RESISTING FASCISM ~ Shadow People by Debbie L. Tan

Debbie L. Tan is a playwright/creative writer from QC, Philippines. She's a freelance writer and editor. Debbie's play Jade Turtle Beauty is selected as Semi-Finalist in the SES International Playwriting Prize of 2016. Nationally, she has won two Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for her one-act plays in 2007 and in 2008. Her play Fate's Line is published under a grant of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Several of her plays have been produced in CCP and in some schools for a few years. Debbie was a member of the International Centre for Women Playwrights and had been its Board Member for two years.

ABOUT THE PLAY

The play Shadow People is about a dire fictional future when current real tensions in the West Philippine Seas results in a Philippine occupation by two powerful authoritarian-run countries. The intellectual who is jailed and guarded by her former student hopes to reach her/his individuality and humanity.

     ~ 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.

                E98E0

What is your name? The name in your heart. Don't let them take your heart away.

                SHADOW 1

You must remember.

                GUARD

I told you. I'm Guard now. If you can't be persuaded to work then, stay here. Don't expect me to care if you suffer.

E98E0 and SHADOW 1 crouch down low. GUARD leaves and enters with G64E5. 

 

                GUARD

            (exaggerates loudly)

Go. Go. Go inside, Number G64E5. Hard-headed, annoying people should stay in the same cell. I'm sure you'll kill each other in no time.

GUARD laughs loudly as they throw a baton, a taser and a key on the floor. GUARD exits. E98E0 and G64E5 grab the things from the floor. G64E5 remains on the floor.

                E98E 

(stands with what she grabbed, in low tones)

Quiet. We will wait for the right time.

                G64E5

I don't trust you.

                E98E0

Trust is the first thing that they killed in us. The next is to fight each other.

                G64E5

Are you a spy? Trying to catch me in my most vulnerable moment?

SHADOW 1 keeps pulling something off the ground. SHADOW 2 crawls on the ground. SHADOW 1 reaches out her hand. 

 

                E98E0

I am not a spy. I am a prisoner, most likely, to be killed if I don't change the whole history of the Philippines and eventually, the world.

SHADOW 2 reaches out her hand. SHADOW 1 clutches it and slowly pulls SHADOW 2 up. 

 

                G64E5

           (stands clutching what they grabbed)

I was an advertising director. Award-winning, I might add. They want me to make propaganda videos highlighting the US King approving of the military parade of fighter

jets, tanks, armory...f@#$^*% sh@#! 

 

(in forceful whisper)

I hate it! Never.

SHADOW 1 and SHADOW 2 shaking hands and very friendly gestures. 

 

                E98E0

I feel the same way.

           (looks at items in hand)

I thought this is the end for me. But maybe there is some hope.

                G64E5

Why did that guard...

                E98E0

They knew me as their former teacher. They knew the way I taught — with passion and heart. I encouraged their individuality.

                G64E5 

But maybe they really want us to kill each other. 

 

                E98E0 

No. I do not believe that. There is this key.

                SHADOW 1

Plus, I couldn't kill anyone.

                G64E5

Then, maybe there's hope.

                SHADOW 2

We have to be wise. Plan.

                G64E5

We'll die trying, won't we?

                E98E0

I was prepared to die before you came. Now, I'm prepared to live and fight.

                G64E5

Let's talk strategy. We might've to stay here for awhile until we know our moves.

                E98E0

Agreed.

Sounds of footsteps. Sounds of protesting voices.

----------------

The latest in the Trump fascism horror show - thanks to Trump neo-Nazi Elon Musk now has access to your SSN

Ten Minute Play Festival at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025 by 11:59 PM

They have stopped taking new scripts - do not send

Submit your original ten minute plays HERE for consideration for our third annual Ten Minute Play Festival at the Chelmsford (Massachusetts) Center for the Arts presented by the Playground Theatre Co.

• Plays will be selected in March for performances in early June (Dates to be announced)
• Two plays maximum per playwright.
• If you are submitting multiple plays, please do separate submission for each play.
• If you have any questions, please email playgroundcca@gmail.com! 

Bryan-Keyth Wilson's Southern Soul Theatre Ensemble Inaugural 10x10 Play Festival

Website

Deadline: none given

The Southern Soul Theatre Ensemble Galveston County Texas, is thrilled to announce the Inaugural 10 x 10 Play Festival, a celebration of creativity, culture, and community! This special event honors the spirit of Juneteenth by amplifying the voices of Black and Latinx playwrights, showcasing their stories through a dynamic collection of 10-minute plays.

