I AM SOUL PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
National Black Theatre
DEADLINE: May 8, 2023
INFO: Launched in 2012, The I AM SOUL Playwrights Residency Program uniquely serves the best and brightest emerging Black playwrights from around the nation. Through this program, NBT seeks to foster mutually-beneficial relationships between Black institutions and creatives to re-establish historically Black theatrical institutions as the foremost supporters and producers of Black artistry.
This 18-month residency aims to unleash the souls of two to three Black playwrights per cycle. Coined as a dream MFA program, this program is about process, not product, so playwrights experiment with form, style, and narrative to develop, hone and explore new ways of artistic expression in a nourishing environment. Each resident is provided a financial stipend, dramaturgical and developmental resources, a full production team, and three 29-hour workshops.
GOALS OF THE PROGRAM:
To help the selected Playwright(s) unleash their soul on the page by providing them a safe, supported, and transformative environment where they can develop, hone, and explore artistic expression.
With NBT's Creative Staff, the selected playwright(s) will develop a new play during the eighteen (18) month residency.
This process culminates with a Public Presentation in NBT’s Theatrical season.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Application Deadline - May 8, 2023
Finalists / Semi- Finalists Notifications - June 6, 2023
Residents notified - June 30, 2023
Residency Begins - Sept 6, 2023
BENEFITS:
The playwright(s) will receive a minimum stipend of $7,500.00.
NBT will provide support for up to six in-house readings of new plays outside of the Resident's commissioned work.
Access to scheduled office space, printing, and administrative support.
Two Complimentary tickets to each of National Black Theatre productions that season, as well as additional services and opportunities that NBT has to offer and may come across.
REQUIREMENTS:
The I AM SOUL - PLAYWRIGHT RESIDENCY is available to Black playwrights, 21 years of age or older, who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Students in K-12 educational programs or enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs for playwriting are not eligible.
The resident playwright commits to spending a minimum 18-month residency period by actively participating in the National Black Theatre community.
Applicants must commit to being present and an active participant during all readings, workshops, rehearsals, and public presentations of their work.
Playwrights may not receive more than one residency at NBT through this program.
The selected playwright is required to serve on the Selection Committee for the I AM SOUL - PLAYWRIGHTS RESIDENCY.
nationalblacktheatre.org/playwrights-residency
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: THE VANGUARD ARTS FUND
Olney Theatre Center
DEADLINE: May 12, 2023
INFO: Vanguard Arts Fund applications are now open for Olney Theatre Center’s 2023-24 season. The Vanguard Arts Fund provides development support to diverse teams of artists interested in creating works - especially works that cross artistic disciplines - in a collaborative environment. From the seed of an idea for a new play, to a concept for a classic adaptation, to a first draft or first song of a musical, we provide intensive workshop time at various stages of the development process. We commit to these artistic teams in hopes of producing their work at Olney Theatre Center in a future season.
The Vanguard Arts Fund was launched in 2017 with a $350,000 endowment gift from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation; the Fund’s success in developing shows we’ve gone on to produce prompted the Foundation to add $1 million to the endowment in 2022.
WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
While OTC will consider text-based work that springs from the mind of a singular playwright, successful proposals for new work will more likely bring together more than one generative artist in an interdisciplinary fashion to explore new or classic stories. So, a director and videographer working on an off-beat immersive experience, or workshopping a new musical, or a number of designers or actors coming together with a playwright to devise something, or a playwright and director working jointly to create something, or a composer working with a bunch of musicians and a choreographer on an idea all are examples of exciting proposals. Directors, actors, playwrights, designers, stage managers - we want to hear from anyone with a great idea and a great plan to pursue their artistic visions.
We are committed to ensuring the majority of projects we fund are led by BIPOC generative artists, and intend to support at least one BIPOC-created musical each year.
At this time, we are only able to consider artists based in the United States.
