Mideast Peace

 There is widespread anti-semitism AND there is also anti-Muslim bias. That's fact, stats, and things that you can look up with numbers. The brilliance -Machiavellian or Hobbes- of what's going on is that legitimate claims of anti-semitism are being used to foster anti-freedom of speech initiatives that are anti-Muslim in order to support continued militarization and xenophobia. And yes, all those things can be true at the same time. And yes, you can maintain love and equanimity for all ppl while recognizing the nuance of what's going on.

History: the US has been fighting a proxy war with Iran and radical fundamentalists since the Shah of Iran was overthrown. The Shah of Iran was a corrupt, Western-puppet installed by the US for oil, but he was 'our guy.' All the West knows is that they had their main bro, The Shah, in there and radical religious fundamentalists overthrew their ally. The radicals said they do not like Western values, they do not like Jewish values, and their goal is total eradication of both. When they talk about 'driving Jewish ppl into the sea' it is NOT a metaphor. When they talk about the great Satan of America, they mean it. 

Btw, as a reminder what is the evil of Western civilization to many Muslim fundamentalists? Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, capitalism, LGBTQIA rights, women's rights, democracy, internationalism, western education, freedom of the press, NATO, World Bank, UN, etc. Muslim fundamentalists have said 'oh yeah, we want to destroy all of that' and whenever they take over a Muslim-majority country all those rights do get destroyed. They keep to their word and are very consistent. 

Lockerbie bombing, 9/11, October 7, numerous attacks on Israel via buses, cars are all marks of the war against the West. And then celebration after the loss of civilian life is also a key component. Fundamentalists love to celebrate and cheer the twin towers falling or US embassy hostages in Tehran or Jewish women being kidnapped. Violence + humiliation + cameras= radical joy. 

So the US is fighting this war with ppl who want to destroy, humiliate, and celebrate in civilian slaughter. Nn this war, Israel is an incredibly effective ally. Period. You may not like Netanyahu and what's going on, but the US policy is 'the other side wants to destroy us and the Western civilization' so we're going to win. 

So you have one side that has said for my entire adult life 'we want to destroy the West and humiliate you' and the West went 'ok bet, so this means war.' In this long-running war, Israel is a reliable ally. In a war, you never give up a good ally, no matter how much you may question their tactics or leadership (Netanyahu). You do not trade in a reliable partner for a semi-enemy who has said 'we want to kill you.' That's just stupid. It's never going to happen. There will never be a point where the US logically sides with Iran or an Iran-proxy org over Israel no matter how many protests. So Hamas, Hezbollah, any territory run by Iran through a terrorist org is at war with Israel and US and therefore there is no immediate need for compromise. 

The problem is that the majority of people live between the warring sides. The women, children, and men who just want to live that are getting slaughtered. And the bigger problem is that the vast majority of all ppl want peace and peace is very very bad for small minority of radicals. Women start going to school, ppl start thinking, obsessing over 'western material things'  and thinking less about their God, and hating other ppl. So there is a fundamentalist triangle on 3 sides that subtly supports the continuation of war. And any time, we get close to peace, one of these three sides erupts into some violence. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is assassinated by radical Jihadist for making peace with Israel. An Israel settler assassinates Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for trying to work out a peaceful solution. Arafat waffles in peace negotiations b/c it calls on him to give up his biggest card -terrorism- in favor of becoming a statesmen and looking weak to the radicals. And the unexamined third side: Christian fundamentalists. Evangelicals want to see the second coming of Jesus and they believe that's going to happen with a united Jerusalem so they have thrown their lot in with Israel totally. But not because they are removed from hatred. Evangelicals are just as anti-semitic as Muslims, they just want Jesus back (who is a brown-skinned Jewish rabbi with communist beliefs but don't think about that, Christians!!) 

