We would like to acknowledge that the land we gather on is the traditional territory of the Shoshone and Bannock Peoples. We honor all who came before us, our own ancestors, and the Indigenous caretakers, named and unnamed, recorded and unrecorded. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work, play, and create here in this community, on this territory, and to carry on the tradition of storytelling.
August 21-25, 2024
Boise Contemporary Theater’s annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival, founded in 2021 with assistance from the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation, seeks to champion emerging and mid-career playwrights by connecting exceptional works with professional actors, directors, and technicians. The festival gives playwrights of color the chance to workshop their script during the week with a director and full cast. Hearing their words read out loud by professional actors provides valuable feedback. The festival culminates in two nights of staged readings. This experience helps inform their work, building the careers of playwrights of color, so they can keep telling their stories.
For the first time, our annual festival will be held in our own theater! Join us for staged readings and performance pieces on the MainStage at BCT. 2024 also marks the launch of the Young Playwrights Initiative, which includes one unproduced work by a writer between 18 and 25 years old in the lineup.
Past BIPOC Festival Playwrights include Juan Jose Alfonso, Stephanie Kyung Sun Walters, Debra Ann Byrd, Jeanne Sakata, Vinecia Coleman, Jason Tseng, Novid Parsi, LaDarrion Williams, and Herb Newsome.
What better way to adhere to our mission to inspire our community to examine our perspectives and better understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us by creating thought-provoking stories of the human experience than by bringing new stories penned by artists from all over the country to Boise? We are committed to ensuring that all aspects of the human experience are explored on our stages.
BCT is grateful for the financial support that allows this festival to bring esteemed playwrights, directors, and actors together to present stories and characters not often seen in Boise theater.
$25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts approved for Boise Contemporary Theater's 4th Annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival
Thank you, 4th Annual Festival Sponsors
Gift in memory of
Olander Lanaux
Want to see your organization's logo here?
Become a sponsor of our 4th Annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival! For more information, please contact BCT Managing Director Emily Mahon at 208.331.9224 or em@bctheater.org.
Call for Submissions
Now accepting submissions for our fourth annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival! Writers will have four days of rehearsal to workshop their piece with a director and cast, followed by two staged readings of their work on the BCT MainStage.
- Playwrights will arrive on Thursday, August 14th.
- Workshop will take place August 15th – 19th.
- Readings will take place August 20th – 24th.
- Playwrights will depart on Sunday, August 25th.
To apply, please complete our Google form no later than Sunday, May 5, 11:59 pm MST. Learn more about submission requirements.
Schedule of Events
August 21–23: The playwrights, directors, and actors workshop four new plays: Young Playwrights Initiative selection In Case of Bruising by Kamila Boga, Artificial by Prince Gomolvilas, Dear God by Lisa Langford, Ajax by Habib Yazdi, and Between Here and There, I am Homeless by Luma Jasim.
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are also available for $10 each.
- WED, 8/21 at 7 PM: Playwrights’ Panel – Meet these emerging playwrights as they discuss their plays, the Festival process and audience questions! Free event, but seating is limited. Reserve your ticket today!
- THU, 8/22 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of Ajax by Habib Yazdi
- FRI, 8/23 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of In Case of Bruising by Kamila Boga
- SAT, 8/24 at 2 PM: Staged Reading of Dear God by Lisa Langford
- SAT, 8/24 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of Artificial by Prince Gomolvilas
- SUN, 8/25 at 7 PM: Performance of Between Here and There, I am Homeless by Iraqi-born Boise artist Luma Jasim
Ajax
by Habib Yazdi
It’s a hot summer in August, 1953, when a clean-cut American arrives at a peaceful villa in North Tehran. Kambiz, the villa’s gardener and pool boy, wonders if the new guest may be his ticket to a better life. As their friendship deepens, Kambiz finds himself entangled in strange affairs involving the Shah of Iran and the country’s elected prime minister. How will it end? Only the pool knows…
- THU, 8/22 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of Ajax by Habib Yazdi
Reviews:
“…the play itself is masterful in its integration of story, theme, metaphors, and characters. …the journey, the relationships with family, and the connection we all have to this planet is deeply relatable.” –Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, Playwright, Screenwriter, Stand-Up Comedian
“This play is an absolute gem! Educational, inspiring, and a gift to its actors, she beautifully interweaves the complexities of aging with the gorgeous landscapes that we take for granted – as we’re often too scared to opt for the road less traveled. THIS is a welcoming road indeed!” –Adam Hunter Howard, Los Angeles-based playwright, Educator, and Actor
“A lyrical and often poignant piece that speaks of the fragility of memories, both external and internal. This one is both about the journey and the destination, and whatever form those may take, and the willingness to take detours when necessary.” –Ross Tedford Kendall, Playwright
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are $10 each.
