Deadline: March 2, 2026 at 5PM PST
SUBMISSION FORM
EAST WEST PLAYERS invites proposals for a new play commission, with a world premiere production in Summer 2028, to coincide with the 2028 Summer Olympics hosted in our home city of Los Angeles.
This open call commission, one of the first of its kind for EWP, will see one playwright commissioned for a new play that will be developed and premiered in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This opportunity is open to playwrights at all stages of their practice!
To celebrate the Olympics taking place in our backyard, this commission will be themed around Asian American narratives in sports. For the purposes of this commission, our definition of Asian American is inclusive of communities who identify as East, South, Southeast, and West Asian; Pacific Islander, and Native Hawai’ian (AAPINH).
Similar to Asian American visibility in the performing arts, in the “theater” of sports we see a small number of extraordinary individuals achieve mainstream popularity (and/or controversy) while the community remains underrepresented within the field at large. As of 2024, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports reported that Asian American athletes make up 1.4% of the WNBA, 1.3% of major league soccer, and 0.4% of the NFL. Asian American athletes, like artists, often bear the burden of representation when it comes to subverting or following stereotypes. However, many Asian American communities have a rich history and relationship with athletic activities, both competitive and recreational, contemporary and cultural, hyperlocal to national.
This commission seeks to uplift a diversity of narratives around Asian Americans in sports, while inspiring playwrights to explore theatrical subject and form. Proposals for plays are not required to center around Olympic sports or professional athletes, so long as sport is central to the core of the play in a meaningful way.
Commission Requirements
The proposal should encompass a play that can be envisioned as a full-length evening of theatre.
The proposed play should require no more than 5 performers on stage.
The proposed play should center the AANIPH experience and sports in a meaningful and identifiable way.
East West Players exists to elevate Asian and Asian American artists and stories in the American theatre, and spark conversation about the many layers of the AAPINH experience through our programming. For this commission, playwrights are encouraged to imagine beyond what narratives, themes, and sensibilities are most common in the mainstream American theatre, and to write under the default assumption that you will be understood by your audience.
What should be included in the proposal?
You may propose your play in whatever format you wish, so long as it does not exceed 1-2 pages. Some information you may wish to include in your proposal to give us the best sense of your vision:
Basic form and structure of the play
Information about the characters and sport featured
Major events, actions, or general dramatic arc of the play
Themes or dramatic questions within the play
Theatrical tools or languages you are excited to explore
Any sparks or impulses for scenes or moments that you envision
Your relationship to the characters and/or sport you are interested in writing about
Eligibility
The application is open to all applicants who have a relationship with East West Players, the greater Los Angeles area, and/or the AAPINH (Asian American is inclusive of communities who identify as East, South, Southeast, and West Asian; Pacific Islander, and Native Hawai’ian) experience.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Applicants at all levels of their practice are invited to submit a proposal.
Applicants must be eligible to work and be paid in California.
Applicants are invited to submit multilingual work, but please provide English-language translations for our evaluation panel as needed.