Friday, September 4, 2015

Get What You Want: September 2015



1.
GREAT PLAINS THEATRE CONFERENCE
Deadline: Oct 15th
website: www.mccneb.edu/gptc/CallforPlays.asp


The Great Plains Theatre Conference offers playwrights the opportunity to interact with and have their work seen by top writers, directors and actors from across the country. In addition, playwrights work directly with these professionals in hands-on writing and industry workshops, participate in daily panel discussions and attend evening performances with master playwrights and theatre practitioners. Past panelists, workshop leaders and respondents include: Edward Albee, Doug Wright, Emily Mann, Mac Wellman, Arthur Kopit, Marshall Mason, Mark Lamos, Theresa Rebeck, Constance Congdon, Erik Ehn, Will Eno, Lee Blessing and David Lindsay-Abaire among others.
Plays submitted are reviewed by a 100% blind reading process and considered for the following categories...

THE MAINSTAGE SERIES

Five plays are chosen for the MainStage Series and recognized with the Holland New Voices Award. For the playwright, this includes a $500 honorarium, travel, room and board, Conference registration and preferential admittance to all special WorkShop sessions and Conference events. MainStage playwrights also receive a script rehearsal period with local and national directors and actors. Near the end of the week, the GPTC features a staged reading of each script for Conference attendees and the general public. A panel of top theatre professionals serve as respondents to the work. The five MainStage plays are published in “The 2015 GPTC Reader.”
Playwrights whose scripts are chosen for MainStage readings must attend the GPTC for the entire week.

DAILY PLAYLABS

Approximately 25 plays are chosen for the daily PlayLabs. For the playwright, this includes room and board, Conference registration and preferential admittance to all WorkShops and Conference events. Local and national directors and actors rehearse in preparation for a staged reading of each script. Conference attendees and the public attend these readings and a panel of select theatre professionals serves as respondents
Playwrights whose scripts are chosen for PlayLab readings must be available to attend the entire conference.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

  • The GPTC will accept both full length and one act scripts.
  • Playwrights may submit a maximum of one script.
  • Scripts co-written by multiple playwrights may be submitted. If chosen, the benefits outlined above will be provided for ONE playwright only.
  • Plays that have received an Equity production, plays for young audiences and musicals will not be accepted.
  • All selections will be finalized by March 15.
  • There is a $10 fee for each submission. Submissions will not be considered without payment. The entire fee is applied toward the costs for readers.


2.
Lark Theatre’s Playwrights Week
Deadline: Oct 20th


As our Open Access Program, Playwrights’ Week serves as the central entry point for play submissions at The Lark and encourages the development of new voices. The Lark is committed to providing access to all playwrights and is proud to seek out plays that reveal underrepresented and vital perspectives. All playwrights will receive consideration without regard to demographics, professional experience, geographic location or history with the organization.

Playwrights' Week 2016 Submissions Guidelines:

  • Submit ONE completed application and ONE full-length play.
  • No more than ONE play per playwright will be considered.
  • List only the play title on the cover page. No personal information.
  • Submit only Word or PDF files as attachments
A complete submission is composed of two parts:
  • A full-length script, with your name or any identifying information removed. We are committed to a blind reading policy and it is important that each writer remains anonymous for the initial review.
  • A completed application form, available for download below: http://www.larktheatre.org/get-involved/submit-play/
Please EMAIL your script and completed application as two separate attachments in the same email to: submissions@larktheatre.org

Other Important Information:

  • Each applicant should expect a confirmation of application receipt by November 2015 and a final response by July 2016.
  • While there is no official minimum number of pages for submitted full-length plays, we do not accept 10-minute plays or musicals.
  • Previously produced plays are eligible for consideration.
  • Plays previously submitted to this program are accepted, but we strongly encourage the submission of new work.
  • Writers living outside of the United States can apply if the script was originally written in English.
  • Due to the volume of submissions to this program, we will be unable to accept revised drafts of scripts during the selection process.
  • Housing and travel will be provided for all out of town writers.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please email submissions@larktheatre.org.

What Lark Provides

  • Ten hours of rehearsal time with a creative team (including director and actors) to address self-identified development goals
  • A public staged reading at The Lark
  • A peer-based community of support and conversation for the week

The Evaluation Process

Submitted plays are evaluated based on the following Lark Support Criteria:
  • Plays which are ambitious, fresh, playful, engaging, energizing, provocative, powerful, and theatrical
  • Plays that reveal unheard and vital perspectives
  • Playwrights with clear goals about their writing who are open to a development process

