THE WORKING FARM
SPACE on Ryder Farm
INFO: The Working Farm, SPACE’s resident writers’ group, offers eight playwrights, composers, lyricists and/or librettists five fully-subsidized residency weeks on Ryder Farm during the course of the June-October season. While in residence, the artists each focus on developing a single new work and are strongly encouraged to structure their days and weeks to best suit the needs of their project.
The eight Working Farm writers are in residence together twice over the course of the season (June 1st-June 6th and September 15th-September 20th). The writers’ remaining residency weeks are scheduled during the following Creative Residency weeks:
During their additional stays, Working Farm writers may invite a collaborator (e.g. a director, designer, dramaturg, actor) to join them on the farm for a day, subject to availability.
During their time on the farm, The Working Farm writers are housed in Ryder Farm’s historic buildings, served three daily farm-fresh communal meals and provided with artistic and administrative resources.
While at SPACE, the only requirements of The Working Farm are that they join in the three communal meals daily, “give back” 3-4 hours per week of their time-in-residence to Ryder Farm and participate in short, informal sharings of the work accomplished while in residence.
All Working Farm residencies are fully-subsidized. Residents cover their travel to and from the farm. For reference, a round-trip off-peak Metro North ticket from Grand Central Terminal to Brewster Terminal is $30.00. Transportation between the Brewster Terminal and Ryder Farm is provided by the SPACE team on the first and last days of the residency.
The Roving Dinner
One of the highlights of The Working Farm is The Roving Dinner, which occurs during the group’s September residency week. During this celebration of The Working Farm writers, excerpts of the eight SPACE-developed works are paired with an eight-course farm-fresh meal and performed at eight historic locations around Ryder Farm.
The Working Farm Reading Series
Following the five-week residency at Ryder Farm, Working Farm members are offered the opportunity to present a public reading of their SPACE-developed project through SPACE’s partnership with Playwrights Horizons. These readings customarily take place in the winter or early spring.
Before applying, please review the guidelines below as well as the FAQ page. If you have questions about applying to SPACE, please contact us at residencies@spaceonryderfarm.org.
Semi-finalists will be notified by late December 2019. Finalists will be interviewed in February and March 2020. Final decisions will be made by early April 2020.
DEADLINE: November 6, 2019
https://www.spaceonryderfarm.org/the-working-farm
ARTIST COMMISSIONING PROGRAM
Queens Council on the Arts
INFO: The Artist Commissioning Program (ACP) awards Queens-based choreographers, playwrights, and composers $10,000 each towards the creation of a new, original work. This program democratizes the traditional commissioning process, which has historically been reserved for a privileged few. The ACP supports projects that add to the canon of American art by telling an untold story of underrepresented person(s) relevant to the neighborhoods in Queens. Two things make ACP unique: 1) its aim to fill gaps in American culture, and 2) its format of pairing artists with a cohort of "Art Commissioners."
ACP's priority is to support artists who present a fresh perspective by creating work that defies the cultural mainstream, privileges underrepresented identities, and/or speaks to the cultural diversity of Queens by telling an untold story of underrepresented person(s). Artists’ projects should highlight the stories of individual protagonists (e.g. heroine(s), hero(s), characters) in their proposed works to give underrepresented people a vision of themselves as leading characters. The new work should be replicable, capable of being interpreted and produced for dance, music, or theatre by other artist(s) or third parties throughout the borough, city, and country (e.g. if a high school or off-broadway theatre wanted to produce your work, they could do so - think Summer Stock or Swan Lake). By commissioning artists to materialize such works, the ACP aims to fill gaps in American culture by actively adding to the art historical canon. In doing so, the ACP aims to create a more democratic cultural sector that is more inclusive of the diverse narratives, cultural backgrounds, and values associated with our borough and nation.
The following eligibility criteria apply to the Artist Commissioning Program:
ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE: Composers, playwrights, and choreographers are eligible to apply.
LOCATION: All greater NYC artists within a commuting distance to Queens Council on the Arts’ offices in Astoria/Long Island City, as well as Monthly Convenings in Maspeth/Ridgewood or Flushing
GEOGRAPHIC PREFERENCE: While all artists within a commuting distance of Queens Council on the Arts will be considered and are encouraged to apply, preference will be given to Queens residents,
especially those with a demonstrated connection to the neighborhoods
of Flushing or Maspeth/RidgewoodAGE: Must be 21 years or older as of January 1, 2020
DEADLINE: November 14, 2019
https://www.queenscouncilarts.org/art-commissioning/
Austin Latinx New Play Festival
Teatro Vivo
INFO: Teatro Vivo is pleased to announce the call for entries for the 2020 Austin Latinx New Play Festival (ALNPF), presented in collaboration with ScriptWorks, to run May 14 to May 16, 2020. Playwrights are invited to submit original scripts that speak to the diverse Latinx experience. Plays can be in English, Spanish, Nahuatl, Coahuiltecan, bilingual or multilingual.
Plays will then be read and scored by a diverse panel of readers. Four scripts will be selected for presentation at the festival, including one play by a currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student, and one play for young audiences. Selected plays will be announced in December.
Eligible plays must be original, full-length works with a minimum 50-minute run time and a max of 10 roles. Additionally, plays must align with the Teatro Vivo mission statement, be focused on Latinx lives, and must not have been produced before the ALNPF or already scheduled for production during 2019-2020. Preference will be given to plays that utilize more than one language.
Now in its eighth year, the ALNPF provides an opportunity for playwrights to hear, see, and receive feedback on their original work. The festival brings each playwright together with a dramaturg, director, and actors to bring their play to life as a staged reading in front of an audience. Additionally, the selected works will receive a preliminary reading in January to give playwrights an opportunity to revise their work before rehearsals begin in May.
Playwrights of the selected pieces will collaborate with a dramaturg and director hired by Teatro Vivo. Playwrights must be available to attend the preliminary reading of their play in January, the public reading in May, and participate in a facilitated talk back with the audience immediately following the public reading. The Austin Latinx New Play Festival will take place at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.
DEADLINE: November 15, 2019
https://teatrovivo.org/austin-latinx-new-play-festival/
Spring 2020 San Francisco Semester Application
American Conservatory Theater
INFO: American Conservatory Theater is seeking applications for their Spring 2020 Semester. This immersive and extensive experience combines internationally recognized professional actor training with theatrical and cultural immersion in the heart of the city.
Who is eligible?
Recent high school graduates with a performance background seeking a gap year
Theater majors in their junior or senior year
Theater minors and second-term sophomores with special recommendations from theater faculty
Recent college graduates with an AA or Bachelor's degree in theater or a theater minor
International students
DEADLINE: November 29, 2019