If the GOP can not see the ever expanding legal tsunami he is creating then they deserve to go down with him. Oh and the ADs in Maryland and DC are now suing Trump for violating the Constitution and taking money from foreign investors so I suspect they will be looking around for evidence and handing out their own subpoenas. And this isn't even including NY AG Eric Schneiderman and what's going to happen once he starts handing out stacks of subpoenas for his RICO case.

#MAGA

Comey Day Highlights (from Senate Testimony)

1. Attorney General Jeff Session is under criminal investigation on multiple fronts. He perjured himself and colluded with foreign agents.

2. every single thing Trump has done since the start of the Russian probe has exacerbated and hastened the investigation. If he did absolutely nothing he would be in a much better position; that means if he left Comey alone, didn't play 'Godfather' in the White House by arm twisting intelligence officials, and if he stayed off Twitter, he might have gotten away with colluding with Russians and being apart of an int'l money laundering network. The single biggest factor of chaos, corruption and disgrace in the Trump administration is the man at the top.

3. In some ways Trump's behavior seems like that of a guilty killer who keeps leaving clues for the detective. It almost seems like he wants to get caught and we're engaging in some judicial S&M role playing game with naughty president who sends out a tweet and then looks at his mistress and says 'oops, did I do a bad thing? Will I be punished?' Don't worry Trump: Mistress Justice has got the paddle in the form of sealed indictments.

4. Comey and the entire intelligence community have a deep, seething mistrust of the commander in chief. And given the demo of the dept heads (older white men), most of the IC probably voted for Trump and is now regretting it.

5. we have 3 equal branches of government. Even though the executive branch is underwater and Congress is compromised, the judicial wing seems to be plugging away at its job in tandem with the intelligence community.

6. but until the indictments get unsealed and the handcuffs come out, the GOP will continue their game of 'whataboutism' in asking about Obama and Clinton's email in order to stall things long enough to pass Trumpcare, tax reform, and loot the public coffers. Trump is a suicide vest strapped to the party, but they're still trying to grab all the cash before he detonates.   

Cucks?

Hillary Clinton PAC, Rahm Emmanuel organizing congressional strategy, DNC quietly surrendering entire regions of the country uncontested to the GOP, no media strategy, no attempt to address income inequality or corporate greed, no Howard Dean or Bernie Sanders progressivism infrastructural support, zero attempt to galvanize young and angry Dems, Corey Booker is the black version of John Edwards: it's like a 1990s political horror movie for the Democratic Party. The only thing that can save Dems from their gross political incompetence is....Trump. He is the only thing that might allow them to pull out a victory. And I fear that even a modest victory will result in the Dem leadership learning nothing and continuing to bask in their smug, feckless political impotence. The DNC's inability to address the problems of young voters and people of color continues as they hopelessly (and poorly) pander to so-called white 'working class' voters who are metaphorically and quite literally dying from the racial-rot of their own privileged fragility. America's body politics needs emergency surgery and the Republicans are offering assisted suicide while Dems are pilfering Flintstone band-aids and Hallmark cards.

I was talking with a frustrated progressive friend last night. At the height of his fury against mainstream Dems he started using an alt-right word to reference the weakness of leadership: cucks. I squirmed. He said he meant 'cuck' in the classical sense of a short-hand for cuckold which is also a synonym for a weak and foolish man. But I objected because cuckold in American culture is irrevocably tied up with one thing: white male ego. And when cuckold is used it's also meant to signify not just weakness and not just male weakness, but white male weakness toward 'all else.' This 'all else' category includes women, radicals, but it's deeply rooted in juxtapositioning white male weakness next to black male dominance. He agreed with me and told me there is a whole porn genre that is labeled 'cucks.' And it's mostly white men being humiliated and demeaned as their white wives have sex with a black dick. The fetish thrill (or sickness) of cuck porn is that the husband is forced to watch his wife get dominated by a BBC (big black cock). And this enrages the husband and castrates him. A quick search on my phone showed me that there was this whole sexual underbelly to the alt-right appropriation of 'cuck' because it plays into their socio-economic as well as sexual fears. It is impossible to address that bundle of horrors with facts and logic. When an issue penetrates the social as well as the sexual it becomes something that most American men can not even deal with in a direct manner, so people talk around it.

And at the same time the word does embody the awful and ridiculous fetish driving the alt-right's paranoia.  It also underlies the feeling that many people on the right and left are having: that the system is betraying them and their politicians are just pushovers for much more brutal violent forces. 