• Eligibility: Open to Black and Latinx playwrights. Playwrights may only submit one play.
• Play Length: Must be a 10-minute play (approximately 8-10 pages).
• Cast Size: 2-6 characters.
• Themes: Plays should reflect the diversity and depth of Black and Latinx cultures, but all genres are welcome.
• Original Work: Submissions must be previously unproduced or have had limited exposure (workshops or readings are acceptable).
• Format: PDF submissions only. Please include a title page with your name, contact information, and a brief synopsis.

Notification: Selected playwrights will be notified by April 15th

Festival Details:The festival will be held during the Heritage Arts Festival dates TBA.

Selected plays will receive a staged reading or production by a professional ensemble of actors and directors.

Playwrights are encouraged but not required to attend.

How to Submit:
Email your script to southernsoultheatre@gmail.com with the subject line: 10 x 10 Play Submission - [Your Name]

Let your voice and creativity shine! We can’t wait to read your stories.

For questions or more information, contact Bryan-Keyth Wilson at southernsoultheatre@gmail.com

This festival welcomes playwrights from around the world, showcasing bold, innovative works that celebrate our heritage, resilience, and shared experiences. More than just theatre, it’s a tribute to the legacy and future of Black and Latinx artistry.

Join us in honoring freedom, storytelling, and the transformative power of the arts.

RESISTING FASCISM ~ America (After Ginsberg) by Joseph Sexton

Joseph Sexton's plays have been produced in NYC by Love Creek productions, The Chain Theatre (winner, audience choice), The Players Theater, The Secret Theatre (finalist, audience choice) and online at From the Couch theatre company.  His full length work, Storytime and Other Tales of Love and Deception was workshopped by Rising Sun Performance company as part of their summer Laboratorium series. His short play, CRB Therapy, has been selected to be published in an upcoming anthology of covid stories. 

After a long stint in Brooklyn, he currently resides in Tarrytown, NY. 

His plays are available at the New Play Exchange. jsphsexton@gmail.com

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE

America (after Ginsberg) was inspired by Allen Ginsberg's poem America. Ginsberg's poem is structured as if the speaker is confronting America as a single person and addressing his difficulties in fitting in with the dominant culture and looking closer at some of post WWII America's fears such as the cold war and political unrest. I tried to follow Ginsberg's lead with contemporary eyes looking at those that America is leaving behind as we rush to close our doors to the rest of the world.

     ~ 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.

We all build our fortunes on the backs of our immigrants. We give the unlucky ones dollars as they huddle in the street just a few steps away from the, born Americans slumped in their opioid funks. I am quietly grateful for their addictions because at other times I see them, out in the street, large, and mean, and resenting what I have. Collecting coins so they can push us all away for just a little longer. I am happy to escape the city to a place where there are no sidewalks, so the addicts are forced to huddle in cheap apartments; out of site while the local, mostly white folks, pretend there is nothing happening as they cheer on a heartless and unforgiving America. They blame the other and hide their secrets. Their politics can no longer be ignored as they have set the great American democracy experiment on fire. The smell is noxious. We are alarmed but do little as corporate America scrapes away the last meat from the bone. THE FUTURE IS NOW.

Latest fascist atrocity: Trump Blames D.C. Plane Crash on DEI—and Then Says He Has No Evidence 

It's likely that many who voted for Trump are racists, but is this really what even they wanted? Automatic blame for a tragedy on anybody who is not a white man?

Related story: Trump Gutted Key Aviation Safety Committee Before D.C. Plane Crash

Elmwood Playhouse’s One-Act Weekend 2025

Website

Deadline: February 28, 2025

Or when they receive 100 submissions

SUBMISSION FORM

Welcome to Elmwood Playhouse’s One-Act Weekend 2025! Elmwood Playhouse (in Nyack New York) is proud to provide the opportunity and resources for local playwrights writers to stage their original works.

We are accepting submissions starting February 1, 2025 via our online portal. Please use the button link below to submit plays. No email, hard copy, or other format will be accepted.

