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Friday, April 24, 2020

BLINDSPOT COLLECTIVE SEEKS NEW SHORT PLAYS & MUSICALS FOR COLLABORATION WITH LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

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Deadline: April 26, 2020 6pm PST
San Diego CA

Blindspot Collective, a theatre company in San Diego dedicated to radically inclusive new work and diverse emerging artists, seeks new short plays and musicals to be featured in (W​alks of Life),​ an original work of auditory theatre commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse. Each recording will consist of three 10-minute “radio plays” or musicals unified by a narrator, and is intended to be enjoyed as individuals take a roughly 30-minute walk in their own neighborhood. 

Conceived as a means of participating in theatre even in the midst of the current, global pandemic, the plays will be written as if the listener could hear inside the homes they are passing, and capture a snapshot of the lives and stories unfolding just out of sight.

As the project is being developed in response to the unfolding crisis created by COVID-19, Blindspot Collective​ extends our sincere condolences to those already impacted, deep gratitude to those working around the clock to address the pandemic, and best wishes to everyone navigating this evolving situation. In this period of uncertainty and isolation, the co-founders of Blindspot Collective remain steadfast in our belief that theatre as an act of storytelling and community is a vital means of resilience and hope. To that end, (​ ​Walks of Life) ​will encourage audiences to imaginatively connect with the physical community around them as they engage with new works created by dynamic playwrights and composers from across the country.

As part of this upcoming project, Blindspot Collective seeks proposals for new 10-minute plays and musicals that meet the following criteria:
  • Must feature no more than 3 characters
  • Must be a single, continuous moment set in a contemporary home or apartment
  • Must maintain a sense of realism or naturalism (including the use of diegetic music)
  • Must rely on dialogue and sound to convey every aspect of the story
In addition to the criteria above we recommend the following:
  • We encourage works that prioritize entertainment and levity as a source of comfort during this time. We believe a mix of humor and gravitas is often the most compelling.
  • We encourage an imagined rating of PG or PG-13 to avoid alienating audiences due to persisent strong language or graphic depictions of sex or violence.
  • We will prioritize narratives and characters that challenge expectations or exist outside dominant culture because we wish to depict the contemporary human experience in a way that might not be commonly seen represented in other works or mediums.
Approximately 6 works submitted as part of this open call process will be selected, revised, and produced as part of W​ alks of Life​. Any writer whose work is featured will receive an honorarium of at least $200.

S​elected playwrights, composers, or writing teams will collaborate with Blindspot Collective on final drafts. The process will be produced and directed by Catherine Hanna Schrock and Blake McCarty, co-founders of Blindspot Collective, in direct collaboration with La Jolla Playhouse. Writers are not expected to participate in rehearsals (unless they choose to do so) and performers will be selected by the producers. Each work will be audio recorded remotely, mixed and engineered in collaboration with a sound designer, and made available digitally to audiences via specific platforms still to be determined in conjunction with La Jolla Playhouse.

The aforementioned honorarium will be considered an initial payment for the works to be available for free or low cost to the public for a minimum of 30 days. Precise details are still being arranged, but any further use of the original work would be pending based on a contractual agreement, and writers would receive payments for any profits that were rendered from their work. ​While a license to use the work for the exclusive purposes of Walks of Life must be granted to Blindspot Collective, artists retain sole ownership and copyright of their original work.

To be considered, you must submit a one page proposal that includes a synopsis and character descriptions by 6:00pm PST on Sunday, April 26. If your proposal includes music, you must also submit a demo recording of at least one song. W​ hen submitting a musical, the synopsis should also outline where music would occur. Sheet music is not required and studio recordings of music are not expected. In most instances, a scratch recording sung by the composer will suffice.

Blindspot Collective's artistic staff are happy to provide feedback on initial ideas, concepts, synopses, or character descriptions to assist writers in developing work that is more likely to meet the demands of the project. I​t is not required that you contact us in advance of submitting materials but we encourage you to use our team as a resource during your creative process.

Please include your name, phone number, and email address in your submission. Decisions will be announced by May 15, 2020. 

All questions and submissions should be sent to submissions@blindspotcollective.org

As an organization, Blindspot Collective is committed to radical inclusivity. ​As our name suggests, we prioritize the experience and perspective of underrepresented communities and individuals that are often left out of the conversation -- including people of color, immigrants, women, and individuals with disabilities. Therefore we strongly encourage submissions written by or featuring characters who are members of these or other marginalized communities.

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