Ma-Yi Writer’s Lab Closed to Submissions! Jul 1, 2024 - Jul 31, 2024

Click Here To Access The Application Portal

*Applications submissions to the Ma-Yi Writers Lab for 2025 have now closed.

 

Ma-Yi Theatre Company is seeking new members for the  Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Applications will open on Monday, July 1st and will close on Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST or when 100 applications are received. There is no fee to apply.

The Ma-Yi Writers Lab is the largest resident company of Asian-American playwrights ever assembled. Founded in 2004 by Sung Rno in connection with the NEA/TCG Playwright’s Residency program, the Writers Lab underwent a shift in 2022. Now led by Gaven Trinidad and Kalina Ko, the Ma-Yi Writers Lab has welcomed new emerging AAPI playwrights each year in the Playground Program. Former Playground Labbies include Claro De Los Reyes, ayla xuân chi sullivan, Seayoung Yim,  Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, Ankita Raturi, Minghao Tu, and Liqing Xu.

The Playground Program is a six-month program where four writers meet in-person every month along with two directors and three actors. Writers are encouraged to bring no more than ten pages of material each month for the director and actors to the stage. The goal is to play with space, movement, and staging to get a sense of how these pages and words might live in bodies and three-dimension. Members will collaborate with directors and actors from the Ma-Yi community and beyond. The four writers selected for the program will be chosen based on an application process. We encourage self-identifying emerging writers from the AAPI diaspora to apply. This program is for NYC-based playwrights.

We strive to ensure that each cohort collectively represents a diverse set of worldviews, backgrounds, and aesthetics. We are especially interested in elevating new voices that revel in the theatrical and have interesting inquiries in the world we live in.

Click here to access the application portal.

Application Requirements Include:

1) Responses to the following application questions:

  1. Where are you in your life (both in playwriting/theatre and generally) right now?

  2. What is exciting to you? What is challenging?

  3. What are you trying to solve or learn about in your writing process?

  4. Can you tell us about a moment of discovery in a collaborative process that affected your writing going forward?

  5. What does a playwright driven development process look like?

2) A 20 page sample of your work and an explanation for why you selected those pages

3) Your resume

The next cohort for the Ma-Yi Writers Lab’s Playground Program will run from January – June 2025. Applications open on Monday, July 1st, and will close either Wednesday July 31st at 11:59 PM EST, or when 100 applications are received.

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about the Writer’s Lab and the Playground Program. Please email labco-coordinators@ma-yitheatre.org
How do I know if the Writer’s Lab/Playground Program is right for me?
The Writer’s Lab and the Playground Program are community building spaces. The goal is provide you, the playwright, with ways to develop your work in community. Some questions to consider as you decide whether or not to apply: Is this a playwriting and feedback model that is useful for me? Am I working on something that is in a stage that requires experimentation? Can my questions be answered (or at least partially so) by playing in a room with actors and bodies and three dimensional space?
What should I choose for my 20 pages writing sample?
The sample pages are important to us for two reasons. The first is that we’re trying to get a sense of your work and artistic aesthetic so we can put together a cohort that complements and challenges each other. That said, we realize that 20 pages is a very small sample so we understand that it cannot represent the whole of what you do and that it’s more of a teaser. The second reason we ask for pages is to get a sense of how you want to use the Playground program. The 100 word accompanying question is a great space to tell us what questions you’re still working through in these pages and how you might use the 40 minutes in every Playground session.

Should I expect an email confirmation once I’ve submitted my application?

Yes! Please note that we have not been able to automate the process so it may take up to 3 business days for you to receive an email confirmation that we’ve received your application. Feel free to reach out to us if you’re concerned about the status of your application.
When will I know if I’ve been selected?
We are aiming to let applicants know if they’ve moved onto an interview round in mid to late August. We will be in touch by email if we find ourselves needing more time. All applicants will receive an email regarding their application status. However, due to the volume of applications we’ve received, we will not be able to provide individual feedback

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