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Monday, July 30, 2012

The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2013 playwriting competition

web site

The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2013 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series' current judge, award-winning playwright John Guare. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of his/her manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater.


There is no application form or entry fee. Please follow these guidelines in preparing your manuscript:


1. This contest is restricted to plays written in the English language. Worldwide submissions are accepted.

2. Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays written in English. Translations, musicals, and children's plays are not accepted. The Yale Drama Series is intended to support emerging playwrights. Playwrights may win the competition only once.

3. Playwrights may submit only one manuscript per year.

4. Plays that have had professional productions are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading or non-professional production are accepted.

5. Plays may not be under option or scheduled for professional production at the time of submission.

6. The manuscript must begin with a title page that shows the play's title and your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address (if you have one), page count and (if applicable) a list of acknowledgments; a second title page which lists the title of the play only, a list of characters, and a list of acts and scenes.
7. Plays must be typed/word-processed, page-numbered and in standard professional play format. A brief biography may be included at the end of the manuscript, on a separate page, but is not required.

8. Do not bind or staple the manuscript.
9. Send the manuscript to Yale Drama Series, P.O. Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040.

Submissions for the 2013 competition must be postmarked no earlier than June 1, 2012 and no later than August 15, 2012.

Do not send the only copy of your work. Manuscripts cannot be returned after the competition. If you wish receipt of your manuscript to be acknowledged, please include a stamped, self-addressed postcard.


ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS:
Electronic submissions for the 2013 competition must be submitted no earlier than June 1, 2012 and no later than August 15, 2012.
If you would like to submit an electronic copy of your manuscript please email submissions.yaledramaseries@yale.edu with your request.


Upon receiving an email request for submission, we will send an email reply to the sender requesting a secure file transfer form be completed which will allow the electronic submission.
Both PDF/Word document submissions are accepted. PDF submissions are preferred but not required.

Please go to http://www.adobe.com if you need assistance converting a Word document to a PDF.

The Yale Drama Series reserves the right to reject any manuscript for any reason.

CONTACT US

For more information regarding the Yale Drama Series please write to us at:

Yale Drama Series
P.O. Box 209040
New Haven, CT
06520-9040

or email us at yaledramaseries@yale.edu

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Little Fish seeks 15 minute plays - PICK OF THE VINE – Season 11 (2013)

web site

PICK OF THE VINE – Season 11 (2013)

Little Fish Theatre is accepting scripts for our eleventh annual PICK OF THE VINE short play production to be presented in January-February 2013. 

Only ONE play may be submitted per playwright.

Submission deadline is August 1st, 2012.

There will be a $50 flat fee royalty payment to playwrights per play produced.

Preferred plays will:
  1. Require no more than 10 actors
  2. Run no more than 15 minutes, no exceptions
  3. Have minimal set, costume, prop, and special effect requirements
Email submissions (in .doc or .pdf form) to holly@littlefishtheatre.org.  Please include contact info (name, phone number, home city and state) on the cover sheet.  Include the cover sheet with the script -- do not send separate documents.

Response time: Semi-finalists only will be notified by mid/late-September. Final line-up playwrights notified in October.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Amadeus



About Amadeus:

They were, Peter Shaffer recalls, quite the odd couple. To turn his play ''Amadeus'' into a film script, the English playwright spent four months holed up in a Connecticut farmhouse with Milos Forman, the Czech film director. Isolated from the rest of the world in what they called their ''torture chamber,'' the collaborators suffered from writer's block together, listened to Mozart records together, and improvised scenes from the play together. Much of their afternoon work sessions, however, was devoted to arguing. They argued about scenes and words, and the order of scenes and words. They argued about who would say what in the film. They even argued about which of them would cook dinner.

New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award presents: Submit Play for NY Times Outstanding Playwrights' Award

No web site available but information about last year's competition is online

NOTE: the play must have been produced in NYC.

If you have a play that you feel is eligible, please send the script to Edward Bohan at the NY Times: bohane@nytimes.com.

DETAILS

The criteria is:
1. Plays only, no musicals.

2. American playwrights only (they don’t have to be American citizens, but they have to be living and working in the US).

3. NY debuts only -- the play must be the writer’s first full-scale NY production, selling tickets to the public and open to critics (they don’t count festival productions, workshops, etc.).

Contact for questions: Sylviane Gold, dancerevu@aol.com

CAP21 Writers Residency

web site

Applications are now being accepted for the January 2013 installment of the tri-annual CAP21 Writers Residency.

The CAP21 Writers Residency is offered by CAP21 as an opportunity for a concentrated time and place to be artistically productive in a focused atmosphere while remaining in NYC. It will take place for a 1-2 week period (Jan 7th - 18th) depending on the needs of the writers. During the length of the residency, selected writing teams are provided a beautiful studio space at CAP21 in New York City, complete with a piano and wireless internet, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, Monday through Friday.

One goal of the residency is for the writers to refine their new musical and move it forward to production. Other goals include beginning work on a new project, as well as working on multiple projects. In addition, the writers are able to network with each other, in the interest of forging new relationships and collaborations. Furthermore, CAP21’s Artistic Director will meet with each team and discuss the goals of the project. “CAP21 takes great pride in offering this residency, in the heart of New York City, and in supporting writers to create a fresh new canon of musicals,” says Eliza Ventura, Artistic Director of CAP21.

To apply visit cap21.org and download the CAP21 Writers Residency Application located in our New Works Development section.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

REPUBLICAN THEATER FESTIVAL

No web site available, but more information here.

