Monday, December 27, 2021

Flavorless Strawberries

 What better way to engineer food than to create a strawberry that farmers can grow year around that is bigger, redder, and more flavorless with each generation? The same pattern holds true for bananas (bigger and less flavor), tomatoes (bigger and less flavor), and most industrially farmed fruits and vegetables. It's very easy to change tastebuds to the point where nobody knows what a real strawberry taste like, the color of fresh orange juice, how I rose used to smell, or that watermelons had seeds in them. The same is true in art. 

You can mass produce content that is bigger, louder, and with less flavor. The goal isn't to evolve the form but to dull all sense of quality so that more viewers accept the flavorless version. 

The people who remember how a strawberry used to taste or how a movie used to make them feel are snobs. They are elitists. They are joykills who are ruining the great big harvest of flavorless content that is pumped out year around like big, red, empty strawberries. 

Protect your tastebuds. Remember the taste of real tomatoes, the magic that made you fall in love with film, quality music. Don't let them shove bigger, louder flavorless food in front of you and call it cinema. You're not crazy for feeling numb inside. Your tastes determine your perception and your perception determines your quality of life. 

Be a snob. Mediocrity isn't harmless. Flavorless fruit isn't acceptable. Flavorless art isn't mindless fun. It poisons the well of evolution. 

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Challenging 2 Years

 Transformation Through Challenging Times. The last batch of very old Buddhist audio tapes were transferred into digital files yesterday. Hundreds of old dharma teachings that were kept in boxes for decades, finally restored and available. It made me think about the last 2 yrs and how the teachings have come about through adapting to the times. 

In March 2020, I got stuck down here in Miami. Musical postponed, I decided against taking the return flight to NYC. I ate the cost of the tixs and went to my parent's house. Me and other ppl at LHI started producing guided meditation videos for people in quarantine. That led to creating and running two zoom programs at TADA and Miami New Drama for kids stuck at home. 

Flew back to NYC in June and a new round of dharma classes started...after a decade long hiatus. Difficult times made ppl crave and request new teachings. The teachings got me to think about life. Intuitively I bought a tix back to Miami in early Nov 2020, trying to get ahead of the Thanksgiving covid explosion that I felt was coming. 

Around this same time in Nov 2020, a studio offered me an exec producer/showrunner position on a new tv series they were taking out to networks. It sounded very appealing. But I took one look at my Dad and turned it down. It felt like this was the last few months of his life and I didn't want to be working on THE GOOD FIGHT via zoom and rushing around trying to sell a new show. I was expecting the studio and producers to be upset. I dreaded saying 'no' to what I thought was an obvious tv hit based upon an intuitive hunch. Surprisingly the studio and everyone was very understanding and supportive.  They knew what I didn't...that it was more important to use that moment to start up the Squire Foundation. Thanks to Neelie, a good lawyer, and filing out lots of paperwork, the foundation was complete and went live at the top of 2021. I got several more tv offers that I turned down. It didn't 'feel' like this was the purpose of this pandemic. 

I let the dharma guide me. I gravitated toward completing the co-ep jobs on EVIL and THE GOOD FIGHT, working on the story about America's first town of Black freedmen in MITCHELVILLE, and selling a story to Amazon about a Black man who transformed his life from prisoner to Yale lawyer. And then working on a movie adaptation about a biracial boy living in the segregated south back in the 1960s. Each one of the stories felt like an intuitive 'ah-ha...yes, this is saying something about my family, my ancestors, overcoming challenging times, transforming tragedy into triumph.'

That's when I was tasked with the assignment of taking these boxes of old audio tapes (some older than me) and finding a way to unlock the teachings and make them usable. Finishing up this audio project, along with the official website for the Squire Foundation, and relaunching "A Wonderful World" feels like buttons on a jam-packed year that revolved around transforming the challenges. 

I never would have asked for all these things to happen. Even today, the challenges keep coming, taking me on paths that seem like detours but are, in fact, leading me deeper into the teachings. Fame, money, looks, accolades always fade. At the end of all of this, the only thing we have are the lessons learned from this journey. May the challenges keep coming to keep us awake, alert, and checking in with our mission. 

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Get What You Want: December 2021

 1. 2021-22 WOODWARD/NEWMAN DRAMA AWARD
DEADLINE: December 1st
WEBSITE: https://www.newplays.org/opportunities/submissions/woodward-newman-award/

We are currently accepting submissions for the 2022-23 Woodward/Newman Award. The winner and finalists will be announced by June 2022. The winner will be awarded $3,000 and a full production.

“Full-length” plays should have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes).

Plays submitted must be unpublished at the time of submission (independently published is acceptable).

Each submission should be sent to BPP via email. Send your email to literarymanager@newplays.org

Your email should include the following: 

Tell us your name, phone number, and the name of your Play

Tell us how you are satisfying the $10 administrative fee 

Agent submitted scripts require no fee.

If via Dramatist Guild membership, attach a copy of your DG card to the email

If you have paid via Paypal on our website, indicate your confirmation number and the email address used.

Paypal is preferred, but if you can’t pay on-line, you may send a check or Money Order, (must be from a US bank). Tell us the check or Money Order number. Make it payable to “BPP” and mail to BPP, 107 W 9th ST, Bloomington, IN 47404

Attach a SINGLE PDF file containing your script with the following information included in the following order: 

Title page with author name

Synopsis (1 page or less). Please list the genre at the top (comedy, drama, etc.)

Character list/breakdown

Production history for the play—Include readings and productions

A brief bio of the playwright,

Full Script

Submissions that fail to include all requested information in the order listed will be disqualified from the contest.

Plays submitted in previous years will be accepted.

Two separate submissions per playwright per annual competition are allowed as long as each submission has all the required materials.


2. WAVELENGTH’S WAVE GRANT
DEADLINE: December 1st
WEBSITE: https://wavelengthproductions.com/grants/

Applications for Wavelength’s WAVE Grant are now open! The WAVE Grant is devoted to helping first-time female and non-binary filmmakers of color tell their own “great f**king story.” This year we will select five recipients to receive a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their short film. Recipients will also receive mentorship from our award-winning team with development, production, and distribution strategies. Submissions close December 1st, 2021.


3. ROCKFORD NEW WORDS 2022
DEADLINE: December 1, 2021
WEBSITE: https://wssr.org/submit

10 new works will be chosen and presented in a staged performance Feb 4th & 5th, 2021. Writers can choose to perform their own works (Live or on Zoom), or have them presented by professional performers. Writers each receive $200.

THEME: WORDS ON WOMAN. “Woman” has multiple facets including gender identity, social construct, and lived experience. This year we are asking writers to look beyond boundaries to express their experience with the word “woman.”

RULES

New Words: written after OCT 25, 2021

Theme: Words On Woman

One Written Work per writer

Language: English

Writer Location: Anywhere!

Originality: no translations, adaptations, or excerpts of other works

Copyright: you must own it

Eligibility: no previously published or produced works

Length: 10 pages or less

Time: 10 minutes or less

Format: Any

Fill out the online application and upload a copy of your work here: wssr.org/submit

We will let you know the status of your submission by January 15, 2022.

Have questions? words@wssr.org


4. ASHLAND NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL 2022 
DEADLINE: December 1st
WEBSITE:  https://ashlandnewplays.org/script-submission/ 

About: ANPF’s Fall Festival is our annual flagship event that features readings of four plays - chosen from hundreds of submissions from all over the world. The plays are submitted blind and are read by a dedicated team of volunteer readers who select the finalists. Our artistic director receives the blinded scripts and leads the collaborative process of choosing the winners. Each play receives two readings, a matinée and an evening, and is followed by a talkback session with the playwright, providing a learning opportunity for both the audience and the artist. 

Criteria:  -Full-length drama or comedy, intermission preferred. If no intermission, then 75-minutes minimum running time. ANPF presentations are concert readings, not staged readings. The emphasis is on the language and dialogue of a play. Stage business cannot be considered as part of the running time. Submitted scripts should meet the timing requirement with this in mind. 

-Previously unproduced. All scripts submitted to ANPF must be unproduced and remain unproduced until the time of the Fall Festival. College/academic productions do not count as productions; nor do workshops or readings. Any staging by a theatre (including non-Equity, regional, or community theatre) where actors are off-book and admission is charged DOES count as a production. 

-Maximum of eight actors. Doubling is permitted, provided a doubling plan is included with the cast list. 

-Submitting author is (or authors, when in collaboration, are) sole owner(s) of script copyright. 

-As part of the application process, we are asking playwrights to share a brief personal statement. See link below. 

Compensation: $1,500 


5. THE 2022 SAMUEL FRENCH OFF OFF BROADWAY SHORT  PLAY FESTIVAL
DEADLINE: December 1st/15th
WEBSITE: https://oobfestival.com

We will be capping submissions at 850, as we are committed to providing thorough and thoughtful consideration to each script in a timely manner. Submissions will close when we either reach our limit of 850 submissions or our deadline of December 15th.

We are hopeful and planning for the festival to take place in person. To that end, should your play be selected and if we are able to host an in person festival, all playwrights, producers, casts, or anyone affiliated attending in person will be required to be fully vaccinated in accordance with New York City and our performing venue guidelines. When the top 30 plays/musicals are chosen for the 2022 festival, we will let the 30 playwrights know if the festival will be virtual or physical before they commit to proceeding further in the competition.

 Short plays and musicals can be no longer than 15 pages and have a max run time of 15 minutes (ideal run times are between 8-13 minutes). If submitting a musical the page limit should reflect the libretto.

Writers may submit only 1 play, including plays they have co-authored. Producers (writer’s groups, theatre companies, universities, etc.) may submit up to 15 plays accredited to their organization, but can only submit one play by an individual playwright.  Script submissions will be accepted in digital format only, via Submittable. Each nomination must submit a separate application form. Conglomerate entries on one application are not acceptable.

 Plays must be written in English. Plays must be typed, and in no less that 10-point type, in conjunction with formatting suggestions listed in the Dramatist Guild’s Formatting Guidelines. Note that cover pages or additional cast size pages are not required and will not be counted against the 15 page limit.  Playwrights previously published by any Concord Theatricals company, including Concord Theatricals, Samuel French, Inc., Tams-Witmark, Rodgers & Hammerstein, or The Musical Company, are not eligible for submission into the Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival. This includes winners of previous Samuel French Festivals. 


6. MCKNIGHT NATIONAL RESIDENCY AND COMMISSION
DEADLINE: December 2nd
WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-national-residency-and-commission  

The intent of the McKnight National Residency and Commission is to support an established playwright from outside of Minnesota who demonstrates a sustained body of work, commitment, and artistic excellence. The Recipient of the Residency and Commission will create a new play which will be developed with the Playwrights' Center through a series of workshops and will culminate in a public reading of the play. 

Recipients will not move to Minnesota but will have opportunities to engage with local artists and the Playwrights' Center staff and fellows throughout their term (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022). One of the goals of this program is to create dialogue between Minnesota-based artists and those outside of the community. Benefits include, a $15,000 commission, up to $12,250 in workshop funds to support the development of the play, and a public reading. Applicants must reside in and have the legal right to work in the U.S. Applicants must be nationally recognized playwrights who have had at least two different plays fully produced by professional theaters at the time of application. If you had a production that was canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, that does count when determining eligibility. 

 Criteria: Each application will contain the following pieces: 

-Application Form (including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information) 

-Playwriting Resume 

-Full-length play script 

Submit a play that is representative of your work. A full-length play generally runs at least 45 minutes. If you are hoping to submit a script that is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia at juliab@pwcenter.org to discuss. Co-written work will not be accepted, and musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. 

-2-3 page Project Proposal 

This proposal should explain the project you intend to create if you receive the commission. The evaluators are looking for a project that is relevant, compelling, original, and that could reasonably have a first draft finished within the year. Please also detail why you would like to develop this piece with the Playwrights’ Center and your interest in engaging with the community here. 

