The 20/20 Commissions is an ambitious initiative that will award 20 new play commissions and development grants over six seasons. The first round recipients were Lee Blessing for WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA, Tom Coash for VEILS, Eric Pfeffinger for an as-yet-untitled new play, Elaine Romero for THE DALAI LAMA ISN'T WELCOME HERE, and Michael Whistler for LITTLE LAMB.
Click Here to Read More About Round One Recipients
The second round recipients were Kara Lee Corthron for an as-yet-untitled new play, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig for LIDLESS, Peter Gil-Sheridan for RITU COMES HOME, and Sean Christopher Lewis for THE ROAD TO EDEN.
Click Here to Read More About Round Two Recipients
Long established as one of the country’s most devoted producers of provocative, forward-thinking new plays, InterAct seeks to use the commissions to explore the issues our society faces in the next twenty years through the eyes of the playwright.
InterAct Theatre Company, located in Philadelphia, PA, is a theatre for today’s world, producing new and contemporary plays that explore social, political, and cultural questions of our time. In its twenty-two seasons, InterAct has introduced Philadelphia audiences to a canon of plays exploring the most important issues of the past two decades – from the fall of communism to the rise of terrorism, from religious fundamentalism to American consumerism, from shifts in the political landscape to major advancements in science, from AIDS to genocide, from questions of gender to questions of heritage, from race relations to war.
Since its founding in 1988, InterAct has produced 28 world-premiere plays by some of the most provocative American, Canadian, and European playwrights. Plays originating at InterAct have won numerous Barrymore Awards and nominations, and have gone on to receive productions at dozens of regional theatres across the country.
InterAct is a founding member of the National New Play Network.
InterAct plans to award roughly 2-5 commissions per season over the next four seasons, for a total of twenty commissions. There are two types of awards associated with the program:
• Development Awards, which may be given to works already in progress, and put toward further development with InterAct’s assistance. Plays receiving Development Awards cannot have had a professional production.
• New Play Commissions, in which a new and wholly or substantially unwritten play is commissioned and aided in the development process by InterAct.
Development Awards will be $2500, while New Play Commissions will range from $5000 - $10,000. InterAct will accept proposals on an annual basis, with application cycles in each of the next four years.
Round 3: 2009/2010 Season
The application consists of three parts, which must be submitted simultaneously and postmarked by January 15, 2010:
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Statement of Interest: Please provide a description of the proposed project, including why the issues and themes of the project will be significant to society over the next twenty years, and why you wish to work with InterAct on its development. For Development Award applicants, you may additionally discuss the status of the current work and its development history. Statements of interest should not exceed 2 pages. PLEASE NOTE: Descriptions that have been thoroughly thought through tend to be more competitive; that is, we prefer proposals that describe a specific interrogation of a particular idea, rather than just a vague exploration of a theme. The clearer the picture you create of what you are proposing to write, the better. We will not be reading ANY submissions prior to January 15, so use the time to think though your proposal.
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Up-to-Date Playwriting CV: PLEASE NOTE: For Development Award applicants, be sure to include the development history, if any, of the proposed work.
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One copy of a previously completed full-length script: Submitted scripts need not have received previous productions for submission. If possible, playwrights should submit a script that fits within InterAct’s central mission. If the playwright does not feel that they have a script suitable for InterAct’s mission, they may send whatever script they feel best expresses their ability to balance complex themes and ideas in their playwriting. PLEASE NOTE: For Development Award applicants, a copy of a previously completed script is asked for in addition to the proposed script for development.
Please note: Only full-length plays are eligible for commission or development. Musicals and bills of related one-act plays will not be considered. Collaborations are welcome.
All parts of the application must be sent via regular mail. Submitted scripts will not be returned. Email applications will not be accepted. There is no fee for application.
For all 20/20 New Play Commissions awarded by InterAct, the company reserves the right of first production upon completion of the commission. Recipients of Development Awards are not required to give right of first production to InterAct, though they may choose to do so.
The postmark deadline for completed third cycle applications is January 15, 2010, and InterAct will notify all playwrights of its decision by May 1, 2010.
Applications may be sent to:
InterAct Theatre Company
20/20 Commissions
2030 Sansom St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
All inquiries related to the commissions may be directed via email to Rebecca Wright, Literary Director.
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