1. PEN AMERICA’S WRITING FOR JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: June 3
Website: https://pen.org/writing-justice/
PEN America’s Writing for Justice Fellowship will commission six writers—emerging or established—to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration and catalyze public debate.
The PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship aims to harness the power of writers and writing in bearing witness to the societal consequences of mass incarceration by capturing and sharing the stories of incarcerated individuals, their families, communities, and the wider impact of the criminal justice system. Our goal is to ignite a broad, sustained conversation about the dangers of over-incarceration and the imperative to mobilize behind rational and humane policies. As an organization of writers dedicated to promoting free expression and informed discourse, PEN America is honored to have been entrusted by the Art for Justice Fund to engage the literary community in addressing this pressing societal issue.
The Writing for Justice Fellowship is open-genre, and proposed writing projects, which must be authored by the applicant, may include—but are not limited to—fictional stories; works of literary or long-form journalism; theatrical scripts; memoirs; poetry collections; or multimedia projects. The most competitive applications will demonstrate how the proposed project will engage issues of reform, fuel public debate, crystallize concepts of reform, and facilitate the possibility of societal change. As part of our mission to stimulate discussion, emphasis will be placed on proposed projects that show strong promise for publication. Fellows must commit to contribute actively to bringing attention to their work and that of other Fellows. The Fellowship is open to writers at any stage of their career. Currently and formerly incarcerated writers are highly encouraged to apply, and special provisions will be made for incarcerated writers to participate through alternative methods.
Fellows will receive an honorarium of between $5,000-$10,000, based on scope of project. Modest expense budget requests up to $2,500 will be additionally considered. Fellows will be paired with a mentor to serve as a source of guidance for the project, and the cohort will convene in person twice during the course of the Fellowship. PEN America will draw on the Writing for Justice Advisory Committee, as well as its network of agents, editors, publishers, partner organizations and outlets in order to assist efforts for publication and dissemination of the work of the Fellows. Opportunities for sharing the created work through public forums will be organized in New York City at the PEN World Voices Festival, in the Fellow’s home community, and possibly additional locations.
2. THE RELENTLESS AWARD
Deadline: June 15
Website: http://www.americanplaywritingfoundation.org/the-relentless-award.html
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
Plays that are challenging.
Plays that exhibit fearlessness.
Plays that are not mainstream.
Plays that exude passion.
Plays that are relentlessly truthful.
The American Playwriting Foundation encourages submissions by first-time playwrights, women and playwrights of color.
PRIZE:
The author of the Relentless Award-winning play will receive $45,000.
The winning playwright will have the option to have the winning play published by the Dramatists Play Service.
The winning playwright will have a week-long residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm, an artist residency program housed on a working organic farm in Brewster, New York. The author can elect to have a director, a dramaturg and actors join him or her while in residence on the farm.
The selected play will have a national roll-out through the Ed Vassallo Relentless Reading Series, established to help bring to life and develop the winning play by presenting a series of staged readings at some of the top theaters across the United States.
When the winning play is selected, three runners-up will also be named.
3. AMERICAN STAGE 21ST CENTURY VOICES: EMERGING
Deadline: June 15
Website: http://americanstage.org/play-submissions/
merican 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 fresh and compelling ways. 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.
21st Century Voices: New Play Festival Submissions
This year we are seeking submissions of new plays that promote the exploration of themes relevant to our world today, featuring characters who inspire us.
Play submissions should align with our 40-year history of productions that celebrate the most powerful stories of the moment, the most defining stories from our past and our mission to reinforce the power of live theatre with high-quality productions of compelling plays that excite and challenge a diverse audience.
Submission guidelines for the American Stage’s 21st Century Voices: 2019 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, or any play that has received more than two full-scale, professional productions prior to submission are not eligible.
-Plays that have had a full production in the state of Florida are not eligible.
-In order to be eligible as a finalist for our 2020 New Play Festival – you must grant American -Stage the right to produce the Florida premiere and one of the first three full productions worldwide if it is selected for production in our 2020-21 Season.
-Plays that have had workshops or readings in the state of Florida or worldwide are still eligible.
-Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year.
-Plays that have been submitted to 21st Century Voices in the past two years are not eligible.
-Local, national, and international playwrights are encouraged to submit.
Playwrights invited to participate in our 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival will receive a $250 fee and will be provided a $250 travel stipend and accommodations during the festival.