3.
Playpenn Conference
Deadline: Sept 30th
website: www.playpenn.org/application-2


Beginning September 1, PlayPenn will be accepting applications for its 2016 new play development conference; we are pleased to request your full length, unproduced script for consideration. Please review the guidelines carefully and completely before making application. Application materials will be accepted between September 1 and September 30, 2015. Your application must be uploaded and complete by September 30, 2015 or it cannot be considered. Currently, PlayPenn is not considering musicals or plays for young audiences.
The 2016 conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA from July 7 – 26 at The Drake, our new home in Philadelphia, PA. Invited playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a director, dramaturg and Philadelphia-based, professional actors over a 20 day period that allows for 29 hours of rehearsal and staged reading time along with ample time to reflect and write. The work will be preceded by a three- day pre-conference roundtable (July 5 - 7) that will help in laying the collaborative groundwork for the development time ahead.
Playwrights will have the opportunity to hear their plays read aloud in three distinctly different scenarios: 1) by collaborating artists during the roundtable; 2) in a first public reading before an audience midway through the process; 3) in a second reading at the end of the process before an audience. The two public staged readings are intended as a part of the process, giving playwrights an opportunity to measure the efficacy of their work and to provide an opportunity to gauge the work ahead.
PlayPenn will provide travel for casting for both writer and director, travel to and from the conference, housing, per diem and a stipend.
Applicants should be aware that we are a development conference rather than a festival or showcase for new work. The distinction is important and meaningful to us in the current climate of the increasing commercialization of play development. We work to avoid participation in what has become known as "development hell" by fostering an environment in which risk is rewarded and honest assessment is provided and encouraged. TO THAT END, WE FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF THE TEXT. THE MID AND END-OF- CONFERENCE READINGS ARE INTENDED TO PRESENT A GLIMPSE INTO HOW THE TEXT LIVES OFF THE PAGE RATHER THAN HOW THE PLAY MIGHT BE STAGED IN PRODUCTION.
To apply: http://www.playpenn.org/application-2


4.
EST SLOAN GRANT
Deadline: November 1st
website: ensemblestudiotheatre.org/submission-guidelines
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.
Now in its 15th year, the EST/Sloan Project has awarded commissions totaling more than $450,000 to more than 140 artists. Previous commissionees include: Billy Aronson, Mike Daisey, Jason Grote, Ann Marie Healy, Michael Hollinger, Israel Horovitz, Tina Howe, Shirley Lauro, Emily Levine, Romulus Linney, Quincy Long, Cassandra Medley, Dan O’Brien, Carey Perloff, Bill Pullman, Jaquelyn Reingold, Tommy Smith, Caridad Svich, Vern Thiessen, Alex Timbers, Bridgette Wimberly, David Zellnik, Stillpoint Productions, and The Royal Shakespeare Company.


Proposals will be accepted starting September 1st, 2015.
Deadline for artist proposals and script submissions: November 1, 2015
Deadline for regional development grants: December 1, 2015

Commission Awards

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.
Commissions are also available for regional theaters who wish to sponsor a local project focused on science and technology, either by commissioning a new script or developing an extant piece. Regional commission amounts are determined on a case-by-case basis, ranging from $2,000 - $5,000.

Submission Guidelines

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.
Hard sciences include the following areas:
  • Mathematics
  • Physics (geological, nuclear, theoretical, etc.)
  • Biology (evolution, zoology, animal behavior, ecology, molecular, genetics, etc.)
  • Chemistry (industrial, biochemistry, etc.)
  • Neuroscience
  • Anthropology and Archaeology
Technology includes:
  • Computer Science
  • Software Development, Computer Development
  • Engineering (civil, chemical, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, vehicle design)
  • Space Research
Areas not considered for commissions include:
  • Science Fiction
  • Medical Conditions and/or Victims of Disease
  • Psychology and Human Behavior
A selection committee evaluates the proposals and makes the final decisions. Candidates may be asked to revise aspects of their proposals, provide writing samples, and/or arrange a meeting to discuss their project as part of the selection process.
Deadline for artist proposals and script submissions: November 1, 2015
Deadline for regional development grants: December 1, 2015

Regional Development Commissions

Theatre companies interested in receiving an EST/Sloan Project regional development grant should submit the following as their application for a grant:
  1. A current draft of the script, or a one- to two-page description or outline of the project.
  2. A resume or biography of each collaborator involved.
  3. A one- to two-page cover letter detailing the development history of the project and your goals for the commission.
  4. An estimated budget for the project.
Delivering Your Submission
We accept scripts in the following manner...

Email (preferred):

sloanproject@ensemblestudiotheatre.org

5.
New Harmony
Deadline: Oct 1st


The New Harmony Project is thrilled to announce that they are now accepting submissions of unproduced stage play scripts, musicals, screenplays and teleplays for the 30th anniversary conference taking place May 22 - June 4, 2016. Submissions will be accepted via the website until October 1, 2015. The script selection committee will review the submissions and notify the selected writers by March of 2016


he New Harmony Project seeks out and serves those writers and helps develop and promote those scripts that explore the human journey by offering hope and showing respect for the positive values of life. We will assay the integrity of the work by asking, “What does it do? Does it do it well?” Briefly, it should name, celebrate, honor and praise order in the midst of chaos; life in the midst of death; atonement in the midst of separating hatred; liberty in the midst of oppression; sacrifice in the midst of vanity; and spirit in the midst of corruption.


To submit play go to website and apply online: http://scripts.newharmonyproject.org


6.
MAP Grant
Deadline: Sep. 28th


Open submissions to the MAP Fund are accepted in the first stage of our three-stage review process.


Stage 1: Register on the MAP Fund website for the Online Letter of Inquiry. This is an open call requesting written information about your project and the lead artists involved.
After a review by field evaluators and MAP staff, those proposals that most closely align with the MAP Fund goals are invited to make a full application through email notification.


Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation). Also online, the full application requests a complete project budget, statements from lead artists, and work samples, in addition to the information submitted in the LOI. Full applications are reviewed by field evaluators and, based on these scores, a selection moves forward to the on-site peer panel.


Stage 3: A nationally composed peer panel meets on-site in New York City to review the applications. The panel recommends which proposals will be funded. Final recommendations are subject to approval by the Creative Capital Board of Directors.


REVIEW CRITERIA
Proposals are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria, which are weighed equally:
  • How well a project aligns with the MAP Fund’s goal of supporting live performance projects that embody a spirit of deep inquiry. MAP is particularly interested in supporting artists that question, disrupt, complicate, and challenge inherited notions of social and cultural hierarchy across the current American landscape.
  • The artistic strength of the proposed project.
  • The viability of the project, based on the applicant’s professional capabilities as demonstrated in the project narrative, bio and artist statement, and work samples.
  • Letter of Inquiry and Full Applications must come from organizations based in the United States that have current nonprofit federal tax status (501c3). Unincorporated artists or ensembles may apply to MAP through a fiscal sponsor.
  • Organizations and artists must demonstrate at least 2 years professional experience.
  • MAP supports only projects that contain a live performance.
  • Eligible projects must not have premiered anywhere in the world before the first date of the current grant activities period.
  • The touring or documentation of work that has already premiered is not eligible for funding.
  • Current employees or board members of Creative Capital, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation or the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, or immediate family members of such persons may not apply for a MAP grant.
  • Artists who receive a MAP grant two years in a row are asked to sit out the next year before reapplying.


WHAT WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR
MAP does not support straight adaptations from one medium to another, remounting of past work, traditional re-staging of classic works, educational projects, youth programs that do not achieve as high an artistic standard as competing professional works, festivals, or contests.


ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES
MAP supports most direct costs related to the conception, creation and premiere of a new work. These include but are not limited to commissioning fees and artists’ salaries, research costs, rehearsal and workshop expenses, promotion, and audience outreach and production costs up to and including the premiere run of the work.


NUMBER OF AWARDS
Up to 40 grants per annual cycle, ranging from $10,000 to $45,000. The average award amount is $25,000

7.
The O’Neill Center: 2016 National Playwrights Conference
Deadline (window): Sept 16- Oct 16th
website: www.theoneill.org/summer-conferences/npc/submission-info/


**Submissions for the 2016 National Playwrights Conference will be accepted from September 16 through October 16 at 11:59 PST**



If you are interested in applying, please look over the materials and sign up to receive email updates about the National Playwrights Conference. As soon as we post our 2016 application, you will be the first to know.


The National Playwrights Conference strives to create a supportive environment that empowers playwrights to their own process and to experience the play with a professional company.
In the years since its inception the National Playwrights Conference has developed more than 600 plays.  During the Conference, playwrights live on the grounds of the O'Neill for a full month and each engages in a week-long process of rehearsals culminating in two script-in-hand public readings.  Up to eight playwrights are selected for this intensive laboratory each summer.  Conference playwrights represent a wide range of experience from those working on a first play to Broadway veterans; directors and actors have also worked on and off Broadway, in film, and in regional theaters, and represent emerging artists and seasoned professionals.
Each year NPC accepts scripts from any playwright for consideration in its summer landmark event, and takes this solicitation and selection process very seriously. We do not require an agent or nomination to apply, simply the right to work in the United States.
The O'Neill typically receives approximately 1,000 scripts during this month-long window. The plays are sent to readers across the country; the work is read blindly and narrowed down into a semi-finalist pool and then a finalist pool. This process is maintained by our on-site literary office and is monitored carefully.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
  1. You must be 18 years of age and have the right to work within the United States.
  2. The play must not have had a professional production, or be scheduled to have a professional production, prior to August 2016. A professional production means that the artists working on the show were compensated for their time, and that all of the theatrical elements one hopes to see in a production were present.
  3. You may submit one original or adapted work, providing that the rights to any material not in the public domain have been granted in writing, and a copy of the release is sent along with the script.
  4. We develop all genres and styles of drama, including one-acts and solo pieces.  NPC does not develop music theater works, though you may submit such work to the National Music Theater Conference.
  5. While we accept work that has been submitted to NPC in previous years, we recommend that you share new work with us each year.
  6. Only complete applications will be accepted, whether in hard copy or electronic form.


8.
Reva Shiner Comedy
Deadline: Oct 31st
website: www.newplays.org/node/7?subnid=72&sc2=yes&left_node=7


We are currently accepting submissions for the 2016-17 Reva Shiner Comedy Award (deadline Oct. 31, 2015). The top 10 finalists and the winner of the 2016-17 Reva Shiner Comedy Award will be announced at the end of March 2016.
  • "Full-length" plays will 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. Plays that have received developmental readings, workshop productions, or productions at small theatre companies are acceptable. No scripts with previous productions at major regional theaters will be accepted. Once entered, subsequent activity does not change the acceptability of the script.
  • Each submission must include a synopsis (1 page or less) including the cast size. A separate page should include a brief bio of the playwright, and production/development history if applicable.
  • Each submission must include a cover letter with contact information and a $10.00 reader fee. Agent submissions require no fee. The fee will be waived for Dramatist Guild members with an enclosed photocopy of a membership card.
Make sure to note with your submission that you have paid the reader fee online.
It is preferable for musicals to include a demo CD. The complete score is not necessary but may be included. All plays are read by BPP's literary personnel led by and including the Literary Manager and Artistic Director.


