non-binary – The Q Collective

Submissions for the 2020 Coming Out Play Festival are open!

The Q Collective is seeking submissions for its upcoming original short play festival THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL.

Submission and Selection Period:

Plays for THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL may be submitted via Google form only from March 15 through May 31, 2020, with festival play selection completed by August 1, 2020. Playwrights selected will be notified by August 1.

Plays submitted should be based on a fairy tale, myth, legend, or classic literature. Please make sure works chosen are in the public domain. The playwright may additionally choose to pair a recent headline (two-years-old or less) with their selection.

Performance Dates:

Performances of THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL will take place Oct. 15-25, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM and Saturday through Sunday at 4:00 PM. All performances will be held at The Chapel.

Playwrights will be invited to the first read through of their play and a performance and are encouraged to invite friends as well as share any interviews and/or publicity materials via their social channels.

Compensation:

Selected playwrights will receive a $50 stipend for their work and two tickets to a performance of their choice. Playwrights may attend any rehearsals but are asked to please arrange ahead of time with the director of their piece. The producer or director may contact the playwright for purposes of clarification, publicity, and other artistic, technical or festival marketing and promotion needs.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Scripts must be typewritten using Samuel French guidelines (http://www.playwrightslocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Samuel-French-Formatting-Guide.pdf).
Scripts must not exceed fifteen minutes in length. We will NOT accept plays with longer run times. Please time your plays prior to submission. A general page estimate for a 15-minute play includes approximately 14-20 pages, although this is clearly not an exact science.
Due to the limitations of our host venue’s theater space (proscenium with apron; stage proper is 12’x28′ and apron is 5’x22′), please limit your script to 1-6 actors. Roles may be doubled within our acting pool.
Please keep prop and set demands to an absolute minimum.
A fundamental foundational principle of The Q Collective is to be open and welcoming to all gender identities, races, ethnicities, sexualities, ages, abilities, etc. Our play festivals reflect these values and we encourage writers to embrace them.
Scripts shall be submitted in PDF format. Submitted scripts should bear only the title of the play. They shall NOT include a synopsis, author’s note, nor the name, address or other author-identifying information.
Playwrights may submit multiple works; however, no more than two (2) plays per playwright will be produced in the festivals.
Previously produced but unpublished works and well-developed works in progress are welcome; plays previously produced by The Q Collective are not eligible.

To submit a play, please fill out this form and upload your blind copy here: https://forms.gle/8RKsysMqCjrn6J4b8.

Submissions now open!

The Q Collective is seeking submissions for its upcoming original short play festivals THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL and THE TRANSLUMINATE ARTS FESTIVAL.

The Q Collective is seeking submissions for its upcoming original short play festivals THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL and THE TRANSLUMINATE ARTS FESTIVAL.

Submission and Selection Period:

Plays for THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL may be submitted via email only from June 1 through August 15, 2019, with festival play selection completed by September 1, 2019. Playwrights selected will be notified by September 1 and announced by September 15.

Topics of interest in this year’s festival include: Intersexuality, Bisexuality, Pansexuality, Polyamory, Coming Out in Immigrant Communities, Coming Out in Communities of Color, Coming Out as a Conservative Queer Person, Coming Out in Religious Communities, Coming Out Later in Life. Plays do not necessarily have to fall in one of these categories nor must they only explore the LGBTQIA+ experience of coming out.

Plays for THE TRANSLUMINATE ARTS FESTIVAL may be submitted via email only from June 1 through December 15, with festival play selection completed by January 5, 2020. Playwrights selected will be notified by January 5 and announced by January 15.

Topics of interest in this year’s festival include: Trauma associated with coming out as trans expansive, experiences of gender affirming surgery, experiences with starting hormones, dating someone with your deadname. Plays do not necessarily have to fall in one of these categories but must fall under the trans expansive experience in some way.

