The Long Con: Rap Music's Toxic Love of White Capitalism

I grew up listening to rap music that praised Donald Trump. Black rappers pretending to be rich raved about a white man pretending to be rich, who planted stories in the media pretending to be rich. Like a hall of mirrors, the image duplicated itself again and again. And then he started popping up in pop culture, Vibe Magazine parties, hip hop events.

I was a little boy, but even I knew about the Central Park Five. Even I knew that he had declared bankruptcy multiple times, flopped at a football league, had every venture flop, but I still heard the line 'richer than Trump'woven into songs by black ppl who cared more about being adjacent to a figurehead of white capitalism than reality.

And it felt surreal. I didn't stop dancing to the music. But I did think 'huh' for about a split second when I would hear his name. It wasn't a protest 'huh' but more like a 'huh, that's strange' and then I would continue dancing. Why Trump? Why not Robert Johnson of BET? He's actually a legit billionaire, but he's not flashy. Oprah? She popped up in a few songs, but she's difficult. And a woman. And outspoken (this was back in her talk show days, so ppl forget how many men HATED her, as opposed to now where she's just accepted)

Trump was the preferred icon for black male rappers. He re-enforced male toxicity, fragility. He co-signed on many fraudulent rappers lying about their wealthy, and they would co-sign on Trump's wealth. And the mutually agreed upon lie benefited both parties.

Don't know why I thought of that last night. I thought maybe I was delusional so I googled 'Trump in rap music' and pulled up the hundreds of songs.

I'm Sure Your Friend is Nice, But...

I don't know your friend and I'm sure they are quite lovely, but what do they want? Can you just tell me? Do we really have to do 'the coffee thing.' Do we have to pretend like the charade of conversation that tries to be both 'totes casual' and just bland enough to be casual professionalism is authentic? I'm sure your friend is a really wild guy and life of the party, but they will not be that interesting to me. They are hindered by the fact that I do not know them, they are going to ask me for something, and they are going to be self-consciously aware of how impossibly boring it is to be asked to work for strangers who aren't even that entertaining. Must we both be 1) be bored 2) anxious at the 'ask' and c) committed to some strange bond b/c you guys met at some summer camp/European backpacking/WASP-y activity when you were kids? Wouldn't it be better to not be bored and anxious? To just come out with it: I am shamelessly asking you to do something for free. It will take a lot more time than you think. If all goes well, this person will ask you for more follow-up favors. And then, if it really goes well, they will pass you along to another friend who will then ask you to work for free for a friend of a friend of a friend. Wouldn't it be better to be that much of an asshole to ask that to a stranger? To read a script for free, give life advice, fix a roof, help them move into a 5th-floor walk-up apartment?

Can I make you a deal? I have an aunt who is a really sweet woman but she has a very hairy and very smelly back. Well, it's not my aunt, but it's a friend's aunt. Anyway, she needs someone to go over to her house and scrub her back once a week. Yes, I know it's a bit of an ask to commit yourself to scrubbing the hairy smelly back of my friend's aunt but...they're really nice people. Really really swell. And you are a really nice person. So it's like a perfect match. And I've known this friend since the 3rd grade. He gave me a juice box one day at lunch and well -fast forward 3 decades later- and here we are. Can you do this work for free? I'll buy you some Starbucks coffee and engage you in 5 minutes of foreplay conversation? Isn't that worth it? And once a week isn't that much of your time. She's not going to live long, and I heard you were a really nice person so could I recruit you into working for free for my friend's really nice aunt. Your hands look really strong too and I'm sure her back doesn't smell that bad? Come on, nice person...what do you say? Free work for someone you have never met before? And if it goes well, my friend's aunt knows a guy with really bad toes who could use a personal foot rubber.