We do not accept e-mail submissions. Scripts will not be returned. Blind submissions are not necessary. Please include all contact information. Plays submitted in previous years will be accepted.
The BPP reserves the right not to name a winner and/or name a winner but not commit to a reading or production.


Send to:
Reva Shiner Comedy Award
Bloomington Playwrights Project
107 W. 9th Street
Bloomington, IN 47404


Scripts must be postmarked by October 31, 2015, and received no later than November 10, 2015. We are not responsible for postal delays, and recommend you not choose to send Media Mail unless you are submitting several weeks in advance.
For further information, write BPP, Attn: Literary Manager, 107 W. 9th Street, Bloomington, IN 47404. For faster replies, please e-mail us at literarymanager@newplays.org

9.
University of Houston 10-min Play Festival
Deadline: Sept 15th
website: http://www.uh.edu/uh-arts/events/tickets/index.php#theatre


The University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance is excited to announce our second annual 10-Minute Play Festival for spring of 2016. We will begin accepting submissions for this festival on July 1, 2015; the submission period closes on September15, 2015.


Nine selected 10-minute plays will receive productions as part of a multi-evening festival, produced in the newly upgraded José Quintero Theatre on the University of Houston campus. This festival is open to all applicants, amateur or professional.


Submission rules:


  • Scripts will only be accepted during a submission window of July 1 through September 15, 2015. Scripts received outside this window will not be accepted. The list of winning plays will be announced in November.
  • We will accept only one play per playwright.
  • Scripts should fall in the range of 8-12 pages and run roughly ten minutes. (Page count does not include the title page.)
  • Characters in submitted plays should fall between the ages of 16-30 or else there should be no specific restrictions on the ages of the characters.
  • Previously produced plays are not eligible.
  • Musicals and plays for children are discouraged.
  • Submissions will be acknowledged via email, but we do not offer critiques.
  • Nine winning plays will receive productions in the José Quintero Theatre at the University of Houston in spring of 2015.
  • There is no financial compensation for winning entries.


How to submit:


Plays must be submitted via email. There should be no identifiable information in the script.Your email should include all of the following information:


  • play title
  • your name
  • your mailing address
  • your phone number
  • your email address
Email play to: uhplayfest@gmail.com

10.
SALTQuarters Residency
Deadine: Oct. 1st
website: saltquarters.com/portfolio/residency-program/


Apply now for the third annual SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence program. Selected artists receive a furnished artist apartment with attached studio (shared with other artist in residence), and staff support from the Near Westside Initiative (NWSI). Applications are open to all artists working in a variety of medium with a particular focus and interest in community-based artwork.
Thank you for your interest in applying for the SALT District’s first Artist-in-Residence program. Below is information regarding the SALT District, the SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence program, and the application.
The goal of SALTQuarters is to generate a creative hub for artistic endeavors that engage with the Near Westside community. Thus, the SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence program, aims to create public artwork within the Near Westside neighborhood.
In 2013 the Near Westside Initiative, a not for profit with the mission of revitalizing the Near Westside of Syracuse,  was funded by ArtPlace, a national foundation focused on creative placemaking, to transform a once vacant restaurant/bar into a hub for artists and creative individuals.  In 2013, the building was transformed into SALTQuarters, a 4,000 square foot building, with two apartments, three art studios, and a gallery space.  The building is located at the corner of Otisco and Wyoming streets, a critical intersection in the neighborhood where residential meets commercial.  In addition to the building, SALTQuarters has a large area of green space to be used for events, exhibitions, and large fabrication.
Costs / Support: The two artists will be asked to share an apartment and share an arts studio (free of charge). The furnished apartment, roughly 1000 sq ft, has two-bedrooms, a spacious kitchen/living room area, a washer and dryer, and other general amenities. The art studio is roughly 500 square feet with ample natural light, power, and access to water. The Near Westside Initiative will assist the selected artists in integrating with the community and building the connections between themselves and the residents, organizations, artists, and others in the Near Westside community.
The NWSI connection with Syracuse University also allows for SALTQuarters artists to make use of some of the Universities resources, i.e. facilities, equipment and events.
The NWSI is seeking artists with a particular interest in community-based artwork (broadly defined) for the SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence program. Specifically, the NWSI will give preference to artists with an interest in:
•Being immersed and involved with the surrounding community for the duration of the residency
•Creating work in conjunction with local community members and other artists and arts organizations;
•Creating work and installations that can be viewed by the general public whether through open studio hours, public art installations, or periodic gallery installations
The SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence program will begin January 15, 2016 and will be a yearlong residency for a local artist and a six month or yearlong residency for a national artist. Local will be defined as any artist living/working in the Central New York region. Both artists will be selected by the Near Westside Initiative.
The two artists will be asked to share an apartment and share an arts studio (free of charge). The furnished apartment, roughly 1000 sq ft, has two-bedrooms, a spacious kitchen/living room area, a washer and dryer, and other general amenities. The art studio is roughly 500 square feet with ample natural light, power, and access to water, etc.
The Near Westside Initiative will assist the selected artists in integrating with the community and building the connections between themselves and the residents, organizations, artists, and others in the Near Westside community. Some examples include:
•Neighborhood orientation upon arrival to SALTQuarters.
•The NWSI connection with Syracuse University will allow for SALTQuarters artists to make use of some of the Universities resources, i.e. facilities, equipment and events.
•Resource guide for community and arts related services, materials and facilities in the area.
Artists who successfully submit a full application will be notified of our selection by the middle of October 2015 regarding this exciting opportunity. In some cases, artists may be asked to clarify or provide additional information. Additionally, the selection committee may request an interview with final candidates. This will either be done in person, or if unable due to distance or cost, may be done via Skype.