Get What You Want: June 2017

1. 
New Orleans Writers’ Residency
Deadline: June 1
Website:  https://www.neworleanswritersresidency.org

In every culture, writers have played an important role in both society and revolution by voicing unspoken truths. This July, the NOLA Writers' Residency will offer a small group of writers a four week writing retreat to focus on getting better at doing just that. The retreat will cover lodging, airfare up to $500, and a stipend of $200 per week to cover food and entertainment. During those four weeks, you will have complete freedom to plan your time in ways that best support your writing and build lifelong connections with other writers. You will also have the opportunity to receive in-depth personal mentoring in everything from writing routines to the details of your craft, by Kat, our resident mentor, career counselor, and editor extraordinaire.

Duration: July 10 - Aug 7th, 2017
Eligibility: Published and unpublished writers are encouraged to apply. Selection is based on quality of writing.
Support: This is a purpose-driven organization that offers material support (stipend, housing, and airfare) as well as community and an in-house editor.


2.
Florida Theatrical Association:  New Musical Discovery Series
Deadline: June 1
Website: http://floridatheatrical.org/new-musical-discovery-series

Aspiring writers from around the country are encouraged to submit their new works, which will be reviewed by a panel of theatre professionals, including renowned directors, writers, producers and performers. The panel will select two works that will each receive a staged reading. One final winner will receive a workshop presented of their piece featuring local directors and talent. The Discovery Series will also include talkbacks for students and audiences with the playwrights and directors.

The deadline to submit musicals for consideration is June 1, 2017.

Submission Guidelines: All submissions must include: A cover letter A history of the musical’s development A synopsis Full script A CD or flash drive with at least six songs from the production (can be a very basic recording) *Please note that materials will not be returned.

3.
Apothetae Fellowship at Lark 
Deadline: June 15
Web: larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/apothetae-lark-fellowship-application-guidelines/

The Apothetae at Lark Playwriting Fellowship program is the centerpiece of a broad Apothetae at Lark Initiative, designed to provide a significant platform of support and advocacy for Disabled Artists and to promote the generation of new works with the power to revolutionize the cultural conversation surrounding Disability. The Apothetae, a theater company founded in 2012 and devoted to challenging perceived perceptions of the “Disabled Experience,” and The Lark, an organization founded in 1994 and devoted to the principles of equity, inclusion, community, and the power of an individual artistic voice, have been working in partnership to address the profound underrepresentation and oppressive misrepresentation of people with disabilities that persists throughout our cultural media.

The Apothetae at Lark Playwriting Fellowship is a critical component in The Lark’s acclaimed portfolio of fellowships. The portfolio is designed to engage a diverse community of extraordinary playwrights—at various places in their careers—who represent, collectively, a contemporary national vision. The Lark believes that targeted support to playwrights from underrepresented backgrounds is essential to a culture of equity, access and inclusion, and a national theater that represents the vibrancy of our collective cultural voices. The Apothetae at Lark Fellow will be in residence at The Lark as part of a community of artists from across the country and around the world, gathered to explore and illuminate the most important issues of our time.

The Lark is accepting applications for the pilot round of its Apothetae at Lark Playwriting Fellowship program, supported by the Time Warner Foundation. The Apothetae at Lark Playwriting Fellowship includes a two-year residency for a Disabled Writer. The selected Fellow will work on multiple artistic projects through an individually-tailored program of Lark play development programs, and develop relationships with other theatermakers at various career stages from all parts of the world. The Fellowship includes a cash award of $40,000, plus a $5,000 Opportunity Fund for project-related expenses, and control over a $10,000 Production Enhancement Fund, to be allocated to a producing theater in support of a full production of one of the Fellow’s plays. The Fellowship also includes access to a wide range of Lark and Apothetae resources, including artistic program participation, office and rehearsal space, and staff support. Up to 3 Finalists for the award will each receive a $5,000 honorarium.

4.
THE CIVILIANS R&D
deadline: June 15th
website:http://www.jotform.us/form/71274350520144

The Civilians R&D Group is comprised of theater artists from various disciplines (writers, directors, composers, performance, etc.) interested in exploring different strategies for making theater from their own creative investigations and being a part of The Civilians' community of artists.

The R&D Group is organized around the idea of investigative theatre, which we broadly define as any creative process of inquiry that feeds the creation of a work of theater. Methods may include research, a community-based focus, interviews, or other experimental strategies of the artist's design. The artists meet on a regular basis for nine months to share their methodologies and the resulting work with the group, facilitated by the leader of the R&D Program. The generative artists in the group (writers, composers, etc.) are expected to attend all of the sessions; regular attendance is critical and should be considered when applying.