-One letter of recommendation 

Please request one letter of recommendation from an agent or theater professional. Letters must be received by the application deadline. 

Compensation: $15,000 commission, up to $12,500 in developmental support


 

7. MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS IN PLAYWRITING
DEADLINE:December 9th
WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-fellowships-in-playwriting


The McKnight Foundation, a family foundation based in Minnesota, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. The McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting recognizes and supports mid-career playwrights living and working in Minnesota who demonstrate a sustained body of work, commitment, and attributes of artistic merit. The fellowship, which runs July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023, includes: a $25,000 stipend, an additional $2,500 to support a play development workshop and other professional expenses, and $1,400 in travel funds. 

Applicants must reside in and have the legal right to work in the U.S. during the fellowship term. Applicants must have been continuous residents of Minnesota since at least December 9, 2021, and must maintain residency in Minnesota during the fellowship year. Applicants must have a minimum of one work fully produced by a professional theater at the time of application. (Note for 2020, 2021, and 2022: any programmed/announced professional productions cancelled due to COVID-19 can be counted as long as they would have met the criteria above. Please be sure to mark cancellations or postponements clearly on your resume).) Full-time students are not eligible. Fellowship recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships, grants, or Core Writer program benefits during the grant year. 

Questions may be addressed to Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org.


8. THE KERNOODLE  NEW PLAY AWARD
WEBSITE:  fulbright.uark.edu/departments/theatre/callboard/kernodle-new-play-award.php
DEADLINE:  December 16th

The University of Arkansas Department of Theatre administers the Kernodle New Play Award, which recognizes full-length plays that invite the audience’s imagination and are inherently theatrical. All playwrights must fill out our online submission form, which is only available during our submission window, which opens on November 1, 2021 and closes Dec. 16, 2021. Additionally, please understand, due to staffing levels (and a desire to keep unsolicited submissions free), we can only accept the first 100 unsolicited submissions received in 2021-2022.

Playwrights whose work has been solicited, agent submissions, and playwrights who currently reside in, or are originally from, Arkansas are welcome to apply until the Dec. 16, 2021 deadline. Please fill out our online form, indicating who solicited your work/agent affiliation, or your ties to Arkansas.

 

9. CARLOW LITTLE THEATRE INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL 
DEADLINE: December 20th
WEBSITE: www.carlowlittletheatre.com/upload/246216/documents/207E0AC22727EDDA.pdf

The competition is open to all writers over 18 years old, both members and non-members, local and international. The play submitted must be in English and be an original work of the entrant that has not yet been published, nor performed on stage previously, nor received any awards previously. No entry fee is required. The script length / duration of the play should not exceed 20 minutes.

Scripts are to be sent electronically to Carlow Little Theatre Society, by emailing them tocarlowlittletheatre@gmail.com with the subject header of ‘2021/22 Playwriting Competition’, along with fully completed entry form attached to the email.  Note that the entrant’s name should appear only on the entry form and not on the scripts.  The 3 finalist plays selected for rehearsed readings will be announced on Friday 4th February 2022, with the entrants also contacted directly.

Two independent adjudicators will judge the final three scripts prior to the rehearsed readings. The rehearsed readings of the three finalist plays are then planned to be streamed on Saturday 19th February 2022. Online voting will begin as this stream finishes and this online vote will remain open until 23:59 on Monday 21st February 2022. The online votes will count for 34% of the final total with the remaining 66% split between the two adjudicators.  The overall outright winner of the competition will be announced on Tuesday 22nd February 2022, with a monetary prize of €500 for 1st place, €300 for 2nd place and €200 for third place.

Playwrights are asked to read the guidelines below before submitting their play for consideration:

Each play should have a running time of up to 20 minutes. As a guide, use the format: 1 page equals approximately 1 minute of performance time.

Script formats are not strict and can take a variety of forms. However, it must be clearly formatted and the recommended format is 12pt, double-spaced, Times New Roman.

Plays should be sent as doc (Word) or PDF, via email only. Each script should be numbered, with the title of the play at the top of each page.

The playwright’s name should not appear on the script.

All entrants must be 18 years of age or older.

The script should not have been published, performed previously or be scheduled for performance or have received any awards previously.

The play should not be an excerpt from a longer work.

We do not accept adaptations.

Entries are to be sent by email to carlowlittletheatre@gmail.com with the Subject Header of ‘2021/22 Playwriting Competition’.

Each submission must be accompanied by the fully completed entry form. The entry form can be downloaded directly from HERE.

Entry to the competition provides Carlow Little Theatre Society with permission and rights to perform all received plays in a rehearsed reading. A recording of the rehearsed readings will then be streamed online and will remain on Carlow Little Theatre Society's social media for a period of no more than seven days thereafter.

Selected finalist writers are asked, but not required, to be available for communications with the director assigned to their play, either via electronic communication, phone or in person meetings. The director retains the final artistic control over each plays' production but all efforts will be made to engage with the writers wishes where possible.


10. NAMT FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS 
DEADLINE: December 20th/January 10th
WEBSITE: https://namt.org/newmusicals/festival-submissions/


Now in its 34th year, NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals is the cornerstone of NAMT’s mission to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development and production. Every year, we feature eight musicals in short presentations for an audience of over 700 industry professionals. We look for new musicals at all stages of development from the broadest possible range of voices.


In the short run, the Festival’s goal is to connect producers with writers, so that our shows can extend their development trajectory. The long-term goal is to expand the musical theatre repertoire and advance the musical theatre art form.


NOTE: The festivals in 2020 and 2021 were presented in online and/or hybrid formats. Decisions have not yet been made regarding the format of the 2022 Festival, but applicants will be notified as soon as possible once that information has been determined. 


The objectives of the Festival are to:

Showcase quality new musicals with a wide range of subject matter, style and concept

Nurture composers, lyricists and book writers of all identities and backgrounds

Stimulate networking opportunities for NAMT Members and theatre professionals

Provide a forum to spark new collaborations and ventures

Encourage future productions of new musicals


The musical must…


Be complete and ready for readings, workshops and/or productions.

Have a demo that is an accurate representation of the music and style of the show.

Have full underlying rights clearances for any pre-existing material used (music, source material, etc.) in the script.

Be ready for readings, workshops and/or productions at the time of submission and available for performance in October 2022 at the Festival.

The musical cannot…

Already be licensed through a professional licensing house.

Have been produced on Broadway. [Shows that have had readings, workshops and/or productions (including regional or Off-Broadway) are still eligible.]

Have already been submitted to the Festival three times. Each show can only be submitted three times for review by the committee.

Have been presented as one of our main presentations at a Festival (excludes shows presented as part of our complementary programming including concerts and showcases).


In addition, the writers must be available for the Festival and all rehearsals.


11. THE BLANK THEATRE FUTURE OF PLAYWRITING PRIZE
WEBSITE: ucross-the-blank-theatre-future-of-playwriting-prize
DEADLINE: December 20th

This award represents a unique collaboration between the prestigious Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, where artists from all disciplines have been supported by residencies since 1983, and The Blank Theatre in Hollywood, which has been developing new plays and new artists since 1990.

The Future of Playwriting Prize will be given annually to an early-career playwright who personifies the future of theatre — someone whose voice will shape theatre for decades to come, and who will bring new thoughts and views to the American theatrical conversation.

The winner will be awarded a $5,000 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid, two-week residency at Ucross’s ranch at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. The residency includes transportation, accommodations, meals, and the opportunity to commune with other visiting artists. The winner will also receive a professionally produced staged reading in The Blank Theatre’s Living Room Series new play development program.

Two additional finalists will each be awarded a $500 cash prize.

We encourage application by playwrights who may not have had access to advanced or graduate writing programs. As this is an emerging playwright award, writers who have had Off-Broadway, Broadway, or major regional theatre productions will not be considered. Playwrights must reside in the United States.

Winning writers must be between 21 and 30 years of age as of April 1, 2022.

Writers must submit:

1. Resume including creative/educational background.

2. A personal artistic statement - 1000 words or less - that describes:

Who you are and what has brought you to this place - your influences and life experiences. Also, what you hope to gain personally from an uninterrupted two-week residency at Ucross.

The concept for a new play (a full-length you have not yet initiated) that you would like to begin or work on while you are there - what themes, characters or stories do you want to explore?

How do you see the future of theatre, and what is your role as a playwright in it?

3. One short play (45 pages or less). Please submit only a complete short play, not a sample from a full-length play. PDF form only, titled FirstName_LastName_SHORT (e.g., Sally_Jones_SHORT).

4. One full-length play (60 to 120 pages). PDF form only, titled FirstName_LastName_FULL ( e.g., Sally_Jones_FULL).

One submission only per playwright. Please do not submit multiple applications to include different scripts. We want to see what you consider your best work.

Plays and other submission materials must be written in English.

Translations, musicals, adaptations, and children's plays will not be considered.

All scripts must be typed in standard playwriting format.

Page numbers must appear with the first page of dialogue as page 1.

Scripts must contain a character breakdown and time/place setting.

The first 300 submissions will be considered. If 300 valid submissions are received before the end of the application period, additional entries may not be accepted, and notice will be posted at TheBlank.com.


12. PHILADELPHIA WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL
DEADLINE: December 22nd
WEBSITE: https://www.phillywomenstheatrefest.org/submissions

The 2022 Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival, is focused on centering stories of mental health and wellness. By elevating, exploring, and amplifying the voices of artists with mental health stories to share, the festival will address how this topic affects a broad and diverse spectrum of people across many identities, professions, backgrounds, and more.

​​PWTF is a women's theatre festival committed to diversity, equity and inclusion by embracing all people and viewpoints. We aim to embrace intersectionality and serve people of all colors and backgrounds, inclusive of our BIPOC, non-binary, and trans community members. PWTF does not discriminate based on age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, religion, or ability. Through staffing, casting, and programming that reflects the diverse makeup of our community and our world, we are dedicated to creating accessible theatre for the Greater Philadelphia Region and it's theatre artists.  Our story is to #ChangeTheStory


13. GHOSTLIGHT ENSEMBLE
DEADLINE: December 31st
WEBSITE: http://www.ghostlightensemble.com


Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking short scripts (a maximum of 15 minutes) that are geared toward young audiences. Priority will be placed on scripts that are ethnically and culturally diverse, and written by writers of color and/or LGBTQ writers. This is open to playwrights in any geographic area, though writers in the greater Chicago area will receive priority. NO FEE.

Playwrights will receive $25 per selected script.

Selected plays will be produced summer of 2022 as part of the third annual Make/Believe festival of theatre for children under our Nightlight banner. (Learn more about the 2020 festival here and the 2021 festival here.) This for  live, outdoor performances. 

Please pay close attention to the script requirements. Scripts that do not meet the following criteria will not be considered. 

Requirements

A maximum of 3 actors per script. There are no restrictions, however, on the number of characters. Please note, that while some directors have chosen to use child actors in past pieces, the intent of this festival is to perform for children, not with children.

Plays must have no technical demands, as this will be outside and there is no lighting or backstage area and minimal sound cues will be available.

Must fit our mission. Geared toward children 10 and under. Please, NO scripts about high school students.

All props, set pieces and costumes must be easily made at home by actors (and children watching who want to stage their own productions at home). Pieces can be previously produced, but cannot have a production running concurrently with Make/Believe. 

Electronic submissions only, please. Submit cover letter with full contact information, short bio, brief synopsis of script including development and production history (if applicable) and full script to Maria Burnham at scripts@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Nightlight Script Submission: [play name] - [playwright name]


14. DRAMA LEAGUE DIRECTING FELLOWSHIPS AND ASSISTANTSHIPS
DEADLINE: December 31st
WEBSITE: dramaleague.org/apply

Part of an umbrella of programs collectively known as "The Directors Project," these Fellowships are designed for early-career stage directors who wish to advance their careers, hone their artistry, and elevate their professional development. 