Performance Dates:

THE COMING OUT PLAY FESTIVAL will be held October 17 – 19, 2019, at The Monocle, in the Grove neighborhood of St. Louis.

THE TRANSLUMINATE ARTS FESTIVAL will be held February 27 – 29, 2020, at The Chapel, in the Wydown-Skinker neighborhood of St. Louis.

Compensation:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Scripts must be typewritten using Samuel French guidelines (http://www.playwrightslocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Samuel-French-Formatting-Guide.pdf).
Scripts must not exceed fifteen minutes in length. We will NOT accept plays with longer run times. Please time your plays prior to submission. A general page estimate for a 15-minute play includes approximately 14-20 pages, although this is clearly not an exact science.
Due to the limitations of our host venues’ theater space (proscenium with no apron, approximately 16 feet wide and 8 feet deep), please limit your script to 1-4 actors. Roles may be doubled within our acting pool.
Please keep prop and set demands to an absolute minimum.
A fundamental foundational principle of The Q Collective is to be open and welcoming to all gender identities, races, ethnicities, sexualities, ages, abilities, etc. Our play festivals reflect these values and we encourage writers to embrace them.
Scripts and cover pages shall be submitted in PDF format. Submitted scripts should bear only the title of the play. They shall NOT include a synopsis, author’s note, nor the name, address or other author-identifying information. To ensure blind review, please include a separate cover page document with the title of the play, name of the author, address, phone number, email, and university/college, theatre, or state affiliation, as applicable, as well as a synopsis of your play.
Playwrights may submit multiple works; however, no more than two (2) plays per playwright will be produced in the festivals.
Previously produced but unpublished works and well-developed works in progress are welcome; plays previously produced by The Q Collective are not eligible.
Works may be submitted for both

Submit plays and cover pages by email attachment in PDF format to: submissions@theqcollective.theater with the subject COMING OUT 2019 or TRANSLUMINATE 2020. Plays to be submitted to both festivals for consideration can be sent with the subject PLAY FESTIVAL SUBMISSION. Please direct any questions to Sean Michael at the same email address.

Artists for Transluminate announced!

The Q Collective is so very excited to announce the artists being featured in this year’s Transluminate: Julian Sun, Liam Oldelm, and Charlie Blake.

Julian Sun is a Chinese American gay trans man who was born and raised in the suburbs of St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles. He creates art in his free time when he’s not pursuing a career uplifting the LGBT community.

Julian creates portraits in an attempt to capture the beauty of the human spirit. His goal is to create pieces that spark the same wonder and amazement he feels witnessing the diversity and strength within people.

Follow him on Instagram @_nanzihan_

Liam Oldelm is a portrait photographer from Maeystown, IL. After studying illustration and receiving a BFA in Communication Design, they began to seriously pursue photography as a medium. They are interested in exploring gender, masculinity, and identity through portraiture. Find OldElm Photography on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OldElm.

Charlie Blake is a native MidWesterner who has only recently returned to the Heartland after more than decade exploring other locales. They received their bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Metalworking from Earlham College in 2008, with a second major in Biology. Charlie also earned a PhD from Texas State University in 2016 and currently survives capitalism by working as a biologist. They are deeply grateful for the love and support of so many beautiful members of the St Louis trans and queer community.

As an artist and an ecologist, they are interested in the relationships among beings and their environments. Their work reflects their trans/queer experience of the world and employs nontraditional techniques and materials to express this experience. Their Bioscape series explores the idea of bodies as places to be navigated.

Find Charlie Blake on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CharlieBlakeArt/.

Art will be on display at The Chapel through the end of February. We invite you to join us at our opening reception on Sunday, February 10, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM (more info).

