Artistic Programs
Global Forms Theater Festival
Pride Plays, 2019
Global Forms is an annual theater festival presented in partnership with New York Theatre Salon dedicated to uplifting the work of international and immigrant theater artists living in the United States and abroad. Through a series of online performances, videos, documentaries, workshops, and panel discussions, the Global Forms Theater Festival uses multiple art forms and aesthetics as a means of exploring humanity, freedom, home, and isolationism. This festival gives a critical opportunity to uplift the voices of international artists during this global pandemic and to share those works with audiences around the world. The festival was formed in 2020, and since then has featured the work of over 100 artists from over 50 countries.
Applications for Global Forms are typically released in January of each year and the festival is presented in June.
All events are free and open to the public. Learn more about this year's festival here.
New works Development
Rattlestick creates opportunities for artistic development through our rigorous commissioning and fellowship programs.
Current playwrights in commission include Basil Kreimendahl, creating a new work as a part of his Mellon Foundation Playwriting Residency; Stacey Rose through a grant from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation; Arturo Luís Soria, creating a companion piece to Ni Mi Madre through an Individual Artist grant from the New York State Council on the Arts; Liba Vaynberg, writing The Gett in a co-commission with Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, and Rhiana Yazzie in a co-commission with Long Wharf Theatre.
Stay tuned for the Lab@Rattlestick coming up this spring, which will showcase some of our works in development from fellows, artists in commission, and artists in our community. Learn more here.
Van Lier New Voices Fellowship Program
With the support of The New York Community Trust and the Jerome Foundation, the Van Lier New Voices Fellowship was rehomed from the Lark Play Development Center to Rattlestick after its closure. This fellowship provides substantial support to two playwrights of color under 30 each year. Fellows receive a $35,000 living stipend, a $5,000 artistic fund to support career development, mentorship with a veteran playwright, workshops and readings of their work, and participation in Rattlestick’s artistic communities and programming.
Our 2022/23 Van Lier Fellows are May Treuhaft-Ali and Minghao Tu. Applications for the 2023/24 Fellowship are now closed.
Terrence McNally New Works Incubator
Terrence McNally has been a part of Rattlestick since our inception, as the company was founded by David van Asselt and Gary Bonasorte, Terrence’s partner. Gary subsequently died in 2000, but Terrence remained close friends of Rattlestick’s since that time. Terrence’s husband, Tom Kirdahy, and his team at Tom Kirdahy Productions is partnering with Rattlestick to create a new program, where three emerging playwrights, writing in the spirit of love, valor, and compassion, will be awarded a month-long residency that will culminate in a public reading/workshop next season.
Applications for the Terrence McNally Incubator Program are now closed.
Ongoing Programming
Global Gab
GLOBAL GAB is a cross-cultural conversation in partnership with New York Theatre Salon. Every month, Jody Doo hosts virtual seminars geared toward helping immigrant artists thrive. Learn about this months' offering here.
Open Play
Hosted by new theater artists every month, OPEN PLAY is a monthly series that gives any and every artist of any discipline a chance to share 5 minutes of work––song, monologue, scene, whatever! The space is yours. OPEN PLAY is designed for those who know Rattlestick and for those who do not (yet) to find collaborators and community.
Affiliate Artists
When our theater is not in use by Rattlestick programs, we open the space up to our communities at no cost. Groups who have utilized our space include: “Come to the Fire,” a festival of First Nations artists creating songs, poems, films, and stories; the annual Emruz Festival for Iranian artists; Sol Project; the First Nations Theater Guild; Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society; NYU’s graduate musical theater program and many more.