11.
Amy's Horse
Deadline: ongoing
website: amyshorse.com


Amy’s Horse is seeking short plays, up to 15 minutes in length, to be produced as part of our podcast. What is Amy’s Horse?


Amy’s Horse is a bi-weekly theatre podcast that produces two short plays per episode. Actors in multiple locations connect to our Vermont studio via the internet for the live recording of the show. The podcast launched in June, and we've produced 8 plays over 4 episodes. These are available on our website or through the iTunes Store.


The goal is to bring together emerging playwrights and established actors to read new works, then chat about them. At the end of each reading, the actors and author stick around to speak about the play and promote their current projects. It’s a very light-hearted and relaxed environment.


Guidelines:


- Plays must be unpublished at time of submission
- Small casts preferable
- We are mainly seeking comedies, but dramas also considered
- Plays must be a maximum of 15 minutes in length


Further, if you listen to our existing episodes, you’ll see that the plays we select lend themselves to an audio only production. We use minimal sound effects and stage directions, so plays with extensive visual elements or action may not work well in our format.


How to submit:


Please send a PDF copy of your script to submissions@amyshorse.com


We are seeking scripts on an ongoing basis, but if you’ve previously submitted there’s no need to re-submit. Thank you.

12.
Clubbed Thumb Biennial
Deadline: Sept. 30th
website: www.clubbedthumb.org/2015-biennial-commission/
For this commission, please consider the work of Maria Irene Fornes, a godmother of formally innovative playwriting in the U.S. Please take a look, specifically, at The Danube and Fefu and Her Friends. (If you have not read the work of Maria Irene Fornes you might want also to dip into Mud, Abington Square, The Conduct of Life, and Promenade — or others!)
The proposals will be read and adjudicated over the course of the fall, and the commission(s) awarded by the end of 2015. The $15,000 commission — which might be split between writers if the panel so elects — will be paid out in three installments every six months, with the first installment following the signing of a contract.
In crafting the idea for the play you wish to propose, please utilize the following:
  • a cast made up entirely of women
  • a play broken into 5 scenes, at least three of which are set in different locations
  • voices from people who are not in the room, and the faces of people who are not in the room
  • (cannot be puppets or language tapes)
  • (probably avoid screens or screen containing devices)
  • a singalong
  • a scene which is repeated
And please begin your play (ala Fornes) with one of the two sentences:
  • “Something like that could never happen.”
  • “That’s why they left."
Finally, some helpful thoughts from Ms. Fornes:
  • Be always true to the character, respectful of the character.
  • Something inside you eventually shifts into the perspective of the character.
  • It’s important not to be seduced by style.
Please submit the following through the online application:
(this is a BLIND submission, see notes below)
  • completed information form
  • a one-page letter of intent telling us about your proposed project
  • 10 exploratory pages from the proposed project (either contiguous or from different sections of your play – your choice)
  • a completed play
  • a resume

Important Notes

No names please, on the letter, the 10 page sample or the complete play. The panel reads all submissions BLIND — the only place your name should appear is on the info form and on your resume.
The letter of intent should briefly map out the proposed piece and, if need be, orient the reader to the excerpt’s relationship to the whole. You needn’t explain or repeat anything that your 10 page sample makes clear. Then give us an idea of where the piece is coming from and where you think you want to go with it.
We are requesting the completed play so that our readers can get a greater sense of your voice, if they feel they need to. Please make sure to note (where prompted in the info form) the completed play’s relationship to the proposed project, and recommend 10 pages for us to look at for reference.


