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Black and Latino Playwrights Conference
A workshop and showcase of the work of student and professional Black and Latino playwrights, conducted by professional guest directors / artists.
The Department of Theatre and Dance annually sponsors a Black and Latino Playwrights Conference that includes professional guest directors and actors, auditions, 3-5 days of open rehearsals, and in-class presentations by professional guests artists, culminating with staged reading performances open to the campus and community.
The mission of Texas State University’s Black and Latino Playwrights Conference is to study the craft, to nurture the artist, and to celebrate multicultural theatre.
- Events
- Objectives
- Guidelines For Submission Of Script
- Call For Workshop and/or Conference Paper Proposals
- Deadlines For The Submission Of Scripts
- Guest Artists
- Conference Staff
- Quotes From Previous Artists
- Previous Plays and Playwrights Showcased
2011 Conference: September 17th & 18th
COLUMPIO
By Joe Luis Cedillo Directed by Carlos Jose Murillo
September 17 @ 2:00 pm
House of Recuerdos (Memories)
The house I grew up centered around the kitchen. My sisters and I ate all of our meals, gained access to the sandbox in the backyard, swing set, climbing and exploring the hill in our backyard. School books on the table, dinner conversations, smells of tortillas, growing plants in mayonaisse jars, our music and our parent’s, folding laundry, building a model solar system, band-aids, and love. All kinds of love. It was the canvas of roughly 30 years of my life. I grew up Chicano. During the Civil Rights era, my parents like many Mexican-Americans in the Southwest—and that generation of American youth—struggled for political recognition, created a positive self-image and identity. They marched, participated in sit-ins, and created their moment in history. It was earned through community organizing, civic pride and social consciousness as well as tear gas, police beatings, and blood. American is my citizenship, Mexican our heritage—but Chicano was who they fought for me and my sisters to be recognized as. It was a point of pride when we moved out of the barrios. Restrictive housing laws and Homeowner’s Associations that could once legally bar Mexican-American or African-American families from ownership were repealed. Families now had access to new tract homes with large yards and better schools where college was a tangible reality. It was the pride my father had in driving up our driveway and mother had in ensuring our house stayed perfectly ordered and clean. Our family life in our hous can be seen in the Polaroids my dad took. Birthdays, baptisms, graduations, my Marine Corps going away party. This play is a work of fiction, but is very much the home I carry inside me. On Feb. 21, 2005, while I stood with my mother and father, sisters, nephew and nieces, a landslide obliterated the house I grew up in.
BASILICA
By Mando Alvarado Directed by Ruben Gonzales
September 17 @ 7:30 pm
1982. San Juan, TX. Father Gonzalez returns to his home parish to face the indiscretions of his youth. His return causes those around him to question their own guilt bringing about an explosive revelation. This new play examines the nature of redemption, confession and guilt.
MY TIDY LIST OF TERRORS
By Jonathan Norton Directed by Melissa Maxwell
September 18 @ 2:00 pm
Atlanta Georgia, 1980. The city is caught in the middle of the two-year long Atlanta Child Murders tragedy. Vara Johnson, a resident of Bowen Homes Housing Projects, believes she found a refuge for her twelve year old son Ishmael. She takes a job as a live-in maid and cook for a wealthy family in Collier Heights, the first African American suburb in the nation. But their welcome is jeopardized when Ishmael reveals more about himself than he should. Suspicion grows and questions arise. Why is Vara so cryptic? What does Ishmael know? Is he somehow connected to the other murdered children? Is Ishmael next? Are the neighborhood kids at risk? Placed under the microscope, Vara finds herself even more fearful. Not only for her Ishmael’s safety, but of the people next door, across the street, down the road…. and in the next room.
- Staged Readings - Admission Cost for Readings: $3.00
- Friday 7:00 PM
- Saturday 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
- Sunday 2:00 PM
2. Talk back sessions with guest playwrights and artists
3. Panel Discussions and conference paper presentations
4. Open Rehearsals: Monday - Friday 6 - 10 PM
- To provide Texas State University students majoring in theatre with the opportunity to work with professionals for a hands-on week-long lab that includes the collaborative process of “finding a play” in rehearsals, culminating with a public staged reading.
- To showcase the work of Black and Latino playwrights from across the country.
- To annually lend an ear to new voices and help writers, in collaboration with directors, actors, and dramaturgs, shape their stories and hone their craft in an environment that allows the writer to explore and grow and learn fearlessly.
- To share the play with the campus and community in a staged reading for audiences followed by discussion and/or questions and answers.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF SCRIPTS
- Only unproduced and unpublished scripts are eligible for consideration.
- The scripts should be written by a Black or Latino playwright.
- The scripts should include a synopsis and character list.
- The playwrights are expected to attend the rehearsals and at least one of the performances.
- Only scripts submitted prior to the deadline will be considered.
- Playwrights from across the country may submit scripts.
- Manuscripts should be typed in the standard play format and must include contact information.
- Include a stamped self-addressed envelope if you wish your manuscript returned.
CALL FOR WORKSHOP AND/OR CONFERENCE
PAPER PROPOSALS
- Send workshop proposals addressing playwriting, producing, and publishing.
- Send conference papers (20 minutes) on Black and Latino playwrights and their work--historical and/or critical.
DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF SCRIPTS
The deadline for submission of scripts is on April 15th. A script postmarked by the deadline date is acceptable. Play scripts may be delivered by regular mail, in person, or e-mail. By June 15th, notification is sent to the author of the selected work and to all who submitted scripts. Deadlines are the same for workshop and conference paper proposals. Click HERE for submission address.
1. Housing: The university provides for all guest artists and directors from out of town.
2. Stipends: The selected playwrights receive a $1000 stipend.
3. Travel Expenses: Airfare or mileage is covered by the university.
CONFERENCE STAFF
Artistic Director...........................................Eugene Lee
Asst. Artistic Director..................................Joe Luis Cedillo
Producers...................................................Dr. John Fleming
Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance......Dr. Sandra Mayo Director, Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies
Send Manuscripts To:
Department of Theatre & Dance
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
Attn: Black & Latino Playwrights
or e-mail to: el18@txstate.edu
Quotes From Previous Artists:
“The creative imagination and beauty of new work are in play in Texas as the professional world collaborates
with the academic in a unique and promising way. ”
~Kenny Leon
Director,True Colors Theatre Company
Atlanta, GA
“The week in San Marcos working with an astute director and open actors made for a fulfilling and clarifying experience. I came away with a better understanding of where I was headed with this script.”
~Robert Alexander
Playwright, Washington, D.C.
"The Black and Latino Playwrights Conference provided me with one of the best writing experiences of my life."
Professional Actor, Los Angeles, CA
~Stephen Gerald
Professor / Director University of Texas at Austin
Slashes of Light | The Bonobos |
| by Judy Tate 2009
| by Ampara Garcia Crow 2009
|
The Giver | Beastly Beauty |
| by Kim Dunbar 2008
| by Paco Jose Madden 2008
|
Common Ground | Before Death Comesfor the Archbishop |
| by Antoinette Winstead 2007
| by Elaine Romero 2007
|
Yo Frederick! | The Faraway Nearby |
| by Gus Edwards 2006
| by Ampara Garcia Crow 2006
|
Forty Acres | 69 Portraits of Che |
| by Robert Alexander 2005
| by Joe Luis Cedillo 2005
|
The Peculiar and Sudden Nearness of the Moon | |
| by Velina Hasu Houston 2004
| |
Fear Itself | Somebody Called |
| by Eugene Lee 2003
| by Eugene Lee 2003
|
For directions to the theatre center, refer to http://www.maps.txstate.edu/thea.html
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