Moonbox will host New Works Festival in the 2021-2022 Theater Season.
BOSTON, MA – Moonbox Productions is thrilled to announce its New Works Initiative. In light of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding live theater performances, Moonbox Productions is pivoting from normal operations for the coming season and launching a new initiative dedicated to the cultivation of new works by local artists. Starting in July, Moonbox will begin officially welcoming submissions for new live performance projects, from which a small number will be chosen to be workshopped over the coming year. This initiative will culminate in a New Works Festival which Moonbox will host during the 2021-2022 theater season at The Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.
Submissions will be accepted for both live performance projects that include straight plays or musicals (full length, one-act or 10 minute) as well as short subject films (20 minute finished run time). Deadline for submissions is July 31st. In order to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the New Works Festival, Moonbox hopes to encourage and empower artists of all backgrounds to submit proposals. This includes individuals who identify as LGBTQA+, BIPOC, Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, DeafBlind, and persons living with Disability. Moonbox is committed to ensuring accessibility for members of these communities at every stage of this project.
“Like everyone else in this industry, our plans have been upended for the foreseeable future,” says Sharman Altshuler, Producing Artistic Director of Moonbox, “So, we wanted to be adaptive and do something that works within the current social framework, and still adds value to the theater scene in Boston. Putting energy into cultivating New Works has always been an aspirational goal of this Company,” says Altshuler, “and now feels like the perfect time to jump in. It will help support our artists during this difficult time, and it will help enrich the theater scene with new material and new ideas. We are especially excited to create from this first wave of new works what we hope will be the first iteration of an annual, city-wide New Works Festival.”
For submission guidelines and details, visit www.moonbox.org.
Moonbox Productions was founded in 2011 by Producer/Artistic Director Sharman Altshuler. Based in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moonbox is dedicated to supporting local arts and local artists, and to connecting communities to the non-profit organizations that serve them. To fulfill their artistic mission, Moonbox taps the deep well of talent within their own communities to bring top quality theatrical experiences to stages throughout the Greater Boston area. To fulfill their social mission, they partner with a local non-profit organization for each show, giving them visibility on their website and in their promotional materials, as well as giving them access to their audiences in order to raise awareness of their cause, create connections within the community, and increase the reach and impact of their work. Moonbox has also established a youth mentorship program (“Shadowbox”) and is currently launching a new company initiative (“Turning the Tide”) to increase representation and opportunities in theater for Deaf and Disabled artists. To learn more, visit www.moonbox.org.
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