13.
TNT POPS
Deadline: Sept 30th


TNT’s Production of Original Plays (POPS) takes place every two years. The submission dates for the 2016 TNT POPS! New Play Project will beSeptember 1 through 30, 2015. Only full length plays will be accepted, and a total of two (2) will be selected. Once selected, each play will be produced during the 2016-17 season, either on a mainstage or in a second space, by a TNT member theatre company.TNT will accept sixty (60) full length scripts on a first come, first served basis, submitted between the dates listed above. Please read the following Rules and Submission Process carefully. We also suggest you read the 2016 TNT POPS! FAQS. If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 817-731-2238.
The selected plays will be announced on Saturday, March 19, 2016 during the TNT Annual Conference.
  • laywrights should submit the following for consideration in the Texas Nonprofit Theatres POPS! New Play Project:
    • Between Tuesday, September 1, 2015 and midnight (CDT) Wednesday, September 30, 2015. Scripts received before or after these dates will not be accepted.
    • One (1) electronic copy of script, in 12pt Times New Roman or Final Draft software font, in Standard Stage Format including:
      • a) Cast list
      • b) Character description(s)
      • c) Set requirements.
    • Completed TNT POPS! New Play Project Submission Form (a download form from the TNT Website.)
    • Incomplete submissions will be ineligible for the TNT POPS! New Play Project.
  • Playwrights must guarantee that they have sole rights to all copyrighted material contained in the script. "Copyrighted material(s)" are defined as any previously published songs, letters, articles, and/or works of art not originally authored by the playwright. Proof of such guarantee must be presented at time of submission.
  • While all reasonable care will be taken, TNT cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, submitted scripts.
  • TNT's associated contest judges will destroy all electronic script submissions after the close of the program. TNT will retain a digital copies of the top 10 finalists.
  • By submitting a script for consideration, the playwright grants, upon acceptance to the project, TNT and its selected producing theatre(s) the exclusive production rights to the script for the 18 month period following the March 2016 TNT Annual Conference. A TNT Member Theatre will perform the script within that 18-month period. Any deviation from this schedule must be approved by the playwright, the producing theatre and Texas Nonprofit Theatres.
  • The playwright(s) agrees he/she/they will not publish or perform the winning script until 30 days after the production by the TNT Member theatre is complete.
  • The playwright understands the judges' decisions are final and no correspondence concerning the results can be entered into.
14.
Soros Justice Fellowship
Deadline: Oct. 21st
Website: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/soros-justice-fellowships


The Soros Justice Fellowships fund outstanding individuals to undertake projects that advance reform, spur debate, and catalyze change on a range of issues facing the U.S. criminal justice system. The Fellowships Program is part of a larger effort within the Open Society Foundations’ Justice Fund to reduce the destructive impact of current criminal justice policies on the lives of individuals, families, and communities in the U.S. by challenging the overreliance on incarceration and extreme punishment, and ensuring a fair and accountable system of justice.
Advocacy Fellowships
The Soros Justice Fellowships Program’s Advocacy Fellowships fund lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, researchers, and others with unique perspectives to undertake full-time criminal justice reform projects at the local, state, and national levels. Projects may range from litigation to public education to coalition-building to grassroots mobilization to policy-driven research. Advocacy Fellowships are 18 months in duration, may be undertaken in conjunction with a host organization, and can begin in the spring or fall of 2016.
Media Fellowships
The Soros Justice Fellowships Program’s Media Fellowships support writers, print and broadcast journalists, bloggers, filmmakers, and other individuals with distinctive voices proposing to complete media projects that engage and inform, spur debate and conversation, and catalyze change on important U.S. criminal justice issues. The Media Fellowships aim to mitigate the time, space, and market constraints that often discourage individuals from pursuing vital but marginalized, controversial, or unpopular topics in comprehensive and creative ways. Media Fellowships are 12 months in duration, and fellows are expected to make their projects their full-time work during the term of the fellowship. Projects can begin in either the spring or fall of 2016.
Guidelines and Application
Download and review the complete Advocacy guidelines here and the complete Media guidelines here. Applications must be submitted by clicking on the appropriate "Submit" button below.  Please Note:  The "Submit" button will be active and viewable starting on August 11, 2015.
Applicants who are uncertain whether some aspect of their proposed project fits within the parameters of the Fellowships Program guidelines or whether the project is otherwise likely to be of interest to the program may submit an email inquiry before proceeding with the full application. The email should provide a brief (no more than 500 words) description of the proposed project, as well as some background information on the applicant, and should be sent to: sorosjusticefellowships@opensocietyfoundations.org.

15.
Radcliffe Institute at Harvard Fellowship
Deadline: October 1st
Radcliffe Institute is accepting fellowship applications from the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts until 1 October.
Fellows receive office or studio space and access to libraries and other resources of Harvard University during the fellowship year, which extends from early September 2016 through May 31, 2017. Stipends are funded up to US$75,000 with additional funds for project expenses.Stipends are funded up to $75,000 for one year with additional funds for project expenses. Some support for relocation expenses is provided where relevant. If so directed, Radcliffe will pay the stipend to the fellow’s home institution.
We work with fellows who have families to help with relocation issues for a smooth transition.
Fellows receive office or studio space and access to libraries and other resources of Harvard University during the fellowship year, which extends from early September 2016 through May 31, 2017. Visual artists and film, video, sound, and new media artists may apply to come for either one or two semesters. In the event that they come for one semester, the stipend is $37,500. Fellows are expected to be free of their regular commitments so they may devote themselves full time to the work outlined in their proposal. Since this is a residential fellowship, we expect fellows to reside in the Boston area during that period and to have their primary office at the Institute so that they can participate fully in the life of the community.