Characters:
Anne 55-ish. A poet and teacher. Fierce, independent, quick, witty — and stubborn.
David 55-ish. Anne’s husband, an academic who studies the theater of the Restoration Period (with a special interest in the lost plays of that era). Also quick and witty. A guy who feels deeply though he masks it, sometimes, with his clever banter.
Chorus of two who play all the other characters.
In Case of Bruising
by Kamila Boga
Triplets Milo, Otis, and Della’s lives are very different from other kids. They’re too big for the third grade, they don’t know when they’ll have food for lunch, and they don’t go home if their father is in a bad mood. They know their Mama spends more time in the hospital than other mothers. They know she is sad again. One afternoon, the triplets meet Calico, an odd boy with an odd name. They accept him quickly. As Daddy and Mama get worse, each child finds new ways to cope – some safer than others.
- FRI, 8/23 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of In Case of Bruising by Kamila Boga
Reviews:
“…the play itself is masterful in its integration of story, theme, metaphors, and characters. …the journey, the relationships with family, and the connection we all have to this planet is deeply relatable.” –Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, Playwright, Screenwriter, Stand-Up Comedian
“This play is an absolute gem! Educational, inspiring, and a gift to its actors, she beautifully interweaves the complexities of aging with the gorgeous landscapes that we take for granted – as we’re often too scared to opt for the road less traveled. THIS is a welcoming road indeed!” –Adam Hunter Howard, Los Angeles-based playwright, Educator, and Actor
“A lyrical and often poignant piece that speaks of the fragility of memories, both external and internal. This one is both about the journey and the destination, and whatever form those may take, and the willingness to take detours when necessary.” –Ross Tedford Kendall, Playwright
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are $10 each.
Characters:
Anne 55-ish. A poet and teacher. Fierce, independent, quick, witty — and stubborn.
David 55-ish. Anne’s husband, an academic who studies the theater of the Restoration Period (with a special interest in the lost plays of that era). Also quick and witty. A guy who feels deeply though he masks it, sometimes, with his clever banter.
Chorus of two who play all the other characters.
Dear God
by Lisa Langford
Aliens have landed. After the initial shock, humans of all races and creeds join together to do what they do best: discriminate. Vonnie, a pastor of a Black church, refuses to take a vow stating that God is only the God of humans. This creates friction between Vonnie and her frightened parishioners, her devout husband, and an ex-lover who could destroy everything she’s worked for. Vonnie must decide if her gospel welcomes all, regardless of planetary origin, or if she will revel in a racism-free world where humans persecute aliens.
- SAT, 8/24 at 2 PM: Staged Reading of Dear God by Lisa Langford
Reviews:
“…the play itself is masterful in its integration of story, theme, metaphors, and characters. …the journey, the relationships with family, and the connection we all have to this planet is deeply relatable.” –Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, Playwright, Screenwriter, Stand-Up Comedian
“This play is an absolute gem! Educational, inspiring, and a gift to its actors, she beautifully interweaves the complexities of aging with the gorgeous landscapes that we take for granted – as we’re often too scared to opt for the road less traveled. THIS is a welcoming road indeed!” –Adam Hunter Howard, Los Angeles-based playwright, Educator, and Actor
“A lyrical and often poignant piece that speaks of the fragility of memories, both external and internal. This one is both about the journey and the destination, and whatever form those may take, and the willingness to take detours when necessary.” –Ross Tedford Kendall, Playwright
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are $10 each.
Characters:
Anne 55-ish. A poet and teacher. Fierce, independent, quick, witty — and stubborn.
David 55-ish. Anne’s husband, an academic who studies the theater of the Restoration Period (with a special interest in the lost plays of that era). Also quick and witty. A guy who feels deeply though he masks it, sometimes, with his clever banter.
Chorus of two who play all the other characters.
