Beeta Universal Arts Foundation (BUAF) has announced the fourth edition of the Beeta Playwright Competition for playwrights aged 18 to 40.
This year’s edition of the competition, which aims to find new playwrights is themed ‘Through the ashes we rise – Stories of hope and resilience in a New Nigeria’.
Submission of entries is ongoing at www.beetauniversal.org till December 28.
The 10 finalists will be mentored at a writing camp while a winner would emerge at the grand finale. The winner would also win up to N1million, a publishing deal with PaperWorth Books Limited and the production of the winning play by BUAF. The play will be part of the foundation’s nationwide University Campus Outreach.
Assessing this year’s entries is a panel of eminent academics and professionals including Professor Ahmed Yerima (Chairman), Culture/film journalist and arts administrator, Shaibu Husseini, and veteran actress, Ego Boyo. Others are producer/writer, Ayo Jaiyesimi, director and actor, Kenneth Uphopho and publisher/bookseller, Ibiso Graham-Douglas.
Union Bank, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Paperworth Books Limited and Olajide & Oyewole LLP among others are supporting the competition.
Actress and producer, Bikiya Graham-Douglas leads BUAF. The contest has birthed plays including ‘Our Son the Minister’ by Paul Ugbede, ‘Jagagba’ by Abdul Qudus-Ibrahim and ‘Daughters of the East’ by Achalugo Chioma Ezekobe
Since inception, the Beeta Playwright Competition has received over 1000 entries, with participants from 30 Nigerian states and the Diaspora including the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Ghana, Italy and Germany. The winning plays have all been produced by BUAF in different states and featured in BUAF’s University Campus Outreach.