The Sloan Initiative at Manhattan Theatre Club

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Deadline: none listed

ABOUT THE SLOAN INITIATIVE

In 2000, Manhattan Theatre Club began a partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to commission, develop, and produce new plays about math, science, and technology. MTC first collaborated with the Sloan Foundation on the production of David Auburn’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Proof. Since then, the partnership has expanded to include five to six annual playwriting commissions. With the Foundation’s support, MTC has awarded over 100 commissions to date.

The Foundation also provides production grants to stage Sloan-related works, and has supported, in addition to Proof, MTC’s productions of Charlotte Jones’s Humble Boy, Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s adaptation of An Enemy of the People, Sharr White’s The Other Place, Nell Benjamin’s The Explorers Club, Nick Payne’s Constellations and Incognito, Bess Wohl’s Continuity, and Anchuli Felicia King’s Golden Shield.

MTC/Sloan-commissioned plays have also gone on to productions at Playwrights Horizons, WP Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Keen Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, New York Stage & Film, Williamstown Theatre Festival, South Coast Repertory, Steppenwolf, Studio Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, the Hampstead Theatre, and The National Theatre, among others, and have frequently been presented in MTC’s free, public reading series.

HOW TO APPLY
We commission not-yet-written plays that engage with math, science, or technology. To apply for a commission, please use this form to submit a one-page proposal detailing the story and the scientific, technological, or mathematical subject matter of your proposed play. You will also be asked to share your full name, email address, and a short bio or resume. We accept Sloan commission proposals on a rolling basis, and we will reach out to you as soon as your materials have been fully considered – which can take up to six months. If you have any questions, please email us at lit@mtc-nyc.org and write “Sloan” in the subject line.

Due to the high volume of script submissions we receive each year, Manhattan Theatre Club does not accept unsolicited scripts for production consideration.