Call for Submissions - Republican Theater Festival, Philadelphia, PA

Forearmed Productions seeks one act plays for the Republican Theater Festival, November 2012, which aims to create a forum for a perspective not usually heard in theater.

Forearmed will select 3 new one-act or 10 minute plays by living playwrights that represent ideas related to social or fiscal conservatism,  issues considered part of the Republican Party, Libertarian or Tea Party platforms, or concerns of people of faith. Plays which have the ultimate aim of criticizing or satirizing conservative ideas will not be considered.

Deadline for submission is August 30th. The plays will be dramaturged, developed and rehearsed for a showing on November 12th, 13th and 14th.

Please send scripts or any questions to Forearmed Productions, forearmed@gmail.com.

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Rabun Gap, GA is seeking a script for the Georgia High School Association One Act Competition

web site 

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Rabun Gap, GA is seeking a script for the Georgia High School Association One Act Competition in October 2012.  The play requirements are:

1) One-Act, under 55 minutes in length or have the ability to be cut to under 55 minutes.  (Should be no shorter than 35 minutes.)

2) Any style acceptable, but must be suitable to High School aged actors.  Material may be edgy, but vulgarity must be cut from performance version.

3) Cast size should be no less than four - but can be as many as 20-25.

Compensation:  Winning play will be fully staged with a production budget of between $1,500 and $2,000.  Playwright will be consulted on design, and a video of the performance will be sent to the Playwright.  If your play is chosen to be performed you will receive $250 OR a trip to Rabun County, Georgia for a weekend to see the play performed and work with the cast.  If the play wins the regional competition you will receive a $100 bonus, and a $200 (total) bonus if the play wins the state competition. 

To submit your script, email in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format to wpatti@rabungap.org.
DEADLINE: August 1st, 2012 (*Contest may end early if suitable play is found.)

*We accept plays that have been produced, not been produced - it does not matter. 

Thank you in advance!

William Patti
Director of the Performing Arts
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School

Writer Submission Guidelines for the 2012 New York Writers Summit

web site

We are now accepting submissions for the 2012 New York Writers Summit.   This writing competition which culminates in a festival (hosted by Paulini & Howell Productions) is designed to find and celebrate new and forthcoming writers with significant voices.  There is a limited acceptance period for submissions, so please send in your scripts as early as possible.

The New York Writers Summit is a writing competition that was started in 2008.  Our company is focused on bettering the arts by finding new, wonderful works of art and showing those pieces to the public.  This year's writing competition will conclude with a Professional New York Reading for each category winner as presented in a Festival format.  Our 2008 Festival for the New York Writers Summit was very well received.  Casts and production teams included Tony award-winning actors, Broadway veterans and prestigious directors mixed with talented up-and-comers and a great team of volunteers.  Highlights of such appear on the sub-tab of our website Photos & Press page.

For the 2012 competition, we are accepting submissions from each of the categories listed below:

CATEGORIES

  • Best New Play - This can be a Comedy or Drama.   Play submissions must be full-length and not one acts.
  • Best New Musical - The Book, Music & Lyrics must be the property of the submitting writer(s).  We cannot accept scripts with "cover tunes" unless you are the copyright owner of that material.  Musical submissions must also include at least three MP3 music samples of the score.  The MP3's do not need to be fully orchestrated studio quality, but we need to hear at least the melody line and some form of accompaniment.   If your musical is chosen as a finalist we will contact you and may require further music specifics.
  •  Best New Television Show - This can be a sitcom, drama or mini-series.   All must be scripted and original.   Reality show submissions are not permitted unless they are fully scripted.
  •  Best New Movie - This can be any movie genre but must be a full-length film script.

RULES FOR Potential INCLUSION in the Writing Festival


  1. Script Submissions must be original for all categories and the exclusive property of the submitting writers.  
  2. Submissions cannot be under contract or on hold with any other production companies or exclusive venues.   Paulini & Howell Productions may opt to put your piece under contract should it win the competition and cannot accept pieces that are obligated elsewhere.   Any such undisclosed issue will disqualify the piece from competition.   If your piece has received a fully staged reading or has had any other public performances, your submission must also include the list of dates, names, and performance locations and venues.
  3. All writers must be in good standing with the unions, if they are already members prior to submitting their work to Paulini & Howell Productions.
  4. Authors must allow Paulini & Howell Productions to produce their submissions, should the company wish to do so.  The company is responsible for all aspects of production including selections of director and casting.  
  5.  The author will retain full copyright of the material, but must grant Paulini & Howell Productions free use of the material(s) for the Festival reading and any inclusion exclusively for 2012 New York Writers Summit performance(s).   Exclusive to festival presentation(s) and marketing, residual royalties and all fees will be waived should the author's piece be chosen as a category winner.   Semi-finalists must also allow their name and submission title to be publicized.
  6. Participation in the festival rehearsal process may be needed, but will be determined by Paulini & Howell Productions.
  7. Writers must send a short cover letter / email with full contact information, script title, chosen category submission and  author's name, attaching the full script and any further required category documentation in PDF format.   Send all submissions to:  nywriterssummit@paulinihowellproductions.com
  8. All submission materials must be submitted to Paulini & Howell Productions no later than Midnight (EST) on August 14th, 2012. 
  9.  Any writer whose category submission has been selected as a finalist will receive notification via email from Paulini & Howell Productions.  In order to compete in the final stage of the competition and continue to be in the running to win inclusion in the New York Writers Summit, each writer will also need to return full festival signed documentation, disclosures, and any requested materials in a timely fashion (as detailed in the Paulini & Howell Semi-finalist notification email).
  10.  Semi-Finalists will be determined by no later than September 25th, 2012.
  11.  Category Winners will be posted no later than October 20th, 2012 with festival presentation announcements to follow.
  12.  By submitting your work, you agree to allow Paulini & Howell Productions to use your name, image, title of piece(s) and any presentation of the work (including images and sound) from the festival for publicity and marketing purposes without recompense.
  13.  If you win the competition, Paulini & Howell will grant you a professional reading in New York City (as included in the New York Writers Summit) and attempt to help you market your piece thereafter.  
  14.  Category Winners will receive 4 free tickets to the presentation of their work.   Transportation and housing in NYC to view the presentation shall remain the sole responsibility of each entrant.
We truly appreciate your submissions and cannot wait to read what you have created.   Best of luck in the competition!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Anne Deavere Smith: Four American characters

