The Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright’s Festival 2024

Facebook Page

Deadline: February 16, 2024

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is proud to announce the launch of a new play development initiative in 2024. The Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright’s Festival honors the incredible career and legacy of Gloria Bond Clunie, one of the founding members of Fleetwood-Jourdain. She is also a founding member of the Playwriting Ensemble at Victory Gardens Theater where she premiered her plays North Star, Shoes, and Living Green. Her work as a theater and educator has been recognized by the NAACP, the Joseph Jefferson Awards, Chicago Black Theatre Alliance Awards, and Evanston Mayor’s Award for the Arts, among many others.

This festival will take place over two weekends (May 24-26th and May 31-June 2nd) at the FJT’s home, the Noyes Cultural Center in Evanston. The first weekend will be for the playwrights to connect with each other, experiment while in workshops and seminars, and spend uninterrupted time developing their play. The second weekend will offer rehearsal time with a director and actors, with two public staged readings. Playwrights will have the opportunity to participate in talkback sessions with the audience.

Important Dates:
January 15th – February 16th – Submissions are open for the Festival
Mid-March – Playwrights will be informed of their submission status
May 24th (evening) through May 26th (early evening) – In-Person in Evanston, IL – introductory dinner, workshops, guest speaker, writing time, and more!
May 31st (evening) through June 2nd (early evening) – In-Person in Evanston, IL – rehearsal with actors and a director, two public staged readings with optional rehearsal time in between

Details:

• Playwrights should be able to attend both weekend sessions in-person at Noyes Cultural Center (927 Noyes Ave, Evanston, IL). Travel stipend and housing are not available.
• Playwrights that are accepted into the festival will receive a $50 stipend.
• Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is able to offer writing space, wifi, and printing services. FJT is not able to provide laptops or devices to work on. 
• Directors and assistant directors will be hired by the theater. It will be the director’s responsibility to cast the reading, and directors will collaborate with the playwright on casting
• Directors and actors will work with the playwright for at least 6 hours, with possible additional hours depending on availability. Playwrights are more than welcome to alter the script in between performances.

The Plays:

• Any length of work is welcome: full length, one act, and ten minute plays. Shorter pieces will be combined into one program.
• Plays can be in any stage of the development process.
• Plays must require 4 or less actors. Staged directions will be read aloud.
• The mission of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is to present work that center the African-American experience and explore stories of the African Diaspora. The inclusion and interpretation of this mission is up to the playwright. Playwrights of all races, ethnicities, sizes, religions, sexualities, abilities, and genders will be considered.

Instructions to Apply:

Please submit your work through the following form by February 16th to be considered: https://forms.gle/bkpRkAEttXQexm397. Reach out to FJTheatre@cityofevanston.org with any questions.