[NEohioPAL] Karamu House Call to Playwrights

[Vonetta Flowers]

Racial Equity, Inclusion, Diversity + Belonging Adaptations Playwright Commission

I.                     INFORMATION

Statement of Purpose:

Considering America’s current social climate following the murder of George Floyd, there is a thirst for deeper learning and racial understanding and an opportunity for relevant, engaging, and creative offerings to identify and unravel systemic racism while working to build cross racial, social trust. Karamu House as an institution has been at the forefront answering the call to address social justice issues through theatrical offerings aimed to celebrate, educate and activate communities across the country. Karamu will partner with acclaimed author and principal consultant of D.L. Plummer and Associates, Dr. Deborah L. Plummer on a product offering to support existing corporate programming initiatives under the umbrella of racial equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging (REIDB).



Goals:

The goal of the project is to:

1. Curate meaningful and impactful (theatrical) experiences to support racial equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging.

2. Stimulate fresh and enlightened perspectives about race that identify and unravel systemic racism.

3. Activate and empower participants to cultivate relationships that lead to social trust (e.g., voting in the interests of others, taking intentional action on behalf of other racial groups etc.).



Essays for Adaptation:

Karamu will commission playwrights to adapt select essays from the book Some of My Friends Are…: The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships by Dr. Deborah L. Plummer. Playwrights will submit adaptations of 5–10-minutes. See essays below.

• To My White Friends Who Know Me https://medium.com/an-injustice/to-my-white-friends-who-know-me-c1348f5e73d4?source=friends_link&sk=5875308f99d9344dc5c9137e6e76715e
• Confessions of a Former Black Nun https://medium.com/an-injustice/confessions-of-a-former-black-nun-a955b3d3498a?source=friends_link&sk=3843f8a8a9ee5d7386c7e5c27ab13816
• A message From Your Safe Black Friends https://medium.com/an-injustice/a-message-from-your-safe-black-friends-adc291ecf392?source=friends_link&sk=e73bd8bcbb0ef9efd00c7db96a301b2b
• I Wish I Had a Black Friend. How Can I get One?https://medium.com/an-injustice/i-wish-i-had-a-black-friend-how-can-i-get-one-f0aaa5dbf0a5?source=friends_link&sk=c48df44d3794f3f409cf49f53b288742

II.                   GUIDELINES + CONSIDERATIONS:

·         Once you have selected the essay(s) from which you want to base your submission please provide a synopsis of your concept.

• Each essay should be considered the foundation of your writing. All work must be written with the understanding that the piece will be used in one or more of the following formats: live (in person) performances, live (zoom or virtual) or pre-recorded performances and used as part of a workshop to educate through theatre, meaning the emphasis here is on the words, the director’s vision, and the actor(s) ability to tell your story.

• Writing must be nuanced and layered in conversation and accessible to all viewers even if playwright has an opposing perspective (i.e. both side of an issue are represented).

• Playwrights are to use the details from the essays as inspiration and the through line for the adapted new work. For example, if you work in or have experiences relating to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, that experience may inform how you adapt a monologue or conversation.

• Once you have finished your draft, please read it (or have someone read it) out loud and time it to make certain it is between the 5-10-minute time requirement.

• Playwrights should understand that this project is an original creation. All intellectual property rights for movement, text, song, interpretation, and all other elements associated with the creation and performance of the piece will be the intellectual property of Karamu House.

• Playwrights will provide an initial draft (treatment) and final submission to KARAMU by a predetermined deadline date to be confirmed upon acceptance of the commission.

• Karamu reserves the right to request revisions or edits based on the Artistic vision for the piece.

• If a Playwright’s synopsis is selected for full development and once the final work is approved, the Playwright will be compensated $250.00 (monologues) and 500.00 (scenes/plays.)

• The Playwright understands that Karamu House will have exclusive rights as the producer of said submission(s) until December 2023. A royalty fee will be paid per use to the Playwright during this exclusive period.

• Playwright shall receive digital and printed billing credit in all programs related to the piece.



III.                 SUBMISSION

Synopsis should include the following:

               • 3-5 key ideas from the essay

• Characters needed for the key ideas

• Dialogue from the essays that carry key ideas Submissions should be emailed to: submissions at karamuhouse.org. Please use the following email subject line: Plummer: (your) First + Last Name. Submissions must be received by 12 PM (EST) on October 29, 2021.






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