The Drama League recently altered and expanded its Directors Project programming, and each has its own application and area of focus.  We strongly encourage you to read about them in depth before beginning any of the six applications. by visiting the following pages:


The Drama League Stage Directing Fellowships 

The Drama League FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships

The Drama League Film and Television Directing Fellowships

The Beatrice Terry Directing Residency

The Next Stage Directing Residency

The Drama League Directing Assistantships

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are NOT required to have a university degree.

Applicants must have directed at least three non-collegiate productions.

Applicants cannot be enrolled in any university undergraduate or graduate degree program during the program's period of support.

Please make sure that you are fully committed to participating in the program as your personal priority BEFORE applying.  Applicants must be available for all program components during the program period without exception. This means that applicants cannot participate in other career development programs, fellowships, residencies, or other opportunities during this time window.  Conflicts with the program components will result in the cancelation of those components, without being rescheduled, and a reduction in the program.

Please review the program schedule to ensure that program components do not conflict with your planned directing work.  Applicants may have directing commitments during the program period, which The Drama League supports.  Conflicts with the program component timeline, however, will result in the cancelation of those components and a reduction in the program, without being rescheduled.  

Please see our Eligibility F.A.Q. page for details to determine your eligibility for this program.  We understand that every individual comes to directing on their own individual path; to speak with Drama League staff about your specific experience and its appropriateness for this opportunity, please email artistic@dramaleague.org with your questions. 

If a candidate feels they fall outside the bounds of these guidelines and chooses to apply, it is hoped they will note this in the application and address the reasons they've applied in their answers to the narrative questions.


15. THE PULITZER PRIZE IN DRAMA
DEADLINE: December 31st
WEBSITE: https://www.pulitzer.org/page/drama-submission-guidelines-and-requirements

Columbia University, on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board, annually awards a Pulitzer Prize in Drama of $15,000 "for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life."

Please note the amended eligibility for the 2022 Award.

Eligible works include full-length dramas that opened in the United States between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. For the 2022 award, eligible entries may also include plays that were scheduled to be produced in theatres in calendar 2021 but postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic, and plays produced and performed in places other than theaters, including online, outside or in site-specific venues, during the year.

The Pulitzer Prizes honor contemporary creative work. Dramatic works previously submitted for the award and revivals are not eligible. If submitted for the 2022 award, unproduced plays scheduled for production this year should include some confirmation of their cancellation or postponement, submitted with the play script. Alternatively, such works may be submitted instead in a later year, when a production is realized. While full-length dramatic works produced and performed in places other than theaters during calendar 2021 will be eligible, a script and production details will still be required for entry.   

In general, but especially in these cases, we strongly urge a recording of the performed work be included with the submission. The creator(s) of a dramatic work should determine when it is ready for award consideration, as it may be submitted only once. If necessary, eligibility will be determined on a case by case basis. All other criteria for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama will remain the same.

Please follow these entry procedures:

Complete the online entry form (including PDF upload of the required playscript) and pay non-refundable $75 entry fee by credit card.  

A video recording of the production is strongly urged to be included with the entry but is not required. If a recording is submitted, it will be used only to assist the judging process. Whenever possible, the recording should be provided as a web link on the online entry form. All video links must remain active and accessible until the Prize announcement in mid-April. Any login credentials should be listed on the label of the uploaded item or emailed to pulitzer@pulitzer.org at the earliest convenience.

Alternatively, an mp4 video may be uploaded with an entry, although its resolution may not exceed 480p. Please provide a link if you want to submit high-definition video.

Columbia University awards the Pulitzer Prize in Drama annually on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board, which acts on the nominations of a distinguished committee of Pulitzer Drama Jurors. The award is announced during the spring.


16. FRESH FRUIT FESTIVAL
DEADLINE: December 31st


All Out Arts is accepting submissions for the 19th Annual Mainstage portion of the Fresh Fruit Festival, New York City’s grassroots, multidisciplinary, international festival of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer arts and culture. The festival will occur over two weeks in early May at The Wild Project in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The Fresh Fruit Festival’s goal is to present the whole spectrum of LGBTQ lives as expressed through new Theatre, Performance Art, Dance, Video, Film, Graphic Arts, Music & various other forms of artistic expression. 

Submissions in all artistic disciplines & lengths are considered for presentation as long as they highlight or showcase a spectrum of the LGBTQ experience, and are finished, self-produced shows.

The Festival provides AEA-approved performance venues & insurance, marketing & publicity assistance, ticketing services, professional theater staff (logistics manager; a light or sound technician; front of house), repertory lighting plot & sound system, networking events, box-office shares, & more! If you are applying from out-of-town: (25+ miles from New York City), you must include a note about how you intend to Produce your show (& cast, direct, execute a local publicity campaign, etc.) You may use the “Performance History” section of the form. All shows must be locally produced.

If you are applying in the Poetry, Dance, or Film categories, – or if you have any other questions about the submission process, please email a letter of interest: submissions [at] freshfruitfestival [dot] com. For short questions use our Contact Form.   


17. SCENES FROM THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY
DEADLINE: December 31st
WEBSITE: https://sundogtheatre.org/opportunities/scenes2022/

Sundog Theatre in NYC is seeking one-act plays for “Scenes from the Staten Island Ferry 2022” Since it is our 20th anniversary, the themes are “celebration” or “anniversary”.

Writing Guidelines:


–Original plays not previously produced or published, with a signed note affirming that.


–10-25 minutes in length and set on the Staten Island Ferry.


–Set in contemporary time period. Strong priority will be given to plays with 2 characters, however, 3-character plays will be considered. No special set pieces other than benches or railings found on the Ferry, limited and easily accessible props, and no special sound or lighting.


–Avoid overt and unnecessary sexual/violence situations and language since we cater to a broad audience.


–No musicals, long monologues, poetry, rants, or verse.


–Humor, if appropriate, is welcome.


—Please send two copies, bound or stapled, blind submission (removable cover page with title, author and contacts), and the name of the play on each page to Sundog Theatre, “Scenes 2022”, PO Box 183, Staten Island, NY 10301. Submissions should include brief synopsis, play history, 70-word bio, and full author resume.

Latest postmark we will accept is December 24.


–Please do not submit plays electronically.


–Questions: ferry@sundogtheatre.org. Susan Fenley, Producer


>>5 – 6 plays will be chosen; writers will receive $100 each and be produced in our series of five March 2022 performances in Staten Island.<<


Playwrights of selected plays will be contacted directly and their names listed on Sundog’s website early in 2022.


18. The Robert J. Pickering / J.R. Colbeck Award for Playwriting Excellence
DEADLINE: December 31st


This annual award was established to provide a vehicle for playwrights to see their works produced. Over 30 plays have been produced since 1984. $200 is awarded for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place. Full length, unproduced plays and musicals. Children’s plays accepted. Unable to return without a self-addressed stamped envelope. Chairman and committee members read and review each entry and select ten finalists from which the first, second and third place winners are chosen. BCCT productions are staged in the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan. Built in 1882, Tibbits is a completely restored 500-seat proscenium theater. Send submissions to Branch County Community Theatre 14 S. Hanchett St. Coldwater, MI 49036


19. CIRCLE OF CONFUSION WRITERS DISCOVERY FELLOWSHIP
DEADLINE: January 2nd
WEBSITE: circleofconfusion.com/fellowship

Circle of Confusion’s core mission has always been discovery, and we have been fortunate enough to have identified and promoted many talented writers, directors, actors and creators from all walks of life. The excitement of film and television has always been the joy that great storytelling brings to audiences around the globe. By promoting voices that have been historically excluded, the Fellowship will enrich both the professional lives of the Fellows and the dynamic quality of the entertainment industry.


Circle of Confusion will provide an immersive introductory experience to the world of professional screen and television writing to a diverse group of aspiring writers who have not yet been employed or represented by the industry. The Fellows will each be given a $10,000 stipend by way of a first look deal with Circle of Confusion Television Studios. Once per year, the program will select six to eight writers for a six-month fellowship which closely replicates the writer-manager dynamic. Each Fellow will be assigned a mentor who will educate and guide them by way of script development, career advice, and support. While the Fellowship cannot guarantee the sale of the pilot or specific employment, by the end of each Fellowship session, each Fellow will have developed a submission-ready television pilot, been afforded multiple opportunities for industry networking, and generally equipped with the essential tools for their success as writers in the entertainment industry.


Our mentors will include Circle of Confusion literary managers and other senior industry professionals, offering general business advice and script development within the duration of the Fellowship. In the first four months, each Fellow will develop an original pilot script with their dedicated mentor. The pilot scripts will be reviewed by the Fellowship’s Advisory Board (composed of established members of the film and television community with an expertise in content evaluation) and then submitted to relevant industry professionals, with the explicit goal of using the last two months of the Fellowship to arrange general one-on-one Zoom meetings with producers and executives. Throughout the entire Fellowship session, the mentor will be available to guide the Fellow through each step, assisting the Fellow in their development of writing and storytelling skills, pitching skills and navigating the meeting process.


The Fellowship program will begin in May of 2022 and include informational panels, speakers and workshops with industry professionals. Additionally, Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in several practice/mock-general meetings in preparation for their final professional meetings.


20. YADDO RESIDENCY
Deadline: January 5th
Website: https://www.yaddo.org/apply/guidelines/

Artists who qualify for Yaddo residencies are working at the professional level in their fields. An abiding principle at Yaddo is that applications for residency are judged on the quality of the artist’s work and professional promise. There are no publication, exhibition, or performance requirements for application.

Artists in all disciplines who are enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs, or are engaged in completing work toward an academic degree at the time of application, are not eligible to apply to Yaddo. Artists may apply once every other calendar year. Yaddo encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply for admission. Yaddo does not discriminate in its programs and activities against anyone on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability, HIV status, or veteran status.

Artistic Disciplines

Five admissions panels consider applications to Yaddo in the following disciplines:


-Literature, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, translation, librettos, and graphic novels.

-Visual Art, including painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media, and installation art

-Music Composition, including instrumental forms, vocal forms, electronic music, music for film, and sound art

-Performance, including choreography, performance art, multi-media and/or collaborative works incorporating live performance

-Film & Video


21. SESAME STREET WORKSHOP
DEADLINE: January 10th, 2022
WEBSITE: https://sesamewritersroom.org/

Sesame Workshop Writers’ Room is a writing fellowship from the creators of Sesame Street. And we’re looking for YOU! Fresh new writing talent from underrepresented racial backgrounds. Emerging storytellers who are selected to join the Writers’ Room will receive hands-on writing experience guided by Sesame Street veterans and other media industry leaders. Each participant will develop and write a pilot script for their own original kids concept. Past fellows have gone on to develop their own original content with Sesame Workshop, as well as write for Sesame Street and various programs at Nickelodeon, Disney, DreamWorks, and more!

-Up to 8 writers from underrepresented racial backgrounds will be selected


-Includes eight, three-hour sessions on creating original children's content


-Learn from industry writers, producers, agents and executives


-Complete at least one original script during the program


-Up to two participants will have the opportunity to receive creative development deals and further mentorship


Eligibility Checklist

-Participants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

-Participants must be 21+ years old

-Must come from an underrepresented racial group

-No extensive media writing experience, such as having written more than six episodes for a network or cable scripted/narrative series

-Participants must be able to attend all eight weekly sessions which will be held from May to July. 