How to Apply: Email your complete submission package to 21stCenturyVoices@americanstage.org between April 15 through June 15, 2019.
- go online and fill out submission form: http://americanstage.org/play-submissions/
4. BETC GENERATIONS
Deadline: June 15
Website: https://betc.org/programs-events/generations/
Plays must be full-length scripts, submitted by playwrights with at least one child 18 years of age or younger as of the submission deadline. Each playwright is limited to submission of one script for consideration. Plays must be in the English language. Playwrights must be U.S. residents. No musicals will be accepted. We will not reconsider scripts that have already been submitted to this competition in previous years. Scripts that have been produced by Equity or professional companies or that have been published are ineligible. Scripts may not be under option or scheduled for production or publication as of June 15, 2019.
-A week-long workshop residency in Boulder, Colorado, from January 6-11, 2020, with daily rehearsals, culminating in a staged reading of the selected script;
the chance to rewrite and revise during the week as part of the script development experience;
-A stipend for travel and lodging;
-A $500 prize; and
-A $500 childcare stipend to defray the costs associated with childcare during the residency.
5. THE CIVILIANS R&D GROUP
Deadline: June 17
Website: https://form.jotform.com/91205543173148
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 theater, which we broadly define as any creative process of inquiry that feeds the creation of a performative work. 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. These meetings are facilitated by the R&D Program Director. The generative artists in the group (writers, composers, etc.) are expected to attend all 12 sessions; regular attendance is critical and should be considered when applying.
The intention of the group is that each generative artist or team will finish a draft for a public work-in-progress showing by May 2020. New plays receive 10 hours of rehearsal while musicals recieve up to 15 hours in advance of the showing. These sessions are focused on the writer’s self-stated developmental goals. Given the nature of the process, it is understood that these drafts will be in various stages of development when they are presented.
Additionally, directors are chosen to complete the group. Those writers/generative artists who do not apply with a director will be paired with one by the R&D Progam Director. Directors are invited to meetings, but not expected to attend all. Once paired, directors will work with writers and cast and direct the final work-in-progress showing.
6. URBANITE THEATRE
Deadline: June 28
Website: https://www.urbanitetheatre.com/modernworksrules
Seeking work from emerging and established female and female-identifying playwrights. Playwrights must be available to attend the festival in Sarasota, FL, including rehearsals, to be considered for selection (October 5 - 13) Travel and housing is provided.
Festival Awards: Winner $3,000 (1)
Finalist $500 (2)
Travel, housing and per diem provided for all three finalists.
Submission Rules and Requirements:
Interested playwrights are encouraged to read Urbanite’s mission statement and look at our production history to get an idea of the type of work we produce. Urbanite Theatre will only consider submissions that meet the following criteria:
Submissions must be from female or female-identifying playwrights.
Playwrights must reside in the United States.
Plays must be unproduced and unpublished with limited development.
No musicals, translations, or adaptations.
Full-length plays only (at least 60 minutes)
Plays must require five performers or fewer.
Quality, female-identifying roles must be well-represented.
Plays must include a contact page and character breakdown.
One submission per playwright.
Any plays that do not follow these requirements will be dismissed.
Playwrights must be available to attend festival, including rehearsals, in Sarasota to be considered for selection (October 5 - 13). Housing, transportation and per diem will be provided to finalists.
7. MARTIN DUBERMAN VISITING FELLOWSHIP (for playwright/scholars)
Deadline: June 30
Website: https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/martin-duberman-visiting-fellowship
The Martin Duberman Visiting Scholar program at The New York Public Library fosters excellence in LGBT studies by providing funds for scholars to do research in the Library’s preeminent LGBT historical collections. The fellowship is open to both academic faculty and independent scholars who have made a significant contribution to the field. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with the right to work in the United States. The recipient of the award will receive $20,000 to fund their research at the Library. The awardee will be expected to spend a minimum of three months researching at the Library and at other archives relevant to their topic in the New York City area, to give a public talk on their work, and to write a short piece about their project for the Library’s website. To be considered for the fellowship, applicants should send a research proposal of 5-10 pages, their updated Curriculum Vitae, an example of their research (article or book chapter), and an appropriate letter of recommendation.
Applications for the August 2019 through June 2020 year will be due June 30, 2019. Applications should be sent as one pdf file to Jason Baumann, jasonbaumann@nypl.org.