The submission window closes at 100 submissions or on February 28—whichever comes first!
Playwrights’ names are removed before the selection committee reads each work. The selection process is anonymous.

Playwrights may submit plays of any genre, as long as each is a one-act play that can be performed in 20 minutes or less.

Each playwright may submit up to three individual works. Previously produced works are eligible.

If a playwright has multiple submissions, each work must be submitted individually.

Playwrights may direct their own works, or use a different director. We may be able to supply a director if you do not have one.

Playwrights will be responsible for casting, staffing, and rehearsing their own works. Elmwood can provide some assistance with casting and rehearsal space to be worked out with the playwrights whose work is selected.

Between 5 and 10 works will be selected. All selected works will be performed on every performance date. Performance dates are July 25th (8pm), July 26th (8pm), and July 27th (2pm).

Questions may be asked here.

RESISTING FASCISM ~ Menapace by J. Lois Diamond

J. Lois Diamond’s work has been performed off-off B’way, regionally, Canada, London, @ International Human Rights Art Festival & Inge Festival.Growl Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Theatre Odyssey, (runner up best play), Valdez Theatre Conference. Monologues published Smith & Kraus’ Anthologies, Applause Books’ She Persisted and in The Bishop Arts Theatre Center’s Monologue Project 2024, an online resource for audition-length monologues for Women of the African Diaspora. She is committed to telling the stories of historic women, as a way to promote the value of all women. She is a proud member of Honor Roll!, Polaris North and The Dramatists Guild, where she recently studied with Tina Howe.

• jloisdiamond.com
• https://newplayexchange.org/users/20210/jlois-diamond

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE
I wrote a longer version of this monologue in 2021 after reading the obituary of Lidia Menapace, whom the N.Y. Times profiled in a series on people who died of covid. For years, I have been writing plays inspired by historic women for The 365 Women a Year Project and leapt at the chance to write about her. I was also looking for role models at a very dark period in time.

Menapace was a feminist, writer and a member of the Italian resistance who fought Mussolini. I found her story to be fascinating. I set the piece in a girl’s high school in Italy.

When I saw the call for plays and monologues about resisting fascism, I trimmed the work to be the required length of a single page, removed the references about covid and put the focus on her efforts to fight fascism, nazism and sexism. My hope is that learning about women like Lidia Menapace will instill appreciation and courage in others and maybe even inspire them to live as she did.

     ~ 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.

Have any of you had men say rude things to you, make catcalls, obscene gestures on the way to school today?  

 

(looking around) 

 

More than half. That’s how it all starts and it only gets worse! A woman in Italy is murdered every three days. The church does not protect us. Fascists like Trump and Berlusconi never have any respect for women. They show other men they can treat us like garbage and get away with it. When I was young, my teachers made me praise Il Duce. But at home, my mother had me destroy school papers claiming I was an “elite member of the Aryan race”. 

 

(imitating her mom’s voice) 

 

“We are not animals! Don’t let them turn you into an animal, Lidia!” ... 

 

I hope all of you will think critically about what they teach you here. I was about your age when I joined the resistance. They could have arrested and tortured me at any moment, but that never stopped me.

-------------

Fascism update: Trump voters sold out democracy for cheaper eggs - and they won't be getting cheaper eggs. 

Egg prices skyrocket in central Pa.: The ‘most extreme we have ever seen’

The Playwrights Realm writers programs

Website

Deadline: February 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

Applicants for the Writing Fellowship and/or Scratchpad Series will submit:

• Online application - short-answer questionnaire (see details here)
• Artistic résume (PDF format)
• Complete draft of the play that you wish to develop (PDF format), with your name and the play title on the cover page.
• Music samples (if applicable)

Please carefully read program details below, and then decide which application to fill out.

Writing Fellowship

The Writing Fellowship is at the heart of what we do: helping writers write. Four early-career playwrights receive nine months of resources, readings and feedback designed to help them reach their professional and artistic goals. The culminating event of the program is our INK’D Festival, which features public readings of each Fellows’ play. To be eligible you must:Live within commuting distance to Midtown Manhattan, and be able to make it to regular evening writers meetings, rehearsals, and events.

Have a script that would benefit from a nine-month, intensive development process.

Please note: short plays, solo plays, plays with multiple authors, and musicals are not eligible for the Writing Fellowship.


