Sarah Congress ~ private writing coaching and script mentoring

Award-winning comedic playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering private writing coaching and script mentoring 💞

"Writing a play was always a dream but as a fiction writer and journalist, I couldn’t figure out how to make it work. In just a few sessions, I’ve experienced several “a-ha” moments with Sarah. I always leave my time with her excited by my project and its potential. The skills I've learned have made me a better writer all around. I don’t think I would have ever written a play without her input."

~ Leah Eichler, award-winning short story writer and publisher of Esoterica magazine

"My biggest takeaway from last night is that anything can be made funny. That really dovetails beautifully with my deep gratitude for a healthy sense of humor, even in the darkest moments…."

~ Gay Norton Edelman, Author/Editor 

Sarah Congress is a comedic playwright/screenwriter represented by Samadani/Tall. This January her satire "Big Yikes!" was read by the UP Theatre, and her ten-minute play "Fresh Kills" was read at the NYPL Lincoln Center. Her ten-minute play "Melting" was produced at Siena College for their Climate Symposium (October 2024), by the Tank Theatre for the IHRF Festival (December 2024) and will be published in issue #12 of Feels Blind Literary this spring. Sarah co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You" which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival. Her ten-minute play "Overdose" won 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival. 

Sarah teaches playwriting/screenwriting, works as a script doctor, and is delighted to be a joke writer for the 2025 Broadway Cares celebrity roast. 

Visit Sarah's website here: https://sarahcongress.com/
Or shoot her an email at sarah.congress@gmail.com to learn more.

AS LONG AS I KNOW HOW TO LOVE by Tom Misuraca ~ video excerpt

AS LONG AS I KNOW HOW TO LOVE by Tom Misuraca was chosen as one of the finalists for the RESISTING FASCISM project. You can learn more about Tom at http://www.tommiz.com/

This is an excerpt from the play, with Steven Lee as Alan and Cameron Rankin as William.

STEVEN LEE is an actor, playwright, and singer/songwriter. His play "Chariot" was produced and performed at the Stella Adler theatre; and he was awarded a showcase of his play "Husband Material: a play of no manners" with the Celebration theatre, both in Hollywood. Currently, he is on the board of the longest running writing group in Los Angeles, First Stage, where many of his plays have received readings. Steven has also acted in many plays from other talented playwrights. He is a Spanish teacher and the department chair of the World Language department at a middle school in Los Angeles. Samplings of his music can be viewed on Instagram at Steven Lee 323.   

CAMERON "TOMMY" RANKIN is an actor out of Los Angeles with a real passion for pursuing his dream of on-screen acting. Trained in New York City in theater and continued, and still continues, his screen acting with Gregory "Kenzo" Kenyon. 

Cameron says:

Always looking for the next project, I often write, produce and act in my personal projects. My latest major project was a 6 minute film based on the Cyberpunk world by Mike Pondsmith. It was critically acclaimed by major studios, but what really mattered to me is that the author who wrote Cyberpunk back in the 1980's found my email and wrote praises to me! Currently I'm writing and acting in sketches in the hot new (rolls eyes) vertical format and I'm having a lot of fun with it!

If you ever want to connect send me a DM or email me at actor.cameron.rankin@gmail.com :D

Black Men Talk Play Festival 2025 seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: March 15, 2025 at 11PM CT

SUBMISSION FORM

The 10-minute play festival will be a celebration of the voices, stories, and perspectives of Black male playwrights and showcase the works of new and emerging Black male playwrights telling authentic stories of the Black experience.

The Black Men Talk Play Festival, the first of its kind, aims to honor the contributions of Black male playwrights - initiated by a Chicago-based Black playwright. The event will host three performances in Chicago in August 2025. 

A panel of readers in the industry will carefully select the plays to be part of the festival. All submissions will receive a confirmation email. 

