The Dominic Orlando Playwriting Award is a $12,000 unrestricted prize supported by the Venturous Theater Fund and created in honor of the beloved playwright who passed too soon in 2021.
In the spirit of Dominic’s life and work, the award recipients will be writers with an “unconventional career." This can mean many things, but we hope to find candidates who have forged their own paths by producing their own work, running their own independent companies, and/or artists who have taken artistic risks without finding significant financial or material support from large institutional theaters or philanthropic organizations. We especially want to recognize writers who have made a continued commitment to smaller-budget theater companies and ensembles and helped them push the boundaries of what theater and playwriting can be. This could mean writers who have been working in theater for a significant period of time without national recognition or writers who, by the nature of their work or identity, are pushing boundaries and remain under-recognized for their efforts.
The intention is that these awards will allow the recipients to focus deeply on their craft and make national connections while alleviating some financial pressure that can often hold back artists from pursuing their dreams.
Previous recipients are José Casas, Christian St. Croix, and David Johann Kim. You can read more about the award and our most recent recipient here.
Eligibility
-Playwright must have written at least one full-length play (full-length plays are defined as running at least 45 minutes in production). The play does not need to have had a professional production.
-Playwright must not have received any individual awards, fellowships, grants, residencies, etc with a financial award of over $25,000. Opportunities awarded to groups or organizations that the playwright is a part of do not count.
-Playwright must not have had more than one production at a LORT, Broadway, or Off-Broadway Theater (click here for the list of LORT, Broadway, and Off-Broadway Theaters)
-Playwright does not need to be a U.S. citizen, but they do need to be able to be paid in the U.S.
Note: In our experience, playwrights need to have an established body of work in order to have a competitive application. In general, applicants with at least five years of playwriting experience tend to have stronger applications.
How to Apply: Direct Applications
Playwrights who meet the above eligibility guidelines are welcome to apply for the Award directly. The link below will take you to a Google Form which will allow you to complete the application. The application includes:
-Contact information and eligibility questions
-Full-length play script
Please be sure that your name and the play title appear on the cover page. A full-length play generally runs at least 45 minutes. If you are hoping to submit a script that is shorter than 45 minutes in length, please contact Julia at dominicorlandofund@gmail.com to discuss. Scripts for a musical may be submitted by the book writer only. Co-written work that does not have a clear division of who created which part will not be accepted—the evaluators need to be able to evaluate your work specifically.
NOTE: If you are planning to apply with a musical, please be aware that only text submissions are allowed. We do not accept any audio files or links to external websites, and evaluators will be instructed to not seek out any demos or audio tracks related to submitted scripts. We recommend that you consider the strength of just the text of your piece—separate from any music or other elements—as you select which piece to submit.
-1-2 page resume
This can be in any legible format. Please be sure to include any professional productions, grants, fellowships, awards, and residencies. We recommend including primarily your theatrical and playwriting experience, but feel free to include any information that would support your application. We want to get a sense of your career trajectory through all of your materials. Be sure to include your name on this document.
-1 page artistic statement
Please use this statement to explain to the evaluators why you are a good fit for this award. Look at the explanation above and tell us about who you are as an artist. What has made your career "unconventional"? How have you forged your own path and taken risks as a playwright? What obstacles have you faced in building your career, and how would this award aid you as you move forward? Please be sure to include your name in this document.
-Statement of support from a theater or arts organization.
If you were nominated for the Award (see below) you do not need to attach this, as your nominating theater has already provided it. If you were not nominated, please request a statement of support from a theater or other arts-related organization that details why you are a good fit for this Award. Please note: This does not need to be a formal letter of recommendation. This can be a simple e-mail from your nominator stating their support and why they love your work.
Click the link below to access the application. The application will close on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CT OR when we have received 50 applications, so we recommend submitting early if you are able to.
If any of your files do not attach for any reason, please email them to dominicorlandofund@gmail.com with your full name and play title.
How to Apply: Nominations
Any theater or arts-related organization may nominate one playwright for this Award each year who they believe have had an unconventional career and have not received widespread recognition.
To nominate a playwright, please email the following to Julia Brown at dominicorlandofund@gmail.com by October 29, 2025.
-Playwright’s Name
-Playwrights’ contact information (email and phone number)
-Either a link to the playwrights’ website, a resume, or an extended bio (this will be used to confirm eligibility)
-A statement (maximum one page) about why you are nominating this writer for the award with some detail about how you believe their career has been unconventional and may fit the spirit and mission of this award. (Please note that this nomination paragraph will be provided to the evaluators along with the writer’s application, should they choose to apply.)
After the nomination is received, we will contact the playwright and invite them to submit an application by the deadline of December 16, 2025, or until 50 applications have been received. All nominations must be received by October 29, 2025.
Questions?
Contact Fund Administrator Julia Brown at dominicorlandofund@gmail.com