Additionally, a group of directors are chosen to complete the group. Directors are invited to meetings, but not expected to attend all; the directors become more active at the end of the season, with the direction of the public readings.

The intention of the group is that each generative artist or team will finish a draft for public presentation by May 2018. Given the nature of the process, it is understood that these drafts will be in various stages of development when they are presented.

To apply for the 2017-2018 R&D Group all applicants must complete the online application below at: http://www.jotform.us/form/71274350520144


5.
Kampala International Theatre Festival (Kampala, Uganda) 
Deadline June 30
Website: https://kampalainternationaltheatrefestival.com/call-for-submissions-2017/

We are excited to announce the 4th edition of the Kampala International Theatre Festival that will take place from 22nd - 26th November 2017 in Kampala, Uganda. Artists from the disciplines of theatre are now invited to submit their applications. Next to full productions we also welcome staged readings or workshop productions.

6.
Fred Ebb Foundation Award 
Deadline: June 30 
Website: http://fredebbfoundation.org/

The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success. The award is meant to encourage and support aspiring songwriters to create new works for the musical theatre. The prize includes a $60,000 award. In addition to the monetary prize, the Fred Ebb Foundation
will produce a one-night-only showcase of the winner's work.

Each applicant must be a composer/lyricist or composer/lyricist team wishing to create work for the musical theatre, and must not yet have achieved significant commercial success.


7.
North Park Playwright Festival (San Diego, CA) 
Deadline: June 30
Website: http://www.northparkvaudeville.com/index.html

The North Park Playwright Festival provides a platform for brand new, short (ten minute), plays written by playwrights from around the world. Over the past twelve years more than 440 new plays have been produced.

We seek short new plays (no more than 12 pages, less is fine) that are easily staged and have casts with no more than four people. Our theater is very small and we normally use a minimal set concept in this festival. We have to be able to change sets in just a few minutes as we do six to seven plays each evening of the festival. We don't have space for large casts.

8.
20% Theatre Seeking Submissions 
Deadline: Rolling Award
Website: http://www.tctwentypercent.org/workwithus.html

20% Theatre Company Twin Cities is open to accepting full-length plays any time (60 minute minimum performance time). Please complete this Script Submission Form and email with your script to submissions@tctwentypercent.org.

Due to the high volume of scripts submitted to us, we are unable to respond
to all submissions. If we are interested in producing your work we will contact you.

http://www.tctwentypercent.org/workwithus.html


9.
East West Players Submissions 
Deadline: Rolling Award
Website: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/professional-enrichment/
writers-institute/play-submission-guidelines-ewp-now-accepting-unsolicited-
manuscripts/

new works we workshop and produce revolve around Asian and Asian American characters and/or themes.

Please note that our mission focuses on the Asian Pacific experience, and the majority of the new works we workshop and produce revolve around Asian and Asian American characters and/or themes. We are interested in both plays and musicals. Works need not be issue-oriented, in that race/immigrant issues can be an unspoken component in the work. We are particularly interested in new comedies, musicals, and works that unearth the history of Asians in America.

Manuscripts are now being accepted via email. Scripts should be emailed to literary@eastwestplayers.org. Emailed versions of scripts are preferred. If you have questions as to whether your work might be suitable for our theater, or if you are a playwright with multiple works and not sure what to submit, email literary@eastwestplayers.org for assistance.


10.
Richard E. Sherwood Award (LA Playwrights)
deadline: June 5
website:  https://www.centertheatregroup.org/programs/artists/sherwood-award/

We are pleased to announce that submissions for Center Theatre Group’s Sherwood Award are now open. Center Theatre Group annually awards $10,000 to one innovative and adventurous Los Angeles-based theatre artist. The application deadline is June 5, 2017 and letters of recommendation are due June 9, 2017 at 11:59 pm. There will be two recommended information sessions to provide tips and key application information (more information below)

Deadline: All applications must be submitted by June 5, 2017 at 11:59pm. Letters of Recommendation are due no later than June 9, 2017 at 11:59pm.

The application, eligibility guidelines, and information for the 2018 Sherwood Award are now available at CenterTheatreGroup.org/Sherwood.

Since 1996, nineteen artists have received the $10,000 Sherwood Award, which was established in memory of Richard E. Sherwood as an endowed fund to support innovative, adventurous theatre artists working in Los Angeles.

