Liberation Theatre Company Seeks Applications For The Fifth Year Of Their Writing Residency Program

Liberation Theatre Company (LTC), a Harlem-based independent theatrical producer and playwright development company established in 2009, is inviting applications from early-career Black playwrights to participate in the fifth year of their Writing Residency Program for 2022-2023.

LTC will select four playwrights and provide them with dramaturgical and professional support over a ten-month period, during which time they will each be required to complete the first draft of an original full-length play. Funding for the program has been provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.

"Like every other arts organization, the last two years have been challenging. Our last Writing Residency took place in 2020-2021 and we met entirely virtually, forced to adapt to the circumstances of the pandemic," said Sandra A. Daley-Sharif, Producing Artistic Director of Liberation Theatre Company. "But the need for what we do remains. Playwrights still need a support network, feedback on their work and access to new opportunities. That is our organizational mission. So we have refocused our program so as to continue to provide that assistance in this constantly changing environment."

The deadline to submit an application is Monday, February 28, 2022. Submissions may only be made using the form found at this link:
https://liberationtheatrecompany.submittable.com/submit/293aa993-be84-411f-bcfd-f268851f5bba/liberation-theatre-company-writing-residency-2022-2023?step=submission&fbclid=IwAR1QM98BRvuI-3Lc1le1MkNUVJg0dNMt3aMP2OWRI_8e7irFmxW4RACe1sA

Beginning in May 2022, selected playwrights will attend virtual monthly group meetings to share and refine their works-in-progress in a collaborative, energized setting. They'll have an opportunity to meet individually, either virtually or in person, with LTC leadership who will provide additional support for their artistic needs and concerns; and have the resources of a director and professional actors during a table reading as their plays begin to take shape.

Additionally, through connections with the larger New York City theatrical community, LTC will provide access to theatre tickets (when available) and seek to make introductions with artistic leaders to assist playwrights in advancing their careers.

The Writing Residency Program will conclude in February 2023 with public readings of the finished plays. Upon successful completion of the program, each playwright will receive an honorarium.

Liberation Theatre Company was established in 2009 with the mission to create a home for emerging Black playwrights to develop their work and express themselves artistically in a supportive and focused environment. LTC offers dramaturgical services and professional readings. The Writing Residency Program was established in 2017-2018 and to date has worked with 16 playwrights, many of whom have subsequently had plays produced at festivals and by regional theatre companies.

In 2010, LTC initiated Harlem9, a successful collaboration of Black theatre producers in Harlem, which began producing the annual 48Hours in... Harlem 10-minute play festival in August 2011. 48Hours in... Harlem received an Obie Award in 2014, and several anthologies of plays written for the festivals have been published and made available to drama schools, libraries and the general public.

LTC is managed by Sandra A. Daley-Sharif, co-founder and Producing Artistic Director, Spencer Scott Barros, co-founder and Associate Artistic Director, and Bernard J. Tarver, Associate Producing Director.