Notifications will be made on or before April 15th. The official list of selected plays and playwrights will be posted on: https://blackmentalkplayfestival.com on April 30, 2025.
​
SUBMISSION RULES:​

• Submissions are due by March 15th at 11:59 pm CT.
• Script submitted must be the final version in proper play format.
• Playwrights must submit plays that run from 8-10 minutes or 8-10 pages. Your cover page should have: title of play, your name, email address, and phone number.
• Plays should feature up to two to four actors.
• Scripts should be written with minimal set and costume requirements.
• One entry per person.
• Plays must be unpublished and must not have had a professional production.
• Plays must be submitted electronically in PDF format.
• No musicals, screenplays, or monologues will be selected for this festival.
• Your submission should be your own work. 
• All submissions must be submitted online.

Anaconda Ensemble Theatre seeks new plays for a site specific reading series

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025 at noon

APPLICATION FORM

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY READING SERIES (CRS)

This series is a professional but community-based project, with affordable tickets and the shows will be performed in locations where "theatre typically isn't" such as coffee shops, hotels, bed and breakfasts, bars/breweries, shops, restaurants, cafes, and more! Past Anaconda locations include: the Hickory House Inn, Coffee Corral, the Washoe Theatre lobby, the gallery space at the Copper Museum and Art Center, the Bighorn Wine and Bottle Shop, Sweet Pea Bridal, Gunslinger Gulch, Copperhead Lodge and Forgotten Times Barbershop, all in Anaconda, MT!

We aim at actually or thematically fitting all the plays into the locations they are playing!

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for NEW plays that have never had a fully staged production, but they can have had table reads or staged readings. The plays will hopefully, but don't necessarily have to, fit into our locations listed here:

1) Chamber of Commerce/Discover Anaconda (to perform May, June or July 2025 in Anaconda, MT)

2) Anaconda Yoga (to perform August, September or October 2025 in Anaconda, MT)

3) Pinter’s Portal Hostel (to perform November, December 2025 or January 2026 in Anaconda, MT)

4) The Revolver (to perform February, March or April 2026 in Anaconda, MT)

And NEW to the Community Reading Series...

5) CRS 'In Your Town': RED LODGE at the Black Canyon Bistro (to perform Jan. or Feb. 2026 in Red Lodge, MT)

WHO CAN SUBMIT**
To submit to the series, you must be a writer in the United States with a new play ready for the workshop phase.

ABOUT YOUR PIECE
- Plays that are between 20 mins and 90 mins in length
(NOTE: this can also be reading a part, select scenes, or an Act of a Full Length; vignettes that are part of a larger piece if the play is over 90 mins.)

- Plays must only engage 1 to 4 actors plus an actor to read stage directors (doubling of characters is encouraged!!) 

Note: We often get asked why we put a number on this. 

We want to engage as many spaces as possible, and larger casts make that impossible!

- Actors can be anywhere from ages 7 and up - but we will not accept any full youth shows or children's theatre pieces
(but use of a young artist in a piece or TYA pieces encouraged!)

- Plays that are looking for feedback to get to the next step in their theatrical journey - AET collects feedback and you will receive that feedback in 1 to 2 weeks post performance.

WHAT WE OFFER
$100 for the rights for one performance plus a $25 travel/food stipend if you choose to come to the performance, if you are local. During the process, you have the opportunity to be as hands on as you wish to be, as we rehearse digitally! Also, feedback from your performance to use for future drafts.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW

Selections made by: March 21, 2025 at the latest - you will have 1 week to make a decision

Have questions? Shoot an email to jackie@anacondaensembletheatre.com!

Edmonds Driftwood Players 14th Annual Festival of Shorts

Website

Deadline: March 2, 2025 at 11:59 PM PST

SUBMISSION FORM

Edmonds Driftwood Players is pleased to announce our theme and call for submissions for our 14th Annual Festival of Shorts. Our annual playwriting festival provides an opportunity for playwrights to have their works brought to life on stage, as well as gain recognition and potential awards. Some past winners have later been developed into full-length award-winning plays!

The Festival this year will be presented in five performances June 26-29, 2025, featuring eight shorts finalists that include multiple directors and casts. The theme for 2025 is “CROSSROADS: a choice or event that changed courses.” We would love to see both comedic and dramatic stories with uplifting endings.

The finalists are selected from submissions from around the globe. Our volunteer readers and judges are local Seattle-area theatre lovers and playwrights. To keep the process as fair as possible, our readers are only given blind copies of script submissions for judging.

After the closing performance, we will announce the winners for: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Judges’ Awards and Overall Audience Favorite.


HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR SHORT:

To enter your short play in the festival, please follow the instructions below.

• Submit an original script for a short play based on the following guidelines:Has not been previously produced (a staged reading is acceptable)
• 10-12 minutes run time (approximately 1 min./page, adjusting for longer monologues, etc.)
• Minimum of 2 characters – maximum of 5 characters
• Can be staged with minimal sets, props, and costumes but storyline can still be followed
• Limited foul language
• Be sure to incorporate the theme of “CROSSROADS” into your story. The term “crossroads” does not been to be included in the title or words of the script, but the relation to the theme must be clear to our audiences.

Submit your play by completing the Google Survey (linked below) by 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time on SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2025.Your original short submission should be in Standard Stage Play Format (for an example, please click HERE) with the script and title of the play ONLY. 

No identifying information about the playwright is to appear in this “blind” copy. All playwrights who fail to submit a blind copy of their script will be disqualified. The blind copy of the script preserves anonymity in our reader selections to keep the process as fair for playwrights as possible.

The Playwrights Group ~ a great way to stay connected and motivated

The Weekly Workshop

Start the New Year off right! 

Join our nationwide community of playwrights on Zoom. 

It’s a great way to stay connected and motivated.

 

Participating in a weekly workshop can give you the kick you need to see your script through from beginning to end.  You can bring in anything you’re working on — a full length script, a musical, a TV pilot, whatever. And when your script is ready — we’ll present it in a Public Reading. We also bring in Guest Speakers, like Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret Edson (Wit). 

 

 

Sit in on a session and see for yourself!

Tuesdays or Thursdays 7 - 9:30pm EST

 

Check out our website for more details and rates. 

 

Script Consultations

 

If you don’t have time for the workshop but have a script you’d like some feedback on — just send a PDF of your script and you’ll get a critique via email and/or video conference. See website for rates.

 

Richard Caliban has worked with  individuals on their scripts from all over the world — Indonesia, China, Greece, Australia, Serbia, as well as right here in New York. A script consultation will provide you with feedback on the structural soundness of your story, the dramatic arc of your protagonist, thematic unity and much more.

 

Online One-on-One Courses

 

If you’re looking for more, check out our One on One Online Playwriting Courses:

 

•       The Art of Playwriting

•       Write a Play in 10 Weeks

•       3 Hour Short Course

 

All are with instructor Richard Caliban, and since it’s One on One, the courses can be adjusted to fit your level of experience. 

 

Please visit our website for further Info and Rates: 

 

www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

 

Contact us at 

scripts@theplaywrightsgroup.com

Playwrights' Round Table is now accepting submissions of 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025 at midnight

Email your play and bio to submissionsprt@gmail.com with the subject line "Promises Playwright Submission".

Playwrights' Round Table is now accepting submissions of 10-minute plays written for our January 2026 Launch production. This call's theme is "Promises, Promises" -- whatever that means to you as the playwright.

This script call runs Feb. 1st through Feb. 28th at midnight.

Please observe the following guidelines:

• There is no submission fee for this script call; however, please only send two submissions per writer. (Current PRT member playwrights may submit three.)
• The call is open to all playwrights.
• Plays MUST be original and unproduced, to align with our company's mission to help playwrights develop their plays for eventual production. Previously workshopped plays are fine to submit, previously produced or published ones are not. By submitting your play, you are verifying that it is new.
• Plays should be no longer than 10 minutes in length (approx. 10 pages).
• Please keep the plays simple as far as cast size, set and technical needs, as we perform these plays in a small black box environment.
• Please send us two versions -- one with your identifying information (name, email, demographics, etc.), and one " blind", which we send to our readers.

A panel of industry professionals will review all submissions and select the plays that will be included in the production. Playwrights will be notified in March if their play has been selected.

Playwrights will retain all rights to their work. The selected playwrights will receive a stipend of $25, a copy of the program, and photos and videos from the event for their records.

All selected playwrights are required to join Playwrights' Round Table as members upon selection. The basic membership is free, but we recommend joining at the $30 annual membership for extra benefits.

Barrington Collective seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025 at midnight PST

"New Beginnings" will be a night of short plays inspired by Spring, starting over, starting new etc. The performance will be on March 29th in Los Filez.