Past projects include:
The Music Man: Deaf performer Joey Caverly pitched the idea of a Deaf-hearing production of this classic musical back in 2017. OTC gathered a directing team and ten actors to try out the idea, working on only two numbers. This led to a successful full-scale production in the summer of 2022. The production was nominated for nine 2023 Helen Hayes Awards.
A.D. 16: a new musical by Bekah Brunstetter and Cinco Paul, about teenaged Mary Magdalene, was developed in 2019 via a Vanguard workshop. The show got its world premiere at OTC in 2022. Commercial producer TBD Theatricals has obtained the rights and is planning a Broadway production.
The Joy That Carries You: Pitched during the heart of the pandemic as a response to the murder of George Floyd and rising anti-semitism, co-writers Awa Sal Secka and Dani Stoller received two Vanguard Arts Fund workshops to develop this play, which combined traditional narrative and spoken-word poetry to tell its story. OTC committed to producing the show after its first workshop, and produced it in 2022. The production was nominated for five 2023 Helen Hayes Awards.
Currently in development:
The Game - conceived, written and performed by Rhett Guter
Okuni - Book and lyrics by Naomi Iizuka, Music and Lyrics by Lezlie Wade, directed by Lisa Portes
The Joint - Book by Dominic Taylor and Curtis Jones, Music and lyrics by Timothy Graphenreed, directed by Kenneth Roberson
The Gifted Prince - Music by Daniel Green, Book & Lyrics by Lezlie Wade, Directed & Choreographed by Darren Lee.
What does Olney Theatre provide?
Up to one week of workshop space
$900 per week for generative artists; all other artists are paid/contracted as required with union agreements
For out-of-town artists: Travel and housing with common kitchen.
Our rehearsal room or one of our three stages for up to one week (possible off-site space as well)
Olney Theatre staff support for casting and other personnel procurement (casting, tech, personnel, musicians, etc.) as needed
Shared vehicles and gas paid by theater
What does Olney Theatre Center require?
Olney Theatre will ask for the right to consider and potentially produce the work within 18 months of the workshop. But we’re not asking for an exclusive right, nor are we asking for world premiere rights. If you get a Broadway production, awesome! All we ask is that it doesn’t get produced in the DMV before we get a shot at it.
Will Olney Theatre Center own the work or idea?
No. Generative artists always own their ideas and the work they create.
Is Olney Theatre Center open to partnerships?
Yes! In development, in production, in workshops, whatever. We try to operate from a place of abundance, sharing and transparency, and want what’s best for the generative artists and their work. We’re currently working with Somerled Arts on The Gifted Prince, and Denise Gray Productions for The Joint.
Ok, I’m interested, I’ve got an idea, what should I do?
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please send the following information as a single pdf to hallie@olneytheatre.org. We are accepting applications until May 12, 2023, and announcements will be made in June. Please include the following in your application:
Project point of contact information (pronouns, email, phone number, city/state)
In 1-2 pages:
About the Project
Point of View
At what stage of development is this project currently, and what is the project’s development history?
In up to 1 page:
What are your goals for a Vanguard Arts Fund workshop? How will this workshop support the development of this project?
How much time do you think you need to explore this project?
Please also include:
The names and bios of the artists/collaborators involved in this project
Number of performers or other types of artists needed for a workshop (if known)
Any supporting materials (script draft, up to 3 song recordings if necessary, synopsis, orchestration, etc.)
How large are the support budgets for VAF projects?
Support for projects in the past has ranged from $2,500 to $15,000. However, support of up to $25,000 will be considered.
When do you need this and what’s the selection process?
This is the first year we are opening up the application process nationally. We are asking you to send proposals by May 12, 2023. Our selection process will be internal, with OTC’s full-time artistic staff. We’re going to aim to decide by June 30, 2023. Which will give us time to review, and ask questions if needed.
olneytheatre.org/about-us/work-here/vanguard-arts-fund
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50TH ANNIVERSARY FELLOWSHIPS FOR ARTISTS OF COLOR
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA)
DEADLINE: May 15, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $30
INFO: Conceived during VCCA’s 50th anniversary year in 2021 and established in 2022, the 50th Anniversary Fund provides free first-time VCCA residencies for 50 artists of color a year.