Scratchpad Series

Scratchpad Series jumpstarts The Realm’s relationship with early-career playwrights from around the country. Participants will spend a week in New York City for a developmental reading of their play with top-notch professional collaborators—director, cast, and The Realm’s artistic staff. If the playwright is based outside of New York, The Realm will provide travel and housing or per diem. To be eligible you must:Have a script that would benefit from dramaturgical conversation with The Realm and 15-hour developmental reading process reading. (Plays can be anything from a rough first draft to a play that is close to production-ready.)
Be able to be present in New York City for a process of between 3-6 days, at a time agreed upon by both you and The Realm.

Please note: short plays and solo plays not eligible for the Scratchpad Series.

If you apply for both:

Please be prepared to discuss how you think your script could benefit from the two different opportunities these distinct programs offer. To use this form you must:

Live within commuting distance to Midtown Manhattan, and be able to make it to regular evening writers meetings, rehearsals, and events.

Understand that you are applying to both programs with a single script. We accept just one play, per playwright, per season.

Please note: Short plays and solo plays not eligible for either program.

To access the application form you will either log into your Submittable account, or if you don’t have an account already, create a secure User ID and log in for Submittable. This will enable you to save drafts as you work and verify that your application has been received.

StageWorks Theatre Group seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: March 1, 2025

Submission fee waived for members of Dramatists' Guild

Please send manuscripts to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC.
237 Hamburg Turnpike
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442 

Auditions: Spring 2025 - Exact Dates TBA
Show Dates: July 25th, 26th, 27th 2025

Writers must submit their one-act plays (with a running time of 20 minutes or less)
Entries will be judged on plot, character development, dialogue, and overall quality.
Please send manuscripts and enclose your $20 reading fee (waived for members of Dramatists' Guild)
(checks made payable to StageWorks Theatre Group, INC.) to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC.
237 Hamburg Turnpike
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

Attention: One Act Jamboree

Alternatively, you may submit your play via our website. Click "Submit Your Play" to send your manuscript via Google Form. Then, click "Pay Reading Fee" button above to pay your reading fee (online payment convenience fees apply). Manuscripts will NOT be considered until the reading fee has been submitted. (Fee waived for members of Dramatists' Guild).

Between 6 and 10 winners will receive the prize of a staged production of their play at the StageWorks One Act Jamboree, which will be held during the Summer of 2025 at StageWorks Studio 237.

The production will have auditioned actors, directors chosen by committee, producers, stage managers, ushers, ticket takers, and tech crew.

2025 Annual One-Act Jamboree Terms and Conditions

Writers are encouraged to submit their one-act plays (with a running time of 20 minutes or less) by Sunday, March 1, 2025. Entries will be judged on plot, character development, dialogue and overall quality by a committee of three to five. Directors will be chosen by the committee.

Between 6 and 10 winners will receive the prize of a staged production of his or her play at the StageWorks One Act Jamboree, which will be held during the summer of 2023 at StageWorks Studio 237.


Plays will be judged on the following criteria:

• Plot
• Character Development
• Dialogue
• Overall writing quality

Playwrights are limited to three (3) submissions.

How to Submit:

Please read and follow our submission guidelines. Submissions that are incomplete or do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified. 

To enter your play, you must submit the following:

(1) Three (3) hard copies of your play (or Google Form submission in advance for electronic submissions/Paypal payment).

• Plays should run 20 minutes or less and be written in the proper playwriting format (when in the proper format, running time is approximately one minute per page):
• A list of characters with a brief physical description of each should also be included.
• Plays should contain 12 or fewer actors.
• One person plays are accepted.
• No musicals, unless you are providing accompaniment.
• Plays should have simple staging and technical needs.

(2) A cover letter with the following information:

The name of your play

Your name full address, full contact information (including your e-mail and phone number)

A brief synopsis of your play (for publicity purposes if your play is selected)

A brief biography


(3) A check in the amount of $20 (US dollars) for each play submitted, made payable to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC. *Fee waived for members of Dramatist Guild (must include proof of current membership) Please write "One-Act Jamboree" in the check's memo line.

As the playwright, you are invited to auditions and will have input regarding casting and production presentation. However, Executive Director may choose to exercise her authority regarding questionable content and/or presentation of the show with consideration and protection of the reputation of the company in its entirety.

Prizes:

At the conclusion of the jamboree, one winner will receive a $250 cash prize based on audience vote.