Radical Muslims want to destroy the West and Israel as stated before. If that happens that means 'no Jesus' according to certain Christian faiths. And fundamentalists in Israel do not want a 2-state solution. They want to expand and control Gaza and the West Bank. Now in fairness, Jewish radicals also do not want to see the eradication of Muslims. They just don't want them in Israel or the West Bank and there continued argument is 'go to any number of other Muslim countries. There is only one Jewish state in the entire world. Leave us that and go to Jordan or Egypt.' It's logical from their side but it's not logical to Palestinians who can trace their family lineage back for generations to the territories they are in. The territories are buffers against terrorists attacks, allows the expansion of the Jewish population, and staves off the population crisis of Arab Muslims becoming Israeli citizens. If they can keep Muslims in a non-state limbo where they neither have their own country nor are they apart of Israel, then that solves their problem. 

The algorithm and lobbyists are making it seem like what is going on is a binary choice. You are either more horrified by one or the other, you either support one or the other. What most people don't want to see is that the war is doing exactly what it was intended to do by multiple sides. It's raising money for the radical movements, getting us farther apart, and ensuring the continuation of hatred..which is good business for fundamentalists. 

Selling Tesla Stock

 I sold almost all of my Tesla stock in the spring of 2024. This was before Elon Musk backed Trump in the fall. It was a tough decision b/c I had the stock for several yrs and it was extremely valuable. So what did it? It was not a political decision. Rather, it was a decision based about the psychological makeup of the CEO and the business culture he was fostering.

On Oct 16, 2023, I went to a public talk on Northwestern's campus w/ famed biographer Walter Isaacson. He was releasing a book on Musk after several yrs of research and interviews. In September 2023, I met Isaacson in New Orleans b/c he came and saw "A Wonderful World" at the Saenger Theatre. He enjoyed the show so we had drinks and kept in contact. A month later I'm in Chicago for AWW and I get a tix to this public talk. 

David Axelrod, former advisor President Obama was interviewing Isaacson and doing a fantastic job asking laser-sharp questions. Isaacson said something to the effect that Musk has an engineer's mind and thinks of himself as a cartoon action hero saving the world. He thinks all problems are solvable through engineer thinking. Axelrod asked what he thought of Musk buying Twitter in 2022 and Isaacson paused for a moment. Paraphrasing here but Isaacson said there's going to be a problem with Twitter b/c Musk going to 'fix it' like it's a rocket or an EV. But Twitter is not a design problem.  It's a fast-shifting, social microcosm. It is the largest printing press in human history in which the readers are also the content creators, cranking out millions of stories every minute.  In trying to 'fix' Twitter and given Musk's 'social skills' it could be a PR nightmare, which could bleed over into his other businesses. 

Afterward, all the audience members got Isaacson's newly printed Musk biography. I got my copy and took the train back to my hotel. Prior to that talkback I had never spent much time thinking about Musk as a person. He was just another rich guy who talked big and stood on massive stages with projection screens about the sci-fi future of our tools and robots. Isaacson was delving into the psychology of someone who was now in control of a lot of things: Twitter, SpaceX, a lot of gov contracts with the Defense Dept, top secret stuff. And he was also the guy who liked to play video games online and be 'one of the boys' and frequently jumped on reactive bandwagons to fit in. 

I thought about that interview a lot. It was like getting warned about a human tsunami months in advance. I started paying attention to what Musk was saying on Twitter in Dec 2023 and into the new year. The narcissism and fanboy need for adulations. Hmmm..thinking of oneself as 'Ironman saving the world' makes one very suggestible to flattery. In short, that personality type seems like an easy person to brainwash b/c they thinks they are SO smart that they will only surround himself with ppl who also think they are the smartest guy ever, which ends up making one incredibly stupid. 

The smartest ppl I've ever met are constantly in the 'don't know' phase of figuring things out. We become smarter through dynamic tension, being challenged, have peers who push us. It's the reason why rich parents so often raise thoroughly mediocre narcissists. Now if you're the richest guy on the planet, have all this power, and what you seek on a deep level is superhero praise, then you don't need the highest quality ppl challenging you. It's the psychological trap of people who believe they are genetically superior and the main character in every situation.