Cherry Lane Theatre - Hot Fun in the Summertime


Hot Fun in the Summertime is here! Come out to see some of New York's youngest, most talented, and disturbingly good looking artists as they get set loose in Cherry Lane's studio theater. All the content is original, all the music is live, and gone are the days of BYOB, because the booze is on us!*

*Must be 21 or over.

Cherry Lane Theatre is offering 10 free tickets to the first responders for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances of HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME, the latest in our Late Nite Series.



Email slawrence@cherrylanetheatre.org.
(please email Cherry Lane Theatre directly, do not email NYCPlaywrights)


Cherry Lane's Late Nite Series returns this week!

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME
July 26, 27, & 28 at 9pm
Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street 

Scene4 - International Magazine of Arts and Media welcomes submissions

web site

We welcome Proposals for articles along with inquiries regarding the publication of: Plays, Short Stories, Monologues, Poetry, Photography, Graphics, Videos, Music and Mixed-Media.

Just go to the Navigation Bar at the bottom of any page in the current issue, click on "Submissions" and follow the guidelines.

We hope you'll explore this opportunity to present your work to our worldwide audience and add it to our inPrint Library in our comprehensive archives.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Muzzle Magazine presents: Short Plays, Choreo-Poems, and Hybrid Texts

web site

We are looking for short plays, choreo-poems and/or hybrid performance texts - works crafted for recitation by one or many. All themes welcome. Guest Editor: Idris Goodwin

DETAILS

-Please submit 1-2 pieces. Each piece should be submitted as a separate DOC or PDF file.            
-Each piece must be under 7000 words.
-Additionally, please make sure your name does not appear anywhere in the document or submission title; our editors like to view submissions blindly.
-Upon acceptance, writers will be invited to send audio and/or video recordings of their work.

Click here for more information on this opportunity, as well as poetry and art submissions.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

International Playwriting Festival 2013

web site
See web site for application form, FAQs, etc.

HOW TO ENTER

***
i ) Complete the entry form ensuring PART A is stapled to your script and PART B is placed in a sealed envelope as stated. Please also enclose a 200 word synopsis. The envelope will only be opened when the judging is complete.

ii ) Enclose one small envelope, which should be stamped* and addressed (using your pseudonym) and on which should be written the title of the play. It will be used to acknowledge receipt of your entry.

*Please make sure sufficient postage (or validated coupons for international entries) is included.

iii ) Scripts will not be retained after the judging.
Send entries to:

Rose Marie Vernon
Festival Administrator
International Playwriting Festival Warehouse Theatre
Dingwall Road, Croydon CR0 2NF UK

Plays will not be accepted after 31 July 2012

RULES

1 The IPF is open to any author regardless of nationality, but all plays should be in English.

2    Plays must be full length and previously unproduced, estimated playing time, not less than 90
minutes and not more than 120 minutes. (Just over a minute a page is a rough guide, when scripts are typed as per rule 3 below.)

3    Scripts must be clearly typed on bond paper, double-spaced with wide margins, pages must be numbered and the text securely bound. Plays must be submitted using a pseudonym to ensure impartiality and the author’s real name removed from all pages of the script.

Whilst all reasonable care will be taken, the IPF does not accept responsibility for loss of,
or damage to, submitted scripts.

4    Authors must guarantee that they have sole rights to all matter contained within the play. Any play accepted for production elsewhere before the judges’ decision is announced will be disqualified.

5    The Warehouse Theatre Company reserves the right to buy the exclusive option to produce
any play entered subject to contract.

6    Authors of the short-listed entries should make all reasonable efforts to attend a Press Reception and to be available to attend rehearsals and readings as required prior to the Festival weekend in March 2013.

7    The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence concerning the results can be entered into.

Mobtown Playwrights' Group Season 3 Call for Submissions

web site

Attention, playwrights: The Mobtown Playwrights Group wants your scripts!

DETAILS

Last season, the play development wing of Baltimore’s Mobtown Players workshopped three new plays. One of them, Erica Smith’s Come Out and Say It, will receive a full production on the Mobtown stage this summer (July 13-28). For the 2012-2013 season, we will again devote 4 slots to the development of new work by area writers.

Each of the first 3 slots will consist of back-to-back weekends of public readings. The Mobtown Players will supply actors, directors, and marketing acumen. Playwrights will have a chance to revise their drafts based on feedback from the first weekend’s readings, and to rehearse those revisions for the second weekend’s readings.  The goal for the 4th slot is to select one script to receive a full production by the Mobtown Players.

