Wild Nina

I had so many wildly contradictory feelings watching the Nina Simone biopic, NINA. Zoe Saldana doesn't look, sound, sing, or feel like Nina Simone. The scenes jump around and then random guests pop up like Richard Pryor to literally say lines like 'remember when' that segways into a flashback that shows 'something back when.' The doo doo putty makeup they put on Zoe's face seems to be right on the verge of curdling into some sort of mousse/gelatin dessert they served at The Piccadilly Buffet when I was a kid. And then some times a moment catches me by surprise due to the power of the music, or a glimpse of something true manages to slither out of the rancid bowels of this enterprise...and break free to the surface. I'm grateful...taken aback. Relieved. Horrified. Concerned that maybe my standards have been drowned in the whale vomit of this bloated leviathan... but also curious as to what's going to happen next. It almost feels like I'm tripping balls, but on something unusual like hot mayonnaise that's been left in the trunk or tofu found at the back of the fridge. But I will always choose an interesting mess or a boring ride.

Las Vegas Debate

Before the debate, someone asked me what I thought was going to happen? I said everyone is going to attack Bloomberg and -if he was smart- he needed to 'Kavanaugh' his way out of it: go on the attack, act outraged, keep pounding the other side as being 'corrupt' and to act offended. It's polarizing but you're already polarizing...and it will be the only way to survive Warren and Sanders progressive smackdown. Plus, going on the attack would give him more screen time. In order to do a "Kavanaugh' -formerly what I called "a Clarence" (aka Clarence Thomas) you need to be totally shameless and to dive headfirst into male privilege/rage. It is the kind of thing only a man could do and get away with it, which is to say 'throw a red-faced hissy fit' and not get accused of being over-emotional. Women can't do it. A woman raises her voice and she's 'shrill' or angry. But a guy can be weeping like a bitch while screaming about beer and end up on the Supreme Court.

Bloomberg didn't Kavanaugh it. As expected he got smashed. As expected, the average person didn't watch the debate so I don't think it will affect him outside of the chattering class. He is a tv commercial candidate. Debates are his enemy. Speeches are his enemy. Human contact is not his friend.

I think he should embrace his oligarchy status. Dress up as Willy Wonka and ride around in a blimp tossing gold coins down to the dirty upper-middle class. Offer free ostrich rides to South Carolina residents. Wear a monocle and smoke a long filtered cigarette while screaming "Boardwalk!! Park Place!! Baltimore Avenue!" Turn his candidacy into a performance art piece where chimney sweeping urchins rush into crowds and steal people's babies unless 'the Batman' meets him at sundown. You need to be shameless, run headlong into decadence. "Citizen Kane" it and stagger around a mansion while someone makes a Tik-Tok of you searching for your prized sled.

As we have learned from Trump, there is no apology or accidents for the shameless billionaire candidate. If you fall flat on your face and bust your lip open like Bloomberg did on national tv last night, you just smile at the camera and say 'that's the billionaires jig' and millions of white people will flop down on the ground with you. Because their spirituality is America's true religion: white capitalism. And the worshippers will die for their savior. 

My Jussie Smollett Anniversary

It's my one-year anniversary of not saying anything about Jussie Smollett. I decided to honor my non-participation in the controversy.

Happy One Year "Not Saying Shit" Anniversary...
-when the story first broke and there was outrage
- when he was being called a hero
- when he was being called a villain
- when he was a punchline for comedians
- when he was a punching bag for Trump
-when he became the scapegoat of the Chicago PD last week...
I continue to be un-bothered by the bullshit! And into the future...
-when he writes his tell-all-book "I Am The Gay Tupac"
-when the Nigerian brothers write their book "We are the Nigerian Smothers Bros"
- when the Chicago cops write their tell-all book "We Just Want a Dick Wolf Syndicated Show."
- when there will be dueling Lifetime tv movie based off all the books
- when Keisha Knight Pulliam is cast as Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx in the "Lee Daniels presents" version of the Smollett book by Sapphire, with wigs by Tyler Perry...I will continue to smile from the sunny Alps of Un-Bothered and spin around like Julie Andrews b/c "The Hills are Alive with Me Not Giving a Fuck."