When Texas Instrument was the biggest/baddest computer corp in the world, they didn't need to think ahead...which is what allowed a Texas Instrument exec to go back to Taiwan and start up the richest company in the world: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. America could've had the future of tech, but arrogant businessmen allowed Morris Chang to walk back home to Taiwan and change the course of business history. Meanwhile Texas Instrument was stewing in it's own ego with H Ross Perot and now the company is a shell of itself. Narcissists implode. They are an easy target for con men, Russian bots, authoritarian movements, and just a general incompetence. The most inquistive ppl leave your presence. Your company starts experiencing a Texas-Instrument level brain drain. Tesla truck parts are stuck together with glue, Boeing airplane doors start flying off. 

I sold my Tesla stock in the spring of 2024 and donated the profits to charity. I felt good. Then I started to doubt myself so I crept back in and bought small 2k of Tesla stock in the summer b/c it was rising again. Then Musk backed Trump, re-organized Twitter and the algorithm shifted. I noticed my page was filled with the Republican party anthems. There was a lot of anti-transgender anti-DEI messaging, xenophobia, and street brawls. The lurch toward right-wing fear and hatred was on...oddly enough it was started by someone who wanted to save the planet. 

What Musk really wanted for the adulation of a superhero saving the planet. Because if he really watched superhero movies he knows that real heroes don't get a lot of praise. You save someone and then get complaints, envy, jealousy, and bootlickers. Every superhero story is an anti-hero b/c to be that great you have to go through the highs and lows to keep a balanced personality. The only people who experience praise are the Lex Luthor super villains who surround themselves with sycophants. And that really is the key different between the superhero and the super villain. Often both are trying to 'save the world' in their own warped way. But real superheroes frequently self-correct, have challenges, and then grow from them. Supervillains only seek to crush challenges to their power b/c they are so focused on getting praise for 'saving the world' that they are willing to destroy it. 

So I am comforted that some charity orgs benefited from my Tesla stock sale. While I watch my measly 2k investment dwindle down I think about the superhero (or villain) that Musk has become in his own mind. So persecuted by the left, so adored by the right, and perpetually misunderstood as he cries into the echo chamber of his own algorithms. 

Radical Right, Radical Left, Radical Change

 It's so easy to radicalize ppl when they're mentally compromised, angry, lonely, or desperate for community. The radicalization is the symptom of a larger sickness, not the cause. And I know this b/c I was researching a story a few yrs ago and I found about about 2 blk men converting so-called racists.  The two Daryl's. 

Daryl Davis is a blues musician who has gotten dozens of KKK members to leave the org. He is personally responsible for disassembling of a branch in Maryland b/c he converted so many ppl that things fell apart. Then that KKK branch was rebuilt by a new leader, who Davis then converted away from the movement.  All he did was talk directly to the KKK members about their beliefs, where they got them from, what they actually think? He's been doing this for years and he's still alive, living his life as a musician, and then meeting ppl and asking them 'what do you really think?'

Daryl Lamont Jenkins is a black anarchist and punk rock fan who has converted hundreds of skinheads (btw, what's up with Daryl's changing the world?) Like Daryl Davis, Daryl Jenkins goes into areas and talks to skinheads and finds that 90% don't even care about the movement and its beliefs. That's why it's so easy to convert through conversation. Lamont thinks most skinheads are just mentally compromised, on drugs, and/or lonely. And right-wing and fascists groups feed on the loneliness and offer community to many people in the middle of the country who feel left out. 

Both Daryl's said the one thing that does not work is yelling at KKK members and skinheads and condemning them. That only gets the damaged ppl to double down on the community they feel apart of, since the rest of the world is calling them 'evil.' 