The Playwrights Group ~ the Art of Playwriting

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

RESISTING FASCISM ~ Less is More by Frank Shima

Member of Playwrights’ Center Frank Shima, a native of Minnesota, either entertains or annoys neighbors by playing Czech songs on his accordion. He has written four novels, VENCIL, DEAD LETTER, PLUM CREEK, and LYING IN THE WEEDS, available on Amazon. His plays have been performed throughout the United States in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Long Island, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York City, North Carolina, and Ohio, and in England and Wales where he learned not to use unleaded gas in a diesel engine.

 

ABOUT THE PLAY

The premise for “Less is More” came from the poem “First They Came” by Pastor Martin Niemoller. When a regime tries to eliminate everything that it doesn’t agree with, it affects everyone. You never know when you yourself will be targeted. They might come for you and there will be no one to speak out for you. Less Government – More Freedom is actually More Government – Less Freedom.
America was built on diversity. It is this diversity that made America great. And it is this diversity that will allow America to survive a fascist regime.

    

     ~ 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.

 

            MONTY

Be realistic. There are some things the government provides that are necessary.

             ELLEN

And who decides?

             MONTY

It should be obvious.

            ELLEN

Like the things you want and need.  

             

            MONTY

Precisely. If I don’t need it, other people shouldn’t either.

            TIM

But all people aren’t the same. 

 

            MONTY

That’s the problem. The differences in people are what cause the problems.

             TIM

So, you are against anything different than you.

            MONTY

Of course. That should be obvious. Doesn’t everyone feel that way?

              ELLEN

Not really. It seems to me that you now have LESS freedom.

               MONTY

I have the freedom to live the life I want in the house I want.

            

                ELLEN

Without government controls. 

 

                MONTY

Yes. There were just too many government rules and regulations.

                ELLEN

Maybe they were there for a reason. 

 

                MONTY

Just to cost me more money for permits. 

 

                ELLEN

    

Or maybe so your house is built correctly and safe to live in.

                MONTY

Never mind. I can watch out for myself. 

 

                ELLEN

And if someone can’t.

                MONTY

That’s their problem.

                ELLEN

Until it becomes your problem. 

     

                TIM

I was just wondering, Monty. Where are you going when you have to leave the country? 

 

                MONTY

What do you mean? I’m not going anywhere.

                TIM

That’s what you think.

                ELLEN

I wonder if you agree with the latest presidential executive order?

                MONTY

I agree with all of them. They’re for the good of the

country.

                ELLEN

I don’t think you’ll agree with this one.

                MONTY

Why not?

                TIM

We weren’t going to say anything. But your neighbor told us you weren’t born in the United States. 

 

                MONTY

So what? I’m a naturalized citizen. I fulfilled all the

requirements and took the oath of allegiance.

                ELLEN

It doesn’t matter. The President has rescinded all of them by proclamation.

                TIM

He can’t do that.

                ELLEN

He can and he did. Your naturalization has been revoked, repealed, and annulled.

                TIM

You’re out of here.

                MONTY

That can’t be. My whole life is here. My whole family.

                TIM 

 

They’re out of here, too.

                MONTY

That can’t do that to me.

                ELLEN

What do you think of your less government now?

                TIM

And your more freedom?

                MONTY 

 

It’s not right. It isn’t fair.

 

                ELLEN

Of course, it’s not fair. But it’s what you voted for.'

THE LATEST TRUMP FASCISM ATROCITY: Pete Hegseth was confirmed as Trump’s defense secretary despite allegations of sexual assault and spousal abuse

The Guardian:  ...experts raised alarms about Hegseth’s apparent affinity for far-right symbols – noting that his tattoo sleeve featured at least two images associated with far-right and neo-Nazi groups. Hegseth himself has complained publicly that the US Army declined his service during Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration after a fellow servicemember flagged him as a potential insider threat.

The Orange Players Acting Up! 2025 seeks 10-minute plays

Facebook page

Deadline: February 7, 2025 9PM EST

Or until they receive 250 total play submissions

The Orange Players will be hosting “Acting Up! 2025”, a performance of ten-minute one act plays for unpublished works to be presented on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23, 2025. If you are an author of an unpublished one act, we would love to work with you.

