2012 Global Playwriting Contest

The Internationalists is proud to announce our 2nd Annual Global Playwriting Contest.  The winner’s play will receive presentations in various locations around the world.  In 2011, John Freedman’s ‘Dancing, not Dead’ was presented in Berlin, Bucharest, Moscow, New York and the Hague, and translated from English into Russian, Romanian and Dutch.

2012 Contest Mission

This contest is for a groundbreaking new play that addresses the theme of ‘Presence/Absence’ (Whenever one is present somewhere, he/she is absent everywhere else.  When does one’s absence become more significant that one’s presence?).  The play 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.  Though the characters can be few and the location specific, we are looking for big ideas and challenging questions.  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.

Submission Guidelines


The Submission Form is Required and Available Online. If you have trouble with the link, email us for the form directly.  Click here for the Online Submission Form or visit our website.

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

5.       The playwright must fill out the online submission form that includes:


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)

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is Midnight EST on Friday 13 January 2012.  Finalists will be notified by mid-March.  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   

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Frequently Asked Questions about 2012 Global Playwriting Contest

Is my play eligible if it has been produced before?

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. 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 and facebook.  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 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 assist in securing travel funds and housing accommodations for you.

What is the time frame of the readings?

It is the goal of The Internationalists to produce five public presentations within 2012.  Depending on scheduling, they may continue into the beginning of 2013.

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.

HOTEL PROJECT (The Grand Summit Hotel)

We are incredibly excited to start our new adventure: Hotel Project. The pilot of this international theatical series happend this summer in Queretaro, Mexico. And in January 2012 we are going to launch Hotel Project in Summit, NJ and in Manhattan, NYC. 

Hotel Project is a theatrical experience for one spectator at a time, performed in and inspired by a hotel and created by local and international teams of playwrights and directors. Adapted for local hotels in major cities around the world, this performance offers audiences a view of contemporary international artists and emerging theatrical forms. The uniqueness of the project consists in the relationship between performer and spectator.

In Hotel Project, 3 playwright and director teams are assembled and commissioned to create a 20-minute performance inspired by the character and history of the hotel.Each is performed in a separate room of that hotel and given for a single spectator at a time, creating an immersive theatrical experience. The spectator is given the opportunity to view a set of three rooms in an evening. Once keys are chosen, the spectator is invited to enter the corresponding rooms alone. Inside, the play begins to unfold and the spectator becomes the proverbial “fly on the wall;” an invisible witness to a unique and intimate story.
 

For now, the first step: visiting the gorgeous Grand Summit Hotel, our new set:

 ...ask a lot of questions about rooms, hotel, people... everything...

... then ask more questions ....

do not steal the chocolate covered strawberry! ...

... but feel inspired by the unique athmosphere of the rooms - there are no two alike in this hotel!

...then plan, plan plan. 6 hours of planing, and it feels like we are just getting started :)

5 best things from Around The World

Virtual Dinner Party - Berlin

What a day, November 12! But we did it, we did it! One day, 4 shows, 3 continents, and over 25 artists from 13 different countries! So, we started with a Skype Duet...

Skype Duet NYC

...then we exchanged food and drinks with Berlin in Virtual Dinner Party.

Virtual Dinner Party - NYC

In the evening we jumped in a "Long Distance Affair" with 9 actors performing for NYC audiences via skype from Australia, Mexico, Russia, Finland, Italy, Iceland, Romania, Greece & Turkey.

Long Distance Affair

Miguel Loyola in Long Distance Affair

Next, the spectators wrote live the script for Make Me Talk or Watch Me Drink!

Make Me Talk or Watch Me Drink

The 5 Best Things? Hard to say. Still. Here are my personal favorite moments of the day:

1. Watching the spectators both in NYC and Berlin dancing in Skype Duet

2. When I heard Cathy announcing that Long Distance Affair is sold out

3. Working with artists from other countries, without traveling - it's funny sometimes, how emotion can break through and how connections can be made regardless the physical distance. (well, in fact this was my biggest accomplishment in this process)

4. Watching all the people in the audience texting on their phones for Make Me Talk or Watch Me Drink

5. When one spectator from Virtual Dinner Party, said to another, after the show: "Let's come back later."
& one more:
5a. Watching the spectators from LDA writing postcards for the actors

Ok. It's time to make a confession. This post is not only a post, it's also a test. I'm curious to see if you read so far, if you are still here. So, please, if you are still here, post a comment! It can be as short and easy as "I'm still here" or, if you are in the mood to write, tell me how you ended up reading this article and what made you stay. If you were one of our audience members in  "Around The World" tell me what show you saw and what are your feelings, good or bad. Ok? Thank you!

love,
Ana

Long Distance Affair - meet (almost) all the actors!

