UNC is home to many talented, upcoming playwrights. Our mission is to empower artists to create and take risks, and that includes the empowerment of the UNC playwriting community. LAB! is committed to telling the stories being written in our community, and is dedicated to supporting UNC playwrights in both the development and the production of their work.
New Works November
Stemming from LAB!'s commitment to supporting writers that have scripts that are still in development, New Works November aimed to provide four playwrights the opportunity to have their work read aloud. This series featured a total of four individual script readings, performed the first four Fridays of November 2019. It gave playwrights a chance to have their work performed, as well as receive feedback that can be used in the development of future drafts.
The Development Project
During the 18/19 mainstage season, half of the plays produced were written by UNC students, including LAB!'s first ever commission-style project. As we looked to find the best way to support playwrights throughout all stages of development, we found that playwrights were lacking an outlet to hear their work read aloud prior to production.
The Development Project was created to provide one student playwright each season with the opportunity to develop their play with support from LAB!. This includes: regular feedback from our Production Manager of Original Works, monthly table reads to hear drafts read aloud, and the production of the world premiere as part of LAB!'s mainstage season.
The first ever commission project featured playwright Gage Tarlton, and culminated in the production of his new play, lockdown. in March 2019. During the 19/20 season, Sam Bible-Sullivan developed his original play called Fear of Buildings, which was performed in October 2020. One Foot Forward, One Foot Back by Stuart Wilson was our 2021 project, and A Dawn Chorus, led by Alice McCracken Knight, our 2022 project. This season, Tori Danielik is currently at the helm of Eden: a new play that is still in development.
You can get involved with our commission project this year by attending table reads and providing feedback that could potentially be applied to the show, or by participating in the production later on as a designer, actor or director. For up-to-date information about how to get involved, follow us on Instagram! @labtheatre
Submit Work to LAB!
LAB! accepts one proposal for an original work by a UNC student every season. We'll send out a call for submissions along with the rest of our show proposals (Spring semester, usually about May). With questions about submitting your work or the development process, please email us at [email protected] with the subject line [ATTN: Original Works].
FAQs
What kind of work am I able to submit to LAB!? Whatever you've got! Have the first draft of your next play you want to share with us? Send it in! Have a song or two written for that musical you're working on? We want to hear it!
How much do I have to have done before submitting? Not much! You can submit a fully finished script, but that isn't what we expect. Our development project is all about the process, meaning there's no problem if your thing isn not yet fully realized. The development process is all about collaborating with other people in the theater community here to produce your show. Just have something (a theme, a scene, an idea) and a plan to write the rest!
How can I get involved in the development project as an actor/designer/director? Come to the table reads! Get involved with the show while it's still in development! The benefit is twofold: you'll get the opportunity for the playwright to hear your feedback, and you'll have a foot in the door for when we're looking for a cast and crew in the Spring.