Guidelines for Reading Submissions:
- All plays should be no more than 15 minutes in length and should explore the corresponding submission theme. Do not be limited by the "stereotypes" of the submission theme. (For example, in our annual Love Struck night in February, we are not looking for a night of plays all exploring romantic love!)

- Email a PDF of your script to barringtoncollective@gmail.com no later than midnight PST on February 28th.

Title your email "[February 2025] Reading Submission - Title of Play" (Ex: February 2025 Reading Submission - You're My Favorite)

On the first page of your script, include your name, email, and title of play. Please also include page numbers throughout the script.

We will notify all playwrights of status within a week of close of submission. Any other questions? Shoot us an email at barringtoncollective@gmail.com.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Performing Artist in Residence program 2025

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Performing Artist in Residence program allows artists and visitors to experience the Garden through a different lens.

2025 RESIDENCY

The theme for the 2025 residency is Natural Connection.

Explore the relationship between humans and nature and their dynamic and sometimes fraught interdependence. Highlight how human actions reshape the environment, while nature’s responses and constant shifts influence human lives, ideas, emotions, and futures. Challenge the audience to think about their role and responsibility within this cycle, examining the human-nature relationship here in Brooklyn or beyond.

One artist will be selected for a residency in 2025. During the residency, the artist will spend time creating work in and inspired by the Garden and the theme, Natural Connection. They will host two public classes, seminars, or activities, then showcase their final work in September 2025.

Residency Support

• Access to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden library and archives
• Research meetings with gardeners and staff
• Access to the Garden, including outside of public hours by arrangement
• Access to BBG’s events and programs
• A shared desk area and Wi-Fi
• Artist stipend of $8,000 plus additional funds for production & performer support

2025 TimelineApplication deadline: February 28
Selection: May 1
Residency: June 1 to September 30
Final presentation: September 21 & 22

APPLICATION

EligibilityDiscipline: 

• Artists interested in the live performance world including (but not limited to) choreographers, dancers, musicians, playwrights, and theater makers.
• Artist must be a resident of New York City. This residency does not provide housing or transportation.
• Artist must respect the plant life and abide by Garden rules. A residency contract will be executed.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an equal opportunity organization and encourages all eligible applicants to apply.
• Application ComponentsPortfolio of 3–5 pieces of work
• Resume
• Written proposal including: Performance ideas integrating the 2025 theme
• Public engagement ideas; seminars, classes, etc. 
• Artist’s relation to or interest in botanic subject matter
• Anticipated needs for residency supplies, equipment, space, and budget
• Artist statement 

Applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of Brooklyn Botanic Garden staff and previous artists in residence.

Applications and final selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Integration of the theme into the performance piece
• The proposal reflects Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s mission and community and is appropriate for all ages.
• Feasible for Brooklyn Botanic Garden; think about the impact on the grounds and flexibility of the performance in an outdoor environment.
• Strength of the public engagement proposals; how do you propose to get to know BBG’s community and vice versa?
• Relationship or interest in botanic subject matter
• Applicant’s portfolio of work and examples of completed performances
• A final interview will be conducted with the top 3 candidates; the selection will be based on those interviews.
• You will be notified if your proposal is selected as a finalist. No inquiries, please.

Fresh Words One Minute Horror Plays Anthology

Website

Deadline: February 25, 2024

FRESH WORDS-AN INTERNATIONAL LITERARY MAGAZINE is open for submissions for its Special One Minute Horror Plays Anthology titled 'SHHH! BREATHE SLOW!' (Volume 3) . Please send all submissions to dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com as per the following guidelines:

1. The play should be a 1 minute horror play/monologue.

2. We shall not accept works promoting or glorifying- violence, sexual abuse, racism  hatred or any political ideology.

3. Maximum 3 submissions per playwright.

4. The length of the plays should be decided by the playwright, keeping in mind that the performance time should not exceed 1 minute. (NOTE: if selected the performance rights and intellectual property rights of work will exclusively remain with the playwright, we shall request for one time publication rights in the anthology. The copyright of the work will revert back to the playwright immediately after publication of the anthology.)