Just one day left until Long Distance Affair.  Meet now the actors and come see them performing tomorrow! (But buy your ticket now - tomorrow it may be too late...)

AROUND THE WORLD this Saturday Only! have you bought tickets yet?

Last chance to be a part of this exciting adventure !  Live, interactive productions in NYC and Berlin with performances from 9 other countries.  Buy tickets here for New York.

The Internationalists' 4th Annual AROUND THE WORLD begins simultaneously between New York and Berlin, with directors Brina Stinehelfer (DE) and Jake Witlen (US) teaming up for an adventure through the very depths of the Internet, with Skype Duet and Virtual Dinner Party.

Starting 7.30 PM, New York will host a festival of new work by directors Ana Margineanu (RO), Jeremy Lydic (US) and Doug Howe (US). First sit face to face via Skype with actors in Turkey, Iceland, Italy, Finland, Russia, Australia, Romania, Mexico and Greece for a Long Distance Affair. 

Then you, the audience, will write the script for two actors in real time using social media technology in Make me talk or watch me drink. Be sure to stay for the after-party!!!

Long Distance Affair - featured in GUSMEN Magazine

Our "Long Distance Affair" was featured in GUSMEN  Magazine - check it out:

http://www.gusmen.com/2011/11/05/long-distance-affair

And watch our latest video featuring Aimée Horne, from Australia:

Long Distance Affair explores the question – what can you get from one person when all the information you get comes through a computer screen? 21 artists from 12 countries decided to take this virtual adventure. Be one of the 27 participants who get to take this journey and have 9 actors performing solely for you from their private homes.

"Long Distance Affair is NYC-based. Sort of. It's NYC-based for the audience. The premise is that each audience member will enter the space and have access to up to nine computer terminals. At each terminal, Skype will connect the audience member to a performer in another location - actors' countries include Australia, Mexico and Turkey. The audience member will then see (and probably interact with) a ten-minute performance at each terminal. In short, each performance will have only one audience member at a time" Lisa Parry, playwright, UK


Concept: Ana Margineanu

Directed by Doug Howe, Jeremy Lydic & Ana Margineanu

Choreography by Andreea Duta

Written by Alfonso Carcamo (Mexico), Ella Greenhill (England), Stacey Gregg (Ireland), Diane Lefer (US), Sigtryggur Magnasson (Iceland), Lisa Parry (England), Monica Raymond (US), Peca Stefan (Romania) & David L. Williams (US)


Performed by Radu Campean (Romania), Svandis Dora Einarsdottir (Iceland), Fatih Genckal (Turkey), Aimée Horne (Australia), Miguel Loyola (Mexico), Martina Marti (Finland), Lorenzo Montanini (Italy), Oksana Mysina (Russia) and Anastasia Papatheodorou (Greece)

Buy tickets here.
($18 for visiting 9 countries or $10 for visiting 3 countries)

Make Me Talk Or Watch Me Drink in next weekend's Around the World!

What happens when a global network of strangers collaborate on an instant, completely unedited and uncurated script? Absurdity or profundity? The audience is the playwright, and online social networking her pen and paper. Two dudes with nothing much to say, each having just purchased a 40 oz. bottle of cool refreshing malt liquor, sit at a table. In front of them is a cell phone, and a computer screen. Dude #1 utters a sentence. The audience, observing these two guys via an online video streaming service, begin to send them text messages, tweets, emails, and facebook chats in a desperate, quick attempt to collaboratively dictate a script. The guys read the lines as they come in, in the order they come in. And if there are no lines coming in, they drink. The play is over when they finish their malt liquor.

Concept by Jeremy Lydic
Written by You, the Audience

Buy your tickets now for 'Around the World' on November 12th.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/208192

THE KINGS by Julio Cortazar - translated in English

If you love Cortazar as much as we do, you'll be happy to hear this:

Caridad Svich's translation of Julio Cortazar's prose poem for the stage THE KINGS will be published in the 2nd Brooklyn Rail Fiction Black Square Editions anthology edited by Donald Breckenridge forthcoming early 2012. The collection also features work by Charles Bukowski, Eugene Ionesco and Fernando Pessoa, among others.

We are so looking forward to it! Congratulations and thank you, Caridad!

Caridad Svich