I think about Elon Musk and Kanye West. Psychologically compromised by mental illness and drug use. They have all the money in the world and they look so lonely and desperate. They have found community in the far-right and trolling ppl online with Nazi gestures and swatizka t-shirts. They have found a community and mimic the community's beliefs for adoration and power. But I wonder if they REALLY feel that way? Musk was hanging out in Hollywood and desperate to be liked for years. He bought an electric car company b/c he wanted to save the planet. Not exactly the profile of a far-right winger when he started off. Kanye West's mother taught Af-Am history and literature. His early albums were filled with brilliant layers of artistry on black life and love. I don't hate these men. I disagree with the things they have said and done but I don't waste any energy on hating them. That not only pushes them further into their adopted community and it wastes my energy. Boo'ing them or stirring up negative emotions when I see their name does nothing but hurt me and spreads the very hatred I want to eradicate.

I think social media is great for 'booing people' and terrible for actual dialogue. The two Daryl's are heroes b/c all they do is talk and connect. And so many of the so-called evils of the world melt away when people feel seen, love, heard, understood, and apart of something. 

If the left-wing every wants to rebuild itself, it should remember the roots of the modern American movement were in the black church, freedom riders, forming multiracial communities around love, and non-violence. It was not in shaming, taunting, cancelling, and sending ppl into social media exile. Talk to your so-called troubled friend who you disagree with and not to yell at them. Really listen. 

I grew up in Florida before the internet so I had some *whew* rough conversations with white ppl. And whenever I would really press them 'do you REALLY think that? Why do you think that?' 99% of the time they would crumble. They were so used to ppl reacting to hatred that they didn't respond when a blk person was in front of them connecting as a human being. "I'm not saying you're right, I'm not saying you're wrong...but why do you think that? What proof do you have? What if I could show you something different?'

Years ago, I moved out of a South Park Slope apt and helped my roommate Max interview new prospective tenants. One prospy was Russian student. My roommate called me up days later saying 'I can't let the Russian live here. He's racist!' And then he told me some of things the Russian said about black ppl. And I told my roommate 'well as a white person (or white presenting b/c Max is Jewish) you have an excellent opportunity here' because he's not going to say those racist things to my black face. But he said it to you b/c he's looking for a brother. Then we talked through some conversation pointers. Weeks later Max called me up amazed. The Russian guy was just ignorant and fearful. All the beliefs melted in the light of someone talking to him.

Get What You Want: March 2025

 1. MITU HYBRID ARTS LAB

DEADLINE: March 10, 2025

WEBSITE: https://theatermitu.org/programs/hybrid-arts-lab/

Mitu’s Hybrid Arts Lab supports women, trans, and non-binary artists working at the intersection of performance and technology.

With a focus on early career BIPOC artists, this program offers studio and creation space, technical resources, training, and mentorship to a small cohort for the exploration, development, and expansion of their practice. The program culminates in a series of studio visits that invites our community to engage in the fellows’ arts practice and join a conversation about art and innovation.

2025 marks our sixth annual Hybrid Arts Lab. Mitu will convene a cohort of three artists for eight months. Each artist will receive support to develop their practice bridging performance and technology. This support includes: a $3,000 award; five weeks of studio space, equipment, and technology at MITU580; mentorship and workshops with Founding Artistic Director Rubén Polendo; training and classes with guest artists modeling creative uses of hardware and software tools in art-making; and a materials budget to support a series of public studio visits.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE PROGRAM OPEN FEBRUARY 17, 2025!

ELIGIBILITY:

Artists are required to be local in New York City and prepared for all in-person activities. Virtual or remote participation will not be an option.

This program is focused on supporting BIPOC women, trans, and non-binary artists working at the intersection of performance and technology.  We welcome applications from everyone interested in the program or the organization, however we will be prioritizing BIPOC women, trans, and non-binary artists for acceptance. 

This program is dedicated to emerging and early career artists who are not currently enrolled in a degree granting program.

As an arts practice fellowship, a commitment to work at the intersection of performance and technology, a commitment to acquire new skills, and a willingness to publicly share in-process aspects of your work are required to participate in the program.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:

The following schedule is subject to change based on participant needs and organizational capacity but reflects the overall time commitment required to participate in the Hybrid Arts Lab.

