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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Native Voices at the Autry Annual Call for Scripts

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Native Voices at the Autry is the nation’s premier Equity theatre company dedicated to the development and production of new works for the stage by Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Island, and First Nations artists. We accept full-length play submissions year-round, but to be considered for the specific events listed below all submissions must be received by the specified due date.

Please note that we only accept submissions written for the stage or theatre by Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Island, and First Nations artists.

Full-Length Plays (60+ pages)
Submissions due September 9, 2013

2014 Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays
The retreat/festival brings artists together from across the globe to continue work on a select number of plays through a rigorous directorial and dramaturgical commitment for a week in May/June, with public presentations at the Autry National Center. Selected playwrights receive directorial and dramaturgical support as well as an honorarium; out-of-town artists receive roundtrip airfare plus lodging in Southern California.

Selection Process: Full-length plays (60+ pages) received by September 9, 2013, will be read and evaluated for each event. A select number of playwrights will be invited to submit formal proposals detailing their developmental goals should their play be chosen. Scripts will then be sent to a committee of nationally recognized theatre artists for further evaluation. With their help, Native Voices selects up to five plays for the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays. Playwrights will be notified in January 2014.

2014 First Look Series
Selected plays receive a ten-hour workshop and public presentation at the Autry National Center. Selected playwrights receive directorial and dramaturgical support as well as an honorarium; out-of-town artists receive roundtrip airfare plus lodging in Southern California.

Selection Process: Full-length plays (60+ pages) received by September 9, 2013, will be read and evaluated. Select scripts will then be sent to a committee of nationally recognized theatre artists for further evaluation. With their help, Native Voices selects up to five plays for workshops and readings. Playwrights will be notified in May 2014.

A Note About the Native Voices Developmental Process
Months prior to residencies at the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays or the First Look Series, selected playwrights participate in dramaturgical conversations with an assigned director and dramaturg. Workshops with these creative teams and a cast of professional actors commence once the playwright arrives on-site. It is important to note that these conversations and workshops are playwright driven, allowing the writer to shape his/her own developmental path.

For Short Plays (5–16 pages)
Submission due August 1, 2013

Third Annual Short Play Festival
Selected short plays and one-acts will be presented during the Autry National Center’s American Indian Arts Marketplace in Los Angeles. This year’s theme is “Legal Briefs: Lawmakers and Activists,” for which we invite a wide range of short scripts. Plays can explore a wide range of stories about how the American legal system, the law, and our daily lives are shaped by Native American identity and culture and the lawmakers and activists it has given us. How do Native Americans uphold and honor, question and investigate, or create and change law within our society? There is a maximum of four characters and limited decor. Plays do not need to be biographical or autobiographical. Use your imagination!

Selection Process: Short plays and one-acts (5-page min., 16-page max.) received by August 1, 2013, will be read and evaluated by a national reading panel composed of Native American theatre artists and community members, along with nationally recognized theatre artists. They will select 6 to 10 plays for the festival based on the creative use of the theme, originality, theatricality, and execution.

Selected plays will be given a staged reading in November 2013, and a panel of judges will select the 2013 Von Marie Atchley Award for Excellence in Playwriting, a $1,000 cash prize based on the creative use of the theme, originality, theatricality, execution, and audience response.

Checklist for Submissions

Please complete the Online Script Submission Form before submitting the script at Online Script Submissions.

  • Please label script attachment as follows: PlayTitle­_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc)
  • Use a standard play-script format (one-inch margins, #12 Times or Courier font, all pages numbered).
  • Include a title page with full contact information (mailing address, phone numbers, e-mail address).
  • Include a character breakdown.
  • Provide a biography 75–100 words long, including tribal affiliation. Please label attachment as follows: Bio_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Bio_Doe, J.doc)
  • Provide development history for the play. Label attachment as follows: DevHistory/PlayTitle_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (DevHistory/MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc)
  • DO NOT send treatments or outlines. Previously submitted plays should only be resubmitted if the play has undergone significant dramatic changes. Plays that are not selected are kept on file for consideration for future opportunities. Playwrights are encouraged to make multiple submissions (up to three per event), but selection will be limited to only one play per playwright, per event.


Where to Send Submissions
We now only accept electronic submissions (in PDF or Word format):
E-mail your materials to NVLiteraryAssociate@gmail.com.
Type “SUBMISSION – [Title of Play]” in the subject line.

Additional Information
NVLiteraryAssociate@gmail.com
TheAutry.org/NativeVoices
Facebook.com/NativeVoices
Pinterest.com/NativeVoices
NativeVoices.blogspot.com

Plays are evaluated on originality, theme, theatricality, and execution.

Plays workshopped at Native Voices at the Autry have gone on to productions and/or readings at such venues as New York’s Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, VSA North Fourth Art Center, Workshop West in Canada, Pennsylvania Center Stage, Trinity Repertory Company, and Montana Rep. They have also been featured at the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices Theatre for Young Audiences in Washington, D.C.; the Two Worlds Native American Theater and Film Festival in New Mexico; the City University of New York Indigenous World Theatre Reading Series; Idyllwild Native Arts Week; the Originals Festival in Brisbane, Australia; the ASSITEJ 16th World Congress and Performing Arts Festival; and the Origins Festival in London.

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