Gloria Bond Clunie Playwrights Festival 2025

Time Commitment:

The rehearsal times that are listed are all the time that is available. Your director will create a schedule based on need and availability. Actors are not required to attend the other performances, but will receive a complimentary weekend pass for themselves.

May 5th - 16th: Submissions Open
May 20th: Casting Finalized
June 21st: 1PM-9PM Rehearsal Hours
June 22nd: 10AM-5PM Rehearsal Hours
June 27th: 6PM-9PM Rehearsal Hours
June 28th: 10AM-9PM Rehearsal Hours
June 28th at 5PM - Performance of Frankenstein Family Therapy by Sav Henderson, directed by Faramade F. Oladapo (one act)
June 28th at 7PM - Performance of Company Four by Kayla Bey, directed by Cordaro Johnson (one act)
June 29th: 10AM-2:00PM Rehearsal Hours
June 29th at 3PM - Performance of Desdemona 1865 by L.D. Barnes, directed by Maureen Azzun (full length)

Character Type/Restrictions:

Frankenstein Family Therapy - performs June 28th at 5PM.
Written by Sav Henderson
Directed by Faramade F. Oladapo

Summary:
Victor and his son/creation seek family counseling.

Characters:
Junior - masc, late teens - early 20s
Abandoned as a young monster, Junior is blunt and misunderstood shaped by his traumatic experiences. Now as a young adult Junior moves through life with a complex mix of anger and confusion while longing for all the things he never had (a father and a mate). While in therapy he is hopeful but skeptical.
Victor Frankenstein - masc, late 20s - 50s
A man of science, driven by his insatiable thirst for knowledge. He is self-absorbed and always wants to impress others with his knowledge of science. He believes parenting is stressful and doesn’t feel the need to answer his creation.
Dr. Min - femme, late 30s - 50s
A family therapist with a powerful presence. A minotaur who was abandoned as a child and survivor, she wins focus with her confidence. She stands out physically, but her wisdom and emotional strength truly command attention.

Company Four - performs June 28th at 7PM
written by Kayla Bey
directed by Cordaro Johnson

Summary
Company Four is a one-act play about four young Black women in their early 20s — Ujima, Lyric, Simone, and Augusta — who just graduated college and are trying to start a theater company together while living in a cramped apartment in College Park, Maryland. The play explores friendship, ambition, conflict, Black art, financial struggle, and the tension between community-based dreams and individual career aspirations. It's about the conflict between idealism vs. practicality, art vs. capitalism, and what it means to truly create for your people.

Characters (all characters are Black, femme, and in their early 20s)
Ujima - Visionary, intense, offbeat, stubborn but passionate leader. Strong spoken word skills.
Lyric - Intellectual, moody, sarcastic but sensitive. Sharp timing.
Simone - Funny, confident, dramatic diva. Big energy; someone who can be hilarious but pivot into vulnerability.
Augusta - Quiet strength, nurturing but insecure. Subtle emotional presence.

Desdemona 1865 - performs on June 29th at 3PM.
written by L.D. Barnes
directed by Maureen Azzun

Summary:
A reimagining of Shakespeare's tragedy set on a Civil War-era plantation.

Characters:
DESDEMONA - Black, femme, 30s-60s, a regal middle-aged woman who behaves as if she owns the plantation. Her orders are obeyed without question, by everyone, yet she is duteous to Iago. He treats her as his wife. They have five children together.
IAGO HOPSON - White, masc, 40s-70s, the owner of Rosedown Plantation in rural Virginia, south of Appomattox. He is older than Desdemona, robust and handsome. He is intelligent, preoccupied, and slightly arrogant.
OTHELLO - Black, masc, 30s-70s, an officer in the Union army. He is a large man, commanding and self-assured. He is a dear friend of Iago and has a romantic history with Desdemona.
EMILIA - Black, femme, 20s-40s, Desdemona’s sister. She is younger and darker skinned than Desdemona but just as regal.