Each 50th Anniversary Fellow receives a free residency of up to two weeks at Mt. San Angelo, VCCA’s artist residency program in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. All VCCA residencies include a private studio, a private bedroom with en-suite bath, three prepared meals each day, and access to a community of more than 20 other artists in residence.
APPLICATION DETAILS:
Eligibility: Artists of color (writers, visual artists, and composers) who have not previously been in residence at VCCA
Length of Fellowship: Up to two weeks with flexible scheduling
Next available for:
Winter 2024
Residencies Available: January 2 – April 30, 2024
Application Deadline: May 15, 2023
Notification by: August 31, 2023
To be considered as a 50th Anniversary Fellow, complete the “Application for Mt. San Angelo Residencies, VCCA in Virginia,” selecting your fellowship interest in Question 2.
* If the application fee presents a significant barrier to application, please write to vcca@vcca.com by May 10, 2023, to request an application fee waiver.
VCCA intends the term artist of color to broadly include those creating original work in a wide variety of literary, visual art, and/or musical/sound disciplines who self-identify as part of one or more of these U.S. census groups: American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latinx; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; Multi-Racial. If you have a question about whether VCCA’s studio spaces would be suitable to the nature of your creative work, please write to Artists Services at vcca@vcca.com in advance of the deadline.
Applicants must submit an online application by the deadline, complete with recent work samples, a project description, and a variety of biographical and logistical details. VCCA no longer requires letters of recommendation. Applicants will be considered for a VCCA residency and as many funding opportunities for which they are eligible.
vcca.com/apply/fully-funded-fellowships/50th-anniversary-fellowships-for-artists-of-color/
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Austin Film Festival
DEADLINE: May 25, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $35
INFO: At Austin Film Festival, our mission is to champion all writers across mediums. Our Playwriting Competition (open to full-length plays) gives playwrights a chance to explore our film and television conference. It will also allow film professionals to discover storytellers who have mastered the art and craft of stage drama.
AFF has always promoted story as the most important element of film and TV. So giving playwrights their own story exposure and a chance of crossover into film and TV only advances our mission. There are many other playwriting competitions out there, but AFF offers playwrights broader access to successful writers and professionals in all the other related fields.
The play that make the Final Round will have a reading during the Conference. Advancing playwrights will have access to exclusive panels, workshops, roundtables, and unique networking opportunities with professionals in theatre, film, and television.
AFF understands the relationship between passion and writing. That’s why we have enormous respect for the many successful playwrights who made the seamless transition to film and TV – playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Horton Foote, John Patrick Shanley, Tony Kushner and Beau Willimon. And that list grows exponentially with today’s widening viewer market.
austinfilmfestival.com/submit/play/
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Marble House Project artist residency
Marble House Project
DEADLINE: May 31, 2023
APPLICATION FEE: $35.00
INFO: Marble House Project is a multidisciplinary artist residency program (ie: Fiction, Non Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Film and Video, etc.) that fosters collaboration and the exchange of ideas, by providing an environment for artists across disciplines to live and work together. The residency integrates sustainable practices, including small-scale organic food production and waste conservation. Residents sustain their growth by engaging with the grounds while working on their artistic practice. Marble House Project is founded on the belief that the act of creating, whether in the studio or in nature, is how human potential expands and community thrives.
Marble House Project accepts approximately 60 residents and is open to artists living in the United States and abroad. You must be at least 21 years old. Each session accommodates eight artists and is specifically curated to bring together a diverse group of creative workers, to maximize potential for collaboration and dialogue while in residence and beyond.
RESIDENCY DATES FOR 2024:
March 5th - 26th
April 2nd - April 23rd
April 30th - May 21st
May 28th - June 18
September 17th - October 8th
October 15th - November 4th
ABOUT THE RESIDENCY:
All residents live together in the historic, eight-bedroom Manley-Lefevre house, a communal space organized around responsibilities-sharing systems which highlight sustainability and community. The residency is an opportunity to develop and carry out practices of mutual support, group conversation, and to cultivate adaptive relationships with the environment. This can take the form of discussions with guest multidisciplinary artists, thinkers, and activists and other individual and group activities that benefit our community of residents.