16.
Hodder Fellowship (Princeton University)
Deadline: Sept. 14th
website: arts.princeton.edu/fellowships/hodder-fellowship

The Hodder Fellowship will be given to writers and non-literary artists of exceptional promise to pursue independent projects at Princeton University during the 2016-2017 academic year. Potential Hodder Fellows are writers, composers, choreographers, visual artists, performance artists, or other kinds of artists or humanists who have "much more than ordinary intellectual and literary gifts"; they are selected more "for promise than for performance." Given the strength of the applicant pool, most successful Fellows have published a first book or have similar achievements in their own fields; the Hodder is designed to provide Fellows with the "studious leisure" to undertake significant new work.

Hodder Fellows spend an academic year at Princeton, but no formal teaching is involved. A $75,000 stipend is provided. Fellowships are not intended to fund work leading to an advanced degree. One need not be a U.S. citizen to apply.
Applications must be submitted by September 14th through the Princeton Jobs website at http://jobs.princeton.edu, requisition # 1300448.

17.
Cullman Fellowship
Deadline: September 25th


Award Period: September 8, 2016 - May 27, 2017
Stipend: $70,000


The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers supports projects that draw on the research collections at The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). The Center looks for top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. It aims to promote dynamic conversation about the humanities, social sciences, and scholarship at the very highest level — within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows’ published work.

Candidates who need to work primarily in The New York Public Library’s other research centers — The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry and Business Library — are not eligible for this fellowship.


In order to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest, the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers does not accept applications from New York Public Library staff members or their partners, or from people active on the Library’s Board of Trustees, Board Advisory Committees, or Library Council.


Please visit www.nypl.org/research-collections for detailed information about the collections of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.


Fellows are required to work at the Cullman Center, on the project for which they applied, for the duration of the fellowship term. Fellows may have a few prior brief commitments, but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements, and may not accept other major work obligations during the course of this fellowship. Anyone who needs to be away for more than two days must notify the Director or Deputy Director in advance. The Library will pro-rate stipends for Fellows who spend too much time away from the Center.


Fellowships will not be granted to post-doctoral fellows or to applicants doing graduate-school dissertation research.


The Cullman Center will not accept dossier letters in place of new letters of recommendation.


Fellows must be conversant in English.


Completed applications and supporting materials — research proposal, Curriculum Vitae, letters of recommendation, and art work sample or creative writing sample — must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on September 25, 2015.


New York Public Library staff members are not able to make corrections or additions once applications are submitted.


The New York Public Library/American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships
The Center may give up to five fellowships a year in conjunction with the American Council of Learned Societies. Candidates for joint fellowships must submit separate applications to The New York Public Library and to the American Council of Learned Societies. For information regarding ACLS eligibility requirements and an ACLS application, please visit the ACLS website, www.acls.org/programs/comps.


18.
Guggenheim Fellowship
Deadline: September 19th (as it was listed last year)


The Fellowship competition was at first open only to citizens of either the United States or its possessions.  In keeping with the Guggenheims' intentions, as expressed in their First Letter of Gift, the awards were originally titled the "John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study Abroad."  Beginning with the inaugural class of fifteen Fellows in 1926, all Fellows were required to spend their terms outside of the United States.  But eager to place as few restrictions as possible on the Fellows, the Foundation rescinded that requirement with the competition of 1941.
Canadians became eligible for the Guggenheim Fellowships in 1940, and the name of the competition changed to "United States and Canada." Residents of the Philippines were eligible from the establishment of the Foundation (for the Philippines were a U.S. territory at that time) until 1988, when the Philippine program was discontinued; applications from the Philippines were considered by the Committee of Selection for the United States and Canada through 1949, when that responsibility shifted to the Latin American Committee.

19.
Summer Shorts
Deadline: Sept. 30th
Website: http://citytheatre.com/pages/?page_id=3136


City Theatre seeks to furthers the Company’s mission: to identify, acknowledge and award excellence in dramatic writing. Up to fifteen playwrights will be selected from among the hundreds who annually submit their ten-minute plays to the company for special recognition.  The winning play will be produced in the annual Summer Shorts festival, for which the playwright will earn royalties, be invited to Miami for the festival and to take part in the CityWrights Professional Weekend for Playwrights.


Transportation, hotel, the Weekend and a cash prize will be awarded up to a value of $2,000.00.  Finalists will receive free tuition to attend CityWrights, and may be considered for production in the Summer Shorts festival and other programming. City Theatre National Award scripts will be submitted to the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. The Summer Shorts Festivals are produced annually in Miami in the month of June.


City Theatre Play Submissions Rules and Information;
Please review the criteria thoroughly before sending your submission to City Theatre. Plays will be accepted yearly from August 15 – October 31. Scripts won’t be considered sooner or later!

With the mission of developing and producing original short plays by established talents and promising new voices, City Theatre is looking for wonderful ten-minute plays for our annual Summer Shorts festival and other programming. Having produced hundreds of plays, we know what we want; scripts that are lively and timely, hilarious and thought-provoking, poignant and dangerous. We look for plays that span style and genre. We will consider bilingual scripts and ten-minute musicals. We have no restriction on the age range of the characters. In other words, for us to consider a script for production, we are seeking compelling plays that rise above the ordinary.


