About Emerging Playwrights
What is the Emerging Playwrights Program?
The Strides Collective, a Philadelphia-area queer theatre company, seeks playwrights once a year to participate in an Emerging Playwrights Program (EPP) Cohort. The EPP is a remote play development opportunity that will conclude in a live, in-person reading of their work’s progress, as part of our ongoing commitment to serving and providing a safe and productive environment emerging queer playwrights.
Taking place over several months, the EPP is focused on the growth and future of one work by each Cohort Member, with the culminating presentation celebrating each member’s progress. It is a highly collaborative development process, meant to facilitate the growth of a play that is still a new idea, or one that has been sitting on the back burner.
We are not currently accepting plays for an emerging playwrights program cohort.
Thank you for your interest! Other opportunities may be available on the Submissions page of our website.
Three actors reading scripts from music stands. Projection screen behind them reads "See You Next Week by Emily Moylan."
Interested in being part of a future cohort?
+ QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PLAYWRIGHTS:
The Strides Collective defines "emerging" as those playwrights whose work has not been produced professionally and is unpublished. The opportunity is open to queer-identifying playwrights who may be new to the play development process, and/or queer playwrights who have not yet developed their work with a specifically queer creative team.
Playwrights must be 18+ and reside in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or Maryland / the Metro D.C. Area), as a goal of the program is to foster the growth of a robust network of queer artists local to or near Philadelphia.
+ QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PLAYS:
Playwrights must submit a full draft of the play they would like to work on as part of the cohort. Though it does not need to be a final, polished draft, we are unable to consider applications that are still in the “concept” stage. Plays must align with the mission of The Strides Collective (“...embrace the queer experience through authentic, modern, and innovative storytelling.”)
We are seeking plays that require no more than five actors (doubling of parts may be considered) and are:
- Based in realism and/or magical realism
- Modern (Set in present day, or within the last few years/near future)
- Original in content
- Full length
We are not seeking plays that are:
- Period pieces or works of historical fiction
- Biographies of real people
- Plays for Young Audiences
- Musicals
+ WHAT’S THE PROCESS LIKE?
Throughout the program, cohort members will meet at least once a month in a collaborative writers’ room to discuss their work and engage in one-on-one feedback sessions with a dramaturg. Cohort members will also have the opportunity to meet with Artistic Director Jonathan Edmondson and to engage in larger Strides Collective programming.
In the last months of the program, members will begin to polish their plays and select a cut of their scripts to present at a live reading in Philadelphia. Readings will be recorded for playwrights’ future use.
The Strides Collective considers this program an investment in both the playwright and the play. Graduates of the Program will walk away with experience giving/receiving dramaturgical feedback, workshopping their script with actors, and a multitude of professional development and networking opportunities to jumpstart their careers as playwrights.
+ WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR THIS PROCESS?
The EPP typically takes place over a number of months; in 2022, the process was about 5 months long. In 2023, it was an 8-month process.
Any questions/concerns? Reach out to our team at info@stridescollective.com
Due to the high volume of plays we receive each time, we are not always able to reach out to everyone who submits, but we thank you deeply for your submission and for sharing your heart and work for us.