NEO•GRIOT

Southern Rep is Now Accepting Submissions For THE RUBY PRIZE our national New Play Award for a woman of color playwright and Announces A New Partnership With Hedgebrook: a ten-day writer’s retreat for the RUBY PRIZE Winner THE RUBY PRIZE An annual new play award of $10,000 to a woman of color playwright named in honor of Ruby Bridges, representing perseverance in the face of formidable obstacles. This program was conceived as part of ongoing efforts made by Southern Rep to develop new American plays, support a diverse community of artists, and incite a stimulating dialogue within our community. THE PRIZE • $10,000 prize • A week long development workshop with collaboration of full artistic team at the   Southern Rep New Play Bacchanal, held in New Orleans, January 5 – 7, 2012 • A sponsored trip to New York to continue development of the play and introduce the    new work to a larger audience.   (The above travel includes roundtrip air and accommodations.) • A ten-day writing retreat to Hedgebrook. Located on beautiful Whidbey Island near Seattle,   Hedgebrook offers one of the few residency programs in the world exclusively dedicated to   supporting the creative process of women writers. Through innovative public programs,   Hedgebrook enables women’s work to enrich the global community by diversity: of culture,   nationality, voice, genre, generation, perspective, religious beliefs and political affiliations.   (Does not include travel.) Two finalists will be selected to have their new works read at the Southern Rep New Play Bacchanal in January 2012. (Includes roundtrip air and accommodations. There is no cash award associated with the selection of finalists.) GUIDELINES  The contest will be open to US citizens who self-identify as women of color, and may be either emerging or established playwrights. Southern Rep’s in-house readers will review and evaluate scripts, selecting finalists that will be move into the next round of judging. The final panel consists of national and local theatre artists with Southern Rep’s Artistic Director, Aimée Hayes. Plays may be of any genre: drama, comedy, musical, etcetera. We will not accept collaborative scripts, translations, one-acts, or any play previously submitted to Southern Rep. In the case of musical submissions, only the playwright will be eligible for the prize. Plays that have had a professional production, or have been written under a commission, are not eligible for submission. Plays that have received a development workshop, or reading/s or nonprofessional production are eligible. (“Professional production” shall be defined as a production with paid actors and had an official press opening.) If selected as a Prize Winner or Finalist, playwright agrees that Southern Rep may include the play in an annual Ruby Prize publication. The publication will not require any exclusive rights for printing. Only one submission per playwright is allowed. SUBMISSIONS Each submission shall include a letter of introduction that should contain a brief play synopsis, a character breakdown, playwright bio, and brief history of the play’s development. The manuscript should have a title page containing the playwright’s name, address and contact information. This information may ONLY appear on the title page. Submissions must be sent by email, as an attached document, in PDF (preferred) or Word doc format. Submit all of the required elements in ONE email toTheRuby@SouthernRep.com. Please no Phone or Email inquiries regarding submissions. If the play is a musical, CDs of original music may be sent to: attn: The Ruby Prize; Southern Rep; 333 Canal ST, Box 34; New Orleans, LA 70130. CDs will not be returned. Due to anticipated number of submissions, we regret that feedback will not be available to submitting playwrights SCHEDULES AND DEADLINES September 15, 2011: Submission Deadline November 1, 2011: Winner Announced January 5 - 7, 2012: New Play Bacchanal Workshops and Readings Past Winner & Finalists: 2010/2011 - Winner: RAMP by Eisa Davis // Finalists - AFRICAN AMERICANS by Jocelyn Bioh, HURT VILLAGE by Katori Hall, FIGHT by Kimber Lee, MALA HIERBA by Tanya Saracho ABOUT HEDGEBROOK Hedgebrook is a literary non-profit that supports the work of visionary women writers whose stories shape our culture now and for generations to come. Founded in 1988, Hedgebrook hosts a global community of writers, more than 1,200 in two decades, at our Whidbey Island retreat. Hedgebrook’s public programs connect these women’s work with thousands of readers and audience members each year through readings, screenings, events, salons, publications and festivals. The annual Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival (HWPF) celebrates the work of women writing for the theatre. Since the festival’s inauguration in 1998, HWPF has supported the work of an impressive array of women playwrights and served an important role in the development of new plays by women.