22. THE ORCHARD PROJECT
DEADLINE: January 14th
WEBSITE: https://orchardproject.com/2022-apply/


As we welcome the return of in-person events, we also hope to honor the discoveries we made through engaging with virtual working methods. In 2022, we’re thrilled to offer virtual, hybrid, and in-person Labs, as well as the addition of an Adaptation Lab, thematically geared toward conceptually engaging this time of artistic renewal and institutional transformation. The Orchard Project is proud to announce its 2022 lab programs, which continue to expand and shift in response to the ongoing challenges facing performing artists nationally and worldwide. As we support the most innovative artists and diverse voices, helping creators to explore, create, and share their work in new ways, our 2022 programming reflects a moment of transition within the organization and in the arts ecosystem at large. While we welcome the return of some in-person events and collaborations, we also seek to honor the new discoveries that took place in our 2020/2021 virtual Labs. 


In our summer Episodic and Audio Labs, we will continue to build on the success of our virtual Lab settings – in particular, the virtual setting’s ability to unite an international and diverse cohort of high-caliber voices, while providing each artist the autonomy to write freely from their own corners of the world. Our year-round Greenhouse Program will similarly begin mainly with virtual meetings, but with a sincere hope to transition regular meetings into the physical realm as the health crisis evolves throughout the year, and as physical resources allow. 

In addition to our annual Episodic, Audio, and Greenhouse Labs, we’re excited to pilot a new online Adaptation Lab, thematically geared toward supporting ambitious Adaptation work across a variety of mediums. 

The Orchard Project Greenhouse Program, for collaborators generating new works and collaborations in a multitude of forms;

The Orchard Project Episodic Lab, for writers working on the advancement of original TV scripts;

The Orchard Project Audio Lab, for early development of scripts and ideas in the audio storytelling form; and

The Orchard Project Adaptation Lab, for development of dramatic work that adapts source material in one form into another.


23. BLKSPACE AT RYDER FARM
DEADLINE: January 5th
WEBSITE: https://www.spaceonryderfarm.org/blkspace-2022


Led by an all Black woman team, Interfest (Kristen Adele Calhoun and Nikki Vera) will curate BLKSPACE: two consecutive, weeklong residencies— August 29 to September 3 and September 5 to September 10— for Black creatives to use the full resources of SPACE on Ryder Farm however they see fit. To create a welcoming environment for residents, each week will feature an entirely Black residency staff and curated visual art throughout the living and working spaces. BLKSPACE seeks to simultaneously provide an expansive dreaming space for the individual and a collective practice ground for Black liberation. 

BLKSPACE provides Black individual artists, activists, organizers and small groups (up to 4 people) the opportunity to create and ideate away from the stress and noise of everyday life and in the company of other Black people. Residents will manage their own time based on what they would like to achieve and the Residency will be centered around three farm fresh, communal meals prepared by a Black chef (please see SPACE’s FAQ page for information about diets and food allergies our chefs are able to accommodate).


24. SPACE ON RYDER FARM’S FAMILY RESIDENCY
DEADLINE: January 5th
WEBSITE: https://spaceonryderfarm.com


SPACE on Ryder Farm’s Family Residency, provides a residency on the farm for working parents and their children. The Family Residency offers artist-parents structured time to create while their child(ren) participate in nature-focused arts programming under the guidance of professional educators. All family residents (parents and children) enjoy three farm-sourced meals daily. (Please see SPACE’s FAQ page for information about diets and food allergies that SPACE’s chefs are able to accommodate.) The residency culminates in short, informal sharings of the work created by both parents and children while in residence.

APPLY FOR THE FAMILY RESIDENCY HERE


SPACE welcomes applications from artist-parents with children who will be 5 to 12 years old by July 1, 2022. If both adults in a two-parent/guardian household want to apply for the Family Residency, each parent/guardian must submit SEPARATE applications, regardless of whether they are working on the same or distinct projects. Please know that while SPACE has hosted two-parent/guardian households previously, it is possible that only one adult in a household will be accepted. If either of your participation is contingent on both of you being accepted, please refrain from applying.


All time in-residence is fully subsidized. Additionally, those selected for the Family Residency are able to apply for a travel subsidy to help offset their transportation costs. The allocation of travel funds is based on a resident’s geographical location as well as their stated financial circumstances. If you are traveling from New York City, a round-trip, off-peak Metro-North ticket from Grand Central Terminal to Brewster is $30. Transportation between the Brewster Station and farm is provided by the SPACE team. 


Because SPACE residents routinely dine together, work together and inhabit indoor buildings with SPACE staff (who are in turn part of their own communities), minimizing risk associated with COVID-19 requires full participation in straightforward, clear policies. To this end, all residents are required to be fully vaccinated as a condition of attending a 2022 SPACE residency. A similar policy is in effect for SPACE staff and guests. SPACE recognizes medical contraindications and closely held religious beliefs may prevent some residents from receiving the COVID vaccine.. Such individuals will be asked to follow a thorough set of safety protocols including quarantining and PCR testing before arrival. Additionally, all residents, regardless of vaccination status, will be tested on the first day of their residency. 

Applicants must be available to be in residence from either August 1-10 or August 16-25, 2022. Family Residency alumni are not eligible to attend again but are encouraged to apply to SPACE’s other programs. Prospective residents may only apply for one program in a season.


25. EST SLOAN PROJECT
DEADLINE: January 15th
WEBSITE: https://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/est-sloan/submissions


The EST/Sloan Project commissions, develops, and presents new works delving into how we view and are affected by the scientific world. These plays examine the struggles and challenges scientists, and engineers face from moral issues to the consequences of their discoveries. The Project is designed to stimulate artists to create credible and compelling work exploring the worlds of science and technology and to challenge existing stereotypes of scientists and engineers in the popular imagination. The Project commissions and develops new works throughout EST’s developmental season, including one Mainstage Production, as well as workshops and readings in an annual festival called FIRST LIGHT.

For over 20 years, the EST/Sloan Project has awarded commissions totaling more than $3,000,000 to more than 300 artists and theatres. The EST/Sloan Project is open to a broad range of topics related to the issues, people, ideas, processes, leading-edge discoveries, inventions, and/or history of the "hard" sciences and technology.

Commissions will be awarded to individuals, groups and creative teams for full-length and one-act plays and musicals. Commissions range from $1000 to $10,000. Commission amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis, as are deadlines for drafts, finished work, and research support (if appropriate). Extant, full-length works may be submitted and are judged on a script-by-script basis by the EST/Sloan Project staff. Rewrite commissions for existing scripts range from $1,000 to $5,000.


26. THEATRE ARIEL OPEN SUBMISSIONS
DEADLINE: Open
WEBSITE: http://www.theatreariel.org/opportunities

Theatre Ariel is always seeking the next great Jewish play to present to our audiences. Theatre Ariel is looking for plays that engage with the rich world of Jewish life, thought and practice; plays where Judaism, Jewish identity or Jewish perspectives are significant or driving factors in the story (In other words, not plays where the characters ‘happen’ to be Jewish or that have a few yiddishisms or “Jewish jokes” in them, but plays where Jewish life/thought/history is integral or particularly relevant to the story.). Theatre Ariel seeks plays with casts of five actors or less.

You do not have to be Jewish to have your work considered by Theatre Ariel. 

All our performances are presented as salon-style theatre readings in people’s homes, following a long tradition of Jewish theatre. For the foreseeable future, we will be presenting in a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual performances. To have your script considered, please email the following to submissions@theatreariel.org: 

Brief cover letter introducing yourself and your play, as well as a short plot summary and character breakdown (indicating doubling, if any)

Ten minute excerpt from the script (if these are not the first ten pages, then please supply a brief explanation of where we are in the story when your sample picks up)

Theatre Ariel is committed to reading and responding to every submission we receive. Please allow three to six months for a response. Please forward any questions you may have to the same email address listed above.



27. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION EMERGENCY GRANTS
DEADLINE: Rolling
WEBSITE: https://dgf.org/programs/grants/grants-for-writers/

It is vital to support writers in times of need so that they can get back to doing what they do best. DGF provides emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.

If you are a writer in need, we can help.


 

28. THE DOROTHY ROSS FRIEDMAN RESIDENCE
DEADLINE: Rolling 
WEBSITE:  https://actorsfund.org/services-and-programs/housing-resource-center?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2

and

https://actorsfund.org/sites/default/files/Friedman-Application-Revision-7-21-20.pdf?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2


If you think you are eligible, now is a fabulous time to apply to The Dorothy Ross Friedman Residence. The Friedman is a shared housing (roommates) residence that offers affordable housing for working professionals in performing arts and entertainment, persons with HIV/AIDS, and senior citizens (60 years of age or older). Most of the apartments are 2-bedrooms, where you would have one roommate and there are a few 3-bedrooms, where you would have two roommates.  All tenants have a rent stabilized lease. All apartments are complete with dishwasher, washer/dryer, central heating, and AC. Many apartments have terraces with spectacular Manhattan views, and everyone has access to the Colleen Dewhurst Community Room and the newly renovated Bette Midler Rooftop and Garden. On-site social services include a range of community programs and the Waldman Living Room for seniors. The Friedman Residence also features 24-hour security.

 Criteria: Income Eligibility: 1-person household: $28,500 - $47,760

 

29. WILD CULTURE PROGRAM @ WILD PROJECT
DEADLINE: Rolling
WEBSITE:  http://thewildproject.com/wild-culture-submit-page/

Wild Project is currently accepting artist submissions for its WILD CULTURE curation program. WILD CULTURE will produce the work of 15-20 artists, prioritizing projects by female, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, across theatre, performance art, music, visual art, and dance later this spring and summer. This program embraces the work of independent performance artists and productions to give these performers free access to valuable resources like wild project’s 89-seat theater and more. Curated artists will also have the option to live stream and/or film their work with our film production equipment and digital distribution platform. Wild Culture is primarily suited for work that is already more developed or previously workshopped. Wild Culture, launched in 2018, gives artists much-needed production support at an important time in their development. It strongly encourages artists whose projects address important issues like social justice, gender identity, equality, mental health, and climate change to submit their work.  


30. LONG WHARF THEATRE LITERARY PROGRAM & NEW WORK DEVELOPMENT
DEADLINE: Year round
WEBSITE: https://longwharf.org/casting-and-literary

Long Wharf Theatre has a proud and rich history of forming meaningful relationships with artists, supporting the development of their work, and moving their projects towards production. We are particularly interested in incubating new pieces that center BIPOC voices, push form, and feature innovative dramaturgy. We are also eager to support projects that originate with artists other than playwrights, such as designers, directors, dramaturgs, and activists. Many of these works have become part of the modern American canon with more than thirty Long Wharf Theatre productions transferred to Broadway or Off-Broadway runs.

We are revitalizing our commitment to playwrights at all stages in their careers, and are now welcoming scripts from unrepresented playwrights as well as agents.

The following are examples of ways we have supported and continue to support new work development. These offerings are flexible, as we are committed to tailoring the process to suit the needs of each artist. We strive to be nimbly responsive to our artists’ goals.


Email scripts to:

literary@longwharf.org


Type of Materials:

Full-length, One act, 10-minute scripts, musicals, adaptations, translations, virtual/Zoom plays.


Special Interests:

Plays by BIPOC writers, plays centering cultural narratives, stories of joy and resilience, multi-disciplinary work, and theatrical innovation.







Saturday, November 27, 2021

Memoriam for Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)

 I don't know much about Sondheim. There were no high school musicals or showcases during my childhood. I knew his work was in the pantheons of great musicals but it didn't seem to be about me, anyone I knew, or my interests. It was similar to when Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize and I started reading her short stories. I got them. I enjoyed them and saw their beauty, but nothing brought me back to consume Munro. Sondheim felt like someone talked about by people who went to theatre camp or that annoying date who came to NYC to make it as an actor and ended up being a legal aide who scored their lives by Sondheim references..."that was a joke from Follies...that was a pun off from the Patti Lupone and Bernadette Peters blah blah blah." Check please! As a child I watched the "Dick Tracy" movie but that didn't leave an impression on me.  