*And then I wake up in a cold sweat. I look around. I'm in Brooklyn.*

An Online Manual for Trump Tweets

-something big is about to break that's negative for Trump. Or an awful story is in the headlines (let's say...concentration camps, for example)
-he tweets something repulsive.
- there is an outrage.
- he sucks up all the news coverage around his tweet, thereby depriving the spotlight to something else that is actually happening in the world. Like kids in actual cages.
- media runs wall-to-wall coverage of tweet, losing all sense of proportion and reason.
- increased coverage increases death threats toward the person or group in his tweet.
- Dems issue a statement rebuking him, but they take no actual action in getting rid of him b/c he's good for money.
- ratings soar for the media.
- social media lights up.
- fundraising soars for Dem party.
- death threats soar.
- media eventually take the non-story distraction into a meta-story sphere of who's saying what on their networks, and the arguments about the tweet become the news.
- a few people's spicy or idiotic statements in response to Trump's idiotic statement go viral. Yeah, they're famous and/or now getting death threats. Book deals in the works.
- no change in RNC party's position, but they have distracted you from their many numerous scandals.
- immigrants kids are still sit in cages, Jeffrey Epstein is still a pedophile rapist, Trump is still compromised by foreign money, and ripping off the country left and right. Republicans are too cowardly to do anything, and centrist Dems are content to not do anything b/c it's good for the party coffers.
- people can't even remember what the actual news was now, but they are outraged, stimulated, and fully engage in the echo chamber.

Complicity, Cowardice, and Christian Conservatives

Vice President Mike Pence and a delegation of Republican Senators wrestling with their conscience, religion, the last shreds of human decency while they look on at the horrors of the immigration policy they have created. Maybe it was the Senators having to see the faces of immigrations grossly mistreated, maybe it was the smell of humans denied showers, clean water, and toothpaste for weeks at a time, maybe it was simply the sound of breathing or prayers that unnerved them as they tried to figure out what they're going to say to the press, to their children, to their own reflection in the mirror. This is not the picture of powerful men trying to reach out and help others in a Christianly way. It is the picture of weak people seeing the consequences of their complicity with evil.

In order to hide from their own immorality, they have projected out on to the victims of their complicity. They claim that the people in cages are 'illegals.' The people seeking freedom have committed an illegal act in their quest for asylum

It is not illegal to seek asylum. It is not illegal to run from terrorists, dictators, natural disasters, famines, mass killers. it is not illegal to run with nothing but the clothes on your back and to run for months with minimal food and shelter b/c you do not want your kids to get slaughtered in front of you. It is not illegal to want to avoid death and torture by running away from destroyed countries and walking toward the promise of being able to live. It is not illegal to cross a border in the hopes of getting refuge. There is no such noun as 'illegals.' It only became illegal when the color of those running started to get darker.

The migration of black and brown people is not illegal. It seems like the only time POC are welcomed into Western countries is if they come as the property of white people. Even now, the largest boom of illegal activity is sex trafficking of mostly poor POC who are brought in as slaves for the likes of Jeffrey Epstein, Trump, and his gang of pedophile rapists. They have no problem with that kind of 'illegal.' They secretly support that backchannel of coyotes and smugglers who provide slaves to service them, clean for them, work in their hotels, and be brutalized by them.

They do not have a problem with people of color coming here. They have a problem with free people of color. And a free person of color (particularly a man) is assumed to be a criminal in the making, shiftless, up to no good, a gangster. This has always been the American paradox and the cruelty of the capitalist white patriarchy. Four hundred years later we are still dealing with the slave mills and lynch trees of white fragility.

The Viral Power of Stories

A few weeks ago I saw Mike Daisey's workshop of "Bad Faith" and how mistrusts spreads through social media, politics, and in loving relationships that turn ugly. I was so stunned by his analysis that I called up a friend who was going through a very rough exchange with a former partner. They hadn't spoken in years and there were many pressing financial issues piling up. I told them about bad faith and how that can start in a relationship, according to Mike Daisey. We spoke on the phone for 30 minutes about ways to un-do the seeds of mistrust based on the observations that Daisey presented in the piece (which I will not spoil). This evening my friend called me up to thank me. After a 2-year wall of silence, they were not talking to their ex to resolve dire issues. The bad faith that had been formed and re-enforced itself into a seemingly impenetrable wall...had melted away with an email, phone conversation, an agreement. My friend was able to recognize what their partner was doing and, instead of attacking...defuse the situation entirely. The stories we tell ourselves and others spread. They change lives. Actual lives. Actual people struggling with real things can transform them by hearing a compelling play or musical or movie. Hatred dissolves, mistrusts evaporates, bad faith can be removed...just by words.

I can't help but think there are plays which will cause people to NOT commit suicide or stop cycles of abuse. There are stories like A STRANGE LOOP or BAD FAITH or OCTET which will actually stop people from killing themselves...or someone else. These are plays that actually shift the makeup of relationship, grow empathy, spread goodwill.

