Dispatches from Mexico

From Internationalists Co-Founding Members Tamilla Woodard and Ana Margineanu,

For the last 10 days we have been investigating the theatrical climate of 2 major cities in Mexico: Mexico City and Querétaro. Although the scene in Mexico is obviously vibrant we found ourselves not able to see as much as we desired because the theatre season doesn't restart until late January. In spite of that, we have managed to meet amazing artists, see incredible performance on stage and in rehearsals and to conduct a series of interviews with performing artists of many genres that explore the perspective of the local artists in the international scene. This is a sneak preview of an initiative we will launch in March highlighting the most interesting artists we've meet with clips of performance and interviews. Special thanks to Dann Cazes our new friend who acted as both guide and translator for most of our visit.

AND NOW...We are proud to present Circo Teatro, a social circus in Querétaro, Mexico.

"It is our first day in Querétaro. We are having our first walk through one of many beautiful plazas filled with people enjoying the warm winter evening. We can not help but to notice two individuals towering over the others in the plaza by more than 6 feet. They are on stilts and between spectacular moves, approach us and invite us to follow them to a performance just down the street, around the corner and in the forth house on the right. We decide to ignore our instincts telling us to not follow tall dark strangers into unknown houses at night. However, we were...intrigued and since they were performing just for tips we thought this might be a great chance to get the nights entertainment for cheap (fully recognizing, of course that we might be taking a chance at being the nights entertainment, ourselves). When we arrive we find a circus tent in the middle of a house already filled with audience. Despite the hour, there are young children, grown women, old men all tightly packed onto raisers, cheerfully chatting, eating and drinking. I must say, we fully expected an amature performance. However, we were in for 2 glorious hours of daring, funny, stupid and virtuosic performance from company performers as young as 15 years old. We LAUGHED. We WOWED. We CHEERED and we felt transported into a beautiful past time when theatre was meant for everybody. "- tamilla and Ana.

Here is a short clip of one of CIRCO TEATRO'S acts followed by an excerpt from the interview we did with the company the next day. Stay tuned for a posting of the entire interview and more performance clips in March.

Circo Teatro Lyra and Stilts from Tamilla Woodard on Vimeo.

Circo Teatro, January '11 interview excerpt-Collaboration from Tamilla Woodard on Vimeo.

Playwriting Contest FAQs

Is my play eligible if it has been produced before?

The short answer is ‘no.’ We are looking for new plays that are in earlier stages of development, that have not had design elements or a paying audience. It should be at a point where the writer is done writing and wants to 'hear' it. The long answer is 'there is some flexibility’. We are not excluding things that have been previously developed in a reading or workshop or university, but are primarily looking for something that The Internationalists and the winning writer can develop further together.

Why was my submission returned?

In addition to the script, we ask that you respond to the specified guidelines and questions listed on the contest form. You can find all this information on our website, on facebook and on our blog. We have a lot of submissions, so please read the information carefully. It only helps us distribute plays faster.

What do you mean by 'presentation'?

The Internationalists are committed to producing public staged readings of the winning play. As the term 'reading' has different connotations in different cultures, we decided to use the term presentation. Depending on specific circumstances in select locations, there may be a higher level of production value, but this is not a condition of the award.

If I win, will I receive compensation?

There is no monetary prize for this contest. The award includes a minimum of five public presentations of your play, and in specific circumstances, may also result in the translation of your play into another language.

If I win, will I be invited to the readings?

You will be more than welcome at any and all of the public presentations, and The Internationalists will do everything in our power to assist in securing travel funds and housing accommodations for you. Additionally, we have retained flexibility in the locations of the readings so that if feasible, we can present one in or near your home.

What is the time frame of the readings?

It is the goal of The Internationalists to produce 5 public presentations within 2011. If we have more than five presentations, they may continue into the beginning of 2012.

What about copyright?

‪The text of the play will remain at all times the property/copyright of the playwright. The Internationalists will require 1) listing in future publications and programs, 2) that no other productions take place between our first and last reading, and 3) right of first refusal for a full production within a reasonable amount of time following the final reading. ‪Details to be negotiated in good faith upon winning.

What will be expected of the winning playwright?

Though we are happy to receive all eligible scripts, we are looking for someone who is also interested in accompanying The Internationalists on this journey. We look forward to developing a relationship with both the play and the playwright. We are eager to share a fantastic new play to as broad a global audience as possible.

Stand in Solidarity with Belarus

PEACEFUL PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION

In Support of Belarus Free Theatre

Wednesday, January 19 from 12 PM to 1 PM

The Mission of Belarus to the UN

136 East 67th Street, NYC, NY

The Internationalists Playwriting Contest

The Internationalists is excited to announce a new global playwriting contest. The winner’s play will receive public presentations in at least five locations around the world including New York, Berlin, Buchrest and Sydney.

Contest Mission

This contest is for a groundbreaking play that explores the theme of Boundaries. Though the characters can be few and the location specific, we are looking for big ideas and challenging questions. The Boundaries we wish to explore can be physical, emotional, psychological, cultural, political, spiritual or all of the above, as long as it is expressing an individual perspective on something humankind can intimately connect to. This is not only an opportunity to have a text exposed to different audiences, but a chance to engage in a cross-cultural exchange that fosters a collaboration with multiple directors around the world who will each have a personal vision of the play. It should offer each director and cast in the various locations a unique opportunity to work on the development of a provocative and engaging text through the lenses of audiences around the world. This play should speak both on a personal and universal level. It should be ambitious and stretch the boundaries of what is theatrical.

Submission Guidelines

1. Playwright may only submit one full-length script.

2. The play submission must be in English (either original or translation)

3. The play must not have had a fully mounted production

4. The playwright must include in his/her submission:

a. Name, address, phone number, email address and how you heard about the contest

b. Cover letter introducing yourself and explaining how your play addresses the mission of the contest. (500 word limit)

c. Bio (300 word limit)

d. Synopsis and Character Breakdown (300 word limit)

e. Electronic form (Word or PDF) copy of full script

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is Midnight EST on Friday, February 11^th.

Finalists will be notified by March 27^th.

The final round of selection will include a telephone, video, or in-person interview.

Contact

Submissions should be sent to: submissions@theinternationalists.org

You will receive a confirmation of receipt.

For more information visit our website at www.theinternationalists.org