TDF & MTC to Host 2024-2025 NYC Regional Competition of August Wilson New Voices
The competition is open to all NYC high school students ages 19 or younger, and there is no cost to participate.
TDF and Manhattan Theatre Club will cohost the 2024-25 New York City regional competition of August Wilson New Voices. Formerly known as the August Wilson Monologue Competition, this program aims to expose students from all five boroughs to the rich and rewarding work of Black playwright August Wilson and to help participants hone their performance skills.
The winner of a multitude of honors, including one Tony Award and two Pulitzer Prizes, August Wilson is celebrated for his American Century Cycle: ten plays, each set in a different decade, depicting the African-American experience throughout the 20th century.
The competition is open to all NYC high school students ages 19 or younger, and there is no cost to participate. MTC will host two Open Houses and Days of Learning for entrants, facilitate the AWNV curriculum for students, and provide one-on-one coaching for interested competitors. MTC will also produce and host the semifinal round of the competition in NYC, giving participants the opportunity to perform at the company’s Off-Broadway home at New York City Center's Stage I.
TDF’s Executive Director Deeksha Gaur said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Manhattan Theatre Club to host the NYC regional competition of August Wilson New Voices. These collaborations are essential to growing the scale and impact of our work. And in working with the fantastic team over at MTC, we can provide new pathways for students to engage with the canonical works of August Wilson at no cost, expanding access to and inspiring connections with one of the most important voices in the American theatre lexicon.”
Manhattan Theatre Club’s Artistic Director Lynne Meadow said, “Chris Jennings and I, along with everyone at MTC, are thrilled to join forces with TDF to bring this season’s regional competition of August Wilson New Voices to the stage in our Off-Broadway home at New York City Center. MTC has a proud history of co-producing some of August Wilson’s most seminal plays (Pulitzer winner The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, and King Hedley II) on Broadway before producing our Tony Award-winning Broadway premiere of Jitney in our Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in 2017. This is a full-circle opportunity for MTC to honor August’s legacy through a whole new generation of young artists.”
Preliminary Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2025. There are two ways to participate:
Attend an August Wilson Day of Learning on either Saturday, December 7, 2024 or Sunday, December 15, 2024 to gain new performance skills and learn about August Wilson’s life and work; an optional one-on-one monologue coaching session on January 11, 2025 is also available. (Registration deadline is November 14, 2024.)
Select an approved monologue and prepare independently for the Preliminary Auditions. (Registration deadline is December 13, 2024.)
Potential candidates can learn more about August Wilson New Voices by attending an Open House in person on Saturday, November 9 or via Zoom on Monday, November 11. The top three finalists will receive cash prizes, and two winners will go on to compete at nationals in Wilson's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 26 to 29, 2025, all expenses paid.
Click here to learn more and to register for these events: https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/learning/august-wilson-new-voices/
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