5. All submissions to be sent to dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com

6. Submission deadline: February 25th, 2024. (The selected playwrights will be informed on or before February 28th, 2025 through email.).

7. Mention YOUR NAME followed by 'SUBMISSION FOR Shhh! Breathe Slow! ANTHOLOGY (Volume 3)' in the subject line of your email.

General Guidelines:

1. All submissions must contain a cover letter and a short literary profile (about 70 words) of the playwright in third person narrative.

2. All submissions must be sent typed in MS Word or PDF doc as attachment with the email.

3. The author should mention:

Legal Name:

Pen name (if any):

Snail mail address:

4. Playwright must send a high resolution photo (JPEG format) of self as a separate attachment with the submission.

5. Simultaneous submissions are welcome but please immediately inform us in case they are accepted elsewhere.


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fresh-Words-An-International-Literary-Magazine-106332345070389/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmmN1p8jcbIa6rUxzCzL2Q

Support us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/freshwordsmag


NOTE: THERE IS NO SUBMISSION OR PARTICIPATION FEE.

The Jim Henson Foundation grants 2026

Website

Deadline: March 3, 2025

The Jim Henson Foundation awards grants each year for the creation of innovative new works of contemporary puppet theater. Our definition of a puppet is an object that is given the appearance of life through direct or indirect manipulation by the human hand. The Foundation’s Board of Directors judges applications based on the excellence of the puppetry including puppet design, manipulation and theatrical execution.

There are three Artist Grants available: Workshop Grants ($3,000), Production Grants ($7,000), and Family Grants ($4,000). All Artist Grants are to be used towards puppetry. This includes the building and performing of the puppets and the integration of the puppets in the piece.

Production Grants of $7,000 are awarded for the production of new works ready to premeire in the coming year. Workshop Grants of $3,000 are for the development and workshopping of these pieces. Workshop Grants and Production Grants can be combined over a two year period for the greatest benefit to the piece; keep in mind, however, that a Production Grant does not need to be preceded by a Workshop grant and a Workshop Grant in no way ensures a future Production Grant. Less than half of Workshop Grant recipients receive Production Grants.

Family Grants of $4,000 fund the development of new and innovative work specifically for children, families, and teenagers ready to premiere in the coming year. Please keep in mind that Family Grants will be evaluated by the same high artistic standards as works for adults.

Since The Jim Henson Foundation began awarding grants in 1982, there has been astonishing growth in both the quantity and quality of puppet theater in this country. This has made it increasingly difficult to narrow the applicant pool, so we have instituted a policy that we hope will more evenly distribute our funds among the many artists worthy of support. Artists who received a grant in the previous year are not eligible to submit a proposal in the current year. Artists who received a Workshop Grant in the previous year are eligible to apply in the current year, but only for a Production Grant to further develop the previously funded piece.

Grants are made only for the development of new full-length works of excellent live puppet theater. The Foundation does not award funds for the presentation or remounting of existing work. Grants cannot be applied retroactively; substantial portions of a proposed project must take place after the funds are awarded.

We would like to emphasize that live puppet performance needs to be integral to the proposed project. While we will consider productions that utilize other media and genres, a major portion of the piece must feature puppetry that is well-executed in both design and performance. The mission of the Foundation is to fund excellence in PUPPET theater. Funding decisions are based on the quality of the puppetry.

Please note that the Foundation will prioritize work that can continue beyond a premiere. We look for shows that will live on through multiple performances with the potential to tour both nationally and internationally.

Awards can be made only to IRS tax-exempt organizations. We welcome applications from individual artists, but those without 501(c)(3) non-profit status must apply through a fiscal sponsor with this non-profit status. Applications for international collaborations are accepted, but the primary artist must be a US citizen. The project needs to be presented in the United States and ideally developed and workshopped in the United States as well. Projects that will only take place outside of the United States are not eligible for funding. Learn more about the application process on our Grant Application FAQ page.

The Mud Angels, Luis Tentindo
2010 Production Grant, 2009 Workshop Grant, Photo: Richard Termine
Letters of Intent

If you would like to be considered for a grant, the first step is to submit a letter of intent on or before March 3, 2025.