#MyBloombergStory: Occupy Wall Street

2011: I just got a new camera and heard about Occupy Wall Street needing donations. I gathered my baked goods, several pies (it's a long story), and headed down to Zuccotti Park. Once I got there I handed over the goods, took out my camera, and started interviewing some of the organizers. This wasn't for a publication or blog. I just felt like doing it. Yes, boys and girls... these were the pre-technocratic surveillance state times of 2011. I just went right over to OWS with my camera and some pies and didn't have any fear of being put on some gov list. 

On that Saturday, it was raining and windy. A local union was holding a march for income inequality. Bloomberg said he wanted the protestors gone. The NY Supreme Court ruled that ppl had a right to be there and told the city to respect a peaceful, grassroots mobilization. After visiting the encampment, I met up with my roommate Tatiana at the nearby McDonald's, which became the Bathroom HQ for the protestors. It was surreal. Tati was preparing for an audition while a swirl of rain-soaked protestors and homeless people jockeyed for tables. I showed her my footage and we talked about how centrist Dems like Pelosi, Bloomberg, and Obama were annoyed at having to address 'income inequality.' Everyone knew that the centrists were making plans to have OWS destroyed. We didn't know how thoroughly laid out those plans were laid out for protestors across hundreds of cities. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were two of the few Dems who actually sided with Occupy Wall Street and its message...FYI.

Anyway, Bloomberg didn't care about a little pesky thing like the judicial branch or freedom of speech or court order.  He had the cops raid and destroy the camp in its entirety. He promised to preserve the collected library on site. The NYPD burned and threw away the books. The city also stopped the media from filming anything. Bloomberg said the media blackout was to 'protect them.'  The organizers were harassed, fined, thrown in jail...for a peaceful protest that was being protected by the Supreme Court. Didn't matter though. This kicked off hundreds of raids across the nation in Oakland, SF, Los Angeles. The physical space for OWS was wiped out b/c they were 'troublemakers' and 'socialists' and 'up to no good.' Yes, Mayor Bloomberg actually did this in broad daylight in the media capital of the world. He broke the law, violated freedom of speech, banned the media, burned books, beat and jailed citizens...'in order to protect us.' #myBloombergstory 

Journey to the Richest Zip Code in America: Fisher Island

We took a 75-ft Avanti yacht to Fisher Island...or rather, I hitched a ride on the white triple-decker boat with a wealthy Miami Beach couple to a fundraiser on the exclusive island. We sailed along the Miami waterfront past $20 million houses and 200 ft yachts owned by billionaires you've heard of and many billionaires you haven't heard of who remain quiet on social media. Last week I was washing my clothes at a 24-hour laundromat in Brooklyn listening to the Dem debates, and now I'm cruising by Trump 2020 flags flapping in the breeze as Miami's boating weekend starts.

The captain skillfully backed the yacht into crowded port and we climbed on to Fisher Island. If you grew up in Miami, you have heard the folklore of Fisher Island. It is the richest zip code in America. You can only get to it by boat. If you take the public ferry, your name has to be on the register to step foot on it. It was the abandoned estate of the Vanderbilts that a developer bought in the 80s and turned it around on a dream/scheme: make this ramshackle, broken-down land 'the it' place of exclusive rich. Oprah was one of the first people to purchase an estate here and many others followed. A community grew around the fact that you had to be rich enough to even go there, rich enough to have its name cross your lips.

An official Fisher Island golf cart was waiting for us by the dock. We scooted up to an amazing penthouse apartment with vaulted ceilings that was covered in art ART. Art with a capital 'A' that lets you know 'don't you even think about touching me.' Performers from A WONDERFUL WORLD sang beautifully around a grand piano. Cocktails and appetizers continued, but our ride wanted to leave shortly after the performance, so it was back on the yacht. I and a few others were dropped off at the southern tip of South Beach. We had dinner at Monty's among the flip-float brigade of tourists and students We took an Uber back to our hotels and apartments.

