Arena Stage Seeks Designers, Directors and Actors for 2017 Playwrights' Arena

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces an open call for submissions for the 2017 Playwrights' Arena, a year-long program which invites a small group of up to five local theater makers to convene once per month with Arena Stage artistic staff to investigate their artistic process to develop their dramaturgical practice while creating new work.

Now in its third year and facilitated by Arena Stage Dramaturg Jocelyn Clarke, Playwrights' Arena 2017 is experimenting with the definition of playmaking by inviting actors, directors or designers-who also write their own work-to apply for this program.

The Playwrights' Arena 2017 cohort will meet once per month, on a Monday, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. January to May and September to December 2017, and will have one-on-one sessions witH Clarke outside of these meetings.

The artists will have the opportunity to engage with Arena Stage resident playwrights, directors, designers and staff about their work, the production process at a regional theater and other topics pertinent to their interest. The participants will have access to opening nights and special events and be supported as members of the Arena Stage artistic community.

Applications are due by noon EST, September 23, 2016. For full application requirements and additional information on Playwrights Arena, click here.

Applications may be submitted to playwrightsarena@arenastage.org or by mail to: Playwrights' Arena, Artistic Development, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 Sixth Street SW, Washington, DC 20024.

Playwrights' Arena launched at Arena Stage in January 2013 with Norman Allen, Randy Baker, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Heather McDonald, Danielle Mohlman and Shawn Northrip. Five of the original playwrights (Allen, Baker, McDonald, Mohlman and Northrip) resumed meeting for a second year in October 2014 and continued into June 2015. The second group of Playwrights' Arena included Steven A. Butler, Jr., Patricia Davis, Joshua Ford, Mary Stone Hanley, Liz Maestri and David Mitchell Robinson.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays, and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. For more information, go to arenastage.org.

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