Call for Expressions of Interest: Black Playwrights and Theatre-Makers of the Spanish- and Portuguese-Speaking Worlds

The Out of the Wings Collective (OOTW) plans to hold an event in December 2020 focussing on the work of Black playwrights and theatre-makers in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds*, the researchers who research them, and the translators who translate them. The event will combine a sharing of knowledge and practice with an invitation to engage longer term with the work of the OOTW collective and its continuing mission to explore, translate and promote the theatre of the region from all periods of history and in all its diversity.

Loosely based on our March 2020 event, ‘An Evening with Out of the Wings’, this gathering will be aimed at a broad audience including academics and educators, translators, theatre-makers and performing arts professionals, and all those with a general interest in theatre and international exchange.

OOTW prides itself on taking an approach that is informal, welcoming, and based on the free and generous exchange of knowledge and experience; this event will be no exception.  The precise format of the event will be informed by the results of this call, matching the structure to what is proposed or offered by its participants. This might include talks, panel discussions, and Q&A, though we would be open to other suggestions.

Because of continuing restrictions due to the Covid pandemic we expect the event to be a hybrid event, combining in-person and remote participation. The event will be physically located in London, possibly in a theatre space, however we hope that online participation will mean that presenters and attendees can join us from all over the world.

Call for Expressions of Interest
We invite all those with experience of, or expertise in, the work of Black playwrights and theatre-makers of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds to contact us at info@outofthewings.org. At this preliminary stage, we invite expressions of interest by way of a brief email of introduction and a broad outline (100-150 words max) of your proposal for the event. The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 30th October.  We will then collate all the expressions of interest and make more formal approaches by mid November.

Plays and Translations
Although this call is for a discussion event, and not specifically a call for playtexts or translations, we remind any translators or playwrights that OOTW is active all year round and always welcomes new material to explore.  If you have or are working on an English translation of a play from Spanish, Portuguese, or any of the other languages of what are commonly known as the Hispanic and Lusophone worlds; or if you are a playwright interested in having your play translated into English, we invite you to read our FAQs (in English, Spanish or Portuguese) to learn more about how OOTW works and how to engage with us.

*For the work of OOTW, ‘Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds’ is used in its broader sense, and with the understanding that it is a problematic term. Our work covers the theatre and playwriting of all countries and regions where Spanish and Portuguese are widely spoken, and welcomes plays originally written in other languages from these geographical areas. As a group with a focus on translation, we do not typically work with plays originally written in English, except in the context of their translation or adaptation into other languages.