Mr. Novelli

Last night I was waiting for a takeout order when an older man asked me what I do for a living? I told him and his eyes brightened. He said I might know one of his former students. He's a retired teacher, but back in the 1970s he was an 8th grade English teacher in Philly. He would travel to NYC to watch SNL, come back and act out scenes for his students. There was a girl in the back of his class who was very shy and always covering her face. Her cheeks were scarred when a burglar broke into her home and slashed her up. After that, she sat in the back of the classroom and didn't say much. He encouraged her and made her laugh with his impersonations. One day this shy student wrote a story, and he told her 'this is the only thing you should do for the rest of your life.' He told me that if I ever meet his former student -Tina Fey- I should tell her 'Mr. Novelli, from 8th grade English says hello!'

Laundromat Caucus

This is not a pro- or anti-Bernie rant. This is just an observation while folding clothes in a Brooklyn laundromat on a Friday night with mostly brown and black people. The NH Primary Debate was on tv. I caught a few minutes. Most of the candidates seemed really nice and considerate. They came across just fine. But there was something when Bernie Sanders came on...that popped. Ppl stopped or looked up from their clothes or got a little quieter. It was eery...like an audio fog was clearing up over the washers and dryers. When you have some who speaks with clarity -regardless of the political leanings- they pop. When you have someone who speaks with passionate clarity, they pop. Now yes, detractors will say 'but Aurin, didn't Trump pop in 2016?' Why, yes he absolutely did. He popped b/c he spoke from a very clear stream of fear/isolationism. There was no nuance, it was straight from his guts. People feel that...even if your guts are filled with poison and ignorance. When someone speaks that clearly, it's hard to tell whether they are coming from the perspective of a crazy zealot or a wise shaman. Both types sound extremely convincing. As I was folding clothes I remembered...

In 2018, I did a month-long meditation retreat in Vermont. I lived on the top floor of a barn perched on a cliff. It overlooked a green valley spiked with smaller mountains. Vermont is a very clean and very green place. It's the kind of place where idealism can grow. One of the teens working on the farm drove me to the train station and said he was going to run for governor while in high school. And I thought 'sure, why not? It's fucking Vermont. You can do anything here.' There's that vibe. At the end of my retreat, I went to a communal dinner with people from surrounding farms.  There was one black woman at the table who was in her 70s. She immediately zoomed in on me and we started talking about her travels and why she moved to Vermont and bought a farm. Somehow we got on the conversation of Bernie Sanders. The old black lady said 'oh, I know Bernie. I know him very well.' I said there were rumors that he might run again in 2020. She shook her head and said he shouldn't run. Oh really: why shouldn't he run? I'll always remember this...she said 'Bernie is too good. I don't want to see him run again. He's too honest.' I forgot that people go flee to Vermont not only to escape the city noise and pollution, but the fog and lies and cruelty of the metropolis life. The woman meant that Bernie should stay here, stay where there are clean views and honest people, don't waste that Vermont clarity on the world outside the curtain of green mountains.

As I folded my clothes in a Williamsburg laundromat I suddenly remembered that black woman in Vermont. I hadn't thought about her in a long time. Maybe the people were quiet when Sanders came on the TV b/c they were getting a taste of that idealistic clarity...maybe the fog was clearing away just a little bit for them, and they could see something.

GET WHAT YOU WANT: February 2020

1. PLAYWRIGHTS REALM: FELLOWSHIP AND SCRATCHPAD
Deadline: February 2nd (for both)
website: http://www.playwrightsrealm.org/

Fellowship: The Fellowship awards four early-career playwrights with nine months of resources, workshops and feedback designed to help them reach their professional and artistic goals. Writing Fellows Receive: $3,000 award, internal reading, public reading, professional development activities, access to Realm office resources, an occasional hug. *Please note that while playwrights can submit to both the Writing Fellowship and Scratchpad Series with a single application, or choose to submit to just one program, we accept only ONE script total, per playwright, per season.
Scratchpad: Scratchpad participants receive a developmental workshop of up to one week in New York City, working with top-notch professional collaborators—director, cast, and The Realm’s artistic staff. If the playwright is based outside of New York, The Realm also facilitates the playwright’s travel and housing for the workshop. *Please note that while playwrights can submit to both the Writing Fellowship and Scratchpad Series with a single application, or choose to submit to just one program, we accept only ONE script total, per playwright, per season.


