Victory Gardens announces call for Ignition Festival Submissions

Victory Gardens Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Jan Kallish announce the third IGNITION Festival of New American Plays. Victory Gardens is searching for new, challenging, and innovative plays by writers of color for the 2012 festival. Submissions will be accepted through March 1, 2012.

The third IGNITION festival will create a productive environment for both emerging and established playwrights of color to explore and develop their new work. IGNITION continues Victory Gardens’ core mission of presenting new plays that reflect and speak to diverse communities in Chicago and throughout the country.

Six new plays will be presented in a festival of readings scheduled July 29-August 5, 2012. The plays will be directed by leading artists from Chicago and around the country. Following the readings, the plays may be considered for further development and possible production at Victory Gardens Theater. Victory Gardens provides selected playwrights with housing and transportation as well as a stipend for one rehearsal week beginning July 29, through the final event of the festival weekend on August 5, 2012.

Facts about submission for the third IGNITION festival

Submission Deadline: March 1, 2012
Announcement of Six Festival Participants: May 1, 2012
Festival Dates: July 29 – August 5, 2012

Submission Guidelines:
• There is no restriction as to subject matter. Victory Gardens hopes that a diversity of perspective will inform the plays, but the plays do not have to deal specifically with race, ethnicity or identity issues.
• The initiative is open to all playwrights of color.
• Submitted plays must be unproduced and must be in English or primarily in English.
• Playwrights may only submit one full-length play.
• Plays must be submitted by mail, not electronically, and should not be permanently bound.
• Please include a biography or resume as well as the reading/development history of the submitted script. Please be sure to include your email address as well as your phone number(s).
• Please include a return addressed postcard if you wish to be notified when the script arrives. All scripts will be recycled after reading and will not be returned.
• There is no submission fee.

Submission should be mailed to: IGNITION, Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614.