Arts & Culture: Call for applications to the Virgin Labfest 17 Writing Fellowship Program

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is now accepting applications for the Virgin Labfest 17 Writing Fellowship Program which will be held from June 14 – June 26, 2022.

The Virgin Labfest, an annual festival of unpublished, unstaged, untried and untested works of playwrights, directors and actors produced by the CCP, Tanghalang Pilipino and the Writer’s Bloc has gained a reputation of producing provocative and outstanding ‘virgin’ plays mostly which have been recognized by the Palanca Awards for Literature.

The Virgin Labfest 17 Writing Fellowship Program is a two-week mentorship program on the study and practice of dramatic writing for the stage. The fellows will take part in lectures, discussions, and workshops on playwriting and script critiquing. They will also be given tickets to this year’s festival plays, as well as the opportunity to participate in the talkback and interaction with known playwrights and directors. This year, the Virgin Labfest 17 Wrting Fellowship Program will adopt a hybrid schedule with certain sessions being held online and others taking place on-site. The Fellowship Program will culminate in a staged reading of the fellows’ works on June 26, 2022 at the CCP.

To qualify, the applicant must:

1. be a college student or a young professional;
2. be 29 years old or below;
3. be fully vaccinated against COVID-19;
4. not have had any play produced by a professional theater company;
5. not have had any play published in a literary journal;
6. not have won in any national/ international playwriting/ screenwriting competition;
7. be able to submit the following requirements via the Application Form (Downloadable from this link: https://bit.ly/3OkGzPM):

• • Basic Information
  • Vaccination Card / Certificate
  • Writing Experience / Resume / Portfolio
  • Recent photo
  • One (1) to two (2) sample stage plays, full or excerpts, with the following requirements:
  • Written either in Filipino or English;
  • In .pdf format (12 points, double-spaced, 8” x 11” paper);
  • The maximum total number of pages of the submitted sample stage play(s) is 10 (whether one or two plays).
  • The real name / identity of the applicant must not be written on any part of the sample work(s).

8. be present for the entire duration of the program, rehearsals and performance for the Culminating Showcase

Only complete application requirements will be considered.

• Requirements must be received by 11:59PM, May 16, 2022
• Announcement of accepted applicants: May 31, 2022

A minimal registration fee of P2,000 will be required of all accepted fellows.

For inquiries on the Virgin Labfest 17 Writing Fellowship Program, email vlfwfp.atd@gmail.com.

The Virgin Labfest 17 Writing Fellowship Program is a project of the CCP Artist Training Division of the Arts Education Department.