2. HERE Arts Residency Program (HARP)
Deadline: February 3rd
website: https://here.org/

HERE's Artist Residency Program, aimed at mid-career artists, commissions and develops new hybrid works over a 1- to 3-year period. As part of the HERE community of artists and audiences, our 15 resident artists show works-in-progress, develop workshop productions, and mount full–scale productions. Through our residency programs, HERE seeks to not only grow innovative artistic work, but also give artists the awareness and skills—in areas such as audience relations, budgeting, grantwriting, and touring—they need to continue to grow their careers.

While in residence, the artist or team’s residency is linked to a specific project in development and an exploration of ideas and processes intrinsic to their artistic growth. HERE believes that artists must be in control of the work that they create. This control goes hand in hand with a responsibility to participate in all phases of their artistic projects from inception through all development stages to full production. HARP is designed to respond to the ideas and needs of its artists. The artists themselves must be proactive in bringing those ideas and needs to HARP and to each other; they shape workshop and discussion offerings, create performances, and work with HERE staff to publicize and promote HARP events. We expect our artists to be both good citizens of the HERE community as well as ambassadors to the public.

Artists retain ownership of all work initiated, developed, or workshopped during their residency. For the projects that go to full production, HERE and the artists will negotiate a separate rights agreement. However, in all public materials about the artist or team the following must appear: "(Name of Artist or Team) was/is a member of the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP), 20 __ - 20__, NYC", and in all public materials relating to the work’s development, the following line shall appear: “Development of (Name of Work) was made possible through the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP), 20_ - 20_, NYC." For works that go to full production the following line shall appear: “(Name of Work) was commissioned, developed, and produced through the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP), 20_ - 20_, NYC.”

Funding is provided for each workshop and artists are given a $7,000 stipend every year.


3. 2020 WRITERS RETREAT FOR EMERGING LGBTQ VOICES
Deadline: February 3rd
Website: www.lambdaliterary.org/writers/subs/11/14/2020-writers-retreat-for-emerging-lgbtq-voices/

Lambda Literary is proud to announce details of the 2020 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, the nation’s premier LGBTQ writer’s workshop and residency. The Retreat will be held August 9-16, 2020 on the campus of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices offers intensive and sophisticated instruction to selected writers over a carefully designed one-week period. The Retreat provides writers access to industry professionals and the opportunity to advance in their craft and careers. It is one of Lambda’s most dynamic initiatives: it represents the future of LGBTQ literature.

Applicants of the Retreat submit prose, poetry or theatrical manuscript pages that are evaluated for craft, creativity and originality. Twelve students per workshop are accepted into the competitive program where they spend the week working on their manuscripts, attending guest lectures led by publishing industry professionals, and participating in public readings in venues around Los Angeles. Ability to pay is in no way part of the decision-making process and scholarships are available. Lambda Writers Retreat Fellows have gone on to publish an impressive array of works.

NOTE: there is a $25 application fee and the week costs $1725 for the artists.


4. DRAMA LEAGUE: DIRECTING FELLOWSHIP IN TV & FILM
Deadline: February 3rd
Website: https://dramaleague.submittable.com/submit

For many decades, emerging directors felt they had to choose between working on the stage, or working in film and television.  The skills sets overlap to some degree, but not in totality…which made the acquisition of experience difficult.  Recently, however, the field of directing has begun to widen.  The notion of a director successfully transitioning back and forth between these overlapping industries is now not only possible, but in some cases, encouraged.  Their imaginations are vital to the future of both mediums.

The Fellowship for Directing in Television is a career development initiative for stage directors to observe the craft of film/TV direction.  Through network building with industry professionals and shadowing successful film/television directors, the Fellow will gain essential skills and contacts to begin working in both mediums.

COMPONENTS

1) SHADOW DIRECTING ASSIGNMENT

Those selected to participate become part of the Drama League Directing Talent Pool. Drama League staff, entertainment executives, executive producers and/or producing episodic directors select individuals to shadow on an episode of produced television. Shadowing assignments are not guaranteed; however, if an assignment is secured, the Fellow will shadow production and shooting. Observing post-production is solely at the discretion of producers. Drama assignments typically run three or more weeks, and comedy assignments usually run one to two weeks. The duration of an individual's participation is at the discretion of the Drama League staff, executive producers and/or episodic directors.

