BLACK PLAYWRIGHTS INITIATIVE (BPI)

To be considered for membership into the BPI please send a letter of inquiry, a synopsis of your play, and a ten-page sample of your writing to Wendell Etherly at wendellbpi@blackensemble.org.  Or you may mail your materials to Attn: Wendell Etherly, Co-Chair of the BPI; Black Ensemble Theater 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL. 60640.   The next step in the process is a letter or email of communication from the Black Ensemble Theater requesting to schedule an interview with you.  If Black Ensemble Theater determines that your work does not meet the objectives of the BPI, we will not request an interview but we will inform you in writing why BPI would not be a productive partnership for you.  If membership is not granted please understand that this is not a reflection of the quality of your work but a reflection of the stringent BPI process. 

The Black Playwrights Initiative (BPI) was created six years ago by Jackie Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of the Black Ensemble Theater.  In explaining why the BPI was formulated Ms. Taylor stated, "Chicago has a rich and fertile community of African American Playwrights.  There was a need for an organization that focused specifically on these artists as it related to their unique cultural heritage.  The BPI is a vehicle that brings us together as a community to share resources and nourish our skills.  It is the purpose of the BPI to develop scripts for the Black Ensemble Theater.  It is also the purpose of the BPI to increase local and national exposure for our membership."  The BPI also provides training, technological resources and advancement opportunities for Chicago's African American Playwrights community.

 Black Ensemble Theater does not accept unsolicited full length scripts.