A playwright based retreat, the National Winter Playwrights Retreat prioritizes the playwright, not the work being produced. Playwrights have an opportunity to have work read or sung, conversation over dinners and coffees, sightseeing in the San Juan Mountains, and an introduction to local theatres. The retreat provides respite and renewal for playwrights. However, the artist's rejuvenation inevitably finds its way into her art. In enabling the playwright freedom from expectations, we enable the art.

HBMG Foundation's team of a Latino Playwright/Director and a Female Actor/Writer, Manuel and Ann Zárate are passionate about diversity. As founders and directors, they seek especially to empower playwrights of all ethnicities and gender. Additionally, diversity of experience and age is considered in the selection of playwrights each year.

2018's National Winter Playwrights Retreat


We will have three types of retreats planned for 2018 and have invited Artistic Directors, Dramaturgs, and Directors to join our Playwrights this year.

NWPR Creede Coops: for these retreats, we will host up to three guest artists and nine playwrights or teams. We’re renting housing from our local LORT, Creede Rep for our playwrights to live in together. Playwrights may elect to have their work read aloud by professional actors in a private salon setting. Optional tourism activities include a tour of the San Juan Mountains and a tour of Creede Rep. In addition, the first coop (Dec 31 - Jan 6) will get daily sessions of the Brennan Check-In!

NWPR Winter Workshop: this year we sent a shout out to our previous years' (85) playwrights inviting them to submit scripts to be workshopped in Creede in 2018. Scripts were evaluated by a jury and the top ranking five scripts were sent back to the playwrights who had to choose the winning script! We were surprised when two tied for "Workshop Me In Creede!" As a result both D.W. Gregory and Heidi Kraay will be workshopping their scripts Memoirs of a Forgotten Man and How To Hide Your Monster with with direction and dramaturgy by Jeni Mahoney and Manuel Zarate! Performances will be Jan 26 at 7pm and Jan 27 at 4pm at Big River Music in Creede, and Jan 28 and 29 at 7pm at Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse in Pagosa Springs!

Playwright Sponsored NWPR in Pagosa Springs: from a conversation... came an idea... and then an offering... and now we have a new program - Playwright Sponsored NWPRs! For 2018, NWPR 2017 Playwright Sarah Lawrence has offered two homes to HBMG Foundation to use to create NWPR right down the road in Pagosa Springs! Programming will be the same as with Creede Coops except the tour will be of Pagosa's local theatre, Thingamajig. If you would be interested in hosting an NWPR in your community, please contact Ann!


This year's partners include Black and Latino Playwrights Conference and Rain City Projects who both have sponsored playwrights for 2018 in addition to Big River Music and Human Stage!


To apply for NWPR 2019:

HBMG Foundation invites you for one week (Sunday through Saturday) December - February 2019. We’ll provide accommodations, an opportunity to have your work read, and tourism activities. You may elect to have your work read aloud by professional actors in a private salon setting. After it’s cold reading, your work will receive feedback from actors, staff and other retreat participants, and you may request a private dramaturgy session. We do not expect your work to be completed. In some cases, you may only have a few scenes in development. The cold reading can be at the beginning of the week so you can do rewrites or end of your stay so you hear what you’ve accomplished.

If you can get yourself here (drive yourself, or fly via Boutique Air into Alamosa's airport where we'll pick you up) and get yourself fed (there's a grocery store across from your housing and great local restaurants), we’ll provide the gorgeous scenery, accommodations, and a few tourist treats! Write, network and recharge. This is not a competition; we want artists to create.

Contact Ann at annzarate@hbmgfoundation.org and introduce yourself both professionally and personally. Please note if you are applying as a playwright, artistic director, dramaturg, or director. You are welcome to apply as a team if you are working specifically with an actor, director, composer or dramaturg on a piece in progress. Give us details of what you would be working on during the retreat and your weeks of availability December 29-February 15, 2019. Sunday is arrival day and Saturday is departure day. We do not allow for late arrivals or early departures as there may be other applicants who can stay the entire week. Deadline for applications is October 1, 2018. There is no application fee and no need to submit a writing sample.

For a list of previous playwrights and collaborators, check out Winter 2017, Winter 2016, Winter 2015, and Summer 2014!

Partners over the past four years have included Creede Repertory Theatre, Black and Latino Playwrights Conference, Rain City Projects, Adams State University, and BJ Meyers & Bill Kuhlke. For information on 2019 partners... stay tuned!
 
For more information email us!
     
from our playwrights
"It was an absolute gift to be in the quiet of the mountains in such a lovely home with the support of artists who offered support and respect without demanding anything in return.” Arika Larson, New York

"Really, it’s more a movement than just a retreat.” Tom Coash, New Haven, CT

"It didn’t take me long to realize what an incredible gift it was to be in Creede, surrounded and supported by such incredible energy and generous artists.” Jennie Webb, Los Angeles