Scripts for the first slot, which will run October 5-13 (2012), should be submitted by July 31.

Scripts for the remaining two slots, which will run February 1-9 (2013) and March 29-April 6 (2013), should be submitted by August 31. If you prefer a particular slot, please include that information with your submission; otherwise, we will consider you for all three.

Plays may be any length, genre, or style and may be written on any topic. Please include with your submission 3-5 questions you still have about your play or scenes/moments you’d like to develop. (You won’t be held to this, but it will provide a starting point if we select your play.) You must be able to attend most rehearsals and each reading of your play. If you have questions, please contact Brent at mobtownplaywrights@gmail.com. Scripts should be submitted electronically to the same email address.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Words Players 5th Annual Original One Act Play Festival

web site

We are happy to receive your script submission to the Words Players 5th Annual Original One Act Play Festival. The Festival will accept the submission of any script which has not been previously published or produced.

Original, creative work is at the core of what we do here at Northland Words. Whether it's each of our original Shakespeare in the Park productions, our annual Thornton Wilder Short Play Festival or our "Original One Act Play Festival," we celebrate the reality that all performance art is original. Merely preserving "the way it was done" is for mummies and pottery shards, not performance art.

The deadline for submission to this year's Festival is July 23. We intend to evaluate and select scripts by August 1 and will notify you by mid-August as to whether we have selected your script for production.

Rehearsals for the plays will begin in September.

Please be aware:

➢ Our production of the play is our only "compensation" for its use.
➢ The plays will be produced in our 125-seat, Three-Stage, Audience-in-the-Round theatre in
Rochester, Minnesota.
➢ There will be two performances of most plays, October 26 and 27, 2012. It is possible that some plays will perform only once.
➢ The plays will be produced with minimal or no costumes, props or sets.
➢ The plays will be directed by student directors (mostly high school- and college-age) under the
mentorship of our Artistic Director.
➢ While authors are welcome to confer with the directors, such conference is at the discretion of each director. Student directors will develop their autonomous interpretation and will maintain independent control of each production. They will in all probability modify settings and dialogue to fit our production situation and their own visions of the shows. Directors will, in particular, strive to make each play "entertaining" to our audiences and may modify the scripts, accordingly.
➢ Our casts are comprised of amateur community actors of all ages. A large percentage of them are quite young (high school- and college-aged).
➢ We largely ignore considerations of age, race and gender in our casting decisions. We may modify scripts, as necessary, in light of this consideration.
➢ We will record each production for possible online posting (with author credit), as well as for further promotional, artistic or other uses. These recordings will be the property of Words Players / Northland Words.
➢ We don't pay for the scripts.

Submission Guidelines
➢ Although there are no hard and fast rules for submission, by and large we will give preference to those plays which, in our judgment, appeal to the broadest audience. A lot of great art, of course, does not do so. But our emphasis is perhaps less on the artist-centered goal of producing "great art" (whatever that is) than on the more community-centered goal of producing art that communicates well with its audience. In our case, the audience invariably includes a large percentage of young people. We will prefer scripts that appeal to them as well as to old non-young people.
Part of this emphasis is our desire to give writers and directors first-hand experience of the vagaries of "marketability" as much as the more arcane goals of "art." (This doesn't mean we're necessarily looking for Neil Simon. Although we'll certainly consider his script, if he wants to submit one! Neil? Only that we will strive to make each play both understandable and interesting to our audiences. And again: an important consideration of marketability is an understanding of each particular audience.)
➢ That being said, we also encourage fresh and original approaches to theatre. We prefer most of all plays that are significant and interesting, without off-putting superciliousness.
➢ We will also give preference to younger and newer authors. Again, we don't have inflexible rules about what ages constitute "youth," this is only a general consideration.
➢ We will also prefer, of course, those scripts which will work well with the minimal and specific production standards outlined above. A play with a cast of fifty, necessarily set in pre-Revolution Versailles, may well be a fantastic play but will probably be unworkable in our particular situation.
If you have any questions about any of this, please don't hesitate to talk to us. We're very excited about the prospect of presenting these original plays.

The Hive seeks submissions

web site

The Hive Theatre Company is seeking submissions for its 2012-2013 Hive Exposed Series; staged readings of new and underexposed plays. The Hive Exposed Series is intended to uncover the talent of new and underexposed playwrights, and expose the work of those playwrights to the NYC community. Out of all the submissions, the Hive will choose three plays and one musical to stage as readings. At least one of those four pieces will later be mounted as a full production.

The Hive is deeply committed to nurturing artists of all ages, type and backgrounds.

Submission Guidelines:
All submissions should be sent to:
Literary.submissions.thehive@gmail.com
-The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2012
-Only original, non-published scripts will be accepted. No one person shows. File Type: PDF
-If you are submitting a musical for consideration, along with the book please send no more than three songs via attachment in MP3 format. If your musical makes it to the short list, The Hive will request recordings of all songs in the piece.
-A biography and/or author's history of the play, character breakdown and brief description or synopsis of the play must accompany all submissions.
-Maximum of two scripts per playwright.
-Plays should be submitted via email, with subject line: "Title of Play/Authors Last Name"

Thank you and we look forward to reading your work!

The Stage Directions Matching Challenge

Match these opening stage directions (some are excerpts) with the plays they open. 