Get What You Want: July 2019

1. NEW MASCULINITIES FESTIVAL
Deadline: July 7th
Website: https://www.manquestion.org/festival

At the New Masculinities Festival, we examine the impact of expectations of masculinity on people's lives and imagine new possibilities for gender expression. We use the power of theatre, dance, poetry, spoken word, performance art, and dialogue to challenge thinking and transport participants to new worlds and perspectives.

We are seeking performances of all kinds that passionately and curiously investigate how expectations of masculinity impact people’s lives, both positively and negatively, overtly and unexpectedly. We seek pieces that have the potential to challenge audience members to experience the world and, in some cases the word masculinity, in a new way.

The festival is open to people of all gender and sexual identities. We strongly encourage proposals from people traditionally underrepresented on stage: People of color, young people, seniors, HIV positive people, disabled people, trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual people—come on out!

Applicants must have a clear vision for their piece and are strongly encouraged to submit a link to a video recording.


2. SOHO LAB
deadline: July 8th
website: https://sohorep.org/lab

 The LAB is an engine for creating lasting artistic relationships and giving the artists the means and resources to make a tangible piece of theater. The LAB supports the development of four projects created by collaborative teams over 18 months, culminating in work-in-progress presentations at Soho Rep. The artistic teams will emerge from the LAB confident in the work they have made and with a substantive piece of theater that can have a future life.

What the LAB is looking for:

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

We seek to prove the hypothesis that theater can be made in all types of ways.  Therefore, the artists in each collaborative team can come from a variety of artistic specializations, but they must identify as the lead artists on the project, and they must be able to work together toward a in-process presentation of performance work at the culmination of the 18-month LAB process. Historically, these teams have involved one “writer” and one “director,” but we do not require a background in either discipline, and welcome fluidity in artistic roles.

We are excited by language, by bold theatricality and by challenges to form.

Requirements:

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

Applicants must be based in the greater New York City area and be able to attend twice monthly meetings and presentations in person for the duration of the 18-month program.
Because LAB participants will be working on the same piece for 18 months, this should be a piece that is not being developed in conjunction with any other organization or any other primary collaborators outside the LAB.

Applicants must have an interest in theater-making, collaboration, and relationship-building with other artists.

Applicants may only apply with one project per cycle. Applicants who apply with multiple projects will not be considered.

Past Writer Director lab participants are not eligible for this round of the LAB.

The LAB welcomes applications from all artists, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, disability unrelated to participation requirements, genetic information, military service, or other protected status.

Application:

Project proposal (1)
Please describe your proposed LAB project. 4800 characters max.
Please try to answer some of the following:
What will the project look/sound/feel like?
How far along is the project?
Is this a new collaboration?
Detail the role each collaborator will take to make the piece happen.
What drew you to each other?
What are the core values/elements of your collaboration?
Artist Bios (2)
Please provide a bio for each artist, 600 characters per person max.
Work Samples (2)
Please provide two work samples – one from each artist.
Because the projects we are interested in accepting to the lab are early in their development, we do not expect work samples to be of the proposed project, but rather samples of each lead artist’s previous work.
One sample must be a full length play, with 10 pages specified as a shorter reading sample, from anywhere in the script.
One sample must be visual, up to 5 minutes of video OR up to 10 images.
Artist Statements (2)
Please provide an artist statement of each collaborator’s work that helps to provide context for each work sample. 1500 characters per person max.


3. SNL WRITING SUBMISSIONS
Deadline: July 15th
website: https://snlwritingsubmissions.com/?fbclid=IwAR3dfJT86YabaBU976UeJk9L_p_yuLWK53ls8vzlwCQb6k_nNFyaRmzZYRE

Submit 3 – 5 Sketches
– 1 commercial parody
– 1 topical (political or pop culture) sketch
– The remainder should be whatever best represents your unique abilities

Cast the sketches using the first names of active SNL cast members and potential hosts. Combine the sketches into a single PDF file to upload.

You do not need to upload a release form. Submitting this form online will create your release form and email you a copy.


4. NORMAL AVE NAPSeries
Deadline: July 17th
Website: https://www.normalave.org/napseries

Normal Ave is proud to announce the NAPSeries, a brand new festival of new plays, featuring 29-hour workshops of four new plays, networking events, and more.

The festival will feature three parties, four shows, eight readings, tons of artists, and most importantly, you, the playwright.

