The Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP) is a not-for-profit arts organization in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. According to the Mo ...
. The BPP's mission states that it is "dedicated to the furthering of new original plays and theatre." The BPP only produces original work. It also holds playwriting contests and offers programs and classes in playwriting and acting.
History
Tom Moseman and Jim Leonard founded the BPP in 1979, seeking to create a venue for local playwrights that would serve as an alternative to
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
. The first productions, including Leonard's ''And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson'' and Greg Owens' ''Queen of Bakersfield'', were done on a tight budget and fast-paced schedule. Eventually, the BPP established itself as the only theater in Indiana—and one of the few theaters in the entire country—dedicated to producing only new plays.
In 1993, BPP benefactor Reva Shiner helped establish an annual new play competition, the Reva Shiner Full Length Play Contest, which brought submissions of scripts from all around the country, including work from both established and up-and-coming playwrights. In its first year of existence the contest, which awards the winner both a cash prize and a full production, was won by Glenn Alterman and his play ''Nobody’s Flood''. Subsequent winners include ''Between Men and Cattle'' by Richard Kalinoski; ''Sister Calling My Name'' by Buzz McLaughlin; ''Medea With Child'' by
Janet Burroway; ''Alice in Ireland'' by Judy Sheehan; ''The Return of Morality'' by Jamie Pachino; ''Outrage'' by
Itamar Moses
Itamar Moses (born 1977) is an American playwright, author, and television writer.
Biography
Moses grew up in a Jewish family in Berkeley, California, earned his bachelor's degree at Yale University, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in drama ...
; and ''Maleficia'' by Suzanne Wingrove. Many of these plays have gone on to win additional awards and high-profile productions.
In 2010, a new competition for dramatic plays was established. The Woodward/Newman Drama Award is an exclusive honor offered by Bloomington Playwrights Project, sponsored by
Newman's Own Foundation, remembering the many great dramas
Joanne Woodward
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...
and
Paul Newman performed in together. The winner is awarded a prize of $3,000 and a full production as part of the BPP’s Mainstage season.
Other playwrights who have had work produced at the BPP include
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio a ...
,
Wendy MacLeod
Wendy A. MacLeod (born August 6, 1959) is an American playwright.
Life and career
MacLeod received a BA from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she now teaches and is a playwright-in-residence. She also earned a MFA from the Yale School o ...
,
Craig Wright,
Toni Press-Coffman,
Michael Healey,
Sheila Callaghan, Don Zolidis, Jim Henry, Arlene Hutton, OyamO, Trista Baldwin, Eric Pfeffinger, Susan Lieberman, Marsha Estell, Janet Allard, Henry Murray
Henry Murray (playwright) and Suzanne Bradbeer.
The BPP began performing in a simple black box space, but now has two theater spaces: the Timothy J. Wiles mainstage and the Lora Shiner Studio. It produces a full subscription season, and at various times in its recent history has also hosted a drama school, a children's play festival, resident improv and sketch comedy troupes, an edgy late-night theater series, and cutting-edge cabaret. In 2006 a substantial grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
subsidized a festival of plays by Latino and Latina writers.
References
External links
Bloomington Playwrights Project
{{Authority control
Theatre in Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Tourist attractions in Bloomington, Indiana
Non-profit organizations based in Indiana