The letter of intent is a PDF comprised of two pages, a 1 page letter and a 1 page visual. The Letter must include:Your complete contact information, including mailing address, phone number, email and website address
The category of grant you intend to apply for – Production, Workshop or Family.
A clear description of the planned project, including the dramatic arc of the piece, the types of puppets that will be used, the lead puppeteer, the lead puppet designer and builder, and your timeline for the work including any upcoming workshops, residencies, or performances.

The letter must be accompanied by a one-page visual.This can be photographs of the puppet(s), a working sketch or illustration of the puppet(s), or a combination of images that show the puppetry in the proposed project.
Do not include images of other artists you are inspired by who are not attached to the project. If these kinds of inspirational images are included, your application will be disqualified.
Puppetry is a visual medium, the one-page visual you submit is essential to the letter of intent phase of the process.
All images must be original work and have the artist/source identified.

Do NOT submit a cover letter or any other additional materials. Letters of intent are accepted only via online submission.

LETTER OF INTENT PDF SUBMISSION LINK: https://spaces.hightail.com/uplink/HensonFoundation

You will receive an email of receipt from our office within 3 business days of submission. If you do not receive an email, please contact us.

Approximately half of the applicants submitting letters of intent will be asked to submit full proposals. Letters of intent will be reviewed at the Spring board meeting, and applicants will be notified of the board’s decision by June 5, 2025.
Sea Change: the history of water – Cabinet of Curiosity
2021 Production Grant, Photo: Chris Andrews
Application Instructions

If you are invited to submit a full proposal, your application must be received on or before September 9, 2025. Late applications are not accepted. Applications will be reviewed at the Fall board meeting, and applicants will be notified of the board’s decision by December 9, 2025. Applications are accepted by online submission only.

Please read the application instructions carefully. All materials including photographs and other visuals must be submitted as a multi-page PDF. Materials that exceed page limits will not be reviewed. Applications must include the following information: online grant application cover sheet
An online grant application link will be emailed to you from the Foundation Manager. Please use this link to submit the cover sheet information for your application. Click here to review what you will need to fill out on the online cover sheet.

MORE INFORMATION ONLINE HERE.

Another theater organization threatened by the Trump dictatorship

 Another wake-up call for those who think fascism is of no concern to playwrights.

 DONATE TO PRIMARY STAGES

Port Washington Play Troupe seeks 10-minute plays for a staged reading

Website

Deadline: March 14, 2025

THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR SUBMISSION WINDOW EARLY - DO NOT SEND

The reading will be performed in late spring at the Port Washington Public library.

Play Troupe will assign a director to each play who will cast from an open call. The rehearsals will take place over a three-week period and calumniate in two performances.

• The theme of the play festival is "Past, Present and Future"
• The play should be ten minute sin length and no longer than fifteen minutes.
• Plays may be comedic or dramatic and should have between 2 and 8 characters
• Plays should be presented in a standard play format (PDF preferred)
• The plays should be suitable for an audience of 12 years old and up.
• Subject matter should have some connection to the theme.

Strides Collective Commission

Website

Deadline: February 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM

SUBMISSION FORM

The Strides Collective is currently accepting applications from queer playwrights in the Mid-Atlantic Region for our inaugural Strides Collective Commission (SCC). One selected playwright will receive a stipend of $500 and work closely with the Collective over the course of a year to develop their original idea for a full length, modern queer play, culminating in a produced staged reading of the new play in 2026. 

In order to qualify for the SCC, the following criteria must be met:

Playwright self-identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community

Playwright resides in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia)

Playwright has never had a play professionally produced (i.e. with AEA contracts). Readings, workshops, community, collegiate, and semi-professional productions are OK.

Playwright is not currently a student in an undergraduate program. Note: current undergraduate students who are seniors and plan to graduate in Spring 2025 may still apply.

For this opportunity, we are looking for wholly original ideas that have not yet been worked on or written, as the intent is to nurture the development of the script from the very beginning.