To see the answer, click on the ANSWER link after each stage direction. A dialog box should pop open with the answer. If that doesn't work, you can go here to see the answers.

A. Estragon, sitting on a low mound, is trying to take off his boot. He pulls at it with both hands, panting. He gives up, exhausted, rests, tries again. As before. ANSWER

B. The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, one of those vast, hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in over-crowded urban centers of lower-middle class population and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism. ANSWER

C. Vivian Bearing walks on the empty stage pushing her IV pole. She is fifty, tall and very thin, barefoot and completely bald. She wears two hospital gowns - one tied in the front and one tied in the back - a baseball cap, and a hospital ID bracelet. The house lights are at half-strength. Vivian looks out at the audience, sizing them up. ANSWER

D. Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
ANSWER

E. Night. Catherine sits in a chair. She is exhausted, haphazardly dressed. Eyes closed. Robert is standing behind her. He is Catherine's father. Rumpled academic look. Catherine does not know he is there. After a moment: ANSWER

F. No curtain. No scenery. The audience, arriving, sees an empty stage in half-light. Presently the Stage Manager, hat on and pipe in mouth, enters and begins placing a table and three chairs downstage left and a table and three chairs downstage right. He also places a low bench at the corner of what will be the Webb house, left. ANSWER

G.   Covent Garden at 11.15 p.m. Torrents of heavy summer rain. Cab whistles blowing frantically in all directions. Pedestrians running for shelter into the market and under the portico of St. Paul's Church, where there are already several people, among them a lady and her daughter in evening dress. They are all peering out gloomily at the rain, except one man with his back turned to the rest, who seems wholly preoccupied with a notebook in which he is writing busily. ANSWER

H. In the house of the PROZOROVS. A drawing-room with columns beyond which a large room is visible. Mid-day; it is bright and sunny. The table in the farther room is being laid for lunch.
OLGA, in the dark blue uniform of a high-school teacher, is correcting exercise books, at times standing still and then walking up and down; MASHA, in a black dress, with her hat on her knee, is reading a book; IRINA, in a white dress, is standing plunged in thought. ANSWER

I. Darkness. Savage whispers fill the theatre. We can distinguish nothing at first from this snakelike hissing save the word Salieri! repeated here, there and everywhere around the theatre. Also, the barely distinguishable word Assassin! ANSWER

J. The last days of October. Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz alone onstage with a small coffin. It is a rough pine box with two wooden pegs, one at the foot and one at the head, holding the lid in place. A prayer shawl embroidered with a Star of David is draped over the lid, and by the head a yarzheit candle is burning. ANSWER

Friday, July 20, 2012

Play of the Week selections made

The selections for the August Play of the Week video-recordings have been made. Find out more on the Play of the Week web site.

Seeking plays & directors for one act play festival

web site

Words Players' Annual One Act Play Festival is scheduled for October 26 & 27.

Scripts are being accepted now; the deadline is July 23rd.

Those interested in directing should contact us before June 2.

Directors will have their first meeting on August 9th, 5pm; subsequent meetings will be August 16th, 23rd and 28th. Directors are also encouraged to participate in the Intro to Directing classes.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Seeking fully produced one act plays (cast, directed and ready to perform) 7 minutes to 30 minutes

web site

Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Fall One Act Play Competition

September 11 - October 4, 2012 $1000
Cash Prize for Best Play!!

To submit your one act play production please email:

the complete play,
a synopsis of the play,
the running time of the play the set and lighting requirements,
the play’s production history (if it has been produced before and where) and
a creative team leader contact email address to:
manhattanrep@yahoo.com
by Monday July 30, 2012

Please put “Fall One Act Competition” in the subject heading.

Applicants will be contact by Thursday August 2 as to their acceptance.

There is no submission fee.

Each play will receive a MINIMUM of 3 performances. More if the play moves on to the finals. NON-EQUITY ONLY.

Manhattan Rep will supply a Sound and Lighting Board operator to run all the tech.
Once accepted, there will be a $150.00 participation fee. There will be NO additional security fees or Manhattan Repertory Theatre based production fees.
For more information, please log on to: www.manhattanrep.com

Play of the Month PARK THE CAR IN HARVARD YARD by Bara Swain



Performed by Kitty Hendrix

One of the three monologues selected for the June Play of the Month.

Bara Swain on the monologue:
A lot of my writing is informed by my experiences with illness and loss. I wrote this monologue to honor my uncle's second wife. The audience/viewers serve as witnesses to her life, and the monologue illustrates how the lives of two unrelated people can be so enriching. The "witness," especially strangers, is an ongoing theme in my work. I also believe that my life is enriched by my family, friends, colleagues and strangers - from young to old, healthy to infirmed.
Next monologue for August: THE LAST FIREFLY by Trace Crawford.

More about the Play of the Month project here.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Ego Actus, an award winning Theater Company, is seeking short plays

web site

 Ego Actus, an award winning Theater Company, is seeking short plays for our Gilded Nights at The Vault at Plaffs at 643 Broadway in New York City.

Gilded Nights will consist six of 10 to 15 minute long, one-act, small cast dramas or comedies. They will be chosen to fit in with the theme: The Bohemians of the Gilded Age, so accepted plays will be about, or refer to issues and/or individuals in New York City in the second half of the 19th century. Many of the most well known Bohemians and literati of the time were regular patrons of Pfaff’s including Horatio Alger, Edwin Booth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, Winslow Homer, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain and Walt Whitman. A more extensive list of influential patrons of Pfaff’s may be found at http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/pfaffs. We suggest playwrights and directors visit The Vault at Pfaff’s for inspiration and research.