I didn't see a Sondheim musical until the 2007 movie version of "Sweeney Todd" and I think I got some of 'it": the Sondheim darkness, ambivalence, witty lyrics that seemed half-drunk with dizzy rhyme schemes and meters. Years later I saw the movie adaptation of "Into the Woods" and a recorded performance of "A Little Night Music." 

In 2017 a friend lost his Valentine's date and I got the extra ticket for the Jake Gyllenhaal led revival of "Sunday in the Park with George." That was my first live Sondheim experience. Then I flew back to LA that same year and caught a spring revival of "Merrily We Roll Along" starring Wayne Brady at the Wallis Annenberg Center. I saw recorded versions of "Gypsy." In 2020 I attended the Broadway revivals of "West Side Story" and "Company" right before the covid shutdowns.  

All in all, I've seen 4 stage revivals of Sondheim that were artistically "adventurous," and 4 recorded/movie versions of his work. It still feels like I could walk around in his music for years and never get to the end of the road. But I am grateful to continue exploring this world created by a cultural giant who left behind so many treasures. 

Friday, November 26, 2021

Making an Effort

 Some days it really hits me: everyone is doing the best that they can. That doesn't mean they're doing the things most helpful to themselves. It doesn't mean they're not self-destructing from old triggers or plagued with anxieties, or lashing out from insecurities or riddled with addictions. It just means that everyone is doing the best that they can under circumstances that are both in and outside of their control. As I was walking to tech rehearsals, a homeless man asked me for change. I gave him some. Then he paused and said 'so how was your Thanksgiving?' We talked as two people crossing paths with brief pleasantries. He was on his way somewhere. And I was on my way somewhere else.


The interaction reminded me of a friend who got hooked on drugs a few years ago. His life spiraled. Amidst this chaos he texted me to ask if I could buy him a sandwich. I told him I was in tech rehearsal (different play) but I could meet him at the sandwich shop near the corner. He walked 80 blocks down to this place...for a sandwich. I got him two and gave him some money. We talked about life. Then I had to go back to rehearsals and he had to go back to whatever he was doing. That was the last time I saw that friend. He died of a drug overdose. But I think about our last exchange and I would like to believe I did the best I could...and he did the best he could. And that's how we left things. Some times I have these brief exchanges with other people and think 'I wonder if that is my reincarnated friend....trying again.' I'll meet him the next time around on this carousel.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Lucky

Did I know how lucky I was?

He asked me with a mixture of envy and mirth.

Yes. 

I've attended three schools where I studied writing with mostly talented young minds. Two decades later I'm one of the last people still writing. Back then the talented prospects were in the dozens. Thrivers are now in the single digits. At several points I thought of quitting. The ego tires itself out in face of bills and expectations. It felt like I was pulled back to writing several times in my life, despite the typos, despite the erratic periods of creativity, despite the doubt. 

Luck, guile, and timing were my gifts. The ability to keep saying the most honest thing possible was my uncomfortable default. It costs me friends and fair-weather relations that could have benefited me in the short-term. In the long-term, being the uncomfortable truth ranter helped to burn off the ticks and leeches. There was nobody left but other truth tellers. 

Then a TV job happens. And you're told the statistical luck of this feat. Less than 1% or some absurdly small probability...that's you. You're the less than 1%. And then one succeeds at the business of television. More tv, more money, health care, retirement funds. You can start looking around and considering the possibility of kids. But maybe the kid impetus has been burned away from all those years of truth telling. All those years of watching your friends slump into marriage and slump into parenthood, becoming weaker and blander version of themselves. All the lame postings that you liked grudgingly. Was it a grudge or was it envy? Was there some parts of me that made the feat of kids seem lame because it was not on my horizons? Who can say, at this point? 

How accurate is that truth meter? Is it weakening just a bit as one enters middle age...or are the 20-something's just really fucking irritating these days? They seem irritatingly smug, but we were probably just as smug, perhaps?

No, we didn't have social media. We didn't have that echo chamber. We pontificated in college, had those late-night debates where we fixed the problems of the world. Then we went to sleep, woke up the next day, and went to class. The bubble of perfection was burst by our daily routine. But now those late night college debates can carry on infinitely online, the bounce around and build. It is different somehow. 

But back to luck...yes, it is a small fraction of a tiny percentage point. That's my reality. It would be foolish if I didn't acknowledge that a few jobs could have ended my luck streak. A few prospects that I desired could have put me in a bad situation. 

Luck is wanting something enough to keep you going, but not wanting it so much that it blinds you. It's that 'blinding want' that's dangerous. Con artists and scammers specialize in figuring out other people's blinding wants...the desire that's so strong that the holder can't see the red flags and warning signs. Being an artists means living on that razor's edge of passion. You have to be driven enough to have some discipline. Usually that drive comes from something outside of writing that you want to convey into words. But that source of desire can't be so overwhelming that it blinds you because then you stop writing and become prey to the scammers. 

I've known several artists ruined by blinding passion. They fell victim to catastrophic relationships, bad investments, devotion to false prophets, drugs-alcohol or the desire to exist in a mind-altered state. It's amazingly simple how the same 4-5 blinding passions repeat themselves and ruin humans. It's been the same things for thousands of years. And yet every generation has to discover for themselves the error of loving too much a thing which does not love back. 

Luck is dancing on that edge of passion and not falling. Luck is meeting the right teachers and side stepping the shady ones. Luck is timing timing timing. I have been in places for reason far beyond my conscious understanding. Some times it's just a willingness to follow a gut instinct or to move the feet in a certain direction. The timing of being here, and not over there. 

Luck is mental seed planting. Luck is perception. You would think wealth was luck but plenty of people have been destroyed by money. The same with good lucks or talents. Every lucky thing can turn into a curse. Conversely every curse can be a chance encounter with a divine purpose. There was a time when I thought being fat, black, gay, asthmatic loser was a curse. Certainly no one was standing in line for these 'gifts' in a straight, white, beautiful world. These things that I saw in myself depressed me. I considered suicide for many years. I planned it out in my mind before losing my nerve and I guess that was luck too: the lack of nerve. Maybe there was a deep mental seed that knew even suicide would not be the end...that I would probably be back here in samsara. That deep awareness would certainly be the luck. 

Anyway, those things which were curses drove me inward. I skipped the parties and proms. I detested what I assumed people saw in me. I wrote about it. I wrote through it. I wrote to confess my shame to a blank page. Some of my teachers judged my writing and found it...revelatory. Messy, unrefined, filled with typos, but brutally honest. I was brutally honest because I had nothing else to hide behind. When you think about death every day, it cleans away a lot of the nice pleasantries. You skip the small talk about the weather and jump right into the mud and misery and madness of the world. And while sploshing around in this shit no one things 'how lucky I am to be in this sewer!' You just think the world is shit and maybe you can throw some of this muck onto the clean people...here take a handful of this excrement right between your eyes. 

So the curses were gifts. And the gifts that my childhood friends had -affable beauty, decency, obeying parents- were shackles to some of them. They grew up to be inexpressive gray clods with mediocre jobs. It wasn't my choosing. I was just down here in the sewer...enjoying my good fortune.

The filtration system 

Friday, November 12, 2021

Short-Term Memory Americans

 Y'all really going to go after Biden after he cut child poverty in half, expanding vaccine program so every American could have access to lifesaving medicine, got another stimulus check, expanded Obamacare, stuck to the signed agreement by previous admin and left Afghanistan after 20 yr quagmire, passed more liberal judges through the Senate than even Obama, and passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that we haven't had for 30 yrs...and did this all with a 1 vote majority in the Senate in his first 9 months. Why?

Just cause he's not all the way there in his late 70s? 3 out of the last 4 Republican presidents have been demented, dumb AF, or  insane at a Hannibal level. Biden just wants to nap and not cause the world to panic by tweeting out bullshit at 3AM. You accepted a clearly senile Reagan, dumb as rocks Dubya who got us into 2 bullshit wars on lies, and a crazy ass sexual predator whose lies helped kill 500,000 Americans while he cozied up to Nazis and Putin. And you're pissed off b/c Biden isn't Obama sharp? 

Y'all need to go back to 2019 and 2020 to refresh yourselves on what GOP leadership can do: they will repeat lies that they know will kill half a million Americans so they make Fox News happy. They will use a pandemic to give tax breaks to billionaires. They will start a vaccine program and mismanage it so badly that Americans wouldn't have had widespread access to vaccines until the fall of 2021. And they will blatantly try to steal elections and overthrow the government when they don't win. This is not a discussion of conservatives vs. liberals. This is a homicidal authoritarian party built on stoking white fears that has no interest in democracy, life or the well-being of its citizens vs...a sleepy president who sort of gets the job done. 

But go ahead and destroy the one party still operating within the rules of sanity and law b/c they aren't perfect. You'll see what happens when the insane clown posse gets back in charge and makes everyone pay for their demented anti-science, anti-climate change, anti-fact white fears platform with more death and lies...but hey, the stock market billionaires will be happy for another tax break. 

Friday, November 5, 2021

Healthcare Story

On Wednesday afternoon I buy a Fed Ex mini-cooling box. It has to be delivered by Thursday b/c there isn't  a lot of time. The box arrives Thursday. I hopped on subway and headed to a specific Duane Reade pharmacy. I requested medication and the pharmacist warned me that it needed to refrigerated immediately. I showed her the refrigerated delivery box I brought with me and she shook her head like 'this is too much.' Ripping open the packaging, I pressed the start button on the box which gives us a 48 hr window of cooling. I take out the cooling system, shove in medication inside, repack box. Then I ran to a nearby Fed Ex. Fed Ex worker was a bit freaked out and didn't want to help ship an active box until I repeatedly show him the label on the side of the box which clearly read 'Fed Ex...this is you...this is literally the box your company makes. You have to deliver this.' The box costs $100 and shipping the box within its cooling window costs another $100. The box is shipped off to a friend in rural America who is taking care of their parents. The insurance, prescriptions, and loopholes mean that they can't transfer prescriptions. The medication runs out by Friday (today). 

As I run around town my limp returns. Some times on cold days it returns to me. Eleven years ago I fell down a flight of stairs. I didn't have health insurance. You just walk that shit off. I finally paid to go to Urgent Care Center. The doctor spent 45 seconds with me. He looked at my leg and said 'you need surgery.' That'll be $125 please. I went to a doctor who repeatedly kept thinking I wanted plastic surgery. I finally broke down and went doctor said you have to get a scan of the leg. I got the scan, followed up, nothing. The test results disappeared. I'm told to repeat all the steps over again starting off with the doctor who is itching to give you some plastic surgery. I paid out of pocket for acupuncture. it's the only thing accessible to me and affordable at the time. I went to training center in Florida for acupuncture students because it's even cheaper to have someone experiment on you. The acupuncture helped a lot...but I still walk with a limp some times while running around New York City to deliver medication to a friend in rural America. I go back to an acupuncturist today.

Sunday, October 31, 2021

GET WHAT YOU WANT: November 2021

 1. SNOWDANCE 10 MINUTE COMEDY FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: November 1st

WEBSITE: http://overourheadplayers.org


Snowdance entry is open to original 10 minute or shorter comedies for the stage. Winning entries will be performed together by the OOHP Snowdance ensemble in the winter of 2022. Concluding each performance, audience members can vote for their favorite individual comedy; the audience favorites will earn cash prizes for the playwright. Entries may be sent to SNOWDANCE, c/o Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth Street, Racine, Wisconsin, 53403. Alternatively, entries may be sent by email to snowdance318@gmail.com. We request that scripts have a maximum of three characters, and entries less than 10 minutes are actively encouraged. Competition is open to unpublished, 10 minute or shorter comedies free of royalty and copyright restrictions. Musicals, adaptations, and translations will not be considered. Entries must be postmarked by November 1, 2021. The writer’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address should be included on the title page and only the title page. The title page should also include a cast list and a one-to-three sentence synopsis. Plays can have a cast of one to three characters; plays should be easily staged, avoiding elaborate set requirements. Submit one typed manuscript in standard format, securely bound. Complete rules are posted on the Rules page. Any questions can be directed to Rich Smith via the box office, at 262-632-6802, or by email at snowdance318@gmail.com. be returned.J



2. NYC WOMEN’S FUND FOR MEDIA, MUSIC AND THEATRE

DEADLINE: November 1st

WEBSITE: www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/nyc-womens-fund-for-media-music-and-theatre/


The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre provides grants to encourage and support the creation of digital, film, music, television, and live or online theatre content that reflects the voices and perspectives of all who identify as women.

