Refracted Theatre Company is now accepting applications for the 2022 inaugural RefrAction Lab, a compensated playwriting opportunity for emerging Chicago playwrights to create full-length plays through a “Refracted” lens. As a company new to the Chicago area, Refracted is looking to the talented Chicago playwriting community to help us develop a new program geared toward creating nuanced, innovative work.
About RefrAction Lab:
RefrAction Lab is a playwriting lab for emerging Chicago playwrights interested in developing plays by way of a specific point of entry as the writer. We’re asking: how can a playwright turn a question into the action of a play?
Playwrights will generate questions that look at divisive social and interpersonal issues from multiple sides. Over the course of eight months of bi-monthly meetings with a cohort of fellow playwrights and the Refracted artistic team, playwrights will:
- Curate these questions
- Research the “two sides” of the story, identifying prevailing biases on all sides of the issue
- Use this research to create characters and plot
- Generate and workshop pages of their script
- Ultimately, present their work at a RefrAction Lab showcase
The goal of this program is to support playwrights in creating a strong first draft of a full-length play (with the option of that being a one-act play) generated from scratch by the final RefrAction Lab meeting in February 2023.
Each playwright will be supported with:
- A $400 playwright stipend
- Monthly and bi-monthly playwright cohort meetings
- The ongoing support and guidance of Refracted’s artistic team
- 15 hours of rehearsal over two weeks of a 30 minute section of their developed work, including actors and a director chosen by the playwright (all collaborators will be paid with a small stipend)
- A RefrAction Lab showcase of a 30 minute section of their developed play for an audience in December 2022
- An optional final meeting in February 2023 to review final drafts or any rewrites based on any showcase feedback
- The opportunity to have developed work considered for a proper commission by Refracted’s artistic leadership for a full production in a future Refracted season
To Apply:
For full details about the program and how to apply, please visit www.refractedco.com/refraction-lab.com. All applications should be sent to admin@refractedco.com with the subject line “RefrAction Application.” Deadline to apply is May 2, 2022.