 This past January, lighting designer, Pablo Santiago, was presented with the 2017 Sherwood Award at the annual Ovation Awards ceremony, which recognizes excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles Area and are produced by LA STAGE Alliance. Three finalists are announced prior to the Ovation Awards and all three Finalists are celebrated leading up to the Award Announcement, allowing each Finalist more involvement with Center Theatre Group’s initiatives. An honorarium of $2,000 is awarded to each of the two remaining finalists. Please note that artists can only be eligible for the Finalist Honorarium for two consecutive years, after which they must wait one calendar year before reapplying.

There will be two information sessions highly recommended for interested applicants with the Sherwood Artistic Program Coordinator, Miranda Wright and the Sherwood Award Fellow, Diana Sanchez. The information sessions will be held on Saturday, May 13 at 11:00 am (RSVP byWednesday, May 10 at 6 pm) and Monday, May 22 at 7:00 pm (RSVP by Thursday, May 18 at 6 pm) at the Center Theatre Group offices at the Music Center Annex, 601 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. To RSVP, please email Sherwood@CTGLA.org.


11.
ASHLAND NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL, ASHLAND, OREGON
Deadline: submissions start on June 15th. The first 400 scripts accepted. 
Website: https://www.ashlandnewplays.org/

ANPF’s flagship festival is an international playwright competition that culminates in the reading of four new plays chosen 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 Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the community. The event includes rehearsals and two staged readings of each winning play.

The winning playwrights receive a $1,500 stipend and local accommodations. There is a $15 submission fee.

Submissions close when 400 scripts are received or on December 31, 2017, whichever comes first. A running tally of submissions will be shown on our website. The ANPF 2018 Fall Festival will take place October 17-21, 2018.


12.
Georgia Theatre Conference
Deadline: July 1st
Website: http://georgiatheatreweb.wixsite.com/gtc-website

The Georgia Theatre Conference, the official theatre organization for the state of Georgia, is now taking submissions for its annual One Act New Play Competition. The competition is open writers inside and outside of Georgia, however, playwright must be attend the reading (therefore, preference will be given to writers in the Southeastern United States). The winning playwright will receive a $450 prize, and the play will also be performed as a staged reading on October 13 at the Georgia Theatre Conference convention held at the University of West Georgia in Carrolton. Furthermore, the reading will be moderated by Georgia native Lauren Gunderson, whom American Theatre Magazine recognized as “The Most Produced Living Playwright of 2016.”  Guidelines are listed below:

Ø  Entries will be accepted until July 1, 2017.

Ø  One submission per playwright only.

Ø  Play submissions must be a one-act with a running-time between 30 minute sand one hour, and limited to 10 or fewer characters. Full length scripts, children’s plays, 10 Minute plays, and musicals are not accepted.

Ø  Plays must be unproduced (no professional, independent, college/university, or community theatre productions) and unpublished (including anthologies). Plays that have gone through readings and workshops are acceptable.

o   Plays may be submitted by email attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF format with the following guidelines
§  Text must be in a format supported by The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. (Character name centered over the dialogue, 12-pt. font size, in Times New Roman or Courier New font style, etc.)
§  Script must include page numbers at the bottom of each page
§  The author’s name and contact information should only appear on the title page of the script
§  Do not include resumes, playwright biographies, or history of the play

The winner will be notified in mid-July. If the winner is unable to attend, a runner-up will be selected.

Please Email all entries to:  gtcnewplaycomp@gmail.com


13.
Edgemar Center for the Arts
Deadline: rolling 
Website: www.edgemarcenter.org

Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica is a cultural art center designed by Frank Gehry, where theater, dance, music, visual arts, and our annual film festival, Cinema at the Edge, come together in one place.
Our Mission is to provide a physical environment that nurtures the creative process and encourages collaboration between writers, directors, actors, musicians, dancers, and visual artist; to create a learning environment for children and adults; and to invite the community to observe, engage, and interact to add its voices to our creative discovery.
We are currently in the process of reading and selecting new works for our 2018 season and we are seeking one-acts and full-length plays of all genres.
Scripts can be sent to Edgemar Center for the Arts 2437 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90066, attn.: Literary Department or by email sent to edgemarliterary@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please contact us at (310) 313-0279, or visit our website at www.edgemarcenter.org.


14. 
Jerome New York Fellowship
Deadline: July 31st
Website: www.larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/larks-jerome-new-york-fellowship-2018-19/

The Lark’s Jerome New York Fellowship provides substantial artistic and financial support to an emerging writer of extraordinary promise and vision through an intensive two-year residency that provides resources and guidance to generate and develop a significant body of work.