Now in its third cycle, the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre (“Women’s Fund”),  is part of a groundbreaking series of initiatives that address the underrepresentation of women in film, music, television and theatre. The Fund provides grants to encourage and support the creation of content that reflect the voices and perspectives of all who identify as women.


Criteria:  In addition to being made by, for, or about all who identify as women, projects are eligible if they feature a strong female perspective; and/or include a female-identified director and/or producer and/or writer/songwriter and/or engineer (for recordings) and/or female protagonist(s) or lead musical role. 


Compensation: Theatre Production – up to $50,000



3. FRANCESCA PRIMUS PRIZE 


DEADLINE: November 1st

WEBSITE:  https://americantheatrecritics.org/primus-prize/

 

The American Theatre Critics Association’s Francesca Primus Prize is an annual $10,000 award honoring outstanding contributions to the American theater by an emerging female-identifying playwright, one who has not yet achieved national prominence. The prize is made possible through the generosity of Barry Primus and the Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation and honors the writer, critic, performer, dramaturg and cherished ATCA member/

 

Criteria: The Primus Prize operates on an open submission basis – an applicant may submit herself or be nominated by another individual or organization. Members of ATCA are eligible to nominate or provide letters of recommendation. To qualify for consideration in a given calendar year, a playwright must have had a fully staged, professional production of a script within the previous year, but the committee also considers a body of work going back several years.  Given the unusual circumstances of 2020, the committee will also allow submissions of digital productions as part of the playwright’s body of work.  Applicants should provide script of play (including digital links if applicable) if produced in 2020, otherwise submit a full script best representing the recent body of work by the playwright, along with resume, select reviews, and letters of recommendation to Kerry Reid, Primus Prize committee chair, at kerryreid@comcast.net. 

Compensation: $10,000




4. PLAYWRIGHTS CENTER JEROME FELLOWSHIP 

DEADLINE: November 4th

WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/jerome-fellowships 


The Playwrights' Center's Jerome Fellowship is intended to support early career playwrights who demonstrate extraordinary potential, artistic vision, and a commitment to spending a year in residence in Minnesota developing their work with the Playwrights' Center in community with other fellows. Fellows will receive an $18,000 stipend and $2,500 in development support. 


Fellows spend a year-long residency in Minnesota (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), working in an individualized and hands-on way with the Playwrights' Center artistic staff—some of the most experienced and connected theater professionals in the country. Beyond the financial stipend, the value of fellowships is more than doubled with the year-long support the Playwrights' Center adds through workshops with professional directors, dramaturgs, and actors—and through the connections the Center makes between playwrights and producers of new work. This holistic and customized combination of financial support, connections with other artists, and professional connections is career-changing for most playwrights. 

Applicants must reside in, and have the legal right to work in, the United States during the fellowship term. Applicants may not have had more than two different works fully produced by professional theaters at the time of the application. 


Fellows commit to spending the 12-month fellowship period in Minnesota and actively participating in the Center's programs. Housing and travel are not provided. Playwrights may not receive more than two Jerome Fellowships. A previous Jerome Fellowship recipient applying for a second fellowship must submit a different play than the play that accompanied the previous successful application. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships during the year. 


-Application Form (including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information) 

-Playwriting Resume 

-1 page Artistic Statement and Goals. 

-Full-length play script 

-Two letters of recommendation 

Compensation: $18,000 plus $2,500 in development support 


5. ABRONS PERFORMANCE AIRSPACE RESIDENCY

DEADLINE: November 7th

WEBSITE: https://www.abronsartscenter.org/jerome-foundation-airspace-residency/


With support from The Jerome Foundation, a cohort of 3 early career movement-based performing artists are annually invited to participate in our Performance AIRspace Residency. Performance AIRspace residents are provided with a monetary commission, premium access to studios and theaters for rehearsals towards the development of a live performance to be presented at Abrons Arts Center.


Program Components:

• $7,000 commission for a new work to be presented at Abrons as part of our 2022-2023 Presenting Season. Performances must be programmed to occur before June 30, 2023.

• 200 hours of fully subsidized studio rental time in any of our performance studios and theaters.

• Applicants must be based in New York City and living within 5 boroughs at the time of application submission and during the residency period.

• Applicants and all associated collaborators who will be onsite at Abrons during the residency and production period must be fully COVID-19 vaccinated. Please learn more by reading our 

• Applicants working in movement-based practices that are interdisciplinary in nature are encouraged to apply. Collaborative groups are invited to apply but will receive the same commission fee as an individual artist. Collaboratives can only submit 1 application; Collaboratives that submit more than 1 application for the same project will be disqualified from the review process.

• Applicants must identify as early-career artists. 

• Applicants must apply with a project proposal that has not yet premiered in its final form in New York City.

• Applicants who are enrolled in degree-granting programs or are students during the grant period are not eligible to apply.


Application Timeline: application link goes live: 10/4/21; applicants notified of status: 1/22.



6. JULLIARD: THE LILA ACHESON WALLACE AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS PROGRAM

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: https://www.juilliard.edu/arm/drama/college/playwriting/artist-diploma


Under the direction of Tanya Barfield and David Lindsay-Abaire, the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program offers tuition-free, graduate-level fellowships to four or five writers each year. Selected playwrights may be invited to continue their studies through a second academic year, thereby earning an Artist Diploma in Playwriting. The cohort is purposely small. Fellows concentrate on the practical aspects of dramatic writing through a weekly master class with the program's directors.  The focus is on dramatic structure and the cultivation of each writer's individual voice.


Twice-monthly Play Labs allow the writers to hear their work read by Juilliard acting students and alumni. Other opportunities to collaborate include quarterly PlayTime sessions and informal readings throughout the year. Many of the working relationships begun at Juilliard between actors and writers continue to flourish long after graduation. 


Playwriting students are encouraged to take advantage of the wealth of resources within Juilliard's walls and also those afforded via the school's prime location on Broadway — the cultural offerings of greater New York City. Students may audit classes in the Drama Division’s acting program and are encouraged to see productions around the city, often receiving offers for free or discounted tickets to performances on and off-Broadway. Alumni of the Playwrights Program have garnered considerable recognition in the form of productions, commissions, publications, and awards, including the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.


It is preferred that you hold an undergraduate degree; however, you will also be considered if you have advanced training equivalent to a bachelor’s degree or exceptional artistic accomplishments. International students are welcome to apply, however, play submissions must be in English. If you reapply, you should submit a new play with each application, unless it is a previously submitted play that has been significantly re-written. Room and board are not included, but there is a small stipend.


7. PREMIERE STAGES PLAY FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: https://premierestagesatkean.com/play-festival/


Premiere Stages is committed to supporting emerging and regional playwrights by developing and producing new plays. Since 2005, the Premiere Play Festival has offered playwrights the opportunity to develop their work in an encouraging, focused environment through discussions, rehearsals, readings, workshops, and Equity productions.


Through the Premiere Play Festival, Premiere Stages has developed many plays that have gone on to have successful productions in New York and at regional theatres throughout the country. We strive to facilitate relationships between writers and theatre professionals who we think will respond to their work, in hopes that plays developed at Premiere will go on to subsequent productions. We offer Play Festival winners the option to retain the coveted “World Premiere” brand on their plays. Additionally, Premiere’s productions are consistently reviewed, scouted by major publishing houses, and honored by the American Theatre Critics Association.


To fulfill our commitments to writers whose presentations were postponed during 2021 social distancing procedures, we will be carrying plays submitted in last year's cycle into the 2021 season. Premiere Stages will accept submissions of unproduced plays written by playwrights affiliated with the greater metropolitan area from September 1, 2021 through November 15, 2021. All plays submitted to the festival are evaluated by a panel of professional theatre producers, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, and publishers. Four finalists are subsequently selected for public Equity readings in March 2022.



Following the Spring readings, one play is selected for an Equity production in the Premiere Stages 2022 Mainstage Season and receives an award of $2500. The runner-up receives a 29-hour staged reading and $1000. The two other finalists will each be awarded $750.



Submission Guidelines

  • All plays must be submitted as a PDF.

  • Plays must be full-length and have a cast size of no more than eight.

  • Plays must be unpublished and unproduced (readings and workshops are okay), with no productions and/or publication currently scheduled through September 2022.

  • Playwrights must have strong affiliations with the greater metropolitan area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware).

  • Musicals, adaptations (of existing plays or other sources), and solo shows are not eligible.

  • Submissions are limited to one script per playwright.

  • Please contact Premiere Stages to inquire about submitting a script that has been previously submitted.



8. THE LANFORD WILSON NEW AMERICAN PLAY FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: https://semo.edu/colleges-departments/arts-media/conservatory/



The Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival honors new American plays that provide dynamic performance opportunities for college-aged actors.


The festival endeavors both to recognize playwrights for their outstanding work and to provide a resource for universities across the country to identify dynamic plays with robust roles for college-aged actors for production at their institutions. The festival features both a full-length and short play division.


The 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival will be held on the beautiful River Campus Arts Center at the Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University from June 13-18, 2022.



Full Length Submissions


Seeking plays that have:

  • A cast of primarily (or exclusively) characters in their teens and twenties.

  • A mid- to large-sized cast (i.e., at least five actors, preferably at least ten).

  • Significant representation (in both number and quality) of roles for female-identifying actors.

  • Dynamic, fully-drawn roles to challenge student actors.

  • Thematic values that will speak to college-aged artists and audience members.

The festival also places a value on plays that have the potential to provide performance opportunities to actors from under-represented groups.


Full-length plays should not have had a previous full production. Workshops and readings are fine.


Finalists for the festival’s top prize will receive airfare and housing to participate in the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival on the campus of the Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance at Southeast Missouri State University in June of 2022. Staged readings of the finalists’ plays will be presented as part of the festival, and the winner of the top prize will be announced at the end of the week-long event.


The winning full-length play will receive:

  • A world premiere production in the 2022-2023 Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance theatre season.

  • Consideration of the play for publication by Concord Theatricals, the world’s most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection.

  • A meeting for the playwright with new play acquisition staff at Concord Theatricals.

SUBMIT A FULL-LENGTH PLAY


Short Play Submissions

Seeking plays that have:

  • A cast of exclusively characters in their teens and twenties.

  • Dynamic, fully-drawn roles to challenge student actors.

  • Thematic values that will speak to college-aged artists and audience members.

The festival also places a value on plays that have the potential to provide performance opportunities to female-identifying actors and actors from under-represented groups.


Plays should not have had a previous full production under an Actors Equity agreement. Non-union productions, workshops, and readings are fine.


The five finalist short plays will receive:

A staged reading at the 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival.

Publication in the anthology Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival 2022: The Short Plays, published by Southeast Missouri University Press and made distributed nationwide through online and retail outlets.


SUBMIT A SHORT PLAY


If you have any questions, please email the festival’s Artistic Director, Kitt Lavoie (klavoie@semo.edu).


