Announcing LiveRead@SDA Call For New Musical Submissions

The USC School of Dramatic Arts announces the call for submission for the fourth season of LiveRead@SDA, a developmental series created to cultivate and provide critical support for the creation of innovative and contemporary new works for the American theatre.

If selected, artists are invited to a weeklong workshop residency on the USC campus, where they can take bold steps towards refining their work with an incredibly diverse talent pool. The School of Dramatic Arts provides the necessary resources and staff to produce a concert-style reading in one of our campus venues.

The School is currently selecting one new musical project for the 2019-2020 academic year that illuminates a forward-thinking landscape of contemporary musical theatre with narratives from creative teams who authentically demonstrate diversity in their work. We actively support both emerging and established artists and musical projects that are not traditionally defined in the world of commercially-produced theatre.

"The LiveRead@SDA program offers an extraordinary opportunity for musical theatre creatives to see their work on up on its feet," said VP Boyle, creative director of LiveRead@SDA. The experience from the previous creatives involved in the workshops has been incredibly strong. "LiveRead@SDA was a fantastic, intensive, and joyful opportunity," said Rob Rokicki ("11:11"). "The talented student performers brought their own unique worldview and enthusiasm into their roles. By engaging with new creative collaborators and dramaturgy, we were given fresh insight into stronger storytelling.

Previous workshopped musicals include, "MODERN" (by Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor), "11:11" (by Rob Rokicki and Michael Ruby), "REBEL GENIUS" (Book, Music and Lyrics by Matthew Puckett), "HIT THE WALL" (Author Ike Holter Music by Charlotte Gaffey & Anna Waronker Lyrics by Ike Holter, Charlotte Gaffey & Anna Waronker); "EMOJILAND" (Book, Music and Lyrics by Keith Harrison and Laura Harrison; and "HIPSTER SWEATSHOP" (Book, Music and Lyrics by Kyle Puccia, Kurtis Simmons and Darryl Stephens).

LiveRead@SDA is made possible with lead support from Lionel F. Conacher & Joan T. Dea, and Melissa Posen & Lawrence Hirschhorn.

Important Dates & Application Information

· Submission Deadline: November 1, 2019, or after 100 projects have been submitted, whichever comes first.

· All applicants will be notified of status by Dec. 1, 2019

· Workshop Dates: Feb. 9 - 15, 2020 (dates are firm)

· Apply online at dramaticarts.usc.edu/liveread/.

About the USC School of Dramatic Arts

Located in Los Angeles, a city synonymous with artistic innovation and excellence, the top-ranked USC School of Dramatic Arts is a leader in dramatic arts training. The school uniquely blends artistic training in a conservatory environment with world-class faculty artists and the full academic experience found only within a major research university. Under the leadership of Dean David Bridel, the faculty and administration of the USC School of Dramatic Arts has begun to reimagine and redefine what it means to train dramatic artists in the 21st Century without losing the rigorous foundational training that has been a hallmark of the School for over 70 years. This flexible and contemporary approach responds to today's rapidly changing media climate and provides the versatile and cutting-edge skills essential to the contemporary actor, writer, stage manager and designer.