8. BONDIT
Deadline: June 30
Website: https://bondit.us/grant/
Whether you have a simple screenplay or a film that’s already in production, we want to consider it for our grant program. We consider a range of projects, from standalone screenplays, to fully packaged projects seeking finishing funds.
If your aspirations are solely to become a produced screenwriter, you can rely on ScreenCraft and BondIt to package the winning script with a talented director and in-house production resources with up to $30,000 in cash financing, judged on a case-by-case basis, depending on each project’s budget and needs as determined by our internal jury of industry professionals.
In partnership with BondIt Media Capital, a film & media fund based in Beverly Hills, ScreenCraft is offering two production grants per year to talented filmmakers for narrative features, short films and TV pilot series scripts and documentaries that display originality, vision & exceptional potential. Grant amounts will vary from $10,000 to $30,000 depending on the scale and merit of each project. This program includes creative development from the ScreenCraft team and production guidance and resources from BondIt Media Capital and Buffalo 8 Productions.
9. FRED EBB AWARD
Deadline: June 30
Website: http://fredebbfoundation.org/fred-ebb-award/eligibility/
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.
Application Materials:
A CD, flash drive, or electronic file of up to four songs from one or more musical theatre pieces, with typewritten lyrics and a description of the dramatic context for each song; and
A completed application form.
We will code the applications as they arrive. Because all submissions will be reviewed blind, please do not place name(s) of writer(s) on the CD, flash drive, electronic file names, lyric sheets, or description of dramatic context. Only musical theatre work will be considered. Please do not submit live recordings. The applicant(s) must have written all the songs included in the submission. For example, a composer cannot submit one song with her own lyrics, and a second song with lyrics by another writer. No individual may appear on more than one application. You cannot apply as an individual and again as part of a team, or as part of more than one songwriting team.
Submission Deadline and Award: Applications will be accepted from June 1st – June 29th.
Please mail or deliver applications to:
Fred Ebb Award, Roundabout Theatre
231 West 39th Street, Suite 1200
New York, New York 10018
OR
fredebbfound@gmail.com
Mailed submissions must be postmarked not later than June 30.
The winner will be selected in November and will receive $60,000. The Foundation will also produce a one-night showcase of the winner’s work.
10. LANESBORO ARTISTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Deadline: July 31st
Website: https://lanesboroarts.org/artist-residency-program/residency-program-guidelines/
The Lanesboro Artist Residency Program, located in Lanesboro, MN (pop. 754), is supported by the Jerome Foundation and aims to provide an immersive, meaningful experience for emerging artists from Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City. The program is unique in that it provides an entire rural community and its myriad assets as a catalytic vehicle for engagement and artistic experimentation, with staff working with each resident to create a fully-customized residency experience.
Lanesboro Arts’ goal is to be flexible and accommodating to artists, allowing them access to local resources needed for conceptualizing and realizing their place-based work. Lanesboro Arts recognizes “place-based work” as work that is specifically inspired by and designed for the place in which the work takes place; it can be a new project, or an interpretation of the artist’s current work tailored to engage the community of Lanesboro. The residency program was designed to align with and amplify Lanesboro Arts’ vision for communities–especially rural communities–to embrace artists as economic drivers, culture bearers, community builders, and problem solvers.
TO APPLY
The application deadline for the 2020 Lanesboro Artist Residency Program is 12 p.m. (noon) CST on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Jury review will take place in August and applicants will be notified by September 13, 2019 at the latest as to the status of their application. A phone interview process with finalists will take place in late September and selected artist residents and runners-up will be notified by September 30, 2019.
Artists must be legal residents of Minnesota or one of the five boroughs of New York City to be eligible to apply. To be considered, eligible artists must submit their application through the online webform on Lanesboro Arts website. Complete program details are below. Please contact Adam Wiltgen at 507-467-2446 or adam@lanesboroarts.org with any questions.
11. SHERWOOD AWARD
Deadline: July 19th
Website: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/programs/artists/sherwood-award/
Center Theatre Group's $10,000 Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood Award for theatre artists is given annually to nurture innovative and adventurous theatre artists working in Los Angeles. Two additional finalists will each receive a $1,000 honorarium.
The Sherwood Award nurtures the selected artists and invites them to engage in a professional relationship with Center Theatre Group. Sherwood awardees demonstrate leadership qualities, push existing boundaries, and are dedicated to improving the future of their respective artistic fields. Artists are not limited by title, role, or genre, but they must have a relationship to contemporary performance rooted in theatre.