The Hybrid Arts Lab begins in April and ends all in-person activities by November 30th 2025.  

During most of the fellowship, participants will generally between one and four times per month for meetings, classes, or guest artist sessions. Additionally artists will be granted five weeks of studio space where fellows will be expected to maintain a schedule of in-person working hours developing work and exploring new elements of their practice.  Fellows will be expected to maintain a minimum of 20 hours of work time each studio week.

Each participant will receive five exploratory weeks with shared use of MITU580 and shared access to the venue’s lighting, audio, video equipment, and software. The first two-week period will be held in July. The second three-week period will be held in November.

The cohort will culminate the second period of studio weeks in November by presenting a series of in-process studio visits with our community.  Fellows must be available for this time in order to participate in the program.

After submitting your application, you will be required to email one attached copy of the following to info@theatermitu.org

Artistic C.V.

Work samples of 2-4 recently completed works with accompanying links or digital portfolio.

Contact Information for two references: relationship, email, and phone number.

A recent photograph of yourself.

2. LIVE AND IN COLOR MUSICAL THEATRE

Deadline: March 15

Website: https://liveandincolor.org/musicalsubmissions

Live & In Color is looking for playwrights, composers, and lyricists of color and/or other underrepresented communities interested in developing their new musical. The selected musical submission will have a one-week workshop in the fall at The Bingham Camp in Salem, Connecticut culminating in a staged presentation to an invited audience.

Writers receive a $1,000 stipend plus housing, meals, and travel. We provide support including a several-month development period based on needs of the composer/writers leading up to the retreat. Live & In Color staff will continue the support the development of your piece beyond the retreat including a reading for industry and Broadway Alums.

MUSICAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The musical must be performed:with 4 actors (or less)

All submissions should include:

Resumes + CVs (a one-page PDF document for each team member's resume and CV)

Artistic Statement (can be authored by individual team members, or as a joint statement)

Single page synopsis*

Single page character breakdown*

Demo of score (2-3 songs)*

Sample of dialogue (~15 pages)*

Brief production/development history (properties with prior full productions not accepted)*

Optional: a PDF of the full script (please note, if you move forward to the Semi-Finalist round, a full script and score will be required)

*Submission Materials must be in a single PDF document of all

3. ROGUE THEATRE FESTIVAL

Deadline: March 15

Website: https://www.roguetheaterfestival.com/

Now accepting new works for the seventh annual and uniquely hybrid Rogue Theater Festival! Rogue is looking for new works by emerging writers and artists to present live for an audience OR virtually for an audience. We encourage anyone who feels they have a story to tell to submit their piece to the festival. This year Rogue is proud to be accepting full length one acts for either Fully Staged or Staged Reading shows, Short Shows, and recorded shows of all lengths to stream. 

4. EDWARD F. ALBEE FOUNDATION SUMMER/FALL RESIDENCY

Deadline: March 16, 2025

Website: https://www.albeefoundation.org/guidelines--submitting.html

The Edward F. Albee Foundation exists to serve writers and visual artists from all walks of life, by providing time and space in which to work without disturbance.

Using only talent and need as the criteria for selection, the Foundation invites any and all artists to apply.

Founded in 1967 by Edward Albee, after proceeds from his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? proved abundant, the Foundation has maintained the William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Center (better known as "The Barn") in Montauk, on Long Island in New York, as a residence for writers and visual artists.

The Center is open almost year-round and can accommodate four creative persons at a time. Residencies are for calendar-month periods (with rare, pre-approved exceptions). The standards for admission are, simply, talent and need.

Located approximately two miles from the center of  Montauk and the Atlantic Ocean, "The Barn" rests in a secluded knoll  which offers privacy and a peaceful atmosphere. The Foundation expects all those accepted for residence to work seriously and to conduct themselves in such a manner as to aid fellow residents in their endeavors.  Writers and visual artists are offered individual en-suite bedrooms and separate working studios. Residents are responsible for their food, travel, and other expenses. The environment is simple and communal.

