Playwrights Realm has announced the members of its 2022-23 Writing Fellows program, Scratchpad Playwright program, and its inaugural Native American Artists Lab.
“Across our open submissions for all three programs, we received 861 applications—a sobering reminder of just how many wonderful artists are in need of support," said The Playwrights Realm Associate Artistic Director Alexis Williams in a statement. "We can’t wait to spend the year getting to know the 2022-2023 cohort and getting their projects heard by, and introduced to, audiences. These are promising voices everyone who’s interested in the future of theatre should know about.”
The Writing Fellowship program awards a stipend, resources, workshops, and more to four early-career playwrights as they develop a new play over the course of nine months; this year's fellows are Andrea Ambam, Alyssa Haddad-Chin, Jesse Jae Hoon, and Alex Lin. Their projects for the program include Fragile State, The Ancestry Dot Com Play, Somebody is Looking Back At Me, and LASTHUNTER, respectively. The program culminates with a public presentation of each work at the INK'D Festival.
Anamaria Guerzon, Ankita Raturi, and Christopher Washington have all been awarded support through the Scratchpad Series for their respective works: SKIN, No One Plays Badminton in America, and The Facts are as Follows. The program provides early-career playwrights with "a paid developmental process of up to one week culminating in a reading of the play." It also facilitates connections between the playwrights and collaborators in addition to dramaturgical support and professional guidance.
The inaugural cohort for the Native American Artist Lab features Sean-Joseph Choo and Moki Bear Eagle. Sean-Joseph Choo will develop his work The Isle is Full of Noises while Moki Bear Eagle will develop IGMU kiŋ na PAHA kiŋ. Aspiring and emerging artists from Domestic Nations chosen for the program receive individualized mentorship, design consultation, industry working, and coverage of housing and transport costs for participation in the culminating readings. Finalists were chosen by Madeline Sayet, Vickie Ramirez, and Rhiana Yazzie.
Katherine Kovner, Playwrights Realm Founding Artistic Director, said, “As we proudly announce the incredible, dynamic artists that will be joining us in 2022-2023 in Writing Fellows, Scratchpad, and Native American Artists Lab programs, we’re excited to simultaneously be expanding our support for aspiring playwrights. If someone says ‘I'm interested in being a playwright,’ we want The Realm to be their first resource. Our goal is to have a wealth of content generated by professional playwrights and theater artists and Realm staff, free-of-charge, and totally accessible—no need to apply or subscribe.”
Additionally, Playwrights Realm will launch new program Aspiring Playwrights this fall with online articles, filmed classes, and a new round of Script Share.
For more information, visit PlaywrightsRealm.org.
