Onyx Asili as Lord Byron in A Metamodern Prometheus (2018)
 

Noveltease Theatre, Seattle's premier literary burlesque theatre company, is soliciting pitches from BIPOC writers and writer/choreographers for a new adaptation of a work of public domain literature to be featured in our 2022 season. 

OUR MISSION

Noveltease Theatre produces contemporary burlesque plays, blending neo-burlesque styling with the theatrical roots of burlesque theatre in the 1880s. Though a combination of text and dance, we seek to embody literature and create shared community around storytelling. We stage unique burlesque adaptations of classic works of theatre and literature in order to reclaim and rework the canon from a sex-positive, queer, feminist, and anti-racist standpoint that enlivens and transforms classic works for contemporary audiences.  

HOW WE WORK & WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Our shows adapt works of classic literature through a unique blend of text and dance. We think of dance as an integral, diegetic part of our storytelling. We use burlesque as a core part of our dance and storytelling vocabulary. Some of our shows have been created by a writer in collaboration with a choreographer, while other more movement-driven shows have been created by a single writer/choreographer. We are open to either scenario. We are looking for writers who love literature, and understand how movement can enliven a text. Proposed projects should work within our “House Style,” per the below:

“HOUSE STYLE”

  • We adapt only from works in the public domain. (This means most works published before January 1, 1924 are available. Anything that is archived on ProjectGutenberg.org is public domain.)

  • We believe in using as much of the original text as possible in the language we use on stage, but writers are allowed to edit or revise portions of the text to suit the goals of the adaptation or Company mission. 

  • We don’t require that adaptations include the entire text or retain the plot structure of the original work. 

  • We encourage genderbending, racebending, and queering adaptations. We do not support whitewashing. 

  • We are also interested in multi-text adaptations such as narratives created from curated poems or texts spliced into other texts.

  • We treat dance pieces as an integrated part of the storytelling. Spaces where dances occur should either forward the plot, reveal something about the characters, or serve as metatheatrical commentary on the main action. At least one dance piece must be a burlesque act, and dance pieces in general should contain elements of burlesque.

  • We are interested in working in both traditional and less-than-traditional theatre spaces. Our current home is an auditorium space in an historic schoolhouse with a moveable platform stage and flexible seating.

  • We prefer to write in a one-act structure. (The four most beautiful words in the American theatre are “90 minutes, no intermission.”) But we’re open to more traditional two-act play structures, as well.

  • We write toward a cast of 8.

  • We are open to both traditional theatre projects, as well as hybrid projects that incorporate elements of theatre and film, or projects that can be filmed and distributed digitally.


SAMPLES

Here is a 5-page excerpt from our Fall 2019 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey.

Here is a 5-page excerpt from our Fall 2018 adaptation of the 1832 introduction to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which mixes in texts from Shelley’s coterie with her own narrative.

TIMELINE

The Call for Writers will remain open until January 15, 2021. Selection will be made by March 1. The selected writer will be contracted to begin developing the work by the end of March 2021, pursuant to the following timeline:

  • May 2021: Storyboard/outline of adaptation submitted

  • July 2021: 1st draft submitted

  • July 2021: Table read of 1st draft with Company

  • September 2021: 2nd draft submitted

  • September 2021: Table read of 2nd draft with Company

  • October 2021: Final draft of script submitted

  • November 2021/December 2021: Choreography Development (relevant to writer/choreographers)

  • Projected Production Dates: March/April 2022


COMPENSATION

Writers will receive a $250 stipend, commensurate with stipends for Noveltease Theatre Core Company members, paid in installments upon completion of the first draft of the script and the final, accepted draft. Writers who are also choreographing their own adaptation will receive an additional $250 stipend for their work as choreographer, paid at close of show. 

WHAT TO SUBMIT

  • The title and author of the work you plan to adapt.

  • A 250ish word synopsis of your approach to the adaptation

  • A brief description of relevant time periods or aesthetics that may guide your adaptation

  • A 10-page writing sample of a play or a “play-like entity” that you’ve written. 

  • Writer/choreographers may submit a 2-page (500ish word) treatment of your choreographic vision for your adaptation, plus a choreography sample on video in lieu of a sample script.

We are accepting submissions through the form below until January 15, 2021.

Please email novelteasetheatre@gmail.com with questions.