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Saturday, June 27, 2020

The Crossroads Project: The 2021 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative

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Deadline: August 15, 2020
Bloomington-Normal IL

The 2021 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative welcomes submissions for full-length, unproduced plays by playwrights of color in accordance with the mission statement of the Crossroads Project (see below). A diverse panel of judges comprising faculty, staff, and students will select one playwright as the winner of the contest.

The winning playwright will receive:
  • An invitation to Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL for a one-week new play development workshop, culminating in a public staged reading. The playwright may also be invited to offer guest lectures and colloquia. The Crossroads Project will cover costs for travel, housing, and meals during the workshop.
  • An honorarium of $500 for the workshop.
To be eligible to win the contest, a playwright must be available for a one-week workshop in late March 2021 (exact dates TBD). Due to funding limitations, the Crossroads Project can only cover costs for travel within the United States.

The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2020, 11:59 p.m. (central daylight time). There is no entry fee. We only accept electronic submissions in PDF format. Because our staff and resources are limited, we can only consider the first 100 submissions.

Please include in your submission:
  • A sample from your play up to 15 pages. This does not have to be the first 15 pages of the play.
  • A playwright’s statement (max. 250 words) describing your inspiration for writing the play, as well as how you believe a workshop in a university setting will further your development process.
  • A synopsis of the play (max. 250 words).
  • A character list with short descriptions for each character (age, ethnicity, gender, occupation, family relationships, etc.)

Please follow the following guidelines when submitting your play:
  • A playwright may only submit one play per contest. The writer of the play must submit their own work.
  • Plays that have been previously fully produced or published are ineligible for the contest. Plays that have previously had workshops or staged readings are eligible.
  • Submissions must be the original work of the playwright, which may include adaptations of fictional or factual material. Translations of other playwrights’ work are not accepted.
  • The submitting playwright must either be the owner and controller of the copyright or provide written proof that they have acquired the legal right to use copyrighted material in their work.
  • Submissions must be full-length plays.
  • Musicals are not accepted. However, plays with limited music requirements are accepted.
  • The primary language of the play must be English.
There are no other restrictions in subject matter or style.
The Crossroads Project reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted play for any reason.

We will contact semi-finalists by the end of October 2020 and ask them to submit the full play.

The winning playwright will be notified by mid-January 2021.

Inquiries about the Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative should be directed to:

Kee-Yoon Nahm, D.F.A.
Assistant Professor in Theatre Studies
Chair, The Crossroads Project

Email: knahm@ilstu.edu

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