THEATER — DECEMBER 2023

MCKNIGHT NATIONAL RESIDENCY AND COMMISSION

McKnight Foundation

DEADLINE: December 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. CST

INFO: The McKnight Foundation, a family foundation based in Minnesota, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. 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 distinct artistic vision. 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 be required to move to Minnesota but will have opportunities to engage with local artists and the Playwrights' Center staff and fellows throughout their term (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025). 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. Past recipients include: Aya Ogawa, Sharon Bridgforth, Kia Corthron, Erik Ehn, Idris Goodwin, Karen Hartman, Daniel Alexander Jones, Sibyl Kempson, Taylor Mac, Dan O'Brien, Heather Raffo, Betty Shamieh, James Anthony Tyler, and Mfoniso Udofia.

ELIGIBILITY: 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 by the time of application. (At least one play must have had a production actually be presented fully before an audience. If you have had an additional play be scheduled for production and publicized, but the production was canceled for reasons outside of your control within the last three years, you may count that as your second professional production.)

Minnesota-based playwrights are not eligible for this award. Recipients of the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible. Full-time students are not eligible. Staff and board members of the McKnight Foundation and the Playwrights' Center or their immediate families are not eligible. Recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships or Core Writer benefits during the grant year. If a recipient is a Core Writer, their Core term will be extended by one year. Recipients must create a new play according to the terms of the contract. Applicants may only apply for one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship each year in any of the disciplines listed below.

The McKnight Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Cowles Center), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (NCC), Composers (ACF), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (the Loft), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).

APPLICATION:

Each application will contain the following pieces:

-Application Form

(including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information)

-Playwriting Resume

Please note clearly which productions listed on your resume (if any) meet the criteria for being "fully produced by a professional theater." Professional productions are defined as full length productions—running at least 45 minutes in performance— for which the author and primary artists (actors, directors, and creative collaborators) were reasonably compensated and that received at least three public performances each. Ten-minute or one-act plays and university, college, secondary school, amateur, and Equity showcase/waiver productions are not considered full professional productions. Productions that open after the application deadline of December 14, 2023 do not count.

At least one play must have had a production actually be presented fully before an audience. If you have had an additional play be scheduled for production and publicized, but the production was canceled for reasons outside of your control within the last three years, you may count that as your second professional production.

-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. If you have previously received a McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in any discipline, this script must have been completed after that fellowship year.

NOTE: If you are planning to apply with a musical, please be aware that only text submissions are allowed. We do not accept any audio files or links to external websites, and evaluators will be instructed to not seek out any demos or audio tracks related to submitted scripts. We recommend that you consider the strength of just the text of your piece—separate from any music or other elements—as you select which piece to submit.

-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. Readers and panelists will be evaluating the specificity of your project and development/residency plans to the local community, so be sure to discuss why the Playwrights’ Center, Minneapolis, and/or Minnesota is the right place for you to work on the piece.

-One letter of recommendation

Please request one letter of recommendation from an artistic professional familiar with your work as a playwright. Letters must be received by the application deadline: December 14, 2023. You will be sending a request through the application portal below. You may request a letter through the application system before finishing your final application, so we recommend that you click on the link below and begin your application sooner rather than later to give your recommender time to complete their letter.

New for 2023: Letters of recommendation are valid for three years. If you would like to resubmit a past letter of recommendation, please email Artistic Programs Manager Julia Brown at juliab@pwcenter.org at least two weeks before the application deadline. We try to keep all letters on file, but we cannot guarantee that each letter will be available.

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

pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-national-residency-and-commission

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ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE FELLOWSHIP

Newberry Library

DEADLINE: December 15, 2023

INFO: Newberry Library provides fellowships for writers, artists, and other humanists.

FELLOWSHIPS:

The Historical Fiction Writing Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

Offering one month of support for a person working in the area of historical fiction. We encourage applications relating to a wide range of historical fiction including novels, short stories, plays and theatrical works, or poetry.
Stipend: $3,000
Length: 1 month
Who can apply: Writers of historical fiction.

newberry.org/research/artists-in-residence

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MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS IN PLAYWRITING

McKnight Foundation

DEADLINE: January 11, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CST

INFO: 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 to their craft, and distinct artistic vision. The fellowship, which runs July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025, 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. Past recipients include: Carlyle Brown, Lisa D'Amour, Barbara Field, Keli Garrett, Marvin González De León, Jeffrey Hatcher, Christina Ham, Rachel Jendrzejewski, Tori Sampson, TyLie Shider, Carson Kreitzer, May Lee-Yang, Kira Obolensky, Savannah Reich, Harrison David Rivers, Stacey Rose, Katie Ka Vang, and Rhiana Yazzie.

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 January 11, 2023, and must maintain residency in Minnesota during the fellowship year. Applicants must have had a minimum of one work fully produced by a professional theater at the time of application.

ELIGIBILITY: Recipients of 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2022-24 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in any discipline are not eligible. Full-time students are not eligible. Staff and board members of the McKnight Foundation and the Playwrights' Center and their immediate family members are not eligible. Fellowship recipients may not receive any other Playwrights' Center fellowships, grants, or Core Writer program benefits during the grant year. If a recipient is a Core Writer, the Core term will be extended by one year. Applicants may only apply for one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship each year in any of the disciplines listed below.

APPLICATION:

(NOTE: The primary language used by evaluators during the selection process is English. If text is intentionally written not in English, a line of context would be helpful to an evaluator. Playwrights’ Center acknowledges this is an ethnocentric practice. While most Fellowship activities and engagements are conducted in English, Playwrights' Center staff are available to discuss additional support and resources as necessary.)

Each application will contain the following pieces:

-Application Form

(including contact details, eligibility, and demographic information)

-Playwriting Resume

-Artistic Statement

Use this one-page statement to describe your artistic goals and vision as a theater maker. This is also an opportunity to provide context for the play you submitted and discuss how it fits into your larger body of work and how you envision your work developing. Please also discuss how you hope to take advantage of the fellowship resources.

-Full-length play script

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. 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. If you have previously received a McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in any discipline, this script must have been completed after that fellowship year.

-References

Please list two individuals who are familiar with your work as a playwright and who we may contact during the evaluation process.

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

pwcenter.org/programs/mcknight-fellowships-in-playwriting