The Flea Production Commission

The Flea now holds its Open Call year round.

An important part of The Flea’s mission is to produce new work. As such, we are always looking for collaborators for future projects. At the same time, we recognize we are limited by the community of - extremely talented! - artists we already know and who they know. We are insanely curious about what all Black, brown, and queer experimental artists are creating and want to converse with those artists whose aesthetic, methodology, and collaborative spirit complements ours.

Why We Do This

What We Seek

The Flea is looking to enter into multi-year partnerships with artists - toward the goal of a world premiere production. We welcome proposals for new work that meets all the following criteria:

  • is production-ready, or close to it with a few development touchpoints

  • resists status quo thinking, false binaries, and moralizing

  • uses humor or absurdity to invite audience into deep consideration

  • asks for virtuosity from its performers and collaborators

  • includes a lead artist(s) interested in developing their skills as a producer

  • meets our mission by being experimental art by Black, brown, and queer artists

What to Share

To ensure an equitable process, we require your application include the following:

1. Artist Statement/Project Description

This can be presented in either a document (max: 1 page), audio or video (max: 3 min.) format. Please answer all the following questions in your submission.

  1. What is the project, its form, and its core audience (note: core audiences do not have to be discreet communities)

  2. What are the questions at the core of this project?

  3. What is your approach to creating this work? How will you collaborate with others to realize the work?

  4. Why do you want to collaborate with The Flea specifically?

  5. Where is the project in its development? Is it ready for production? If more development is needed, describe those development touchpoint(s).

Before uploading, use the following naming convention on your submission: ArtistStatement_ProjectTitle_FirstNameLastName

No more than 15 pages (if written) or 15 minutes (if audio or video) of a script, score, or other work sample.

Before uploading, use the following naming convention on your submission: WorkSample_ProjectTitle_FirstNameLastName

2. Work Sample

Where to Submit

When ready, please upload your documents here.

BATHHOUSE.PPTX by Jesús I. Valles (2024 world premiere)

we come to collect: a flirtation, with capitalism by Jenn Kidwell & the blackening (2025 world premiere)

Arden: But Not Without You devised by Peter Born, Diana Oh, Niegel Smith, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Carrie Mae Weems
(2022 world premiere)