2) STIPEND

Directors on shadowing assignments will receive a paid stipend when actively shadowing on a production, the amount of which will be disclosed prior to acceptance. In the 2019 cycle, the Stipend was $2,000, but could be less or more depending upon the length and location of the assignment.  Taxes will be deducted from the stipend in accordance with federal, state and local law.

3) TRANSPORTATION

Fellows will be provided with travel to the city of the shooting location.  In-city travel is not included.

4) HOUSING

Fellows will be provided with housing in the city of the shooting location.


5. NOOSPHERE ARTIST RESIDENCY
Deadline: February 4th
website: http://www.noosphere-arts.nyc/residency-award

Dedicated to bringing art from elsewhere to New York, NOoSPHERE Arts’ all-volunteer team of artists & curators keeps seeking new ways to accomplish our goal: to offer the U.S. audience access to current art from other countries and to bring creative people together for artistic cross-pollination and transnational collaborations.

NOoSPHERE Arts’ current presentation platforms include Mothership NYC, a live-work space with a huge outdoor stage in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Also founded and run by NOoSPHERE Arts’ director, this community of international creatives has a complementary mission: “to support and promote artists across multiple disciplines through residencies, public shows and collaborative opportunities; build sustainable transnational artist networks; and help retain creative forces in New York City.”

In collaboration with the Mothership Crew, we are pleased to offer the annual grant program NOoSPHERE Arts Residency Award: Once a year, we provide a month-long residency free of charge to one talented artist or curator of any nationality. Selected by a committee of peers, the award winner will spend their time on board Mothership NYC developing a creative project for presentation to the NYC audience under the aegis of NOoSPHERE Arts.

Disciplines:
The residency program is open to all media, but the private workspace is most suitable for the following disciplines: visual art, painting, drawing, writing, film, theater, dance, performing arts, filmmaking, animation, new media, and curatorial.

Accommodation:
The resident stays in private living quarters in the Mothership NYC live-work community housing 5-6 artists total.
The private workspace comes with a desk, easel, bare walls to work on and WiFi. Kitchen, lounge, and bathrooms are shared.
For pictures of the space, please see www.mothership.nyc/artist-residency.

Financial Support:
The award winner receives one month’s free accommodation in private live-work space. We will also cover the reception costs and assistance with logistics for awardee’s final show. Travel costs, art supplies and living expenses are award winner’s own responsibility.

Artist Contribution:
We expect the awardee to give a slide talk about their work at Mothership’s monthly artists’ salon and to present their residency project at a public event towards the end of their month-long stay.

Residency Period:
One month in the year after submission.


6. WENDY'S SUBWAY RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Deadline: February 6th
website:  http://www.wendyssubway.com/

The Wendy’s Subway Residency Program supports a variety of projects at the intersection of literature, the arts, and publishing. This stipended residency provides artists, writers, independent publishers, and small-scale arts organizations with focused time to research, experiment, and develop creative projects, public programs, and publications over two to three months.

Residents receive a $600 stipend as well as an additional stipend of $1,000 for public programs, and further resources for a publication to be determined in relation to each resident’s project. Residents become key-holders at Wendy’s Subway during the course of their residency with 24/7 access to the library and workspace. Beyond this time, residents receive yearlong Supporter-level membership to Wendy’s Subway.

Residents receive creative, technical, and administrative support from Wendy’s Subway staff to realize a program of public events, as well as editorial, design, and production support for a publication.


7. 2020 LEAD ARTISTS FOR NYC HEALTH PROJECT (open to artists in various disciplines)
Deadline: February 7th
website: https://rivet.es/calls/view/2020-lead-artists-for-nyc-health-hospitals-community-murals-project

Professional visual artists or artist teams working in any media, legally authorized to work in the United States, and who are at least 18 years of age, are eligible to apply. Artists with ties to neighborhoods and communities of the participating NYC Health + Hospitals facilities are encouraged to apply, as well as artists with experience in community engagement practices. NYC Health + Hospitals is committed to the values of inclusion and advancing diversity in the field of arts and health. We highly encourage applicants that are traditionally underrepresented* to submit to this RFQ. There is an $8,000 stipend.

NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine (AIM) is seeking a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for lead artists to work on the NYC Health + Hospitals Community Murals Project (CMP). Continuing the tradition established in the 1930s when the Works Progress Administration supported hundreds of murals across New York City’s public hospitals, the CMP will connect artists and local community members to re-imagine hospitals and promote greater neighborhood wellness.

Visual artists will engage with patients, staff, and local residents to create an integrated internal or external mural at selected NYC Health + Hospitals facilities. The aim of the program is to use a collaborative mural making process as a tool to build trust and engagement between the hospitals and their communities, build neighborhood pride, and reduce the stigma associated with hospitals through community building activities.


8. LARK THEATRE: MIDDLE EASTERN AMERICAN WRITERS' LAB
Deadline: February 7th
website: https://www.larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/

You will be asked to submit a 20-page sample of your writing and one-page personal statement responding to the following prompts:

Why do you want to be a member of the Middle Eastern American Writers Group at The Lark? and;
In what ways do you feel you will contribute to this writers' group?
The selection process for this program is curated by Program Directors Kareem Fahmy and Mona Mansour.

For any questions regarding the application process, email kareem@kareemfahmy.com.


9. 2020 FRESH FRUIT FESTIVAL
Deadline: February 10th
website: http://www.freshfruitfestival.com/

Accepting submissions of any kind of performance art featuring LGBTQ characters or themes. Held July 6 through 19 at The WILD Project and other Manhattan venues. YOU are the producer of your show, but there are no required application fees or participation fees, and all productions receive a box office share.

DETAILS
For Plays (not Solo works): Please attach a complete version of the play. One-Acts (at least 25-35 min. long) and Full-Lengths (45+ min) will both be considered. (Short plays are ineligible for this July Festival). Submissions in English only
For Musical/Opera/Cabaret: Please submit a link to audio recording of select musical numbers and a copy of the book (.pdf or .doc format only); submit a video link to any completed demo portions
For Comedy: We are not accepting standup routines this season; submit scripts to comic 1-acts or solo plays as below
For Solo Plays/Performances: Please submit complete script (.pdf or .doc format only) and a video link to the complete routine or extract/demo.


10. DORA MAAR HOUSE
Deadline: February 15th
Website: mfah.org/fellowships/doramaarhouse/dora-maar-how-to-apply/

The Brown Foundation Fellows Program at the Dora Maar House is located in one of the most beautiful regions of Southern France, about 40 km southeast of Avignon, the Dora Maar House in Ménerbes is an 18th-century residence. In 1944 Pablo Picasso purchased the four-story mansion for Dora Maar, an artist and surrealist photographer who was his companion and muse in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Dora Maar owned the house until her death in 1997.
In 1997, a friend of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston purchased the former residence of Dora Maar. In a five-year effort, the owner rehabilitated and updated this spacious eighteenth-century, four-story stone residence in the village of Ménerbes. Her goal was to make it a retreat for scholars, artists, and writers, where they could work undisturbed on their research, art, or writing, for one to three months.

The Brown Foundation Fellowship provides
• one to three months in residence at the Dora Maar House
• a private bedroom and bath and a study or studio in which to work
• expenses paid for round-trip travel from a fellow’s home to the
Dora Maar House
• a grant-based upon the length of stay at the Dora Maar House

In 2006 the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston was asked to direct this project, which is now known as The Brown Foundation Fellows Program at the Dora Maar House. Here outstanding midcareer professionals are offered fellowships that enable them to reside in the Dora Maar House and focus on the creative aspects of their work.

http://www.mfah.org/fellowships/doramaarhouse/fellowship/


11. NEW LIGHT NEW VOICES AWARD
Deadline: February 17th
website: https://www.newlighttheaterproject.com/

Seeking original, unpublished, full-length English language plays by NYC based artists. Translations, musicals, adaptations, screenplays, one-act plays, and children's plays are not accepted. The winner of the New Light New Voices Award will also receive $1000, developmental support, and a 4-week production run in the summer of 2021 in NYC.

How to submit:
-The manuscript must begin with a title page that shows the play's title and a 2-3 sentence description of the play.
-Your play title with your name and contact information (including address, phone number, and email address), and a brief biography must be submitted in a separate attachment.

