Deadline: September 1, 2021
New York Classical Theatre, an AEA, Off-Broadway Theatre, is expanding its repertoire beyond the classics and launching its first-ever new play competition: New Visions.
The vision statement of NY Classical affirms that we “believe that everyone—regardless of social, economic, or educational background—should have the opportunity to enjoy live professional theatre together as a community.”
We recognize that the historic theatrical canon from which American theatre derives its “classics” has a long history of violence, oppression, and erasure of bodies, identities, and voices that are not white, not male, not cis-gendered, not heteronormative, and/or are not able-bodied.
In an effort to expand our mission to address this erasure, NY Classical is embarking on a three-year initiative to develop two new, original plays for production in our 2024 and 2025 seasons. We are seeking plays that explore new ways of viewing the “classics,” expand our ideas of what “classics” can be, and challenge the power structures that undergird the notion of “classics.”
These New Visions can include, but are not limited to…
Adaptation/Translation. Examples include: Cherrie Moraga’s The Hungry Woman and Herbert Siguenza’s El Henry.
Response/Subversion. Examples include: Branden Jacobs Jenkins’s An Octoroon and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Prequel/Sequel. Examples include: Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2
Plays that engage with history and bring forgotten events to life. Examples include: John Guare’s A Free Man of Color and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
Plays that engage with written stories beyond the stage, including novels, poems and poetry collections, and journals that exists in the public domain. Examples include: Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice and Kristin Laurence’s Little Women
Plays that derive from oral histories, rituals, and other forms of creating, knowing, remembering, and documenting the world beyond the written word. Examples include: Ondinnok’s Rabinal Achi and SPAC’s Tenshu Monogatari.
For Phase One of New Visions, we will select 8 quarter-finalist plays.
During 2022, each selected playwright will receive:
An invitation-only studio reading by a professional director and professional actors
A conversation with our Literary Director to discuss the play and determine how to structure feedback to best serve the playwright’s goals
Targeted feedback from our invited audience of the theatre’s board, staff, and community members.
A $200 stipend
A script review by our Literary Director following the reading and revisions by the playwright.
For Phase Two, based on feedback from the invited audience, the development of the work, and the opinions of our Literary and Artistic Directors, at least four of the eight plays from Phase One will be invited to continue developing their work with NY Classical.
During 2023, each continuing playwright will receive:
A full, public staged reading under Equity’s 29 hour reading guidelines.
Continuing conversations with our Literary Director to further develop the play.
A $300 stipend
For Phase Three, 2 of the plays from Phase Two will be selected to receive in 2024:
A one-week development workshop of their play with plans for a full production in our 2024 and/or 2025 seasons. This workshop will include a professional director and dramaturg chosen in conversation with the playwright.
Round-trip airfare and housing for the workshop.
A $70 per diem.
A $500 stipend.
We invite and encourage playwrights of all backgrounds, experience, and training to apply.
***We are especially interested in plays that engage histories and traditions from outside the European canon.***
***We are especially interested in works that challenge and contest the classical canon.***
Eligibility Requirements:
USA Based Playwrights Only.
Play must be primarily in English. Bilingual plays, including ASL, are encouraged.
Only plays that have not had a professional production are eligible. Scripts that have had readings, workshops, and university productions are welcome.
Plays must have an estimated run time between 70 and 150 minutes.
Plays must include a minimum of 50% characters from historically excluded groups.
We are not looking to commission a new play. We are looking to develop existing original works.
We are not accepting musicals at this time. However, plays with music are okay.
Please submit the following as one .pdf titled “LAST NAME – TITLE OF PLAY” to literary@nyclassical.org:
Your name
A 100-200 word synopsis of the play
A character breakdown that describes the minimum 50% characters that are from historically excluded groups as defined in the opening paragraphs of this call.
A brief statement (as short as one sentence) of how this play is in conversation with an idea of “classics”
The first ten pages of dialogue from the play you would like considered.
Please put “New Visions - Submissions - (your last name)” in the subject line
Please do not send complete scripts unless requested.
Submissions close September 1, 2021.
We contact shortlisted playwrights for complete scripts by November 8, 2021.
The eight Quarter-Finalists will be notified by January 15, 2022.