TRANSLUMINATE: THE Q COLLECTIVE ANNOUNCES FESTIVAL PLAYWRIGHTS

The Q Collective announces the playwrights for its first annual TRANSLUMINATE FESTIVAL. We are pleased to be featuring five works by three St. Louis-based playwrights: Elon Ptah, Charlie Meyers, and J.D. Charles in this year’s festival. The Q Collective is also excited to announce that the festival will also feature visual arts on display from February 4 through the end of the month with a gallery opening party on February 10 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

BREANNA
by Charlie Meyers
directed by Sean Michael
Andy and Breanna are androids, centuries removed from the human bodies they were born in. What does it mean to be a man or woman, or even a person, in a posthuman society? How will their connection change them, and potentially change the future?

HOMEBODY
written and directed by Elon Ptah
A series of brief glimpses into the life a young, Black transguy, Malcolm, as he navigates body image, friendship and dating. A journey from self-loathing to self-love, expressed through the portrayal of Malcolm as 2 characters.

MISS ARKANSAS
written and directed by J.D. Charles
A transgender woman, Stella-Jane competes in a beauty pageant where one of her competitors, Harper, is not so accepting of who she is. A heated argument between the two girls escalates andStella-Jane’s strength is tested.

NOW BOARDING
by Charlie Meyers
directed by Sean Michael
Jo is stuck in an airport. The gate attendant, Roger, speaks in confounding riddles. Tina, a fellow passenger, won’t mind her own business. Jo just wants to get on the plane, but has some personal baggage to work through before it can get off the ground.

TWO SUGARS
by Charlie Meyers
directed by Sean Michael
Two friends, Rose and Max, meet for coffee after long years of silence between them. Though both have changed, they feel drawn to each other over coffee and conversation.

Performances of TRANSLUMINATE are Thursday through Saturday, February 21 and 22 at 7:00 PM and February 23 at 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM. Tickets are $10 in advance through Eventbrite.com or $20 at the door. All performances are at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive, St. Louis, MO 63105.

Some plays contain adult language and frank sexual situations.

If you are interested in auditioning for TRANSLUMINATE, please head to our Auditions page for character descriptions and audition information.

If you are interested in submitting artwork for consideration, please find more information at CALLING QUEER ARTISTS!

CALLING QUEER ARTISTS!

As part of our upcoming Transluminate play festival, the Q Collective is excited to announce that we are expanding the festival to include visual arts. We are now seeking transgender, agender, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid artists who would like to showcase their work. Deadline to submit work is Thursday, January 31.

Artists will not be charged a fee to showcase their work, and neither the Q Collective nor our host venue, the Chapel, will take a commission should any piece sell.

UPDATED JANUARY 10 AT 6:45 PM: Art move-in will be February 3. Exact time is still TBD. We will have a gallery opening on February 10 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

Please send us an e-mail with your interest at the.q.collective.stl@gmail.com. In your email, please provide an artist statement, photograph(s) of the work you’d like to display, and a short bio statement.

THE Q COLLECTIVE HOSTS PANEL DISCUSSION ON INTIMACY, SEXUALITY, AND CONSENT ONSTAGE

The Q Collective hosts a panel discussion, Intimacy, Sexuality, and Consent On Stage: A Panel Discussion on Creating Safe Spaces on Stage and In the Rehearsal Room, on January 15, 2019, at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

FB Cover Photo

The evening will include a 45-minute panel discussion with local arts professionals, and time for questions and answers.

Make your reservation at EventBrite.

Panelists:

Sarah Lynne Holt, Director and Founder of The Maenads

Marsha Holland, BFA Art Education, MS Rehabilitation Counseling

Cecily Ann King, Dance Instructor, Resident Choreographer for R-S Theatrics and Ignite Youth Theatre

Erik Kuhn, Associate Instructor with Dueling Arts International, freelance stage combat instructor and choreographer

Tress Kurzym, Artistic Director of StagePlay Learning, Theatre Education Coordinator at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville

The discussion will be moderated by Ed Reggi, member of Actors’ Equity Association and faculty with Center of Creative Arts and Theater and Dance Department at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, and proud owner of free local resource stlauditions.com.

The discussion will include frank discussion of intimacy and may include discussion of sexual activities.