PLAYS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA

• Scripts must be sent to OPplaysubmissions@gmail.com no later than 9 PM EST February 7, 2025.
• Works must be no longer than 10 minutes when performed.
• No monologues.
• Works must be in script format, PDF or MS Word preferred.
• Works must be unpublished.
• Set pieces should be minimal and small in size.
• Playwright must be 16 years of age or older.
• Playwrights are limited to 2 submissions.
• There will be a cap of 250 total play submissions.
• Playwrights will be notified of receipt of works submitted. Please contact us after 24 hours at TheOrangePlayers@gmail.com if you have not received confirmation of receipt of your submission(s).
• One act submissions will be reviewed and chosen by the Orange Players Reading Committee.
• All Playwrights will be notified of selection status no later than June 1, 2025.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR MEET AND GREET
• The week of June 8, 2025 a meet and greet for Directors and Playwrights will be scheduled on Zoom.
• Each author will have an opportunity to speak about their play for a few minutes.
• Copies of the plays will be made available electronically for Directors to read through after the meeting.
• Directors will send their top three play choices via email to the Producer no later than June 20, 2025.
• The Producer will assign the plays to the Directors accordingly.
• Assigned Directors and authors will have a chance to chat and exchange info prior to auditions.
AUDITIONS
• Open auditions will be held for two nights on Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at High Plains Community Center (HPCC), 525 Orange Center Rd., Orange, CT, 06477. All performances and tech week will be held at HPCC.
• Playwrights may attend if they wish.
• Playwrights may not audition for their own works.
• Sides or monologues will be made available at the time of auditions.
REHEARSALS
• Orange Players will provide one copy of the script to each actor and Director in the one act assigned.
TECHNICAL
• Tech Rehearsal will be held August 18, 19, 20 with Dress Rehearsal on Thursday, August 21, all at 7:00 PM
• Set pieces must be relatively small in size – pieces that can be moved by 1 or 2 people at the most.
• Body mics will be utilized during the performances.

PERFORMANCES
Dates: Friday, August 22, 7:30 PM and Saturday, August 23, 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Event Location: High Plains Community Center, 525 Orange Center Rd, Orange, CT 06477
Seating: Cabaret style seating, BYO adult beverage and food
For further information please contact TheOrangePlayers@gmail.com

June Bingham New Playwright Commission 2025

Website

Deadline: February 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST

Submit at liveandincolor.org

The June Bingham New Playwright Commission Submissions are now open! This submission form will close on 2/1/2025 at 11:59 pm EST. You will be notified by 2/28/2025 if you are selected as a Semi-Finalist.

This commission opportunity provides resources and support toward the creation and development of a new play by early-career women/femme and/or non-binary storytellers. We define “early-career” as artists who have written pieces previously, or have engaged in writing via books, film, TV, etc. but have not had theatrical work that has been extensively professionally produced by commercial or non-profit organizations and have less than two full-length pieces that have been published in print. 

If you have questions about your eligibility or any portion of the application, please email Junebinghamcommission@liveandincolor.org.

The opportunity will culminate in a 60- 90 minute 2-person play that will be workshopped and presented as a reading for an audience at L&IC’s Fall Retreat in September of 2025.

The total fee for this Commission will be $3,000; housing, meals, and travel for the retreat are also provided. Schedule and deadlines will be at the discretion of the commission recipient and the program director.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The Play must be able to be performed with 2 actors.

All submissions should include:

• Short (5-page max) writing sample/excerpt in PDF format
• 1 page artistic statement in PDF format describing your influences, perspective and style, and addressing how this piece you hope to create fits- or doesn't fit- within your body of work and what impact you hope this piece might have on communities or audiences.
• Resume/CV in PDF format

Go Try Play Write January 2025

Website

Deadline: January 31, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

We're proud to announce a new monthly playwriting contest in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press. Every month, Kumu Kahua's artistic director Harry Wong III will select a writing prompt on the first day of that month. We're looking for 5-page monologues or 10-page scenes based on that prompt; the due date for submissions are always the last day of the month. 

All entries must be written in traditional play format; instructions on this format can be found here (https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats), courtesy of the Dramatists Guild.

There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. Winners will receive $100 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. Woo!

The prompt for January 2025 is:

A chop stick prompt. Write a 10-page maximum scene about someone learning how to use chop sticks to eat. The scene should end with either success or failure. Have fun with this one.