The show will be presented twice in one evening. The first show will be at 7:00pm and the second at 9:30pm on a Monday in September 2012.

Playwrights are welcome choose their own director. Ego Actus can recommend directors as necessary. No author may direct his or her own play. No director may act in his or her own play.

The director-author teams will be responsible for casting their own plays and providing rehearsal spaces and times. They are also responsible for any costumes and props required by their play. We expect real productions, albeit on a very small scale. Actors must be off book by technical/dress rehearsal.

Ego Actus will produce the show and arrange the performance space, very limited lighting, sound, publicity and marketing, house management and a one-page program. Directors may submit audio files that we will play back from our sound computer, to the house sound system.

The playwright of each play will sign an agreement granting Ego Actus the right to present their script. These rights will be limited to the evening of the production. Ego Actus will not pay any royalty or commission for the use of the plays. The benefit to the playwrights, directors and actors is the exercise of their artistic muscles and exposure of their work to the public and industry.

The audience will not be charged any admission fee, cover or drink minimum.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

New preface for a Shaw play wanted

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For the second year of the Shaw Society / T F Evans award, you are invited to supply a new Preface to a Shaw play, as if written by its author in 2012.

An award of £500 will be made for the winning entry. 

Deadline: July 31, 2012

We are to imagine that, contrary to all expectations (including his own!), Bernard Shaw has returned to life in the 21st century; he has been a keen observer of national and world events over the past 60 years, and his trenchant views on a wide range of issues, and his desire to communicate these forcefully, do not seem to have diminished.

Unsurprisingly, he relishes the idea of writing a number of new Prefaces. Shaw’s own Prefaces for his published plays were a deliberate attempt to extend the drama from the stage (where it had the status of a scarce commodity performed for short runs before select audiences) to the page – encouraging readers to approach plays as significant literature rather than ephemeral performance scripts. (Shaw’s detailed and often witty stage directions are also, of course, intended more for the reader than the performer.)

The Prefaces, in some cases more than twice the length of the actual play text, allowed Shaw to expound his views on war and politics (Heartbreak House) or on children’s rights and education (Misalliance), to analyse Darwinism and “creative evolution” (Back to Methusalah) or to make a virulent attack on the medical profession (The Doctor’s Dilemma).

You are invited therefore to write a new Preface for any Shaw play, whether or not it had one originally. Examples might include Major Barbara (the arms race and international terrorism), John Bull’s Other Island (the Irish question) or Caesar and Cleopatra (leadership and political expediency).

 Other topics which might have exercised a 21st century Shaw include the credit crunch and bankers’ bonuses, the Arab Spring, the scandal of MPs’ expenses, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the privatisation of public services. (This list is not of course exhaustive.)

If you are unfamiliar with Shaw’s Prefaces, perhaps read what he wrote as an introduction to Major Barbara or The Doctor’s Dilemma as an example of both content and literary style. The judges will be looking particularly for entries which reflect both the literary style and the “wit and wisdom” of Shaw.

Entries for the award should be a new Preface for a named play by Shaw, of between 1500 and 3000 words in length. Since the judges will not be told the names of entrants, please include your name only on a separate title page or covering email.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

web series: The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl

Play of the Week - 4-16-27

The latest video-recording/reading of a Play of the Week is online at the Play of the Week web site. This time it's 4-16-27 by Hal Corley, performed by Mike Rehse and Lorenzo Scott.

Focus on a culture other than the US for the Woodward International Playwriting Prize

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Plays must be received by August 1, 2012.

The University of New Hampshire proudly announces a call for plays that focus on a culture other than the US for the Woodward International Playwriting Prize.  The Woodward international Playwriting Prize is part of the Cultural Stages International Drama and Dance Initiative. The aim of this program is to broaden and deepen the understanding of international cultures through a competition for plays addressing relevant themes.

INFO: The winning play will be given a fully produced production as part of the University of New Hampshire 2013/14 season. The winning Playwright will receive a cash prize of $5,000, plus expenses to travel to the University of New Hampshire and stay for the one week of performances.  Finalists will be posted on the University of New Hampshire Department of Theatre and Dance website in November, 2012. The winner will be announced in January, 2013.

COMPETITION RULES: Plays submitted to the Woodward International Playwriting Prize must be at least one hour in performance length, and can be written in any style, including musical, and may contain any number of characters. Plays may not be adaptations of any work that is not in the common domain. Scripts must be submitted in English. Plays that have already been produced are not eligible for this prize.

All plays should be accompanied by:
  • A brief synopsis.
  • List of all characters with character descriptions.
  • Production requirements, including set and costume and any special production needs.
  • A brief biography of the playwright.
  • a current email address in order for us to acknowledge receipt of the script and be able to contact you during the selection process.
Please note that:
  • The University of New Hampshire will not be able to offer feedback for submitted scripts.
  • Hard copy scripts will not be able to be mailed back.
  • The winning Playwright will be required to sign a letter of agreement giving permission for the University of New Hampshire to perform the play with no additional royalties or fees. The Playwright also agrees that any published version of the play will include the following statement: “First Produced by the University of New Hampshire, Department of Theatre and Dance as part of the Cultural Stages: Woodward International Drama and Dance Initiative.”
Scripts should be submitted electronically to David Kaye, Woodward Prize Selection Committee Chair at djk@unh.edu. If sending a play electronically is not possible, a hard copy may be sent to:

David Kaye
Woodward Prize Selection Committee Chair
University of New Hampshire
Department of Theatre and Dance
30 Academic Way
Durham, NH, USA 03824

CONTACT US: Please e-mail David Kaye at djk@unh.edu for any additional information.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Finger Lakes Musical Festival seeks musicals

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Musical Theatre Festival, Inc. is looking for musicals of all shapes and sizes, new or nearly new, for all future seasons, beginning in 2012!

