The Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission seeking writing proposals ($15,000 commission)

The Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission invites playwrights to propose plays inspired by a particular prompt. This round, they ask that you please consider the oeuvre of Caryl Churchill.

They have paid particular attention to Top Girls, Fen and Far Away, but encourage those submitting to read and consider any and all of her plays.

What to submit: 

Your play should feature:

• three sections, the second of which is set in a workplace;
• a cast of mostly (perhaps all) women—-of differing ages, cultures, and especially, classes/means/education levels;
• a formal event (a pageant, a parade, a number, a dinner party) involving many people;
• an ersatz mother/daughter relationship.

Embrace economy of language, and specificity and fidelity of language to character. Consider if and when those rules explode.

How to apply: Applications should be made via the online form which can be found here.  All applications should include:

• completed information form;
• a one-page letter of intent describing your proposed project;
• 10 exploratory pages from the proposed project (either contiguous or from different sections of the proposed play);
• one of your finished plays for reference;
• your resume.

Do not include your name on the letter, the 10 page sample or the complete play. The panel reads all submissions BLIND — the only place your name should appear is on the info form and on your resume.

What happens next: The proposals will be read and adjudicated over the course of the fall, and the commission(s) awarded by the end of 2017.

The $15,000 commission — which might be split between writers if the panel so elects — will be paid out in three installments every six months, with the first installment following the signing of a contract

Deadline: 11 November 2017 

Source: Word of Mouth