5. LIVE & IN COLOR MUSICAL THEATRE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Deadline: March 15, 2025 

Website:  liveandincolor.org

Live & In Color is looking for playwrights, composers, and lyricists of color and/or other underrepresented communities interested in developing their new musical. The selected musical submission will have a one-week workshop in the fall at The Bingham Camp in Salem, Connecticut culminating in a staged presentation to an invited audience.

Writers receive a $1,000 stipend plus housing, meals, and travel. We provide support including a several-month development period based on needs of the composer/writers leading up to the retreat. Live & In Color staff will continue the support the development of your piece beyond the retreat including a reading for industry and Broadway Alums.

MUSICAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 

The musical must be performed with 4 actors (or less)

All submissions should include:

Resumes + CVs (a one-page PDF document for each team member's resume and CV)

Artistic Statement (can be authored by individual team members, or as a joint statement)

Single page synopsis*

Single page character breakdown*

Demo of score (2-3 songs)*

Sample of dialogue (~15 pages)*

Brief production/development history (properties with prior full productions not accepted)*

Optional: a PDF of the full script (please note, if you move forward to the Semi-Finalist round, a full script and score will be required) *Submission Materials must be in a single PDF document of all: https://artistcommunities.org/directory/open-calls/edward-f-albee-foundation-summerfall-residency

6. EDWARD F. ALBEE FOUNDATION SUMMER/FALL RESIDENCY

Deadline: March 16, 2025

website: https://www.albeefoundation.org/guidelines--submitting.html

The Edward F. Albee Foundation exists to serve writers and visual artists from all walks of life, by providing time and space in which to work without disturbance.

Using only talent and need as the criteria for selection, the Foundation invites any and all artists to apply.

Founded in 1967 by Edward Albee, after proceeds from his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? proved abundant, the Foundation has maintained the William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Center (better known as "The Barn") in Montauk, on Long Island in New York, as a residence for writers and visual artists.

The Center is open almost year-round and can accommodate four creative persons at a time. Residencies are for calendar-month periods (with rare, pre-approved exceptions). The standards for admission are, simply, talent and need.

Located approximately two miles from the center of  Montauk and the Atlantic Ocean, "The Barn" rests in a secluded knoll  which offers privacy and a peaceful atmosphere. The Foundation expects all those accepted for residence to work seriously and to conduct themselves in such a manner as to aid fellow residents in their endeavors.  Writers and visual artists are offered individual en-suite bedrooms and separate working studios. Residents are responsible for their food, travel, and other expenses. The environment is simple and communal.

7. DEMOCRACY CYCLE COMMISSIONS 2025

Deadline: April 1st

Website: https://pacnyc.org/the-democracy-cycle-submission-guidelines/

Over a 5-year period, The Democracy Cycle – a collaboration between the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) and Civis Foundation (an affiliate of Galvan Initiatives) – will commission and develop a total of 25 new performing arts works across the fields of theater, dance, music, opera, and multi-disciplinary performance that express themes related to the nature and practice of democracy, particularly as it is practiced in the United States.

Purpose

Our hope is that the commissioned projects will enrich and expand discussion of and participation in democracy – be it in the national, state, regional, or hyperlocal community realm – as it is practiced within the United States and worldwide. The Democracy Cycle project is inspired by the following beliefs:Democratic values are a global expression of humanity’s striving to live with one another with respect and in peace.

Democracy, as practiced in the United States, includes a history of founding exclusions. It has been, and must continue to be, the ongoing work of our society to expand upon the ideals of inclusivity embedded in our founding documents.

Democracy faces significant perceived and actual threats in the current moment, both domestically and internationally.

The Intersection of capitalism and democracy creates both opportunities and tensions.

Artists are the beating heart of democratic values because of their ability to imagine new worlds, envision new possibilities, and provoke meaningful discourse across divides.