We look forward to reading your work.
New York Classical Theatre, an AEA, Off-Broadway Theatre, is expanding its repertoire beyond the classics and launching its first-ever new play competition: New Visions.
The vision statement of NY Classical affirms that we “believe that everyone—regardless of social, economic, or educational background—should have the opportunity to enjoy live professional theatre together as a community.”
We recognize that the historic theatrical canon from which American theatre derives its “classics” has a long history of violence, oppression, and erasure of bodies, identities, and voices that are not white, not male, not cis-gendered, not heteronormative, and/or are not able-bodied.
In an effort to expand our mission to address this erasure, NY Classical is embarking on a three-year initiative to develop two new, original plays for production in our 2024 and 2025 seasons. We are seeking plays that explore new ways of viewing the “classics,” expand our ideas of what “classics” can be, and challenge the power structures that undergird the notion of “classics.”
These New Visions can include, but are not limited to…
Adaptation/Translation. Examples include: Cherrie Moraga’s The Hungry Woman and Herbert Siguenza’s El Henry.
Response/Subversion. Examples include: Branden Jacobs Jenkins’s An Octoroon and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Prequel/Sequel. Examples include: Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2
Plays that engage with history and bring forgotten events to life. Examples include: John Guare’s A Free Man of Color and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
Plays that engage with written stories beyond the stage, including novels, poems and poetry collections, and journals that exists in the public domain. Examples include: Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice and Kristin Laurence’s Little Women
Plays that derive from oral histories, rituals, and other forms of creating, knowing, remembering, and documenting the world beyond the written word. Examples include: Ondinnok’s Rabinal Achi and SPAC’s Tenshu Monogatari.
For Phase One of New Visions, we will select 8 quarter-finalist plays.
During 2022, each selected playwright will receive:
An invitation-only studio reading by a professional director and professional actors
A conversation with our Literary Director to discuss the play and determine how to structure feedback to best serve the playwright’s goals
Targeted feedback from our invited audience of the theatre’s board, staff, and community members.
A $200 stipend
A script review by our Literary Director following the reading and revisions by the playwright.
For Phase Two, based on feedback from the invited audience, the development of the work, and the opinions of our Literary and Artistic Directors, at least four of the eight plays from Phase One will be invited to continue developing their work with NY Classical.
During 2023, each continuing playwright will receive:
A full, public staged reading under Equity’s 29 hour reading guidelines.
Continuing conversations with our Literary Director to further develop the play.
A $300 stipend
For Phase Three, 2 of the plays from Phase Two will be selected to receive in 2024:
A one-week development workshop of their play with plans for a full production in our 2024 and/or 2025 seasons. This workshop will include a professional director and dramaturg chosen in conversation with the playwright.
Round-trip airfare and housing for the workshop.
A $70 per diem.
A $500 stipend.
We invite and encourage playwrights of all backgrounds, experience, and training to apply.
***We are especially interested in plays that engage histories and traditions from outside the European canon.***
***We are especially interested in works that challenge and contest the classical canon.***
Eligibility Requirements:
USA Based Playwrights Only.
Play must be primarily in English. Bilingual plays, including ASL, are encouraged.
Only plays that have not had a professional production are eligible. Scripts that have had readings, workshops, and university productions are welcome.
Plays must have an estimated run time between 70 and 150 minutes.
Plays must include a minimum of 50% characters from historically excluded groups.
We are not looking to commission a new play. We are looking to develop existing original works.
We are not accepting musicals at this time. However, plays with music are okay.
Please submit the following as one .pdf titled “LAST NAME – TITLE OF PLAY” to literary@nyclassical.org:
Your name
A 100-200 word synopsis of the play
A character breakdown that describes the minimum 50% characters that are from historically excluded groups as defined in the opening paragraphs of this call.
A brief statement (as short as one sentence) of how this play is in conversation with an idea of “classics”
The first ten pages of dialogue from the play you would like considered.
Please put “New Visions - Submissions - (your last name)” in the subject line
Please do not send complete scripts unless requested.
Submissions close September 1, 2021.
We contact shortlisted playwrights for complete scripts by November 8, 2021.
The eight Quarter-Finalists will be notified by January 15, 2022.
We look forward to reading your work.