9. CAFÉ ROYAL CULTURAL FOUNDATION NYC PUBLISHING GRANT 2021

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: https://caferoyalculturalfoundation.org/literature-page


Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC will award a publishing grant to authors of fiction / creative nonfiction, poetry and playwriting


Amounts: Up to $10,000.00  


Eligibility: Authors in fiction / creative nonfiction, poetry and playwriting. The applicant must be the originator of the written material. Grants awarded in this category may fund costs associated with continuing the composition of work submitted. Such as:

  • Course Reduction (if you're a Teacher/Professor)

  • Salary Replacement

  • Living Expenses

  • Research Expenses

Writers applying must be a current resident of New York City and have lived there for a minimum of one year prior to applying.


Application Requirements: 

  • Up to and no more than a 15 page PDF of the work, for the Café Royal Cultural Foundation executive committee to download and read. 

  • A letter of intent from the publisher with a date of planned publication, if no publisher is assigned, Café Royal Cultural Foundation may work with writer to help find a publisher.

  • A short description of the project.

  • A short author biography of the person(s) involved.


List of costs that the grant money be used for - must not exceed the amount of $10,000.00


We accept applications all year round, to view our submission dates in our Grant Schedule



10. DOWNTOWN URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: duafnyc.org


DUAF will accept 16 theatrical works (plays, musicals and solo works) that reflect urban life and with running times up to 70 minutes.


Each work is performed only once during the festival. There will be a $1,000 award in the category of Best Play, Best Short, and Audience. 


There is no submission fee and each playwright will receive a $500 monetary stipend as well as other supportive services to assist in developing the play for the stage.


SUBMISSION DETAILS:


1. Playwright's bio with contact info- name, address, phone # and email


2. Photo of playwright


3. Synopsis of theatrical work


4. Complete script of theatrical work


5. Estimated running time of work


6. Actor/director/crew bios, if available


7. Description of stage set (if any) and production needs (i.e. sound and lighting)


Please submit to coordinator@duafnyc.com. 

11. EUGENE O’NEILL FOUNDATION ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

DEADLINE: November 15th

WEBSITE: http://www.eugeneoneill.org/artist-in-residence-program/


The Artist in Residence Program at Tao House provides a working retreat for developing or established playwrights, scholars, or critics of the performing arts. In 2017, the Foundation established the Carey Perloff Fellowship under the Travis Bogard Artist in Residence Program. The fellowship will be awarded each year, if appropriate, to an established theatre artist who desires to transition into a writer. For example, a director or an actor may be changing disciplines to focus on writing. Those seeking a Carey Perloff Fellowship should so stipulate on the Program Application and in their project description.


Fellows live off-site in comfortable, contemplative surroundings but spend their days at the nearby Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site. Housing, including meals and local transportation, is provided by the Foundation. Couples can be admitted, but only fellows will be financed. Children are not permitted. Residencies are available between April 1 and October 31. Each applicant can specify preferred residency dates—from one week to three weeks—but the length of stay awarded will be determined by the Artist in Residence Committee, based on various factors. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in a mutually agreed upon Foundation event, as appropriate. The Foundation and National Park Service will expect a copy or representation of the final project resulting from the fellowship and appropriate acknowledgment in any published work.


12. MANY VOICES FELLOWSHIP DEADLINE: November 18th

WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/many-voices-fellowships


The Many Voices Fellowship is intended to support early career Black playwrights, playwrights of color, and/or Indigenous playwrights who demonstrate extraordinary potential, artistic vision, and a commitment to spending a year in residence in Minnesota developing their work with the Playwrights' Center in community with other fellows. The fellowship is additionally supported by a professional theater artist mentor. Many Voices Fellows will receive a $20,000 stipend and $3,000 in development support. Fellows spend a year-long residency in Minnesota (July 1, 20-June 30, 2023), working in an individualized and hands-on way with the Playwrights' Center artistic staff. Beyond the financial stipend, the fellowship includes year-long support through workshops with professional directors, dramaturgs, and actors and through the connections the Center makes between playwrights and producers of new work. 


Applicants must reside in, and have the legal right to work in, the U.S. during the fellowship term. Applicants may not have had more than one play fully produced by professional theaters at the time of the application. Productions that open after November 18, 2021 do not count. (Note for 2020, 2021, and 2022: any programmed/announced productions cancelled due to COVID-19 don't need to count towards your production limit. Please be sure to mark cancellations or postponements clearly on your resume) Fellows commit to spending the fellowship period in Minnesota and actively participating in the Center's programs. Housing and travel are not provided. Playwrights may not receive more than two Many Voices Fellowships. A previous Many Voices Fellow applying for a second fellowship must submit a different play than the play that accompanied the previous successful application. Recipients may not receive other Playwrights' Center fellowships during the year.


Each application will contain the following pieces:

-Application Form

(including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information)

-Playwriting Resume

Please mark clearly which productions (if any) meet the criteria for being "fully produced by a professional theater." Productions that open after November 18, 2021 do not count. (Note for 2020, 2021, and 2022: any programmed/announced productions cancelled due to COVID-19 don't need to count towards your production limit. Please be sure to mark cancellations or postponements clearly on your resume.)

-1 page Artistic Statement and Goals

This statement, along with your script, should help provide insight into your vision as a theater maker.

-Full-length play script that runs at least 45 minutes. If you are hoping to submit a script that is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia at juliab@pwcenter.org to discuss. All script submissions must be written only by the applicant—no co-written submissions will be accepted. Scripts for musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. 

Two letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with your work as a playwright. 

Questions may be addressed to Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org.



13. THE WOMEN CENTER STAGE FESTIVAL

DEADLINE: November 20th

WEBSITE: https://womencenterstage.org


Women Center Stage is now accepting submissions from women artists at any stage in their careers. As part of WCS, your piece will be presented during the two-week long festival of original work, workshops, panels, and classes. The festival will take place during the first two weeks of March in downtown New York City. We will notify all applicants by December 15th, 2021. The festival will take place from February 27, 2022 through March 12, 2022.


The Women Center Stage Festival, formerly an initiative of Culture Project, New York’s premier home for socially conscious theater, is returning to New York this spring. Women Center Stage is part multidisciplinary performance/part multicultural salon; a place for artists to build community, share their stories, and create a fresh theatrical landscape. Founded in 1996, Culture Project is the preeminent destination for artistic work that investigates the most urgent social and political issues of our time. We believe art is a powerful force that can lift the human spirit, catalyze public discourse and motivate political action with a clarity of purpose.



Requirements:

- Original work that has not been fully produced, by artists who identify as female. 

- 15-30 minutes in length (please specify the length of your piece). 

- Can be works-in-progress or part of a full-length piece. 

- We will accept writers with teams but this is not a requirement. (you may choose to perform in and/or direct your own work). 

- Work can be in any format or genre. 

- You must submit a work sample; not necessarily text-based (visual diagrams, storyboards, videos etc).



14. THE PLAIN SITE THEATRE FESTIVAl 

DEADLINE: November 20th

WEBSITE: https://www.solochickenproductions.com/plainsitefest


The Plain Site Theatre Festival returns for a third season and is currently seeking new LGBTQIA2+ centered plays to develop and produce. Selected playwrights will receive professional dramaturgy for their play, a workshop reading at the 2022 Festival and full production at the 2023 Festival.


Artists eligible to submit must be currently attending a secondary or post-secondary institution and identify as LGBTQIA2+. Using ‘coming out’ as a prompt, writers are encouraged to explore what coming out means to them.


Plays  must have a running time of between 10-20 minutes. Each script must contain no more than 2 actors (monologues are welcome). Playwrights must be available to work on their script with a dramaturge between November/December 2021. Please submit the following information through email by the deadline:


– Cover sheet indicating the following: Playwrights Name, Full Contact Information, Title of Play


– Copy of the Script


– Documents should be in .doc, .docx or.pdf format


– Please email scripts to Festival Director, Alex Rioux at pstfdirector@gmail.com



15. ERIC H. WEINBERGER AWARD FOR EMERGING LIBRETTISTS

DEADLINE: November 30th

WEBSITE:www.amasmusical.org/eric-h-weinberger-award


The Eric H. Weinberger Award for Emerging Librettists is a juried cash and production grant given annually to support the early work and career of a deserving musical theatre librettist. The winner will receive $2,000 to help with cost-of-living expenses. The winning musical will receive development assistance in the 2021 New Works Development Program of Amas Musical Theatre, culminating in an Amas Lab production with New York theatre professionals. Amas, which is administering the award, was the development home for several of Mr. Weinberger’s musicals, and which produced the World Premiere of Wanda’s World and the New York Premiere of Tea for Three. 


All submissions must be sent through an online application that can be found HERE. Only one submission per playwright/librettist will be accepted. The winner of the award will be announced late February-early March 2021.


The musical must:

  • Be a full-length show (at least 80 minutes)

  • Have no more than seven actors  (actors may play multiple roles)

  • Be complete and ready for readings, workshops and/or productions

  • Have a demo that is an accurate representation of the music and style of the show (at least five songs)

  • Have full underlying rights clearance of any pre-existing material used in the script (music, source material, etc.)

  • Not have had a full production or be published in any way, even if with a different name.

16: 2021-22 WOODWARD/NEWMAN DRAMA AWARD

Deadline: December 1st

WEBSITE: https://www.newplays.org/opportunities/submissions/woodward-newman-award/


We are currently accepting submissions for the 2022-23 Woodward/Newman Award. The winner and finalists will be announced by June 2022. The winner will be awarded $3,000 and a full production.

  1. “Full-length” plays should have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes).

  2. Plays submitted must be unpublished at the time of submission (independently published is acceptable).

  3. Each submission should be sent to BPP via email. Send your email to literarymanager@newplays.org

  4. Your email should include the following: 

    1. Tell us your name, phone number, and the name of your Play

    2. Tell us how you are satisfying the $10 administrative fee 

      1. Agent submitted scripts require no fee.

      2. If via Dramatist Guild membership, attach a copy of your DG card to the email

      3. If you have paid via Paypal on our website, indicate your confirmation number and the email address used.

      4. Paypal is preferred, but if you can’t pay on-line, you may send a check or Money Order, (must be from a US bank). Tell us the check or Money Order number. Make it payable to “BPP” and mail to BPP, 107 W 9th ST, Bloomington, IN 47404

    3. Attach a SINGLE PDF file containing your script with the following information included in the following order: 

      1. Title page with author name

      2. Synopsis (1 page or less). Please list the genre at the top (comedy, drama, etc.)

      3. Character list/breakdown

      4. Production history for the play—Include readings and productions

      5. A brief bio of the playwright,

      6. Full Script

      7. Submissions that fail to include all requested information in the order listed will be disqualified from the contest.

      8. Plays submitted in previous years will be accepted.

      9. Two separate submissions per playwright per annual competition are allowed as long as each submission has all the required materials.

17. WAVELENGTH’S WAVE GRANT

DEADLINE: December 1st

WEBSITE: https://wavelengthproductions.com/grants/


Applications for Wavelength’s WAVE Grant are now open! The WAVE Grant is devoted to helping first-time female and non-binary filmmakers of color tell their own “great f**king story.” This year we will select five recipients to receive a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their short film. Recipients will also receive mentorship from our award-winning team with development, production, and distribution strategies. Submissions close December 1st, 2021.



18. ROCKFORD NEW WORDS 2022

DEADLINE: December 1, 2021

WEBSITE: https://wssr.org/submit

10 new works will be chosen and presented in a staged performance Feb 4th & 5th, 2021. Writers can choose to perform their own works (Live or on Zoom), or have them presented by professional performers. Writers each receive $200.


THEME: WORDS ON WOMAN. “Woman” has multiple facets including gender identity, social construct, and lived experience. This year we are asking writers to look beyond boundaries to express their experience with the word “woman.”


RULES

  • New Words: written after OCT 25, 2021

  • Theme: Words On Woman

  • One Written Work per writer

  • Language: English

  • Writer Location: Anywhere!