This week is all about letting you be just the playwright. We'll take care of the rest. Participating playwrights will be provided with rehearsal and reading space, receive support developing the team and cast for their show, as well as access to the entire festival.
​
We don't tell you how to bloom, but we'll help you grow.
-or-
Make theatre. Make connections. Make it happen. We’ve got you.

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Festival Dates: January 3-12, 2020
​
Submission Requirements:
-Currently only accepting full length plays (No musicals at this time)
-Must be 18 years or older to participate
-Must be available to be in NYC during the festival dates


5. EST YOUNGBLOOD
Deadline: July 15th
Website: https://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/est-youngblood/apply/

EST/Youngblood is currently accepting applications for membership beginning in the 2019-2020 season. Applications are open to New York City metro area resident playwrights under 30 years old. Membership includes attendance at all weekly meetings, monthly (or more frequent) performances, readings and retreats. There is no set term of membership, and members often stay through the season that includes their 30th birthday. If you have any questions, please contact youngblood@ensemblestudiotheatre.org

Application Requirements
Please complete the form below and include the following materials:

WRITING SAMPLE - up to 25 pages. This can be part of a longer piece or a one-act. Send whatever you think best represents where you are as a playwright right now.

LETTER - The "why Youngblood" letter. Tell us about yourself and why you are interested in membership in the group.

RESUME - Your current playwriting resume.

FULL-LENGTH PLAY - A completed full-length play in its entirety. Note: this can be the full play from which the initial 25 pages was excerpted, or an entirely different piece. In most cases, this additional material will only be read if you are selected as a finalist.


6. T SCHREIBER STUDIO SHORT
Deadline: July 17th
Website: https://tschreiber.org/productions/submit-writing/schreiber-shorts/

T. Schreiber Studio celebrates the short form by hosting an annual play festival entitled Schreiber Shorts. Now in its sixth year, Schreiber Shorts curates a collection of new 10-minute short plays submitted by up-and-coming playwrights for a full production. Each of the selected plays will receive a director and a full cast to bring it to production. The theme for this year’s production is transparency.


7. 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.


8. ARS NOVA PLAYGROUP
Deadline: July 21st
website: https://arsnovanyc.com/playgroup?fbclid=IwAR2z_suj1SYkXBCJ5fDNeiK5KQEzrpFtFdBgl_JvY9u_-C7TR4PjzSHdO3I

Play Group is a two year residency in which members become a part of the Ars Nova Resident Artist community. In addition to biweekly meetings where members share new work and receive feedback from their Play Group peers, members also receive dramaturgical support and artistic match-making advice from the Ars Nova artistic staff; invitations to Ars Nova shows, Resident Artists mixers, and to see the work of Play Group alums around the city; two Play Group writing retreats; and the opportunity to further develop and showcase one of their plays in a weeklong workshop that can culminate in a public reading. Click here for a list of Play Group alumni.

APPLICATIONS FOR PLAY GROUP ARE NOW OPEN.
Applications for Play Group 2020 will be accepted beginning June 19th and must be submitted by midnight on July 21st to be eligible for consideration. Applications require one full-length play, a playwriting resume, two theater references and a personal statement (written or video).

SELECTION CRITERIA:

All playwrights who identify as emerging are eligible to apply. In selecting new members, we will take into account the strength of the submitted play, how the writer stands to benefit from membership at this point in their career, what they would offer the other writers in the group, and the overall balance of voices and styles in Play Group. Writers of all races, genders, backgrounds and abilities are strongly encouraged to apply!


9. NEW DRAMATISTS RESIDENCY
Deadline: July 22nd (5pm)
website: http://newdramatists.org/how/apply-residency

New Dramatists pursues a singular mission: To provide playwrights time, space, and resources to create work, realize their artistic potential, and make lasting contributions to the theatre. We offer our playwrights an artistic home and self-guided laboratory for seven years, free of charge, in the company of their most gifted peers. Our playwright company consists of emerging and mid-career writers collectively embodying an artistic, cultural, ethnic, and geographic diversity rarely found in the American theatre.


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. 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.


12. 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....