Please submit:
  •    SCRIPT
  •    SCORE
  •    CD (if available)

Please include:

    PERFORMANCE HISTORY (if any)
    UPCOMING PERFORMANCES (if any)

Electronic submissions to:

submissions@FingerLakesMTF.com

Hard copy submissions to:

Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival
Submissions
17 William Street - Suite 304
Auburn, NY 13021

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Disreputables are now accepting submissions of short works for SLUT

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The submission period ends July 31, 2012

The Disreputables are now accepting submissions of short works for SLUT, a festival of staged readings and discussions inspired by the political climate of 2012 - in particular, the string of controversial legislation (dubbed the “War on Women”) which serves to hinder a woman’s right to privacy, choice, and safety. SLUT is the first installment of the UNmute! Reading Series, a season-long project aimed at raising the volume on stifled voices. We are seeking original plays, musicals, and monologues from 1-30 minutes in length. SLUT will be presented in the Washington, DC metropolitan area in October 2012.

All submissions will be accepted via email, and must be accompanied by a cover page containing a brief synopsis and professional bio. Please visit www.disreputables.org for full guidelines. No submissions will be accepted in hard copy form, with the exception of short musicals presented with an accompanying CD. We are not accepting translations or adaptations. Only one submission per writer is allowed. All plays must be submitted in a single document, formatted in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. All scripts must include
 page numbers.

Submissions are open to all writers in the United States, with or 
without representation. For playwrights represented by credited agents or managers, we prefer
that you submit your work through your representation. To ensure your script is accepted, we encourage you to submit your work as early as
possible. The submission period ends July 31, 2012. 

More details are posted at www.disreputables.org, so please review them for answers to any questions.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Discovering HAMLET

NEWvember New Plays Festival call for submissions

web site

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Inaugurated in 2011 as a co-production of Tangent Theatre Tivoli and AboutFACE Ireland, NEWvember is a festival of rehearsed readings of new plays that takes place over four days at the Carpenter Shop Theatre in the historic village of Tivoli in upstate New York.

CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSIONS

  • submitted plays should be previously unproduced (we will consider plays that have had readings before but are still in development)
  • plays should have a cast size of 2-8
  • plays should have a running time of 30-120 minutes
  • we will only accept one submission per writer
  • we ask that the writers of the chosen plays attend the reading of their play towards its further development and to be present for a post-reading Q&A with the audience. We will provide $50 towards travel (the equivalent of a return Amtrak trip from NYC to Rhinecliff) as well as local accommodation in Tivoli
  • there is no fee for submissions
  •  while we are open to all styles and subjects, our companies do have a preference for narrative and character driven stories

PROCESS OF SUBMISSION:
In submitting your play, please include:
  • the play as a PDF, with the title page listing the name of author as a separate file (to aid our blank reading process)
  • a 3-line synopsis of the play
  • a bio of the writer
  • in an email to submissions@NEWvemberfestival.com

SUBMISSION DATES:
Submissions will be accepted from June 1st 2012 to August 1st 2012. 

Please note that these dates will be applied strictly and any submissions made outside these dates will not be considered. The six invited plays will be announced in October.

CASTING: Please note – the chosen plays will be read by an ensemble of actors, each performing roles in multiple plays in the festival. While we will endeavor to provide the best match of cast for each play that is read, in terms of characters’ listed ages/ethnicities, we also need to form an ensemble to best cover the entire range of the festival’s program. We appreciate our playwrights’ understanding of our ensemble-based casting.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Protecting your work in the electronic age

Tom Tirney, Board President of the Philadelphia Dramatists Center & Philadelphia Regional Representative of Dramatists Guild of America announces:
PHILADELPHIA REGIONAL EVENT

Protecting one's work has never been more important than now in the age of electronic distribution.  Copyright law continues to evolve at break-neck speed as the Internet promulgates new opportunities for dramatists even as digital technologies make it that much easier to steal.  

Please join us for a conversation with Ralph Sevush, Executive Director of the Dramatists Guild about this relevant and fascinating topic. Also joining us will be Rich Amada, a practicing lawyer and playwright who specializes in intellectual property. Rich also has a blog (www.artfuljurist.com) devoted to fair use,  a subset of copyright law that has exploded with the proliferation of the Internet. 

Nancy McClernan of Mergatroyd Productions will also be present to speak about her struggles to protect her own work in the courts. Nancy is a Philadelphia-born, New York-based playwright with several productions to her name. She can be found at www.nycplaywrights.org, an organization she founded to help writers develop their work. Her article about the lawsuit, which she wrote for the September-October 2006 issue of The Dramatist can be read online here.

This should be a valuable and entertaining meeting. We hope you can join us on July 15, 7PM at the Adrienne Theatre on 2030 Sansom Street.  Please RSVP with Tom Tirney at ttirney@dramatistsguild.com.  
 

BBC World Service International Playwriting Competition

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These are the rules and terms and conditions for entering the click BBC World Service International Playwriting competition. Please ensure that you read and understand them as failure to follow will result in your entry not being considered. 

