Happy Labor Day!
Opening the submissions for SAN FRANCISCO OLYMPIANS FESTIVAL X: YOU’VE GOT GAUL!
Want to write for the Olympians Festival?
Well, now is your chance!
We are now accepting submissions for the 2019 San Francisco Olympians Festival, a multi-discipline, nationally and internationally recognized new works theater festival based at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco!
Proposals due by midnight on October 15th, with the line-up for next year’s festival to be announced 10/31/2018. Our first meeting will be on December 12 of 2018.
The festival will take place in November of 2019, from November 6-November 23, Wedesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 PM, at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco.
Each night of the festival will consist of the staged reading of either a full-length play or a series of shorts, inspired by the mythical gods and heroes of the Ancient Greeks, and those cultures which influenced it or were influenced by it. The subjects, and the lengths of the plays we’re looking for, are specified below.
There are no submission fees. The Olympians Festival is non-exclusive and does not retain ownership of any play created for it, beyond the initial staged reading. Participating writers receive a portion of their box office the night of the reading, and will be expected to help promote the festival and contribute a raffle prize of their choice to be raffled off to the audience on the night their play is read. Local writers or their designated representatives are also expected to attend 4-6 meetings over the course of the year, and our auditions, which happen in September.
Writers are encouraged to submit as many proposals as they want for as many topics as they like. Applications for a topic can be submitted by individuals or writers can work in pairs, or teams of three or more. Writers may be picked for more than one project, and should note that they’d like to be considered for more than one (or not). Each proposal should be 500 words or less and answer three questions:
1) Why you?
2) Why this figure?
3) What is your idea?
All proposals should be submitted electronically to Stuart at [email protected].
We are an equal opportunity festival and all Bay Area writers are encouraged to apply. Additionally for this year, in honor of the wide-spread presence of the Celtic peoples through many nations, we will accept proposals from up to SIX NATIONAL WRITERS. So if you’re a US playwright and want to be a part of the festival, now is your chance. These guest slots are not pre-determined, so apply to whatever strikes your fancy, and specify you are a playwright from outside of the Bay Area.
2019′s subjects are as follows. Only one is currently claimed and submissions are encouraged for all of the rest:
WEEK ONE (November 6-9): YOU’VE GOT GAUL!
Novemer 6: Golden God
Full Length: BELENUS
“The Shining One” god of light, learning, music, poetry, fire.
November 7: Master of The Hunt
Full Length: CERNUNNOS - CLAIMED
“The Horned One” god of animals, hunting, the forests and the earth, leader of the Wild Hunt.
November 8: Lord of the Sky
Full Length: TARANIS
“Father Thunder” god of storms, lightning, the air, fortune, and destiny.
November 9: Water Maidens and Country Queens
Short: ARDUINNA, goddess of the forests.
Short: COVENTIA, goddess of wells and springs.
Short: SEQUANA, goddess of the River Siene.
Short: EPONA, the goddess of horses and work.
Short: ROSMERTA, the goddess of fertility and abundance.
Short: SULEVIAE, the goddess of order, law, and honesty.
Short: SIRONA, the goddess of healing.
Short: CATHUBODUA, the goddess of war.
WEEK TWO (November 13-16): HAIL BRITANNIA!
November 13: Prydain (Wales)
Short: GOVANNON, god of smiths, fire, jewelry, metalwork, craftsmasnship, weapons
Short: MANAWYDAN AP LLYR, god of the sea, father of Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril.
Short: GWYDION and MATH AP MATHONY, gods of magic, and wisdom. Short: ARAWN, the King of the Dead, and god of sleep and time.
Short: ARIANRHOD, goddess starlight, guidance, and language.
Short: BLODEUWEDD, goddess of flowers, birds, beauty, and love.
Short: CERIDWEN, goddess of farming, harvests, cycles, wells, lakes and ponds.
Short: RHIANNON, goddess of horses, secrets, caves, hills and valleys.
November 14: Heroes of Eire
One-Act: CU CHULAINN, hero of the Cattle Raid of Cooley
One-Act: FIONN MAC CUMHAILL, famed hunter and warrior
November 15: Queens of Ulster
One-Act: DEIRDRE, tragic queen who throws herself off a cliff to escape a marriage.
One-Act: MEAVE, powerful queen known for her ambition, glamour, and lust.
November 16: The Raven Goddess
Full-Length: MORRIGAN
“The Banshee Queen”, three-faced Irish goddess of war, ghosts, terror, and darkness.
WEEK THREE (November 20-23): VIVE CAMELOT!
November 20: And To All A Good Knight
Short: SIR TRISTRAM, tragic lover of the Irish princess Isolde.
Short: SIR KAY, foster brother to King Arthur.
Short: SIR GALAHAD, son of Launcelot and Elaine, he drinks from the Holy Grail.
Short: SIR GAWAIN, slayer of the Green Knight.
Short: SIR GARETH, Sir Gawain’s brother and foe of the Red Knight.
Short: SIR BEDIVERE, Arthur’s true friend and survivor of Camelot’s fall.
Short: SIR PELLINORE, pursuer of the Questing Beast.
Short: SIR PERCIVAL, Pellinore’s son, he comes into the presence of the Holy Grail.
Short: SIR MORDRED, illegitimate son of Arthur and the destroyer of Camelot.
November 21: Wyrd Sisters
Short: ELAINE, Queen of Garlot, sorceress, peaceful queen, and “good” sister.
One Act: MORGA- USE, Queen of Orkney, witch and half-sister seducer of Arthur, mother of Sir Mordred.
One Act: MORGANNA, Queen of Avalon, enchantress and friend of fairies.
Short: IGRAINE, mother of the Wyrd Sisters by Gorlois, and King Arthur by Uther.
November 22: Age of Chivalry
Curtain Warmer: ELAINE OF ASTOLAT, lover of Launcelot, the infamous Lily Maid.
Full Length: ARTHUR, LAUNCELOT and GUINEVERE, the Greatest of Kings, the Greatest of Knights, and the Queen who brought them together and tore them apart.
Curtain Closer: ELAINE OF CORBENIC, mother of Galahad by Launcelot, she first reveals the Holy Grail to him, and then seduces him disguised as the Queen.
November 23: Master Class
Full Length: MERLIN
Bard, magician, prophet, fairy king, demi-god, mystery, legend.
Definitions of Length:
Curtain Warmer/Closer: 5-10 minutes
Short: 10-15 minutes
One Act: 25-50 minutes
Full Length: 70-150 minutes, one-three acts
Find out more about the festival at www.sfolympiansfestival.com or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.