13. BLACK BOX NEW PLAY FESTIVAL
Deadline: July 31st
Website: http://galleryplayers.com/new-play-festival/

The Gallery Players in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, is seeking plays for its 23rd Annual Black Box New Play Festival to be held in January 2020. Each play selected will be given a black box production at Gallery Players and will be performed in a festival format with non-Equity actors. Playwrights must be available for rehearsals, if not in person then by Skype, phone, or email, and use this as an opportunity to continue work on their play.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: POSTMARKED BY JULY 31, 2019

Submission guidelines:

Plays must be un-produced (i.e., plays must never have had a previous production) – readings are ok; must be the play’s world premiere
Length may be from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. No monologues. No period costume pieces.
You may submit as many plays as you wish
Pages must be numbered
A cover page with title of the play and playwright’s contact information is required, along with a plot synopsis of the play and a character breakdown
Submit a copy of your resume
Playwrights may not direct their own work
Send two copies of your play(s), along with your resume, to:
The Gallery Players
Black Box New Play Festival
199 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

We will only contact you if your play has been accepted into the Festival. If you want confirmation that your mailing was received by us, please include a self-addressed stamped return postcard.

We do not accept emailed submissions.


14. IVORYTON WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS INITIATIVE 2020
Deadline: August 15th
Website: http://www.ivorytonplayhouse.org/women-playwrights-initiative-2020-call-scripts-readers

Starting June 15, 2019 women playwrights are invited to submit one-act plays written solely by women. Scripts must be in standard Samuel French playwriting format: 12 point font, character name centered, 1” margin all around. Email scripts to Laura Copland laurac@ivorytonplayhouse.org.

We are specifically looking for TWO ten-fifteen minute plays, and TWO longer plays up to one hour—approximately 50 pages. Plays running longer than one hour will not be considered. Each play will have one staged reading on either Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening on February 22, 2020.
No one-person plays or musicals will be accepted.

Only one submission per playwright will be accepted. Scripts will not be returned.

Submissions are limited to the first 150 scripts received. No play will be accepted before June 15.

These are blind submissions. The title page must include ONLY the name of the play, the characters, and the setting. DO NOT include a synopsis. A separate file is required with the playwright’s name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and the name of the submitted play. Please also include a resume as a separate file and NOT included in the PDF file of the play.

The call is open from June 15 to August 15, 2019 OR until we receive 150 plays.

Playwrights will be notified if their play was received after receipt of 150 plays or the deadline and thus, not considered.

Submissions will be acknowledged by email. Playwrights will be notified in the fall of 2019 by email if their play is selected. Playwrights whose plays were not selected will also be notified.
All ethnicities and all ages are strongly encouraged to apply.

The four selected playwrights will be invited to stay for the week of workshopping beginning the arrival day, Sunday, February 16, 2020 through to the staged readings on Saturday February 22, (performance inclement weather date and/or departure day on Sunday, February 23, 2020.)

The WPI is a workshop and playwrights are encouraged and should be prepared to work on their play, including rewrites, as needed.

Stipend: PLAYWRIGHTS: $500, plus travel from your nearest airport or train station to Ivoryton, CT on Sunday, February 16, 2020 and from Ivoryton on Sunday, February 23, 2020. Housing is provided.

DIRECTORS: The WPI also seeks resumes from women directors. Stipend: $300 and housing is provided, if needed. All ethnicities and ages strongly encouraged to apply.

READERS: We also seek resumes from male and female readers to evaluate the plays and to email feedback on a form provided. All readers will receive free admission to the staged readings. All ethnicities and ages are strongly encouraged to apply.
To download a pdf copy of these instructions, please follow this link:  WPI 2020 CALL FOR SCRIPTS

Play submissions, and Director and Reader resumes should be emailed to Laura Copland, Director of Play Development, and Founder and Director of the WPI at the Ivoryton Playhouse, laurac@ivorytonplayhouse.org.


15. THE CROSSROAD PROJECT: DIVERSE PLAYWRITING INITIATIVE
Deadline: August 15th
Website: https://finearts.illinoisstate.edu/crossroads-project/

