New Visions/New Voices Festival

New Visions/New Voices, presented by the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington USA, stimulates the creation of new plays and musicals for young audiences through a week-long intensive workshop.

Process and exploration are the name of the game, from obscure to renowned, traditional to cutting-edge, projects can be at any stage of the development process.

Prior to the festival, proposals are submitted with either a draft of the script or a treatment/scenario of the proposed project or idea. Selected projects are teamed up with actors, dramaturgs, composers, choreographers – whatever the projects requires, and the workshop begins. The work culminates in a weekend festival of staged readings and discussions with professionals from across the USA.

In 2006 New Visions/New Voices was open to international participants for the first time. In the two festivals since, the Australia Council has supported Australian artists’ attendance to develop and promote their work in this leading international forum.  Australia was represented by Windmill Performing Arts with their script development of Helly’s New Cup and Patch Theatre Company developing the company’s 100th production, The Happiest Show on Earth.  The Australia Council also supports an independent dramaturg to attend the festival and get busy across a number of projects.

The Theatre Board is now calling for proposals from writer/director teams and independent dramaturgs for the May 2010 festival.  See our theatre grants page for more details on how to apply. Or for more information on the festival itself see The Kennedy Center website .