Playwright Mentor

Seeking Playwright Mentor for the award winning Playwright Mentoring Project at Barrington Stage.

Barrington Stage Company, an award-winning professional theatre company located in the heart of the Berkshires (MA), is seeking an experienced Playwright Mentor to join our team of mentors in the award winning Playwright Mentoring Project. As the Playwright Mentor, you will play a crucial role in ensuring that the plays devised by young people in our program are ready to be presented and stand up dramaturgically. This position is a stipended part-time position. The program runs October 2023 through April 2024. The script process is January and February and is mostly remote, however we encourage in person group visits at least 3 times(TBD).

PLAYWRIGHT MENTORING PROJECT: PMP is a six-month, out-of-school activity that uses theatre as a catalyst to help young people ages 12-19 learn valuable life skills that can aid them in developing positive self-images. Groups meet once a week from October-April in Pittsfield or North Adams. Experienced mentors guide each group to develop and perform an original play based on stories and experiences from their lives. This is a place to be authentic in a safe and confidential environment. PMP creates a brave and welcoming space where young people can share important ideas and generate exciting theatre that will be performed for their peers. No prior theatre experience is required- there are no auditions, just sign up and show up. For more information, visit www.bsceducation.org/pmp BSC is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age. We strongly encourage candidates of color, and/or from diverse backgrounds/underrepresented groups to apply.

Responsibilities:

• To ensure the voices and stories of our participants are clearly and dynamically conveyed through collaborative writing and refining scene work.
• Visit groups in person at least 3 times during the process.
• Liaise with the artistic mentor (director) about possible material, characters, and resolution of scenes.
• Act as an outside eye to ensure the message and story are clear
• Read and respond to weekly reports with scene ideas and suggestions to develop material relevant to the participants
• Listen to and center the teen participants in the development of the script
• Solicit feedback from participants and incorporate into final draft approved by group and artistic mentor
• Meet deadlines of script development
• Script should be under 30 minutes in length, highlight teens collective voice

Requirements:

• Enthusiasm for youth development, devising process and conflict resolution.
• Experience and or training as a playwright or dramaturg
• A desire to help facilitate the stories of young people

This position reports to the Director of Education and collaborates extensively with the Artistic Mentor.

Salary is $850 for the project and travel compensation can be negotiated.