-Please send the script in PDF format with the title format: PLAY TITLE.pdf

-Submit the electronic copy of your manuscript to:

NewLightNew VoicesAward@gmail.com with the subject line “NEW LIGHT NEW VOICES SUBMISSION: (title of your play)”


12. GENEVA THEATRE GUILD: PLAYREADING SERIES
Deadline: February 23rd
website: https://www.genevatheatreguild.org/

We are currently accepting one act plays (10-30 mins) for our Playwrights Playreadings event slated for the weekend of May 1st-May 2nd. This is a great opportunity for playwrights of all ages to have their works read aloud in front of an audience. After the performances, we have a talk-back session to go in depth with each of the scripts for the benefit of the playwrights. This allows for audience input as well as the actors’ interpretations of the work. Even if you are not able to join us in person, we are willing and able to FaceTime or Skype you into the session.

All submissions will be given a blind review by a play selection committee to choose the works that we will present this season. All playwrights will be notified of the selections on March 16th, and are invited to come to the readings in May. The guidelines for all submissions are as follows:

Limit – no more than two submissions per playwright

Submissions must be typed, one side of the page only, easy to read, with at least one inch margins and free of any stray markings.

Submissions must have two title pages: One with the title of the play only and one with the title of the play, playwright’s name, address, phone number, email address and an approximate running time for the play. 

Include a brief synopsis of the plot, setting and a list of the characters before the first page of dialogue.

All pages must be numbered, starting with the first page of dialogue as page one.

If you are submitting your script in hard copy, please include four copies.

If mailed, submissions should be unbound and in a folder.

If you wish your submission returned, please include a SASE with sufficient postage.

Plays can be submitted online at seasonplanninggtg@gmail.com or by mail to, Geneva Theatre Guild, PO Box 424, Geneva, NY 14456

We look forward to receiving your scripts and hope that you will be able to join us!


13. BAX SPACE GRANT
Deadline: February 24th
website: http://artistservices.bax.org/applications/2020-space-grant-application/

The Space Grant Program is designed to give choreographers, playwrights, and multi-disciplinary artists working in performance the opportunity to create new work in a setting that is conducive to working deeply and exploring new territory. BAX's Space Grant Program is the oldest of our programs that support developing artists. Space grants are often an artist's entry point into a deeper relationship with BAX. A significant number of our Artists In Residence started their relationship with BAX as space grantees and then claimed the organization as their artistic home.

Space grants acknowledge that seasoned artists and newly emerging artists need uninterrupted space and time to try new ideas or to change directions. Again and again, in surveys of NYC's performing artists, access to space is the most essential resource. We remain committed to space grants as one of the core provision of our Artist Services offerings.

Artists are selected by application and reviewed by a panel of former resident artists, artist advisors, board and staff. Recipients receive free rehearsal space in one of BAX's four studios and have the opportunity to share their work with other Space Grantees and Artist Advisors in an in-progress showing and feedback session.

BAX has a proud history and commitment to developing cohorts that are reflective of our mission and core commitments to racial and social justice. In our curation and residencies, we take into account our field's history of racism and discrimination, and take active steps to undo the effects of that history. We believe that this commitment enriches the artists' experience for all members and audiences.

There are two (2) separate Space Grant program periods-Summer 2020 and Fall 2020. Applicants must choose only one (1).
Summer Space Grant (June 29-August 21, 2020, 8 week residency). 3 artists/groups. 50 hours of free developmental rehearsal space per artist/group. $350 stipend. Informal Show & Share Tuesday August 11, 2020 from 7-9pm. **(Evenings and Weekend space available only)

Fall Space Grant (September 8-December 18, 2020, 15 week residency). 3 artists/groups. 100 hours of free rehearsal space. $500 stipend. Informal Show & Share Saturday November 7, 2020 from 2-4pm. Performance Showcase on Friday and Saturday December 4 and 5, 2020 at 8pm.


14. THEATRE 503
Deadline: February 29th
website: https://theatre503.com/writers/award2020/

Theatre503 is the award-winning home of new writers and a launchpad for the artists (in London) who bring their words to life. We stage the work of more debut writers than any other theatre in the world and can now announce the re-opening of the Theatre503 Playwriting Award, our bi-annual search for the best new plays and most talented debut playwrights in the world.