The primary focus of The Democracy Cycle will be on democracy as it is currently being practiced in the United States. However, commissioned projects may include references to democracies worldwide provided they have potential for informing and deepening our understanding of American democracy.

The Commission

Each selected artist will receive $60,000 in support, consisting of a commission of $30,000 to create the new work as well as an additional $30,000 in support of the work’s development process (research, readings, workshops etc.).

8. NES ARTIST RESIDENCY (IN SKAGASTRÖND, ICELAND)

Deadline: Rolling

Website: https://neslist.is/apply/

As one of the largest residencies in Iceland, NES currently hosts between 90–120 artists per year. NES provides artists with a workspace and living quarters within Skagaströnd, and the freedom to create as they wish. Artists receive a $175 stipend/week, with housing accommodations.

9. DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION EMERGENCY GRANTS

Deadline: Ongoing

website: https://dgf.org/grants/

2025 applications will open on January 6th, 2025

The Dramatists Guild Foundation’s Bridge Grants are need-based awards of up to $500, now available to support dramatists with non-emergency and essential daily life expenses. Crisis Relief Grants 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.

Applications will be processed based on severity of need. Please be advised: DGF cannot process grant requests for funds toward artistic projects through this application process. Funds are most often used for necessary life expenses like groceries, utility bills and medical expenses. If you have previously received a DGF Emergency Grant since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic or hold a minimum of $15,000 in your combined bank accounts, we kindly ask that you refrain from re-applying at this time.

10. CLUBBED THUMB BIENNIAL COMMISSION

Deadline: March 20

Website: https://www.clubbedthumb.org/biennial-commission/

Every other year Clubbed Thumb invites playwrights to propose plays inspired by a particular prompt. The application is open to all, and the anonymous proposals are read by a panel of theater artists. The winning proposal(s) receive (or split) a $15,000 award and development support. We are pleased to announce our next Biennial Commission.

This year we lost one of our great comic dramatists: Christopher Durang. We’ve been reflecting on how powerful and much-needed savage humor like his is in a world like ours today.

So, for the 10th Biennial Commission, please consider his work, especially from the 1980’s. We read Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Beyond Therapy, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, and Baby with the Bathwater, but feel free to engage with any of his work. We highly suggest reading out loud.

Go to their website for submission guidelines because they are extensive and specific: https://www.clubbedthumb.org/biennial-commission/

11. ALPINE FELLOWSHIP PRIZE

Deadline: April 1

Website: https://alpinefellowship.com/theatre-prize

Awarded for the best playwriting response on the theme of Fear.

To apply you will be asked to submit the following:

A completed play that responds to the theme of Fear. The response is up to you and if you think your work is a response, then you are eligible to submit. Plays must be longer than 30 minutes (which is likely around 30-pages)

A short statement about how your work responds to the theme.

A brief summary of your past work and writing experience.

Rules:

-Open to all nationalities.

-Applicants must be aged 18 or above at the time of entry.

-All entries must be written in English.

-You can enter multiple prizes.

-Plays must not have been professionally produced (this means a run of more than a week for which the audience must buy tickets, it does not include rehearsed readings or workshops.)

-Submissions are judged anonymously so please do not include your name on your script.

The winner and runners-up will receive financial support in the following amounts:

Prizes

First place: £3,000 

Second place: £1,000 

Third place: £1,000 

12. CARLO ANNONI INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING PRIZE

Deadline: April 30

Website: https://premiocarloannoni.eu/?lang=en

The Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize is now open for submissions of short and full-length plays with topics concerning the LGBTQ+ community worldwide, including love, diversity and identity in a time of gender fluidity.

€1000 will be awarded to two best plays (one in English and one in Italian). There are also special jury mentions in multiple categories.

The award ceremony will take place in September 2025 in Milan, Italy.

We accept plays that have already premiered.

Please submit your entries by midnight (CET) of 30 April. This is an ongoing yearly opportunity.