  • Originality: no translations, adaptations, or excerpts of other works

  • Copyright: you must own it

  • Eligibility: no previously published or produced works

  • Length: 10 pages or less

  • Time: 10 minutes or less

  • Format: Any


Fill out the online application and upload a copy of your work here: wssr.org/submit


Words will be accepted until Dec 1, 2021 at 5:00pm CST. We will let you know the status of your submission by January 15, 2022.


Have questions? words@wssr.org



19. ASHLAND NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL 2022 

DEADLINE: December 1st

WEBSITE:  https://ashlandnewplays.org/script-submission/ 



About:ANPF’s Fall Festival is our annual flagship event that features readings of four plays - chosen from hundreds of submissions from all over the world. The plays are submitted blind and are read by a dedicated team of volunteer readers who select the finalists. Our artistic director receives the blinded scripts and leads the collaborative process of choosing the winners. Each play receives two readings, a matinée and an evening, and is followed by a talkback session with the playwright, providing a learning opportunity for both the audience and the artist. 

Criteria:  -Full-length drama or comedy, intermission preferred. If no intermission, then 75-minutes minimum running time. ANPF presentations are concert readings, not staged readings. The emphasis is on the language and dialogue of a play. Stage business cannot be considered as part of the running time. Submitted scripts should meet the timing requirement with this in mind. 

-Previously unproduced. All scripts submitted to ANPF must be unproduced and remain unproduced until the time of the Fall Festival. College/academic productions do not count as productions; nor do workshops or readings. Any staging by a theatre (including non-Equity, regional, or community theatre) where actors are off-book and admission is charged DOES count as a production. 

-Maximum of eight actors. Doubling is permitted, provided a doubling plan is included with the cast list. 

-Submitting author is (or authors, when in collaboration, are) sole owner(s) of script copyright. 

-As part of the application process, we are asking playwrights to share a brief personal statement. See link below. 

Compensation: $1,500 



20. MCKNIGHT NATIONAL RESIDENCY AND COMMISSION

DEADLINE: December 2nd

WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-national-residency-and-commission  


The intent of the McKnight National Residency and Commission is to support an established playwright from outside of Minnesota who demonstrates a sustained body of work, commitment, and artistic excellence. The Recipient of the Residency and Commission will create a new play which will be developed with the Playwrights' Center through a series of workshops and will culminate in a public reading of the play. 


Recipients will not move to Minnesota but will have opportunities to engage with local artists and the Playwrights' Center staff and fellows throughout their term (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022). One of the goals of this program is to create dialogue between Minnesota-based artists and those outside of the community. Benefits include, a $15,000 commission, up to $12,250 in workshop funds to support the development of the play, and a public reading. Applicants must reside in and have the legal right to work in the U.S. Applicants must be nationally recognized playwrights who have had at least two different plays fully produced by professional theaters at the time of application. If you had a production that was canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, that does count when determining eligibility. 

 Criteria: Each application will contain the following pieces: 

-Application Form (including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information) 

-Playwriting Resume 

-Full-length play script 

Submit a play that is representative of your work. A full-length play generally runs at least 45 minutes. If you are hoping to submit a script that is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia at juliab@pwcenter.org to discuss. Co-written work will not be accepted, and musicals may be submitted by the book writer only. 

-2-3 page Project Proposal 

This proposal should explain the project you intend to create if you receive the commission. The evaluators are looking for a project that is relevant, compelling, original, and that could reasonably have a first draft finished within the year. Please also detail why you would like to develop this piece with the Playwrights’ Center and your interest in engaging with the community here. 

-One letter of recommendation 

Please request one letter of recommendation from an agent or theater professional. Letters must be received by the application deadline. 

Compensation: $15,000 commission, up to $12,500 in developmental support


 

21. MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS IN PLAYWRITING

DEADLINE:December 9th

WEBSITE: https://pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-fellowships-in-playwriting


The McKnight Foundation, a family foundation based in Minnesota, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. The McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting recognizes and supports mid-career playwrights living and working in Minnesota who demonstrate a sustained body of work, commitment, and attributes of artistic merit. The fellowship, which runs July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023, includes: a $25,000 stipend, an additional $2,500 to support a play development workshop and other professional expenses, and $1,400 in travel funds. 


Applicants must reside in and have the legal right to work in the U.S. during the fellowship term. Applicants must have been continuous residents of Minnesota since at least December 9, 2021, and must maintain residency in Minnesota during the fellowship year. Applicants must have a minimum of one work fully produced by a professional theater at the time of application. (Note for 2020, 2021, and 2022: any programmed/announced professional productions cancelled due to COVID-19 can be counted as long as they would have met the criteria above. Please be sure to mark cancellations or postponements clearly on your resume).) Full-time students are not eligible. Fellowship recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships, grants, or Core Writer program benefits during the grant year. 


Questions may be addressed to Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org.



22. THEATRE ARIEL OPEN SUBMISSIONS
DEADLINE: Open

WEBSITE: http://www.theatreariel.org/opportunities


Theatre Ariel is always seeking the next great Jewish play to present to our audiences. Theatre Ariel is looking for plays that engage with the rich world of Jewish life, thought and practice; plays where Judaism, Jewish identity or Jewish perspectives are significant or driving factors in the story (In other words, not plays where the characters ‘happen’ to be Jewish or that have a few yiddishisms or “Jewish jokes” in them, but plays where Jewish life/thought/history is integral or particularly relevant to the story.). Theatre Ariel seeks plays with casts of five actors or less.


You do not have to be Jewish to have your work considered by Theatre Ariel. 


All our performances are presented as salon-style theatre readings in people’s homes, following a long tradition of Jewish theatre. For the foreseeable future, we will be presenting in a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual performances. To have your script considered, please email the following to submissions@theatreariel.org


Brief cover letter introducing yourself and your play, as well as a short plot summary and character breakdown (indicating doubling, if any)


Ten minute excerpt from the script (if these are not the first ten pages, then please supply a brief explanation of where we are in the story when your sample picks up)


Theatre Ariel is committed to reading and responding to every submission we receive. Please allow three to six months for a response. Please forward any questions you may have to the same email address listed above.



23. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION EMERGENCY GRANTS

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE: https://dgf.org/programs/grants/grants-for-writers/


It is vital to support writers in times of need so that they can get back to doing what they do best. DGF provides emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.

If you are a writer in need, we can help.

 

 

24. THE DOROTHY ROSS FRIEDMAN RESIDENCE

DEADLINE: Rolling 

WEBSITE:  https://actorsfund.org/services-and-programs/housing-resource-center?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2

and

https://actorsfund.org/sites/default/files/Friedman-Application-Revision-7-21-20.pdf?mc_cid=1266183bf9&mc_eid=7436d341a2


If you think you are eligible, now is a fabulous time to apply to The Dorothy Ross Friedman Residence. The Friedman is a shared housing (roommates) residence that offers affordable housing for working professionals in performing arts and entertainment, persons with HIV/AIDS, and senior citizens (60 years of age or older). Most of the apartments are 2-bedrooms, where you would have one roommate and there are a few 3-bedrooms, where you would have two roommates.  All tenants have a rent stabilized lease. All apartments are complete with dishwasher, washer/dryer, central heating, and AC. Many apartments have terraces with spectacular Manhattan views, and everyone has access to the Colleen Dewhurst Community Room and the newly renovated Bette Midler Rooftop and Garden. On-site social services include a range of community programs and the Waldman Living Room for seniors. The Friedman Residence also features 24-hour security.

 Criteria: Income Eligibility: 1-person household: $28,500 - $47,760


 

25. WILD CULTURE PROGRAM @ WILD PROJECT

DEADLINE: Rolling

WEBSITE:  http://thewildproject.com/wild-culture-submit-page/


Wild Project is currently accepting artist submissions for its WILD CULTURE curation program. WILD CULTURE will produce the work of 15-20 artists, prioritizing projects by female, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, across theatre, performance art, music, visual art, and dance later this spring and summer. This program embraces the work of independent performance artists and productions to give these performers free access to valuable resources like wild project’s 89-seat theater and more. Curated artists will also have the option to live stream and/or film their work with our film production equipment and digital distribution platform. Wild Culture is primarily suited for work that is already more developed or previously workshopped. Wild Culture, launched in 2018, gives artists much-needed production support at an important time in their development. It strongly encourages artists whose projects address important issues like social justice, gender identity, equality, mental health, and climate change to submit their work.  


26. LONG WHARF THEATRE LITERARY PROGRAM & NEW WORK DEVELOPMENT

DEADLINE: Year round

WEBSITE: https://longwharf.org/casting-and-literary


Long Wharf Theatre has a proud and rich history of forming meaningful relationships with artists, supporting the development of their work, and moving their projects towards production. We are particularly interested in incubating new pieces that center BIPOC voices, push form, and feature innovative dramaturgy. We are also eager to support projects that originate with artists other than playwrights, such as designers, directors, dramaturgs, and activists. Many of these works have become part of the modern American canon with more than thirty Long Wharf Theatre productions transferred to Broadway or Off-Broadway runs.


We are revitalizing our commitment to playwrights at all stages in their careers, and are now welcoming scripts from unrepresented playwrights as well as agents.


The following are examples of ways we have supported and continue to support new work development. These offerings are flexible, as we are committed to tailoring the process to suit the needs of each artist. We strive to be nimbly responsive to our artists’ goals.


Email scripts to:

literary@longwharf.org


Type of Materials:

Full-length, One act, 10-minute scripts, musicals, adaptations, translations, virtual/Zoom plays.


Special Interests:

Plays by BIPOC writers, plays centering cultural narratives, stories of joy and resilience, multi-disciplinary work, and theatrical innovation.


JOB OPPS:


  1. Boston University School of Theatre's is looking for a Full Professor of Directing. 

https://bu.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&id=23&jobid=307868&company_id=15509&version=1&source=ONLINE&JobOwner=1016383&level=levelid2&levelid2=20819&startflag=3




  1. ISO of BLACK Writer/Directors for kids TV show showcasing Afro-descendant children across Canada. Must have both script writing and directing experience, preferably with children. Must be available on weekends and must be available to travel across country. Women HIGHLY encouraged to apply and applicants from all over the country will be considered. Paid. Please send CV to csaliba@apartment11.tv detailing your specific experience related to the post.



  1. Northwestern University's Department of Radio/Television/Film seeks an outstanding Professor of Dramatic Writing (television writing/screenwriting/playwriting) to teach as part of our interdisciplinary MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage (www.write.northwestern.edu).  We seek a writer with a national and international reputation, who has had an impact on the field with a substantial innovative body of work, and with a particular emphasis on underrepresented and LGBTQ+ voices. We welcome candidates who work across different media - we have strong ties to the Department of Theatre, the Department of Performance Studies, and the Department of Communication Studies.

 


For fullest consideration, applicants should submit materials by December 1, 2021. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Preferred Start Date: September 1, 2022;

Preferred qualifications:

 

  • MFA degree (or equivalent professional experience)

  • At least one year of teaching at the University Level

  • Substantial writing credits in Television/Film/Theatre Duties: • Teaching classes in the RTVF dramatic writing curriculum • Serving as a core faculty member of the MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage • Admissions and recruitment for the MFA program • Service to the Department of Radio/TV/Film

 

Salary: Competitive, depending on qualifications and experience.

 

Application procedure: Applications will only be accepted via online submission to our faculty recruiting system.

 

For full consideration, please include the following materials in your application:

  • a cover letter describing your work and your teaching,

  • a CV, at least one full-length play/screenplay/teleplay (writing sample),

  • and three contacts for letters of recommendation.

 

Forward questions regarding the position to Search Committee Chair Zayd Dohrn.



Here is a link to the application:

 

https://facultyrecruiting.northwestern.edu/apply/MTE5MA==



  1. Academic Unit Head, School of Theatre & Dance, James Madison University School of Theatre and Dance To apply, please visit the following website: https://www.AcademicKeys.com/r?job=169542&o=1175804&t=FI211018m-8e



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