The winning play receives £6,000 with a guaranteed production, and we do everything we can do find a home for the four remaining finalists – with all five finalists of the 2018 International Award being premiered at Theatre503 by the end of November 2020. This award is unprecedented in recognising new and emerging writers, for outstanding original pieces of work for the stage that make you see the world anew.

The 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award is for debut writers of all ages who have not yet had a full-length professional production.

AWARD OPENS FOR ENTRIES FROM 1ST FEBRUARY TO 29TH FEBRUARY 2020 VIA THE THEATRE503 WEBSITE.

Previous winners are: And Then Come The Nightjars by Bea Roberts, Valhalla by Paul Murphy – joint winner in 2014; In Event of Moone Disaster by Andrew Thompson in 2016 and Out of Sorts by Danusia Samal in 2018.

15. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: March 1st
website: https://dgf.org/programs/fellows/

The ideas of today’s writers become the groundbreaking shows of the future. DGF’s Fellows program helps create that future by propelling the most promising creative talents to their full potential.
The Fellows program is a selective, year-long intensive for playwrights, composers, lyricists, and bookwriters. The program pairs talented writers with accomplished professional mentors, who help them hone their process, and find their unique voice.

This program increases the likelihood that Fellows will be able to turn their passion and talent into a successful career, impacting audiences around the globe. The Fellows program, currently headed by Michael Korie (Grey Gardens), Laurence O’Keefe (Legally Blonde), Migdalia Cruz (Fur), and Lucy Thurber (The Hill Town Plays) is highly sought after for its uniquely successful format of partnering playwrights and musical theater writers together in the learning process. In addition, Fellows receive a stipend and the opportunity to partner with several arts organizations for Fellows-specific development opportunities.

DGF Fellows is supported through the generosity of the Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation.

Applications for the 2020-2021 Fellows class will be open from February 1-March 1, 2020. Please tune in to our Facebook page at 1pm Eastern on February 5 for an informational live stream on the application process. Please send any questions to applications@dgf.org.

16. PRINCESS GRACE FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: March 15th
website: http://newdramatists.org/

We encourage emerging playwrights to apply at the beginning of their careers so that through the New Dramatists Fellowship, they can develop their work as well as benefit from being a part of a unique, diverse, dynamic community of professional playwrights. An applicant’s status as an emerging playwright is evaluated during the adjudication process.

One playwright will be selected to receive:
A grant in the amount of $7,500
A one-season (September – June) artistic residency at New Dramatists, Inc. in New York City (For Award recipients living outside of the New York metro area, your on-site residency can be adapted according to your schedule with reimbursement provided for transportation costs to/from New York)
Inclusion of your script in New Dramatists’ library
Advocacy for the recipient and their script to New York and National theatre communities for the duration of the fellowship
Mentorship from a New Dramatists resident playwright for the duration of the fellowship
Opportunity for winning play to be licensed and published by Samuel French, Inc.

Application Requirements:
Online application
Playwriting resume listing short, one-act and full-length plays written including reading, workshop and production history with performance venues and dates.
One unpublished full-length play
Personal statement: Please describe, in your own words, your views and expectations of your role as a theater artist now and in the future. Please elaborate on your “emerging status” and how you plan to utilize this fellowship
Applicants are also encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation from a theater professional (director, dramaturg, etc.) addressing how the applicant has demonstrated his/her excellence in the field; promise as an outstanding emerging artist; and why he/she is deserving of a Princess Grace Award.
Submission requirements:
All candidates must be United States citizens or have permanent resident status.
Eligible playwrights must not have had more than 3 public productions of their full-length plays mounted by a producing theatre.


17. VAN LIER NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: March 30th
website: https://www.larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/

The Lark is accepting applications for its Van Lier New Voices Fellowship program, supported by The New York Community Trust’s Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund and additional support from the Jerome Foundation.

The Van Lier New Voices Fellowship supports playwrights of color age 30 and under, who demonstrate financial need. During a year-long residency, Fellows will work on multiple artistic projects through an individually-tailored program of Lark play development programs, and form relationships with other theater makers at various career stages from all parts of the world. The Fellowship includes a cash award of $35,000, plus access to a $5,000 Opportunity Fund and to a wide range of Lark resources, including artistic program participation, office and rehearsal space, and staff support.