Residents will be paired and asked to cook for shared dinners three times over the course of their residency, Monday-Friday. . Each session culminates with a short video interview and artists are invited to share their work with our community and each other. Marble House Project provides private bedrooms, food, private studio space, and artist support. We are not able to cover costs related to travel or materials. There is no fee to attend the residency.
Applications are accepted in all creative fields including but not limited to writing, dance and choreography, performance, music composition and sound, film and video, visual arts, and culinary arts. Applications are reviewed by a jury of alumni and staff. Artists are selected based on quality of work, commitment to practice, and project description. Please choose the application that best describes your work. Two artists may apply together as a collaborative, and should complete one application. Within each application you will be asked to select the session dates best for you.
marblehouseproject.submittable.com/submit
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Catskills Creative Residency
Arts & Ecology Incorporated
DEADLINE: June 1, 2023 by 11:59 pm ET
INFO: The Catskills Creative Residency invites two playwrights for a fully funded week-long stay in the Sullivan County Catskills of upstate New York. The residency includes accommodations in a lovely two-bedroom home in Livingston Manor, NY. Each playwright receives a $200 travel and food stipend. Playwrights collaborate with director Eugenia Manwelyan and Catskills-based actors to workshop their plays. The residency culminates in a works-in-progress performance at the historic Tusten Theater in Narrowsburg, NY.
Arts & Ecology Incorporated is issuing an open call for playwrights to submit an excerpt of an as-yet unfinished or not yet finalized new work. Full plays or excerpts of any genre are welcome and must be between 20 and 30 minutes/pages in length. (Please note that we are unable to work with musical-based and non-English works at this time.)
The two selected plays or play excerpts are rehearsed by local actors prior to the playwrights’ arrival in the Catskills, and presented to the playwrights at the start of the week-long residency. Over the course the of the residency, the playwrights work with the local actors and director to refine their work, experiment with staging, and iterate the script. Open rehearsals and a community dinner will connect the playwrights with the talented theater-makers working in the Catskills.
The residency culminates in a works-in-progress performance at which the two plays/play excerpts are presented as semi-blocked staged readings, followed by a conversation with the audience.
Please consider that we seek to support artists that further our mission to engage critically with the intersection of nature and culture. We do interpret this mission broadly, we understand that creative projects need not speak to these issues literally or directly, and there is no thematic limitation to submissions.
RESIDENCY SCHEDULE (October 15-22, 2023):
Sunday, October 15 - Arrivals and introductions
Monday, October 16 - Actors present the rehearsed pieces to the playwrights
Tuesday, October 17 to Thursday, October 19 - Playwrights refine their work, and each has their own stand-alone work session with the director and actors
Friday, October 20 - Community Dinner with Catskills-based theater makers and producers
Saturday, October 21 - Matinee performance and facilitated discussion between the audience, playwrights, director, and performers
Sunday, October 22 - Departure
ELIGIBILITY: You must be at least 18 years of age by October 1, 2023.
STIPEND: Each playwright-in-residence receives a $200 stipend upon arrival at the residency.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The two selected playwrights-in-residence share accommodations in a lovely spacious 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom fully furnished house located in Livingston Manor, NY.
TRANSPORTATION: Playwrights are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the residency. Public transportation is available via the Shortline Bus from Port Authority in New York City to Monticello, NY. Transportation during the residency can be arranged if the playwright-in-residence does not have a personal vehicle.
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
As you are not able to save your work on the form prior to submitting, we encourage you to write your answers in a separate document and paste them into the form once you are ready.
This residency is designed to help playwrights move their works further toward completion. Therefore, the script that you submit for consideration should not be complete and finalized, but should be ready for a director and actors to work with and stage.
