The Kentucky Women Playwrights’ Seminar (KWPS) is a nine-month seminar primarily funded by The Kentucky Foundation For Women for seven Kentucky women writers to explore the techniques of playwriting and to dramatize issues that impact their lives and encourage positive social change.  The project will culminate with these emerging women playwrights sharing their feminist pieces during public readings as a part of the Second Friday event, a Berea community program.

If you are interested in being a part of this seminar please fill out the following application.  I expect that we will meet the last Saturday of every month in Berea, Kentucky beginning in September until June.  During December there will not be a session.

Name __________________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________________

E-mail   ________________________________________________________________

Phone number/s  _______________________________________________________

If selected I agree to:
*Write 1 ten-minute play and 1 one-act play
*Attend Second Friday reading of your ten-minute and one-act plays
*Create appropriate publicity materials relating to your public reading
*Write a bio for use in all publicity materials
*Attend nine monthly seminar sessions
*Submit 1 of your plays (written while in the seminar) to a theatre or a playwriting contest
*Contribute in a positive way during critique sessions of fellow participants
*Be willing to edit work prior to public reading
*Pass on what you learn to other Kentucky women writers
*Pay $75 for the nine-month seminar  (If this is a hardship please attach a   note of explanation on your application)


Explain why you would like to participate in this seminar. (You may attach another page if needed to answer this question).


What can you add to this seminar?  (You may attach another page if needed to answer this question.)


Explain how you propose to pass on to fellow Kentucky women writers what you learn during the seminar. (You may attach another page if needed to answer this question.)


Please attach to this application:
1 copy of your writing resume
1-5 pages of what you consider your best writing samples (it doesn’t need to be a play)
2 letters of reference

Send your submission packet to:
Trish Ayers
306 Forest Street
Berea, KY 40403
(859) 985-0686

If you have questions please feel free to e-mail
mail4trish@earthlink.net 
(put KWPS in the subject line)

Biographical Statement fromTrish Ayers
Leader of the 2008-2009 Kentucky Women  Playwrights’ Seminar

As a woman playwright I seek to add my feminist voice to the worldwide theatrical community by writing and having my plays dealing with social change produced and published.  I also desire to help in creating a haven of strong women playwrights in the state of Kentucky; this led to my formation of the Kentucky Women’s Playwright Seminar (KWPS) funded by the Kentucky Foundation for Women in 2005.  I have written plays which explore topics including breast cancer, rape, chemical weapon storage, and mountain top removal.  These plays have had staged readings or full productions as a part of the Kentucky Women Playwrights’ Festival, at Iowa State University, Western Illinois University as a part of the yearly Paint the Town Pink Festival, in Biwa and Iida Japan, Berea College Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre and Live Girls!  I have been blessed to have the opportunities to study under playwright/screenwriter Judi Ann Mason (writer of the movie Sister Act II) and Arthur Giron retired head of the Graduate Playwriting Program at Carnegie Mellon University.  My plays are included in several upcoming anthology collections and have been recognized in a number of competitions including the Josefina Niggli Playwriting Awards for the past four years and The Thornton Wilder Playwriting Awarded for a collaborative piece.  The March 2008 issue of the on-line journal Wordgathering features an interview regarding my experiences as a playwright as well as an excerpt from my play LUMPs.
Writing For Social Change
Contact Trish at mail4trish@earthlink.net
Application for 2008-2009 Kentucky Women Playwrights’ Seminar
Deadline:  Postmarked by July 30th, 2008