Blackboard Plays and PAAL have partnered to present the first Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival (#BMPFest). In the early fall of 2020, submissions opened all around the country for playwrights who identify as Black Parents or Caregivers to submit 10 page excerpts. A review committee of Black mother theatre artists then selected four finalists and two semi-finalists. Excerpts of the finalists' plays were read at the PAAL International Summit on December 4, 2020.

Blackboard Plays and PAAL are now partnering with four highly established theatres across the country to produce one-act Zoom Workshops of each of the four finalists? plays in May-June 2021 to honor Black mothers and parents everywhere.

Partner Theatres:

Bishop Arts Theatre Center | Detroit Public Theatre | Oregon Shakespeare Festival | Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

• The festival will be awarding each playwright with a financial commission for the workshop as well as compensating all contributing artists. 
• The BMP New Play Festival commits to a Black Artist Exclusive Budget, where all contributing artists are paid and all paid artists in the festival - from the review committee to production team to artistic company and more - is exclusively contracted to Black artists (with the exception of one actor needed in performance as specified by the playwright.)
• Any and all additional profit from this festival will go to creating the PAAL/Blackboard Black Parent Playwright Grant

YOUR DONATION:

• Financially Supports Black Artists Exclusively 
• Financially Supports Black Parents and Caregivers
• Creates Work for Black Artists
• Gives Voice to Stories about Black Mothers, Caregivers, and Families

"Black parenthood is often overlooked in our national and artistic conversations and represented without the nuance that white-parents-and-parenting stories often include..."?- Garlia Cornelia Jones,Blackboard Founder +PAAL Producing Director