CALLING ALL PLAYWRIGHTS, STORYTELLERS, SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS, AND DIRECTORS

An artistic platform empowering, encouraging, and enabling diverse voices to inspire audiences worldwide through the gift of sharing a true story.
Three weekends of showcasing real-life – humorous, heartbreaking, eye-opening, conversation-starting plays, and stories.

Produced by Powerstories Theatre in collaboration with Outcast Theatre Collective.

ABOUT POWERSTORIES THEATRE

The mission of Powerstories Theatre is to stage true stories to open minds and hearts and inspire action worldwide. The purpose is to create, present, and celebrate true stories to inspire courage and deepen understanding of ourselves and others.

Powerstories Theatre is a professional non-profit theatre that produces true or historic themed plays of social importance. For 20 years, we have helped others know the value of true stories through published and original theatre, workshops, festivals, online true story platforms, and programs for youth.  Each year we produce four main stage productions in our 40-seat black box theatre, the SheVolution Festival, and the Girlstories Leadership Theatre Program.

We are a member of Theatre Tampa Bay, a local organization that promotes and supports professional theatre in the Tampa Bay Area.   In 2010, Powerstories won The Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which was presented to Powerstories at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama. Powerstories has also won the Spirit of Humanity Award from the DeBartolo Foundation, the Community Hero Award from The Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation, and The WEDU Arts and Culture Award.   

The Voices of Truth Theatre Festival

The Powerstories Theatre of Tampa philosophy is that every person, organization, corporation, and community has a Powerstory to discover and share with others. The discovery and the telling of these stories create new success, invests our lives with more meaning, and connect us more vitally with others.

In this time in our country’s history, we feel compelled to bring about this festival to increase courage and confidence, deepen appreciation for diversity, and strengthen the bonds between people.

The Voices of Truth Theatre Festival will be produced by Powerstories in collaboration with Outcast Theatre Collective  March 10 to 28, 2021.   This will be a combination of in-house theatre and digital productions all live-streamed to empower, encourage, and enable diverse voices the opportunity to inspire audiences worldwide through the gift of sharing a true story.  For three weeks, we will be showcasing real-life, humorous, heartbreaking, eye-opening, conversation-starting plays, and stories.

For Artists : A Call For Submissions by November 15, 2020

Powerstories Theatre is seeking submissions for the Inaugural Voices of Truth Theatre Festival scheduled for March 10 – 28, 2021.  Each artist will be responsible for casting, directing, and mounting the show. All productions ideally will be presented at Powerstories Theatre with an audience and live-streamed. But due to Covid-19, artists will be asked on their application to choose one of the following methods to produce their work:

• In Theatre Performance – With a socially distanced audience
• In Theatre Performance – Without an audience
• Using a digital platform provided by Powerstories

Submissions are due by November 15, 2020. Registration is $20.00 per submission. Plays will be time stamped. Artists will get their choice of dates depending on when submissions are received. First entry gets first choice of dates, etc.. All plays and proposals will be reviewed by an artistic committee, and selections will be announced by December 1, 2020. Submissions will be reviewed in consideration of the following criteria:

• The submission is congruent with the mission of the Powerstories and the Voices of Truth Theatre Festival.
• The submission supports diversity and inclusion aligned with the festival mission.
• The overall quality and development of the submission.

For theatre productions, Powerstories Theatre will provide our stage for final performances, rehearsal time, technical assistance, marketing, box office assistance, high-quality live-streaming, and a copy of the live stream video. 

Each production will receive one or two nights or afternoons to present.  Examples of submissions include the following:

• Your own True Story Play or Play based on True Events – Either a full production with a minimal set or a staged reading. Six characters maximum on stage if selecting to use the theatre. No limit on the number of characters if producing digitally. The ideal length is 45 to 90 minutes to allow for one full evening or matinee. Other lengths will be considered. All authors must be willing to have plays live-streamed.   
• A published True Story Play or Play based on True Events that you chose to direct – Either a full production with a minimal set or a staged reading. Six characters maximum on stage if selecting to use the theatre. No limit on the number of characters if producing digitally. The ideal length is 45 to 90 minutes to allow for one full evening or matinee. Other lengths will be considered. Directors must have the rights to produce and live-stream.
• A detailed concept proposal for an event of true story monologues or another idea that will fit with the Festival’s theme. Six characters maximum on stage if selecting to use the theatre. No limit on the number of characters if producing digitally. The ideal length is 45 to 90 minutes to allow for one full evening or matinee. Other lengths will be considered. All authors must be willing to have works live-streamed.

The theatre is a black box theatre with a 26 x 13 acting stage.  We will provide artists with stage lighting, sound, projection options, and a list of stock set pieces that are available in our theatre. If you are bringing set pieces and props, they must fit in a small van for ease of moving in and out of the theatre. If selected, artists will receive more detailed technical information.