London, 20 February 2020 – Out of the Wings is a theatre collective [based in the UK], whose mission is to explore and promote theatre in translation from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds. A flagship event in our activities is our annual festival, which in 2020 will celebrate its fifth year.
Taking place at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham, London, from 4 to 8 August 2020, the festival will feature a rehearsed/staged reading of a new English translation of a play every evening. The readings will be presented as part of a wider festival which will include daytime workshops, talks and discussion and networking events.
As well as targeting the general public, academia and the Hispanic and Lusophone communities, we will also aim to attract the theatre industry, namely individuals and organisations within theatre who may have an interest in taking the presented plays forward for further work or, ideally, a full production. In previous years, several of the plays read at our festival have gone on to be read again, published, or produced, both in the UK and overseas.
As in previous years, we seek to present five plays from five different countries. Plays translated into English from Spanish, Portuguese or any other language commonly spoken in what is generally known as the Spanish- or Portuguse-speaking world, will be eligible.
Submission and Selection Process
Plays should be submitted in their English translation. Your submission should be accompanied by play and author templates (links: play template, author template). If selected, these will be used as a basis for marketing for the festival. The translation should not have been performed before in the UK.
There is no overarching theme, and the plays may be from any period.
We assume that only one play per evening will be presented but double bills may be possible if running times allow.
Complete submissions should be sent to info@outofthewings.org.
Timeline
The deadline for submissions is 27 March 2020.
The plays will be selected by the Out of the Wings team. The selection will be announced in early May, when publicity for the Festival will begin in earnest.
Casting, promotion and other pre-production work will continue throughout the spring and into summer.
Production
The plays will be performed by professional actors, and directed by professional directors. All actors and directors will receive a fee.
The plays will be performed as staged/dramatised readings, rather than as scratch or semi-staged productions. While additional elements such as lighting and design are not ruled out, this is expected to be very limited, with a focus on the text. Additional funding for such elements will not be available.
Rehearsals will take place over two days, including the day of the reading.
Promotion
Out of the Wings will use its collective resources to publicise the event and ensure as high a number of attendees as possible. In 2019, our first time at the Omnibus, we significantly increased our audience compared with previous years, and we are delighted to be returning to the Omnibus in 2020.
The main method of advertising will be online. As well as targeting individuals and organisations through email, a website will be created for the event, along with a social media presence on Twitter and other platforms. We will also receive marketing support from the venue. In 2019 our marketing also included TV and radio appearances by members of our team, and a physical mail out to literary managers and artistic directors of all major London theatres and some further afield.
Writers and Translators
The translator and playwright will each receive a fee of £50 and will be invited free of charge to all of the readings in the festival. As in previous years, we will explore the option to fund expenses for writers wanting to attend the readings from overseas, but this cannot be guaranteed at this stage.
Complimentary/Guest tickets for writers and translators
In addition to their own complimentary entry to their reading, writers and translators will be offered one additional complimentary ticket each to their own reading to offer to a guest of their choosing.
NOTE: Before submitting a translation for consideration, the person submitting should ensure they have the permission of the writer, the translator, their estate or their representatives as appropriate and that all parties are aware of the terms of this call-out. This is vital for the work to be included in the programme. Please confirm and provide evidence of this permission when submitting.
For more details, find Out of the Wings on Twitter: @outofthewings, Facebook: facebook.com/outofthewings or visit their website: ootwfestival.com.
The Trinidad and Tobago Performing Arts Network 