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
aeinc.org/catskills-creative-residency
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Narrative Prize
Narrative Mag
DEADLINE: June 15, 2023
INFO: The $5,000 Narrative Prize is awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative.
The prize is announced each September and is given to the best work published each year in Narrative by a new or emerging writer, as judged by the magazine’s editors. In some years, the prize may be divided between winners, when more than one work merits the award. Entries selected for publication are eligible for the Narrative Prize, which is not a contest but an award.
narrativemagazine.com/great-stories/narrative-prize
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THE 2023 GEORGIA LIST
The Black List
DEADLINE: June 15, 2023
INFO: The Georgia List is a new opportunity for all writers with close ties to the state of Georgia to submit their feature scripts, pilots, plays, and musicals. The Black List has partnered with Collective Moxie and Trilith Studios–with support from additional partners 3Arts Entertainment, Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content), Content Talent South, the Alliance Theatre, and Art Farm at Serenbe–to identify and curate a list of the ten best unproduced features, pilots, plays, and musicals from writers with a connection to Georgia.
Writers who are new to the Black List may request a fee waiver for one free month of hosting and one free evaluation. 75 fee waivers will be distributed in order of request. When requesting a fee waiver, writers will have to disclose what their close tie to Georgia is, and the Black List and partners will have the right to approve or reject each request based on eligibility.
After submissions close on June 15, 2023, representatives from each supporting partner will read the shortlisted feature scripts, pilots, plays, and musicals and provide input on which scripts show the most promise. The final ten writers on the Georgia List will be announced at the 2023 Georgia Summit in October 2023.
The writers on the Georgia List will meet with managers from 3Arts and Content Talent South for possible representation, and executives from Fifth Season for a potential development deal. The Alliance Theater will mount a staged reading of one of the scripts on the List.
Two writers from the List will also become Artists in Residence at the Art Farm at Serenbe. These two writers will each receive a $10,000 grant and mentorship from Jamie Linden (WE ARE MARSHALL, DEAR JOHN).
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
October 20, 2022 - Submissions open on blcklst.com
May 14, 2023 - Purchase deadline for paid evaluations / Deadline to use Fee Waiver
June 15, 2023 - Submission deadline
June 16, 2023 - Shortlist writers notified
September 16, 2023 - Georgia List writers notified
October 2023 - Announce List at 2023 Georgia Summit
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Writers who submit to the Georgia List must have a close tie to the state of Georgia. Close ties to the state can include but are not limited to:
The writer is from the state of Georgia
The writer grew up in the state of Georgia
The writer currently lives in the state of Georgia
The writer went to college in the state of Georgia
The writer is a part time resident of the state of Georgia
The writer has spent significant time with family in the state of Georgia
blcklst.com/programs/the-2023-georgia-list
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Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Playwright Award
New York Foundation for the Arts
DEADLINE: Friday, June 30 at 5:00pm ET
INFO: The Ryan Hudak LGBTQ+ Playwright Award is an annual $10,000 cash grant awarded to one (1) New York State-based playwright who self-identifies as LGBTQ+. The Award honors the life and work of Ryan Hudak. Ryan was a gay playwright, theater maker, filmmaker, and a valued member of NYFA’s staff, serving on the executive and development teams. Tragically, Ryan passed away in May 2022 after a long battle with Leukemia at the age of 32. The Award will be open to playwrights who live in New York State, including those who live within the five boroughs of New York City.
Applicants will need to be practicing playwrights and be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to their creative practice and career. Applicants will be required to share a statement on how this Award will impact and catalyze their artistic work and practice. Applicants must self-identify as LGBTQ+. Only those who are at least 25 years of age and current New York State residents and have maintained residency for a minimum of twelve months by the application deadline will be considered.
Funding for this award is generously provided by Ryan’s parents, Pat and Tom Hudak; individual donors; and the philanthropic community.
APPLICANTS NOTIFIED: October 2023
nyfa.org/awards-grants/the-ryan-hudak-lgbtq-playwright-award/