The Crossroads Project was founded in 2000 by Illinois State University (ISU) School of Theatre and Dance (SOTD) faculty member Dr. Leslie Sloan Orr to promote diversity and inclusion in the theatre at ISU and the surrounding communities. The committee consists of faculty members and students in SOTD. Every other year, the Crossroads Project recommends at least one play to the SOTD production committee that addresses the issues and experiences of underrepresented U.S. ethnic peoples or global cultures. In addition to promoting the work of U.S. playwrights of color such as Elizabeth Wong, Lynn Nottage, Naomi Iizuka, and Suzan Lori-Parks, Crossroads has invited notable international theatre artists to ISU to work with students and engage with the larger community through guest lectures, public talks, and other events. Examples include Ugandan playwright and director Adong Lucy Judith (2018), Delhi-based writer Manjula Padmanabhan (2017), visiting choreographers Jack Gray (Māori) and Dåkot-ta Alcantara-Camacho (Guåhan) (2016), Canadian playwright of Indian descent Rahul Varma (2011), and Kabuki master Shozo Sato (2006). Crossroads emphasizes community outreach for each theatre production it is involved in, especially seeking ways to promote theatre to underrepresented groups and immigrant communities. In 2013–2014, the Crossroads Project also hosted the Diversity Dialogue Series: Advancing Diversity Consciousness in the Arts, inviting leading artists of color to speak to the campus and community about diversity, inclusion, and equity in the fields of American theatre and dance.

DETAILS

Submissions must include a Playwright’s Statement (max. 250 words). Copy-and-paste your Playwright’s Statement into the text box in the online submission form. In the statement, describe your inspiration for writing the play, as well as how you believe a workshop in a university setting will further your development process.
Plays that have been previously fully produced or published are ineligible for the contest. Plays that have previously had workshops or staged readings are eligible.
Submissions must be the original work of the playwright, which may include adaptations of fictional or factual material. Translations of plays in other languages are not accepted.
The submitting playwright must either be the owner and controller of the copyright or provide written proof that they have acquired the legal right to use copyrighted material in their work.
Submissions must be full-length plays.
Musicals are not accepted. However, plays with limited music requirements are accepted.
The primary language of the play must be English.
There are no other restrictions in subject matter or style.
The Crossroads Project reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted play for any reason.

The winning playwright will receive:
An award of $500.
An invitation to Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL for a one-week new play development workshop, culminating in a public staged reading. The playwright may also be invited to offer guest lectures/colloquia. The Crossroads Project will cover costs for travel, housing, and meals during the workshop.


16. NATIONAL WINTER PLAYWRIGHTS RETREAT
Deadline: August 31st
Website: https://hbmgfoundation.org/nwpr/

A playwright-based retreat, the National Winter Playwrights Retreat prioritizes the playwright, not the work being produced. Playwrights have an opportunity to have work read or sung, conversation over dinners and coffees, sightseeing in the San Juan Mountains, and an introduction to local theaters. The retreat provides respite and renewal for playwrights. Inevitably, the artist's rejuvenation finds its way into her work. In enabling the playwright freedom from expectations, we enable the art. HBMG Foundation's team of a Latino Playwright/Director and a Female Actor/Writer, Manuel and Ann Zárate are passionate about diversity. As founders and directors, they seek especially to empower playwrights of all ethnicities and gender. Additionally, diversity of experience and age is considered in the selection of playwrights each year. Our goal is to reflect the landscape of America.

How can I apply?

This is the easy part. We don't read scripts. We are interested in you. Complete the form and tell us about you... your background and what you want to accomplish while on retreat. Include both professional and personal descriptions.

Please note whether you are applying as a playwright, artistic director, dramaturg, director, or as a team. You are welcome to apply as a team if you are working specifically with an actor, director, composer, or dramaturg on a piece in progress. Give us details of what you will be working on during the retreat and your weeks of availability December 2019-February 2020. Deadline for applications is September 1, 2019. There is no application fee; do not submit a writing sample.


17. BLUE INK PLAYWRITING AWARD
Deadline: August 31st
Website: https://americanbluestheater.com/

The international Blue Ink Playwriting Award was created in 2010 to support new work. Since inception, we’ve named 9 Award winners, 64 finalists, and 83 semi-finalists.  Over $5,000 in cash and prizes will be distributed to playwrights in 2020.

Each year American Blues Theater accepts worldwide submissions of original, unpublished full-length plays. The winning play will be selected by Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and the theater’s Ensemble. The playwright receives a monetary prize of $1,250 and a developmental workshop or staged reading at American Blues Theater in Chicago. Cash prizes are awarded to finalists and semi-finalists too.  All proceeds of the administrative fee are distributed for playwrights’ cash prizes.

Submissions for the 2020 Blue Ink Playwriting Award are accepted between July 1 – Aug 31, 2019. Semi-finalists, finalists, and the award winner will be notified January – March 2020.