  • Each playwright may submit only one script - send us your best!
  • No scripts will be returned - save postage. No SASE required.
  • Each script must be no more than ten pages long. We start counting when the actual play begins. Please remember to submit scripts with page numbers.
  • Previously submitted plays, children's shows, and any unsolicited longer one-act or full-length plays are not accepted and will not be returned.
  • City Theatre will consider previously produced works, but there must be a production history included with submission.
  • Manuscripts must be typed and individually bound or stapled. Title page must include name, address, email address and phone number. We will accept electronic submissions provided all of the contact info and production history is included.
  • Electronic submissions can be sent via www.citytheatre.com as a PDF and must include contact info, synopsis, and bio and production history. Mailed manuscripts must be typed and individually bound or stapled. Title page must include contact info, synopsis, and bio and production history.
  • NOTE: City Theatre will only contact playwrights with scripts the company considers for the National Award for Short Playwriting Contest, or we are interested in producing in its various programming. ONLY those playwrights will be contacted in February-March by e-mail or a phone call..
Submit your play electronically: to Literary Manager by clicking here, or cut and paste the link to your browser:
http://www.literarymanager.org/submit_step_one_u.php?t=366
Please submit script saved as a PDF.

20.
Playwrights First Competition
Deadline: Sept. 20th
Website: http://www.playwrights-first.com/

Playwrights First announces its 2015-2016 playwright competition. We require that the one play submitted be by one author, original, full-length, unproduced prior to submission, and in English. No adaptations, translations or musicals will be accepted.
Please submit a resume of your experience as a playwright with your play. No electronic submissions will be accepted. Plays cannot be returned.
Notification of winner: June 2016
Letters of results will be sent to the winning and semifinalist playwrights only. All others should see our website, www.playwrights-first.com.
We offer to playwrights whose plays are selected:
-$1,000 grant for a play of outstanding merit
-Professional readings, when appropriate
-Useful introductions to actors, literary managers, directors, etc.
-Committee feedback if desired
Please mail your play and resume to the following address:
Playwrights First
c/o John E. Donnelly
250 E. 73rd St. #12G
New York, NY 10021
You may reach us at 212-410-9234 or emilyandren@earthlink.net.

21.
Macdowell Colony
Deadline: September 15
Application Guidelines
Please review the Application Guidelines below before beginning the application process. If you have questions about applying to MacDowell, please contact the admissions office atadmissions@macdowellcolony.org.


The MacDowell Colony provides time, space, and an inspiring environment to artists of exceptional talent. A MacDowell Fellowship, or residency, consists of exclusive use of a studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for up to eight weeks. There are no residency fees.


MacDowell Fellows are selected by our admissions panels, which are comprised of a revolving group of distinguished professionals in each artistic discipline who serve anonymously for three years.


Eligibility
The Colony accepts applications from artists working in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. The sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence, which the Colony defines in a pluralistic and inclusive way. MacDowell encourages applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics, and welcomes artists engaging in the broadest spectrum of artistic practice and investigating an unlimited array of inquiries and concerns. To that end, emerging as well as established artists are invited to apply. Applicants who are in a degree program as of the date of application are ineligible for a residency and therefore cannot apply.
MacDowell is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and disability. No one with the AIDS virus, or HIV shall be denied admission as long as he/she is otherwise qualified. The Colony offers barrier-free access in all main buildings and some studios.


Application Periods and Deadlines
Artists may apply only once every 24 months. MacDowell will only accept applications for the next deadline. Please refer to the applications dates in the column on the left for open application time periods.


Application Process
Before starting the application process, we encourage applicants to scroll through our extensive list of Application FAQs. All applicants apply through the online application process. To apply, click on the Apply icon. Applicants are not required to mail in hard copies of the application forms.


Work Samples
Work samples supporting the proposed project and completed within the past four years are requested. All work samples are uploaded and submitted through the online application. Applicants unable to submit new work for the panel to review should include a note of explanation. Those applicants whose proposed project does not fall clearly within an artistic discipline should contact the Admissions office to discuss which discipline would best fit the proposed work. Please note, composers are required to mail in two copies of two clearly reproduced, bound scores within one week after the deadline, but must upload music files through the online application.
For detailed work sample requirements for each artistic discipline, click here.


References
Applicants are required to have one reference form on file completed by an authority in their field who is familiar with them and their work. Applications that do not have a completed reference form on file will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Reference letters are confidential and will be kept on file for five years.


Applicants:   The reference process is initiated by you, the applicant, from within the online application.  You will add the name and contact information for your recommender in the Reference step of the application and a secure link will be sent to your recommender.  This can be done in advance of submitting your application.  It is your responsibility to ensure the request is fulfilled.  The deadline for all references is one week after the application deadline.


Recommenders:  As a recommender, you will receive an automated email from SlideRoom once the applicant has entered your contact information. This email will contain a link specifically tied to the applicant, which should be used to complete the recommendation. The deadline for all references is one week after the application deadline. If a recommender cannot submit a reference online, please contact the Admissions Department at admissions@macdowellcolony.org or 603-924-3886 x 113.


Processing Fee
A nonrefundable processing fee of $30 (U.S.) is required with each application. Applicants pay the processing fee by debit or credit card through a secure site on the online application.

Biden's "Ok Boomer" Moment

  Disclaimer: I am NOT thrilled about a 2020 election rematch. However, having said that ("Curb Your Enthusiasm" reference) Republ...