Artificial
by Prince Gomolvilas
After a failed career in standup comedy, Simon has taken a soul-sucking job as an AI engineer at his younger brother Jetsada’s thriving chatbot company. But when the artistic bug bites again,Simon leverages the company’s AI technology to write jokes, and he hits open mic nights once again—much to Jetsada’s dismay. The sparring brothers’ sibling rivalry reaches epic proportions in this timely yet timeless exploration of a fractured Thai-American family, the uneasy intersection of art and technology, and the question of what it means to be human in the modern age. And yes, this synopsis was written by ChatGPT…. Or was it?
- SAT, 8/24 at 7 PM: Staged Reading of Artificial by Prince Gomolvilas
Reviews:
“…the play itself is masterful in its integration of story, theme, metaphors, and characters. …the journey, the relationships with family, and the connection we all have to this planet is deeply relatable.” –Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, Playwright, Screenwriter, Stand-Up Comedian
“This play is an absolute gem! Educational, inspiring, and a gift to its actors, she beautifully interweaves the complexities of aging with the gorgeous landscapes that we take for granted – as we’re often too scared to opt for the road less traveled. THIS is a welcoming road indeed!” –Adam Hunter Howard, Los Angeles-based playwright, Educator, and Actor
“A lyrical and often poignant piece that speaks of the fragility of memories, both external and internal. This one is both about the journey and the destination, and whatever form those may take, and the willingness to take detours when necessary.” –Ross Tedford Kendall, Playwright
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are $10 each.
Characters:
Anne 55-ish. A poet and teacher. Fierce, independent, quick, witty — and stubborn.
David 55-ish. Anne’s husband, an academic who studies the theater of the Restoration Period (with a special interest in the lost plays of that era). Also quick and witty. A guy who feels deeply though he masks it, sometimes, with his clever banter.
Chorus of two who play all the other characters.
Between Here and There, I am Homeless
by Luma Jasim
**Supported by MAP Fund NYC**
Iraqi-born artist and performer Luma Jasim presents a multidisciplinary performance artwork based on her story of growing up and living in Baghdad, of being a witness to three wars, debilitating sanctions, devastating sectarian violence, and finally immigration and acculturation in the U.S. The performance will combine projected video and animation, storytelling and spoken word, live ‘action painting,’ movement, live, composed, and improvised music and sound by musician Ryan Garrett, and pre-recorded music by Iraqi musician Ali Asim. The work aims to use the personal to address the political, to call into question, and ultimately open up the space and time of the meaning of ‘home.’ Says Jasim, “I left Iraq after the U.S. invasion eighteen years ago and have not returned. The nostalgic feeling for home continues to haunt me, even as the U.S., Boise specifically, has now become my present home. Here, I have a ‘home’, yet, strangely, I feel homeless. My old home was invaded by my new home. My new home struggles to recognize me. I feel caught between places and times, very much in a space ‘in between.’
- SUN, 8/25 at 7 PM: Performance of Between Here and There, I am Homeless by Iraqi-born Boise artist Luma Jasim
Reviews:
“…the play itself is masterful in its integration of story, theme, metaphors, and characters. …the journey, the relationships with family, and the connection we all have to this planet is deeply relatable.” –Hilary Bluestein-Lyons, Playwright, Screenwriter, Stand-Up Comedian
“This play is an absolute gem! Educational, inspiring, and a gift to its actors, she beautifully interweaves the complexities of aging with the gorgeous landscapes that we take for granted – as we’re often too scared to opt for the road less traveled. THIS is a welcoming road indeed!” –Adam Hunter Howard, Los Angeles-based playwright, Educator, and Actor
“A lyrical and often poignant piece that speaks of the fragility of memories, both external and internal. This one is both about the journey and the destination, and whatever form those may take, and the willingness to take detours when necessary.” –Ross Tedford Kendall, Playwright
Festival Passes include all five readings and performances for $30. Tickets to individual events are $10 each.
Characters:
Anne 55-ish. A poet and teacher. Fierce, independent, quick, witty — and stubborn.
David 55-ish. Anne’s husband, an academic who studies the theater of the Restoration Period (with a special interest in the lost plays of that era). Also quick and witty. A guy who feels deeply though he masks it, sometimes, with his clever banter.
Chorus of two who play all the other characters.
2023 Digital Program:
Thank you, 3rd Annual Festival Sponsors