Must be a New York City or Minnesota state resident (though the Fellow must commit to maintaining residency in New York City throughout the fellowship period); Must be a citizen or permanent resident of, and eligible to work in, the United States; Must self-identify as an "emerging" playwright; Must not have had more than two different works professionally produced at the time of application.

Activities:
The Fellowship Period is January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019.
In the first year, the Fellow will receive a stipend of $25,000, paid in monthly increments. In addition, the Fellow will have access to an “Opportunity Fund” of $5,000 for the purposes of travel, research, autonomous workshops, and so forth, for the duration of their fellowship and for up to one year after its completion. (The Fellow will request these funds in writing to the Artistic Director and no reasonable request will be refused).

In the second year, the Fellow will receive a stipend of $15,000, paid in monthly increments. In addition, the Fellow will continue to have access to any remaining balance in the Opportunity Fund.
Because the Lark's programs are philosophically designed to put artists at the center of their own process, all residency activities will be based on an initial Fellowship goal-setting meeting at the start of the term in January 2018.  The Fellow will be expected to work with Lark staff to design a regular schedule of program activities, including participation in several of Lark’s new play development programs, such as Roundtables, Playground, Monthly Meeting of the Minds, Winter Writers’ Retreat, New York Stage and Film Vassar Retreat, Project Residencies or Studio Retreats.  The exact structure is flexible based on the specific needs of the selected Fellow, who will participate in a range of these or similar programs throughout the course of the residency.

15. 
DVRF Playwrights Program
Deadline: June 19th
Website: http://www.dvrf.org/about-the-program/

The Playwrights Program is an annual opportunity intended to help new and compelling full-length plays come to the attention of the greater public.

Each year the Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation (DVRF) selects one previously unproduced play to receive an intensive development in New York City. This period is structured in dialogue with the playwright to best accommodate their needs and artistic goals for the piece. The program culminates in presentations to invited audiences featuring producers, directors, and other industry professionals.

Rules and Guidelines for Submission:
-We are seeking full-length plays only. While there is no strict minimum for length we suggest all submissions be at least 30 pages long.
-Submissions must be in English.
-No play that is currently under option, or has previously had a full, public production is eligible for selection. Submissions that have been developed previously or were under option must be accompanied by a brief summary of their developmental history.
-Please only one submission per playwright/playwriting team.
-The play must be original or based on material which the author previously was afforded the rights to.
-Playwrights must be residents of the United States and at least 18 years of age.
-This program is intended only for playwrights who will be able to attend at least a 1-2 week-long workshop and presentation in New York City in 2017/2018. DVRF will do its best to schedule this according to the selected playwright's availability. The selected playwright must be prepared to bear any lodging and travel expenses incurred while participating in the program. Please note we cannot compensate for time taken off from work.


16.
21st Century Voices
Deadline: June 30th
Website: http://americanstage.org/play-submissions/

American Stage is committed to producing powerful and relevant professional live theatre.  Our 21st Century Voices is an initiative dedicated to developing and presenting new works for the stage that speak to a contemporary audience in a fresh and compelling way.  21st Century Voices programming includes an annual staged reading festival, workshopping of new scripts, playwriting residencies and fully produced new plays receiving one of their first three professional productions at American Stage.

Submissions of new plays that promote the exploration of socially-conscious themes relevant to our world today will be considered through June 30, 2017.

Submission guidelines for American Stage’s 2018 21st Century Voices New Play Festival are as follows:
-Plays must be full-length in any genre: comedy, drama, musical, etc.
-Translations, collections of one-acts, children’s plays and any play that has received a full-scale, professional production prior to submission are not eligible.
-Plays that have had a workshop, reading or non-professional production are still eligible.
-Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year.

The Selection Process
American Stage’s competitive selection process consists of two rounds of selection. All play excerpts submitted during the first round are reviewed by a committee of theatre artists and patrons. Then, selected playwrights are asked to provide a full manuscript of their play. Finally, American Stage invites four to five playwrights to have their work included in 21st Century Voices New Works Festival in January 2018.

How to Apply
-Email your complete submission package to 21stCenturyVoices@americanstage.org between April 1-June 15, 2017.
-Complete submission packages must include:
-Your contact information;
-Your playwriting resume;
-A concise paragraph describing the development history of the play you are submitting;
-A paragraph describing why your play is a good fit for American Stage’s 21st Century Voices’ mission to develop and present powerful plays that speak to a contemporary audience in a fresh and compelling way;
-Title of the play;
-Character breakdown and description;
-Time and place of the play;
-Synopsis; and
-A ten page sample of the play.