When Are New Applications Accepted?
The 2016-2017 submissions window opens on Wednesday, July 6st at 10am (EST) and closes on Wednesday, August 3rd at 5pm (EST). Once the window closes, we will not process any more applications or allow modifications. New Dramatists staff reviews submissions for completeness in the order they are received, so it is in your best interest to submit well before the deadline. All U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for residency, if they are able to meet the submission requirements.
How Does the Selection Process Work?
PANELISTS: Over the course of nine months, from September to May, a seven-person panel, comprised of New Dramatists’ current resident writers, alumni, and outside theatre professionals, read the submissions. During the first stage of review, an alumni volunteer group may assist the panel in reviewing submissions. The panel is completely different every year. Special efforts are made to balance the panel in terms of aesthetic sensibilities, gender, race, and age, as diversity is crucial to the adjudication process. The only people who know the panel members’ identities are the New Dramatists’ admissions staff.
CIRCULATION: All applicants submit two full-length works and designate an “A” play and a “B” play. All “A” plays are read. As applicants advance through the process, their “B” plays are read. For the Initial Round, reading is blind, i.e. applicant names are not attached to the plays being read. In the Semi-Final and Final Round, names are disclosed to the readers. (In addition, the full applicant list is distributed to the current resident company after the submission window closes. Each resident playwright has the option to recommend one applicant who is guaranteed to have both the “A” and “B” plays read by different readers. This does not impact the applicant’s status.)
DECISION-MAKING: The panel meets three times between January and May to discuss the plays and by consensus, winnow the list of applicants and ultimately determine the incoming group.
NOTIFICATION: Status notifications are sent on a rolling basis: the first round of letters goes out in January/February, the second round of letters goes out in March/April, and the final round of letters goes out in May. Writers who are accepted into New Dramatists are notified in May. If your mailing address and/or other contact information changes, please notify admissions@newdramatists.org
What and How to Submit?
To Begin Your Application, visit http://newdramatists.org/how/apply-residency and click on “Begin
Application.” You will be prompted to create an online account and to verify your citizenship status. You will be able to return to your saved application to continue working until you complete the final tab and click “submit”, at which point you will no longer have access.
Enter a Statement of Intent the equivalent length of a one-page letter, responding to the following question: New Dramatists was founded on the premise that writers are one another’s greatest resource. If granted a New Dramatists residency, what do you see as the benefits of developing your work in the company of other playwrights? For national applicants (outside New York), please include how you envision participating in a community of playwrights from where you live.
2016-2017 NEW DRAMATISTS RESIDENCY APPLICATION INFORMATION
Upload or Enter a Copy of Your Current Playwright/Artistic Bio, Resume, or CV
Upload a Stand-Alone Title Page for each play that includes your full name and contact information in the document.
Upload “Blind Copies” of Two Original Full-Length Works (Plays and/or Libretti-books of musicals) Each submission must be a single work that constitutes a full evening of theatre. For example, a 90- minute play without an intermission is a full-length work.
Please do not put any identifying information in the script documents or in the file names or file descriptors (Acrobat DC users, take special care). Identifying information includes: your name, contact information, theatres that have workshopped or produced your plays, your agent, special thanks, actors/production crew involved, etc.
Every script page must be numbered.
PANELISTS: Over the course of nine months, from September to May, a seven-person panel, comprised of New Dramatists’ current resident writers, alumni, and outside theatre professionals, read the submissions. During the first stage of review, an alumni volunteer group may assist the panel in reviewing submissions. The panel is completely different every year. Special efforts are made to balance the panel in terms of aesthetic sensibilities, gender, race, and age, as diversity is crucial to the adjudication process. The only people who know the panel members’ identities are the New Dramatists’ admissions staff.
CIRCULATION: All applicants submit two full-length works and designate an “A” play and a “B” play. All “A” plays are read. As applicants advance through the process, their “B” plays are read. For the Initial Round, reading is blind, i.e. applicant names are not attached to the plays being read. In the Semi-Final and Final Round, names are disclosed to the readers. (In addition, the full applicant list is distributed to the current resident company after the submission window closes. Each resident playwright has the option to recommend one applicant who is guaranteed to have both the “A” and “B” plays read by different readers. This does not impact the applicant’s status.)
DECISION-MAKING: The panel meets three times between January and May to discuss the plays and by consensus, winnow the list of applicants and ultimately determine the incoming group.
NOTIFICATION: Status notifications are sent on a rolling basis: the first round of letters goes out in January/February, the second round of letters goes out in March/April, and the final round of letters goes out in May. Writers who are accepted into New Dramatists are notified in May. If your mailing address and/or other contact information changes, please notify admissions@newdramatists.org
What and How to Submit?
To Begin Your Application, visit http://newdramatists.org/how/apply-residency and click on “Begin
Application.” You will be prompted to create an online account and to verify your citizenship status. You will be able to return to your saved application to continue working until you complete the final tab and click “submit”, at which point you will no longer have access.
Enter a Statement of Intent the equivalent length of a one-page letter, responding to the following question: New Dramatists was founded on the premise that writers are one another’s greatest resource. If granted a New Dramatists residency, what do you see as the benefits of developing your work in the company of other playwrights? For national applicants (outside New York), please include how you envision participating in a community of playwrights from where you live.
2016-2017 NEW DRAMATISTS RESIDENCY APPLICATION INFORMATION
Upload or Enter a Copy of Your Current Playwright/Artistic Bio, Resume, or CV
Upload a Stand-Alone Title Page for each play that includes your full name and contact information in the document.
Upload “Blind Copies” of Two Original Full-Length Works (Plays and/or Libretti-books of musicals) Each submission must be a single work that constitutes a full evening of theatre. For example, a 90- minute play without an intermission is a full-length work.
Please do not put any identifying information in the script documents or in the file names or file descriptors (Acrobat DC users, take special care). Identifying information includes: your name, contact information, theatres that have workshopped or produced your plays, your agent, special thanks, actors/production crew involved, etc.
Every script page must be numbered.
Every script page must include the play’s title.
Supplemental Materials – You may submit music samples to accompany a libretto in order to showcase the style and tone of the larger work. Please do not submit music in place of the book, and please note past admissions committees have often found libretti less competitive than plays. In response to feedback, we are creating a new form this year for uploading music samples. You will be able to submit up to 5 tracks. Please email admissions@newdramatists.org if you need assistance.
Format Notes: Text can be entered directly into the fields in the application or cut-and-pasted. Formatting such as italics or boldface will drop out. We strongly encourage you to submit your uploaded materials as PDFs. We will also accept the following formats: .txt, .doc, .docx, .rtf
Supplemental Materials – You may submit music samples to accompany a libretto in order to showcase the style and tone of the larger work. Please do not submit music in place of the book, and please note past admissions committees have often found libretti less competitive than plays. In response to feedback, we are creating a new form this year for uploading music samples. You will be able to submit up to 5 tracks. Please email admissions@newdramatists.org if you need assistance.
Format Notes: Text can be entered directly into the fields in the application or cut-and-pasted. Formatting such as italics or boldface will drop out. We strongly encourage you to submit your uploaded materials as PDFs. We will also accept the following formats: .txt, .doc, .docx, .rtf