In preparing your submission, please keep in mind the following guidelines that Strides uses in determining which type of plays to develop and produce. We are currently looking for ideas for plays that:

• Speak on the current queer experience
• Contain dynamic, well-rounded queer characters
• Are set in the present, the near past, or the near future
• Are modern in language, perspective, and theme
• Are grounded in realism or magical realism

In addition, we are NOT looking for ideas for plays that:

• Are historical, period pieces, and/or biographical in nature
• Primarily feature high-school aged characters
• Solely focus on explicit queer trauma or stereotypes
• Are adaptations of Shakespeare, myths, classic stories, or any other pre-existing material of any kind

Finally, this opportunity is supporting the development of a full length play by one playwright. Therefore, we are not currently accepting ideas for musicals, one-act plays, solo shows, or pieces written by multiple collaborators.

RESISTING FASCISM ~ The 92% by Bryan-Keyth Wilson

Bryan-Keyth Wilson (he/him) is dedicated to using the arts as a medium for connection, healing, and community building. He has published three novels, ten plays, four choreopoems, and 32 monologues, including the critically acclaimed FOR COLORED BOYZ on the verge of a nervous breakdown/when freedom ain’t enuff, which earned multiple literary awards and a sold-out Off-Broadway showcase at Theatre Row and regional premiere at The Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA. An experienced educator who has taught master classes at institutions like Prairie View A&M University and Susquehanna University, Wilson is also the creator of the LIFT EV’RY VOICE International Playwright & Spoken Word Virtual Festival and is developing his first comic book series, THE TALENTED TENTH, under Wilson Comics.

• Website: www.LiteraryPrince.com
• Instagram:@literaryprince 
• @southernsoultheatre 

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE 

The exit poll numbers from the November 5th election moved me deeply. Seeing that 92% of Black women stood steadfast in the fight for our democracy—once again—solidified what I already knew: when the stakes are highest, Black women are always there, leading the charge. While other marginalized groups were present at the polls, Black women showed up where it mattered most. "The 92%" was born out of that moment, reflecting pride, frustration, and the need to set boundaries. This piece is my way of honoring that legacy while asserting the right to rest and demanding collective accountability. 

   

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

If you enjoy a piece published in the RESISTING FASCISM project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

You knew who he was. You knew. You knew what that mutherfuckah was all about. Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” And that I did. I believed he was a rapist, a felon, a racist. I believed he was a man who speaks the same hate-filled rhetoric as Hitler. A traitor who tried to overthrow this country. I believed he was a womanizing pussy-grabbing pornstar chasing bigot. And you still chose him. I can’t make this shit up! This the stuff white dreams are made of. For real! So here’s the thing: Don’t talk to me. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not until 2028. And maybe then I might entertain your conversation. Don’t come asking for my vote. Don’t come asking for my voice in the streets. Don’t ask me to rally my sorority sisters. Don’t come asking for anything from me. Don’t ask me what time it is! Because I’ve given you everything I’ve got. Take me out the goddamn group chat.

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Fascist update: Trump is coming for veterans.

Trump's executive orders cause 'chaos' at the VA, some staffers say

Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs say President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders and policy changes have already chipped away at staff morale, and now they fear the impact will be felt by the country’s 9 million veterans for whom the VA provides lifelong care and benefits. 

Yellow Springs Theater Company ~ ANNUAL TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

Website

Deadline: March 1, 2025

Accepting SUBMISSIONs for The Yellow Springs Theater Company’s ANNUAL TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL 1-1-2025 till 3-1-25

Send submissions to ystheatercompany@gmail.com. 

Our projected performance dates are June 6 & 7, 2025. The exact location is TBD, but we hope to perform outdoors again. 

With your submission please provide a statement about who you are, how you developed the idea for your play, and if you are able to be involved in casting and/or directing your work. Our goal is to help writers bring their work to an audience. Keep in mind that plays must be 10 minutes or less. If it runs long we will require writers to make cuts. Also there is minimal set, lights, and sound available so any submissions will have to be adaptable to what is available.

RESISTING FASCISM ~ I AM CHARLOTTE by Richard Conlon

Richard Lyons Conlon is a proud Lifetime Member of the Dramatists Guild and Resident Playwright Alum at Chicago Dramatists where his social satire 7 MINUTES TO LIVE just closed an extended-run world premiere. He is an O’Neill Semi-Finalist, and was selected as a 2020 Kennedy Center Playwright. Richard’s work has won several awards and has been published by Next Stage Press, Eldridge Publishing, and Smith & Kraus. His sci-fi play MEMORY, SPEAK will be produced in April in Otherworld Theatre’s Paragon Festival in Chicago. Currently, he is working on a play as part of “Uncovered Stories from Ukraine”, which matched 20 American playwrights with current residents of war-torn Ukraine to tell their stories of living under the unlawful and immoral Russian invasion.