Originally created in 1996 as an annual fund to support innovative, adventurous theatre artists from Los Angeles, the Sherwood Award was established in memory of Dorothy and Richard E. Sherwood. Both of the Sherwoods were patrons of the arts with a special appreciation for the energy and talent of artists at a catalytic moment in their career who are vanguards in theatre. Richard Sherwood was president of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and president and then chairman of Center Theatre Group’s Board of Directors from 1980 until his death in 1993. Dorothy Sherwood created the award to honor her husband and helped shepherd the award process since its inception before her passing in 2018. The award is endowed by the Sherwood family and honors the Sherwoods’ passionate commitment to theatre.
Applications for the 2020 Sherwood Award are now open. The initial application is due June 10, 2019 at 11:59 pm. Select candidates will be invited to submit full applications. Full applications, along with letters of recommendation and work sample material, will be due no later than July 19, 2019 at 11:59 pm. The awardee will be announced at the LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards.
Sherwood Award priorities:
Competitive candidates will demonstrate the following qualities:
Innovative—introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking
Pushing boundaries—extending frontiers, experimenting, challenging the theatrical norm, finding new forms of artistic expression
Exceptional talent—the ability to capture the attention of the audience through pure skill and craft, a natural ability or aptitude in the selected field, translating passion and dedication into works of art, etc.
Effective communication—theatre artists who can passionately and effectively communicate their point of view and distinct artistic voice.
About the Sherwood Award Application Process
There are four phases in the Sherwood Award application process.
Phase One (May – June)
Initial applications are reviewed by the Sherwood Fellow and Center Theatre Group’s Artistic staff. Applicant’s submitted application, professional resume, artist statement, and website materials will be reviewed.
12. BMI WORKSHOP
Deadline: August 1st for composers and lyricists
Website: https://www.bmi.com/theatre_workshop/application_requirements
A new prologue to the established Librettists Workshop, Bookwriting Basics explores the fundamentals of writing book for the musical theatre through a series of lectures and assignments. This is a one-year course.
Fall Semester
Award winning bookwriter Adam Mathias unlocks the toolkit for musical theatre librettists. Through lecture, discussion and assignments students learn how to apply the fundamentals of playwriting to the craft of creating musicals.
Spring Semester
David Spencer, award winning bookwriter/lyricist and author of The Musical Theatre Writers’ Survival Guide, leads exploration through a series of masterworks to uncover what makes them work...and through analysis of promising source material for unsuccessful shows that had the potential to work…in which the class endeavors to solve inherent challenges that the original creative teams didn’t.
Librettists Workshop
After completing the Bookwriting Basics program, writers may apply to join the established Librettists Workshop group. Not all writers who apply will be invited to join.
Nancy Golladay, veteran Broadway literary manager and dramaturg, moderates a writers’ roundtable focused on developing the skills unique to musical theatre bookwriters. Members read and critique each other’s work as their material evolves from one-page synopses to fully scripted scenes — including occasional cold readings of an entire show. In a yearly collaborative project, the Librettists Workshop engages with the First Year Songwriting Class. Librettist Workshop members are also eligible to participate in Collaborator Connections events with members of the Songwriters Workshops.
13. BRICK RESIDENCY ARTIST PROGRAM
Deadline: ongoing
Website: http://bricktheater.com/index.php?type=page&id=21
The Brick Resident Artist Program offers new and established experimental theater artists exclusive use of The Brick for one or more weeks and the encouragement to reinvent the theater space with surprising environments. A BRAP Residency also includes full staff support, box office staffing for all performances, full use of The Brick's non-profit umbrella for The Costume Collection and Materials for the Arts, active press representation (upon request), production intern assistance (upon request and availability), free pre-Residency photo shoot at the theater with free costume rental, free promotional brochures for the season, group campaigns for free rehearsal space, audience development help, load-in and load-out assistance and a production grant fundraising advisor.
The Brick is currently adjudicating applications through 2018 and beyond.
BRAP artists will be marketed as part of The Brick's Residency Season.
Applications are rolling but early submissions have better opportunities for consideration.
To apply, please fill out the application here: https://docs.google.com/a/pwcenter.org/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfO6it-EVfnxPmdW....
