The Chirp

Our monthly round-up of fee-free, playwriting submission opportunities with upcoming deadlines! Check out the list below.
And just a reminder that in addition to these fieldwide opportunities, The Lark is currently accepting applications for our Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship. The Fellowship supports Deaf/Disabled writers and includes a $40,000 prize. Deadline is June 15th!
CLUBBED THUMB BIENNIAL COMMISSION
Deadline: June 20, 2020
Every other year Clubbed Thumb invites playwrights to propose plays inspired by a particular prompt. The winning proposal(s) receive (or split) a $15,000 award and two years of development support. For this year’s commission consider The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio – but don’t write about the Plague. Consider The Decameron as a piece that came from the ashes of the Plague but is decidedly a piece of the Renaissance. LEARN MORE
THE CIVILIANS R&D GROUP
Deadline: June 22, 2020
The Civilians’ R&D Group provides writers, directors, composers, and other generative artists with a space to develop their investigative theater projects. The creative process may include research, interviews, engaging with specific communities, or other experimental methods of inquiry. The group meets about 12 times on a regular basis for nine months to share methodologies and resulting work, facilitated by the R&D Program Director. At the end of the season, each project will be given a brief rehearsal process to address development goals culminating in a work-in-progress presentation. The 2020-2021 R&D Group may meet remotely until safety and circumstances allow otherwise. LEARN MORE
CIMIENTOS 2021
Deadline: June 30, 2020
Cimientos is a play development program that has given hundreds of playwrights the foundations to explore their vanguardia through developmental workshop-panels and staged readings. This program is part of IATI Theater's commitment to fuel the genesis of theater: the playwright. Readings are presented to the public, followed by a talk-back with the author. Curation of plays spotlights national and cross-continental contemporary writers. Plays are accepted in English and Spanish. LEARN MORE
MAXIM MAZUMDAR NEW PLAY COMPETITION
Deadline: June 30, 2020
Playwrights around the world (with or without representation) are encouraged to submit their plays and musicals each season to Alleyway Theatre's Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition. The winning script in each category will receive a full production, along with a small cash prize. Finalists and other promising works will be considered for production in future seasons and/or our development lab. Alleyway is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network, and winning plays may be considered for Rolling World Premiere. LEARN MORE
THE FRANCESCA PRIMUS PRIZE
Deadline: June 30, 2020
An annual $10,000 award honoring outstanding contributions to the American theater by an emerging female playwright, one who has not yet achieved national prominence. To qualify for consideration in 2020, a playwright must have had a fully staged, professional production of her script within the calendar year 2019. The committee also considers a body of work going back several years. LEARN MORE
YALE DRAMA SERIES
Deadline: August 15, 2020
The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2021 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series' current judge, Paula Vogel. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of their manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater. LEARN MORE