Opportunities

SHOW IN A BAG - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - DEADLINE EXTENDED

Solas Nua seeks pitch submissions from DMV-based artists for Show in a Bag, which provides developmental support to local artists interested in creating theatrical works for a solo performer. 

Solas Nua celebrates solo performance as a timeless tradition of Irish storytelling, as a way for audiences to connect with an individual grappling with complex issues and questions in an intimate setting. Solo performance also offers artists an outlet to tell their own stories, celebrate their individuality, and empower individual artists to have greater ownership of their career.  

Show in a Bag is an opportunity for DC area performing artists to develop their own work with the support of dramaturgs from Solas Nua and Dublin’s Fishamble the New Play Company. We aim to offer the recipients a vehicle to tell a unique story with a small scale production that they can perform anywhere. At the end of this process, artists will have a complete solo script. 

Artists will be offered a stipend of $1,000 for their work.

Show in a Bag was started by Fishamble the New Play Company in collaboration with the Dublin Fringe and Irish Theatre Institute  in 2010. Solas Nua is honored to collaborate frequently with Fishamble in producing and touring their projects, and now to bring their internationally acclaimed dramaturgical practices directly to our community. 

Requirements: 

• Pitches must be for the artist to write and perform themselves. 
• Concept should be original for this project
• Artist must be able to commit to a deadline driven process and be able to complete a written script for a single performer (themselves)

Pitches can include: 

• Multiple skills if you have them! Show us a story that only you can tell; if that means using other mediums in your performance (Irish dance inspired piece The Humors of Bandon was a Show in a Bag pitch) 
• Autobiographical stories
• Many, many characters, but only one performer.

Timeline:

• Submission deadline: Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
• After reviewing all submissions, Solas Nua will reach out to a selected group for a brief audition/interview to get to know the artists and their ideas better
• Two artists will be selected and announced by early January 2025
• Between January through June, the selected artists will have dramaturgical meetings with artistic staff members at Fishamble and Solas Nua to support their new work development process
• In July, there will be an informal, invited sharing of the solo show that the selected artists have been working on.This will be both a culmination of the development process and a way of sharing the work for feedback from theatre professionals and possible future production plans.

Application Information:

• If you are interested in applying, please fill out this form: Show in a Bag Application Form
• The deadline is Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
• If you have any questions, please contact production@solasnua.org

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why is it called Show in a Bag? 

The goal is to create a small scale piece an artist can produce themselves or with a Fringe Festival. The physical production elements essential to tell your story should be so limited that they fit in a bag!

Can I turn a play I’ve already written into a solo show? 

This project should be original work, a chance to develop an idea that is either completely new, or one you haven’t had a chance to try yet. 

Can I adapt a well known story into a one person show?

We are not looking for adaptations - use this opportunity to create something completely unique to you. Your story can feature well known icons - maybe your character is an Elvis impersonator (like in Pat Kinevane’s King)!

Is there a public performance at the end of the process? 

There will be a sharing where you can invite friends and colleagues, but there will not be a performance publicly advertised. 

Can artists outside of DC apply? 

Solas Nua aims to enrich our nation’s capital and its immediately surrounding metro area with Contemporary Irish Arts and its traditions. We are only accepting applications from artists based in DC, Maryland and Virginia at this time. 

The Norman Houston Project

• SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED •

The Norman Houston Project is a new project that was initiated in 2022 by Solas Nua in Washington D.C., dedicated to the memory of Norman Houston, the former Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau (NIB), in the United States. It includes the Capital Irish Film Festival’s Award for the best short film from Northern Ireland, and the Norman Houston Multi-disciplinary Commissioning Award.

The Norman Houston Multi-disciplinary Commissioning Award 

This Award is a bi-annual commission for a new work. This exciting opportunity is now open to artists working in any discipline on the island of Ireland. Individuals or small collectives are both eligible.

The commission will comprise of a six-week research and development residency in Washington D.C. on agreed dates between 12th June and 07th September 2023 with a studio at STABLE Arts, travel and private accommodation provided (in year one), followed by a presentation of the new work produced for the commission (in year two).  A presentation may include an exhibition, a performance, a staged reading, or a partial or full production. Expenses covered by the commission in year two will include production costs of up to $15,000, artists fees, travel, accommodation and shipping. Provided there is space in the accommodation, artists in residence may invite partners / families to visit for short periods of time, at their own expense.

Capital Irish Film Festival 2023

• SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED •

We showcase Irish films and films by Ireland-based filmmakers. The four-day Festival is based in Washington, D.C. at American Film Institute's Silver Theatre & Cultural Center (Silver Spring MD). We are supported by Culture Ireland, the Irish Film Institute and ScreenIreland.

The Festival also enjoys sponsorships from the Embassy of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Bureau.

CIFF 2023 will run from March 2 — 5, co-presented with the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring, MD.

Films accepted for the festival will be notified by late January 2023.

For more details and to submit your film, click the link below.