Who we are?
The Playwriting Collective is a playwright driven initiative to support voices from lower economic backgrounds. We put the playwright first and seek out writers as well as stories, narratives, and characters that shine a light on the current state of America’s lower class. The work we cultivate is transmedia and we encourage our artists to indulge their imaginations. From vast multimedia spectacle, to puppetry, to audience participation… we want to uplift people artistically and socially through stories armed with all the weapons of modern stagecraft.
What do we do?
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Playwright support and advocacy. This includes producing readings, workshops, and productions.
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An ongoing reading series which includes script development and staging support called The First Draft Reading Series.
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An annual writers group, created to help emerging playwrights develop their stories
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An annual $1000 grant expressly designed for a writer who identifies as living in or emerging from a lower economic status
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Further outreach includes partnerships with a variety of institutions such as the New York Public Library and Technical Artisans Collective, where we’ve taught in schools such as the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy
Contact Us
Founders
Joshua Young, Phillip Christian Smith, and Lucia Bellini