• newplayexchange.org/users/10967/richard-lyons-conlon
• facebook.com/RichardLyonsConlon

ABOUT THE PLAY

With the overturning of Roe came a proliferation of draconian laws enacted by deeply blue states for the purpose of completing the task of destroying abortion rights, no matter the cost, ironically, including the cost of human life. “I am Charlotte” is the climatic play in a series of short plays dealing with the real-life consequences of these laws on real people. Together, the plays make up the full-length play, “The Dobbs v. Women Plays”. Three of the dramas follow sisters Char and Liz as they deal with the fascist reality that these “pro-life” laws inflict upon them.

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

If you enjoy a piece published in the RESISTING FASCISM project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

 

                LIZ  

 

That better be your fucking lawyer.

[A middle-aged man enters, dressed vaguely urban-safari. A spotlight bounces around, stops on Char – a camera filming. The man stops. He and Char stare at each other. He speaks with a British accent.]

                MARK 

Hello, Charlotte.

                CHAR

Not supposed to have reporters in here. 

                MARK 

[Waves off the camera-person: the spot goes out.] 

Oh, I’m not a reporter.

                CHAR

Okay, so who are you?

                MARK

I’m here to help you.

                CHAR

Got a reprieve from the governor?

                MARK

I’ve just come from him, matter of fact. We were discussing your impending . . .

                LIZ

Assassination?!

                MARK

Yes, that. You’re Elizabeth.

               LIZ

So what is it you do want?

                MARK

Like I said, to help your sister.

                 

                CHAR

How?

                MARK

To be upfront, I’m here to make you a proposal.

                LIZ

First, who the fuck are you?

               MARK

Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed. Burnett’s the name. Mark Burnett.

                LIZ

Okay. What do you want? 

                CHAR

Wait. Fucking “Survivor” Mark Burnett?

               MARK

Among other things.

                LIZ

Like “Apprentice”? I’m not liking where this is going.

                CHAR

You talked to the governor. Get him to stop this.

                MARK

I don’t have that kind of influence.

                LIZ

He’s thinking about it, though, right? A stay? A reprieve? Or is that just a rumor?

                MARK

He’s weighing his options. The pros and cons.

                CHAR

And your angle is . . .?

                MARK

Simple. You are a lightning rod right now, Charlotte. For both sides. Your story would make very compelling television.

                LIZ

She’s just a woman who assumed she still had rights in America.

                MARK

As the first woman to be convicted of murder for –

                CHAR

-- for exercising my rights.

                MARK

-- for terminating a pregnancy – there is tremendous interest in you right now.

                LIZ

No shit. What does that mean for you?

                MARK

Pragmatic Liz. I’ve heard all about you.

                LIZ

I’ve heard a lot of shit about you, too.

                MARK

Thought you didn’t know who I was.

                LIZ

I’ve never watched your garbage. But I know all about you.

                MARK

Don’t believe everything you – .

                LIZ

You’re the reason we’re here. It was you propped up the bankrupt orange abomination and convinced people he was some kind of stable genius.

                MARK

I’m really not going to argue anything with you. I’m here for Charlotte.

                LIZ

Let me guess – you want to film it, don’t you? Her execution?

                MARK

Please, nothing so crass as that.

                LIZ

Meaning the governor said no.

                MARK

[A beat.] He thought it was a bit much. But, I have a proposition I think you’ll find very interesting.

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Yet another fascist atrocity: Trump administration pressures Romania to lift restrictions on Tate brothers

The Trump administration has pressured Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on the self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, a champion of the US president who is facing criminal charges in Bucharest.

Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate, who are dual US and UK nationals, have become a cause célèbre in rightwing social media after having been arrested in Romania in 2022 and charged with human trafficking, sexual misconduct and money laundering, as well as starting an organised crime group. They have denied wrongdoing.