PITCH YOUR PASSIOn:
classics edition

about the project

We’re excited to bring back Pitch Your Passion for 2026!

The same project that led to last year’s “masterwork of anguish,” Dua: The Monster’s Story, written and directed by Robin Berl, Pitch Your Passion gives local early-career directors a chance to realize their vision by giving them the space, infrastructure, and resources to produce a mainstage production as part of Theatre Prometheus’ 2026 season.

Every director has a classical work that affects them profoundly, and Theatre Prometheus wants to know yours. As a collective, we understand the challenges that arise with being an emerging director. We believe that classical works are fundamental to understanding the many facets of our art form, but emerging directors aren’t often given the opportunity to engage with them on their own terms. That’s why Theatre Prometheus has combined two aspects of our new mission statement, “nurturing our person-first artistic community” and “engaging in classic queer and feminist art,” to present: Pitch Your Passion: Classics Edition.

We’re looking for proposals that engage with classic works critically. We want to empower you to interpret the classics on your terms. We acknowledge that Western works saturate our society and cultivate biases that we are trying to uproot within our organization and community. But we believe that to uproot we must go to the root. If we don’t examine, uproot, and recultivate the fertile ground of our art form, we cannot move forward. For PYP: Classics Edition, we want to give an emerging director their own opportunity to uproot a classic.Interested? Check out the below FAQ for more specifics on what we’re looking for.

Applications close on May 31. Any questions can be sent to TheatreP.Submissions@gmail.com. All backgrounds and experience levels are welcome to apply.

how to apply

Applications will be open until May 31. Once you have read through the FAQ, click here to apply.

FAQ

What do you mean by ‘classic’?
What we don’t mean is a narrow, Western/white-centric definition of ‘classic’ limited to Shakespeare, the Greeks, and maybe a little Molière (as a treat). We include these plays, but we also look beyond them, expanding our definition to include the vast, rich theatre traditions that exist in nearly every culture. This includes oral storytelling and other dramatic forms that don’t necessarily have a set text, though please note that this opportunity will not involve a development period, just a standard 8-week rehearsal process.

So… no Shakespeare?
Shakespeare is allowed! Especially because so many theatre practitioners have been historically excluded from being ‘allowed’ to direct or exert creative control over these plays, and the aim of this project is to make space for and celebrate the artistic visions we haven’t seen yet. That could mean a classical piece that falls outside the traditional canon, but it could also mean a new encounter with Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, or the like.

Does the play need to be in the public domain? Are adaptations allowed?
For this round, we’re ideally looking for plays that are in the public domain rather than adaptations, published or otherwise. The idea of this project is to focus on your vision of a play; we want to make sure you have full creative freedom to bring your ideas to life. Translations are another story — we recognize that a more recent translation of a non-English play may be the best or only option, so a translation that requires rights is fine.

Does ___ count?
We don’t want to be overly prescriptive re: what ‘counts,’ because this project is about YOUR interpretation of ‘classic,’ both in terms of what plays count as ‘classic’ and the vision you bring to the story. But if you’re unsure, feel free to reach out to TheatreP.Submissions@gmail.com. This message will go to a team member who will not be part of the anonymized selection process.

What is the application/selection process like?
Your application will be anonymized for the first round of review. Once we have read and discussed all proposals, we will choose semifinalists and set up conversations with our team. We will make a final decision and notify all applicants by the end of September 2025.

How will Theatre Prometheus support me?
Your project will be treated like any other mainstage show in our season with the full support of our administrative team. Along with production and marketing support, we will do everything in our power to connect you with the appropriate resources to tell this story, whether that be intimacy directors, dramaturgs, or sensitivity consultants.

How much does this pay?
Directors will receive a stipend of no less than $500 which may increase depending on Theatre Prometheus receiving additional funding. As part of our commitment to prioritizing artist compensation, we are making every effort to increase stipends as funds are available annually.

When will the production be?
The chosen project will be part of our 2026 season — tentatively spring 2026, though specific dates will be determined based on director and space availability.

I have more than one idea — can I submit them all?
One submission per person, please! We would love to hear all your ideas, but alas, we’re a small team and want to give every application and applicant the time and attention they deserve.

I submitted a proposal for the last PYP — can I submit the same proposal again?
Yes, please do! We had so many wonderful ideas submitted to us last time we did PYP: Classics Edition. If you submitted an idea last time that didn’t get chosen, you’re very welcome to submit it again — we just ask that you submit only one proposal.