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Playwrights' Festival
original works written by Black & Indigenous People of Color
Matthews Playhouse is holding an open submission call for original, completed theatrical works written by black, indigenous and other playwrights of color.
Now in its third year, the Playwrights' Festival is an initiative to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Charlotte Theatre community by highlighting original works by Black & Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). The Playwright’s Festival follows Evans’ model from AAPG’s Playwrights on Parade festival, which she held in 2014, 2016 and 2018. The selected playwrights will adapt their script to a 20-minute "preview" version that will be rehearsed and performed as a staged reading in front of an audience and a new panel of judges. This event is free and open to the public.
“We are committed to what we are doing—to provide an environment for BIPOC artists to feel safe, encouraged and supported to tell their stories,” says Matthews Playhouse Production Manager, Cassie Prodan. “It was difficult to narrow down such close competition, but we are thrilled to see such vision in these initial play submissions!”
The judges will score the staged readings, and the play that receives the highest score from the panel will be incorporated into the 2023-2024 Matthews Playhouse season and produced as a full length show.
Last season, the Matthews Playhouse was honored to produce A House Is Not A Home, an original play written by our 2022 Playwright’s Festival finalist, Kenyatt Godbolt.
The African American Playwrights Group is a collaboration of African-American playwrights, whose mission is to produce quality and excellent theater works in our communities and abroad. It is a privilege to incorporate the Playwrights Festival into our season and establish new relationships with community members.
The full process is outlined below:
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Playwrights will submit a minimum 10-page selection of an original full-length play
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The abbreviated submission will be reviewed and scored by a panel of judges
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Out of all the submissions, four (4) will be chosen to continue to the next stage of the selection process
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The chosen four (4) will be asked to present a 20-minute selection of the script as a staged reading in front of an audience and a panel of judges
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The winning piece will be mounted as a fully realized production (full-length play) as part of the 2023-2024 season at Matthews Playhouse. Full plays should not exceed 90 minutes (~100 pages) in length.
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2023 Play Submissions Due By February 28, 2023
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Proposals must be original works submitted by the playwright. A playwright may
submit proposals for multiple shows. The responsibility of casting and directing the
pieces that are selected to perform as staged readings falls to the playwright, however
Matthews Playhouse will provide resources and support as needed. The piece chosen
to be mounted as a full-length play will have additional artistic and technical support
provided by MPH.
Requirements for submissions:
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Must submit all required documents and information through the form below
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Must be 18 years or older to submit
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Must be a selection of an original work written by a person of color
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Length: A minimum of 10-page, maximum of 25-page selection of a completed original work, single spaced, 12-point font in Times New Roman or Arial
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Theme: Open/No Restrictions; submission should be in alignment with the African-American Playwrights Group and Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts mission statements
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Actor Limit for Staged Readings: 10 actors (can play multiple roles)
Thank you for your interest in producing your work with Matthews Playhouse of the
Performing Arts! Matthews Playhouse is a community based non-profit theater
committed to enriching the lives of children, adults, and families by inviting them to
participate in the world of performing arts and education. As a part of this commitment,
we are collaborating with the African American Playwrights Group to produce original
works written by artists of color to be performed as a part of the 2023-2024 season at
Matthews Playhouse.
The African American Playwrights Group, created by founder Vickie L. Evans, is a
collaboration of African-American playwrights whose mission is to produce quality
and excellent theater works in our communities and abroad. Working from the
guidelines of the AAPG’s original “Playwrights on Parade” event, we are very excited to
incorporate this project into our season and establish new relationships with community members.
