Applications Open For Second Year Of Rogue Lab New Works Incubator

The critically acclaimed and award-winning Rogue Artists Ensemble is proud to launch its second year of their new works incubator Rogue Lab. After a successful first year and the public presentation of six new works in the inaugural Rogue Lab Reading series, which brought together 75 Los Angeles-based artists for one weekend of new work, Rogue Artists is opening submissions for its new class of playwrights, designers and directors who dream of creating plays that stretch the boundary of what is currently being done onstage.

The Rogue Lab is an 8-month bi-weekly meeting of 5 playwrights, inspired by Rogue Artists Ensemble's development approach facilitated by ensemble members Lisa Sanaye Dring and Chelsea Sutton, which culminates in a public reading series. Unlike most play development groups, each playwright is paired with a designer, composer, or choreographer and director who will collaborate with the writer. These small development teams will support the playwright and explore theatrical magic and different forms of storytelling, and incorporate the knowledge gained of those elements into the DNA of the new play. As part of Rogue Artists Ensemble's commitment to broadening the diversity of the arts, they are especially interested in women, artists of color or trans/ queer or non-binary artists submitting. Each artist involved in the Rogue Lab series will receive an honorarium, keeping with the Rogue's commitment of paying artists.

New for this second season will be involvement from the dramaturgy community and additional workshops led by Rogue Ensemble members looking at the process of creating their work and examining both high and low tech approaches to storytelling. Also, one of the pieces developed in the Rogue Lab will receive a semi-staged workshop in an upcoming Rogue Artists Ensemble season to further support the development of the work. As part of the Rogue's community partnership with the City of West Hollywood, a minimum of two key artists will be selected who reside in the City of West Hollywood.

Calls for playwrights and designer collaborators are currently being accepted now through August 24, 2019. Information and the application can be found at: https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab

Rogue Artists Ensemble differs from other theater companies in that it's run by a collective of multi-disciplinary artists and designers rather than by actors, writers or directors. By combining ancient storytelling techniques (music, dance, masks, puppetry) with modern technology (digital media, special effects and theatrical illusions), the Rogues cultivate a unique style of live performance unlike any other.

Since 2002, the Rogues have created over a dozen original new works and collaborated with hundreds of artists and community members. In 2018, Rogue Artists Ensemble recently finished a successful remount of their macabre Pinocchio adaptation, Wood Boy Dog Fish, included as the summer show in Inaugural Season of the Garry Marshall Theatre. In October 2018, Rogue Artists premiered its site-specific, immersive piece, Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta, a project commissioned by the City of West Hollywood to celebrate the namesake of Plummer Park. Rogue Artists Ensemble is committed to sharing the arts with the community and provides educational opportunities and workshops, and always offers discount tickets for all main stage work.

Past Rogue Artists Ensemble Hyper-theatrical productions include Zen Shorts, adapted from the book by Jon J. Muth, last seen in Tears of Joy Theatre in Portland, the National Puppetry Festival in Minneapolis and The Pasadena Playhouse; D is for Dog, produced at South Coast Repertory and designated one of the top-rated productions of 2011 by Bitter Lemons; Gogol Project, adapted by Kitty Felde from three Gogol short stories (Los Angeles Times "Critic's Choice"; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for adaptation and design; LA Weekly Award for design); The Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch, adapted from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman (recipient of three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and received an entire chapter in the book "Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman"); The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, adapted from the book by Timothy Basil; and, most recently, the acclaimed, immersive site-specific theatrical experience Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, based on Japanese ghost stories and produced in partnership with East West Players which won 7 LA Stage Alliance Awards. In 2018 the Rogues launched their first writers' group and development lab, resulting in six new Hyper-theater plays. The Rogues are currently in development of several new works including an upcoming workshop of Cowboy Elektra a collision of old west mythos and the Elektra story, at the Getty Villa in January 2020.

Call for Artists Details:

Call to Writers:

Rogue Artists Ensemble invites local playwrights to apply with ambitious new projects that are "impossible" plays inspired by the Rogue's Hyper-theater esthetic. We hope writers will push themselves to create projects incorporating theatrical magic they are excited to explore. We intend for this residency to be an incubator for new work that stretches the boundary of what is currently being done onstage. Immersive experiences, interactive plays, puppet plays, mask work, and genre-bending pieces are especially encouraged.

This residency will span 8-months and include bi-weekly meeting of 5 playwrights that will culminate in a public reading series in May 2020. Each playwright will be paired with a Rogue designer and director who will partner to develop and support the creation of the text and will help realize small production elements for the reading series. Each playwright will receive a small honorarium and their project will be considered for future development with Rogue Artists.

To be considered, please send fill out the application form at https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab, including a description of a proposed project and a 10-page writing sample. The project proposal should include a description of the plot and theatrical forms you are exploring in the play you'd like to work on during this one-year residency in Rogue Lab. Please send the writing sample as a PDF.

Please keep in mind that we are looking to help writers develop brand-new plays that may not exist beyond a notion or hunch. Plays already in development, with previous productions, productions set for a future date, or previous professional readings or development will not be considered.
Rogue Lab is open to all playwrights who currently reside in Los Angeles. When considering applications, we will take into account the fundamental importance of having a balance of diversity of voices in the group in addition to the strength of each applicant's writing sample and project proposal. Playwrights of all races, genders, abilities, and ages are encouraged to apply.
Rogue Lab Writer Meetings will begin in October 2019.

Call to Designers, Choreographers, and Composers

We invite local theatre designers, choreographers, and composers to apply to be a collaborative part of the development of ambitious new projects that are "impossible" plays inspired by the Rogue Hyper-theater esthetic. Designers will be paired with a brand-new play proposal that will be written throughout the year, and the designer will focus on one element in the play they can help develop and realize in an elementary way. The purpose of the collaboration is to both help the writer work through theatrical magic and styles and incorporate the knowledge of those elements into the DNA of the play, while giving the designer the opportunity to work with a piece from the ground up and bring design perspectives into the conversation early in the process.

Each play will culminate in a public reading series in May 2020. Each designer will be paired with a playwright and director who will partner to develop and support the creation of the text and will help realize small production elements for the reading series. Each designer will receive a small honorarium.

In order to apply, please fill out the application form at https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab. Include a link to your online portfolio or a PDF of your portfolio. Rogue Lab Designer Meetings with writers will begin in October 2019.

Call to Directors

We invite local theatre directors to apply to be a collaborative part of the development of ambitious new projects that are "impossible" plays inspired by the Rogue Hyper-theater esthetic. Directors will be paired with a brand-new play proposal that will be written throughout the year, and the director will focus on helping shepherd the piece through scheduled readings and feedback sessions throughout the year. The purpose of the collaboration is to both help the writer work through theatrical magic and styles and incorporate the knowledge of those elements into the DNA of the play, while giving the director the opportunity to work with a piece from the ground up and work with a "hyper-theater" play from a new perspective.

Each play will culminate in a public reading series in May 2020. Each director will be paired with a designer and playwright who will partner to develop and support the creation of the text and will help realize small production elements for the reading series. Each director will receive a small honorarium.

In order to apply, please fill out the application form at https://www.rogueartists.org/rogue-lab. Include a link to your online portfolio or a PDF of your portfolio. Rogue Lab Director Meetings with writers will begin in October 2019.