Call for plays from NY or NJ African-American playwrights only

Submit a work of 40 to 50 minutes to The Griot Festival. 

Winner for Best Play will receive a prize of $2,500. 

Winner of Best Actor and Best Actress will each receive $500. 

The Griot Festival was created with the intention of offering a unique opportunity for playwrights / theatrical artists of African American descent who reside in NY and NJ. The festival’s purpose is to inspire and support both emerging and established playwrights/ theatrical artists of African American descent who would like to step beyond the page and get involved in the production of their work. In short, they will have creative input from the first sentence they write to the last curtain call. It is also a great opportunity to become familiar with all the elements of a theatrical production in the making and to become familiar with the process that translates writing into a living work onstage in a safe and supportive theatrical environment. Only plays from writers of African American descent in New York and New Jersey will be accepted. Submissions must be between 40 and 50 minutes long. This is a non-union company. All plays must be first runs, never produced before. The Festival will take place at the Cabrini Repertory Theater, a wonderful proscenium theater in Uptown Manhattan that also hosts two other festivals throughout the year: Thespis and Venus/Adonis. At Cabrini Repertory Theater, we consider ourselves a family and anyone who sets foot in our theater to stage a play is part of that family. Our team wants to make sure staging your show is a pleasure. First-time writers are more than welcome! Accepted plays will be considered on a first-come first-served basis. (The earlier you submit the better your chances are to be accepted into the Festival.) Submissions may close before October 15 if the maximum number of plays is reached. Click here for more information.