RULES

1. Entry is only open to anyone who is over the age of 18 as at 31 July 2012 who is not normally a resident of the UK. This may include anyone living/working in the UK on a temporary basis (up to 12 months) at the time of entering the competition. Professional and previously published writers are eligible to enter, but this is not a requirement of entry.

2. Entrants must not be BBC, British Council or Commonwealth Foundation employees and their close relatives or any person connected to the competition. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested.

3. Entrants should write a radio play of approximately 53 minutes’ length on any subject of their choice. Adaptations of novels are not eligible.

4. Plays entered must not have been professionally produced in any medium (an informal play-reading is acceptable; a play-reading with a professional director and in front of a non-paying audience is acceptable, but a performance involving payment to actors and/or a paying audience is not).

5. Plays entered in the competition must not, at the time they are submitted, have been offered for publication, performance or broadcast in any other form or medium to any other person or company. Nor can they, at the time of entry or during the course of the competition, have been entered for any other competition. The winning playwrights will be deemed to have entered into an undertaking not to accept offers for their entries from other broadcasters or publishers before April 2013.

6. All scripts submitted must be a minimum of 45 pages of A4 paper (or equivalent) and a maximum of 65 pages (note, a rough guide is a minute per page; please read and time your play before you send it). The play should have a maximum of six central characters (there may be up to 3 small "doubling" characters too, who don’t have more than a few lines each). Your script must be accompanied by a short synopsis which outlines the complete story of the play. This must be no more than 400 words.

7. There are two categories for entry. One is for entrants who speak English as a first language and the other is for entrants with English as a second language. The BBC may require proof of eligibility for the selected category before announcing a winner.

8. The play must be written substantially or entirely in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the facility to offer a translation service. Entries that have been translated must acknowledge this fact by giving a credit to the translator or translators. Entries that have been translated will be entered in the English as a first language category.

9. The competition opens on 1 May 2012 and closes on 31 July 2012.
Entries must be received at your British Council office or at the BBC in London by midnight GMT on 31 July 2012. Entries received after this time will not be considered.

10. Entries must be submitted either:
* by post to the following address: International Playwriting Competition 2012, BBC Radio Drama, Room 6015 BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA, United Kingdom
* to your click local British Council office
* or by email to the following email address: radioplay@bbc.co.uk

11. All entries must be accompanied by a completed copy of the entry form attached to this leaflet or which can be downloaded atclick www.bbcworldservice.com/radioplay from 1 May 2012.


12. Entrants can enter individually or as part of a group. If entering as a group, all entrants must meet the entry requirements and be eligible for the same category. No member should have also entered individually. Please note, the prize only includes payment for one airfare per category.

13. In the case of an entry by two or more writers, the BBC will need written or email confirmation from each writer involved that they are prepared to take a share of the prize money and are prepared to receive those funds from a nominee who will be one of the writers, as the prize money will be paid to one individual only. The nominee will be selected by the writers and it will be his or her responsibility to distribute these funds to the other writers and the organisers can take no responsibility for that aspect.

14. Only one entry per person is permitted including any group entries. If you submit more than one entry, only the first entry received will be considered. Please do not submit plays you have entered before.

15. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The BBC accepts no liability if entrants ignore these rules and entrants agree to fully indemnify the BBC against any claims by any third party arising from any breach of these rules.

16. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene or any other unsuitable material, such as that which may cause offence to a wide audience of all ages.

17. Entrants retain the copyright in their entries but grant to the BBC a non-exclusive licence to broadcast their entry across all media, as well as use it on any online platforms. Entrants also grant a licence to Commonwealth Writers to publish extracts of their scripts, along with their name(s), on the Commonwealth Writers website.

18. The prize for the winning entry in each category will consist of £2000 sterling and a trip to London (airfare and accommodation for one person) to see the winning play being recorded for broadcast on the BBC World Service and attend a prize-giving event. The prize is as stated and cannot be deferred or transferred. There will be no cash alternatives.
19. As with any new play, the BBC may require further drafts and revisions of the winning plays. Winners must be willing and able to undertake redrafting and revision work in conjunction with the BBC. This work is likely to take place between November 2012 and January 2013 and the winning entrants will need to keep time free, and remain contactable, to achieve this. This work will be completed with the winning entrant using email or the most suitable method available. We reserve the right to revoke a play's prize winning status if this work is not completed.

20. The BBC will reserve the right to make minor cuts, changes and edits to the winners' final draft scripts.

21. Subject to a satisfactory recording being made, the winning plays will be broadcast on BBC World Service in March 2013. Winners will first be required to enter into a contract with the BBC on the standard terms and conditions applicable for broadcast of BBC Radio Drama. No fee will be payable other than the £2000 sterling offered as prize money for one broadcast cycle and the BBC's standard package of rights under that contract. If repeated on the World Service, a sum of £1000 will be payable for the first repeat cycle and thereafter the BBC will have certain broadcasting and other rights all in accordance with the contract.

22. This competition accords with the BBC's Code of Conduct for Competitions, details of which can be found on the BBC's Standards and Guidelines website at click www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/advice/interactivity/code/. Additional Terms and Conditions are available on the competition website click www.bbcworldservice.com/radioplay or from your local click British Council office.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Comedic Writers and Actors Wanted for Dangerous Love: An Evening of Scene and Song

Their web site is not functional but you can see their page on Facebook.

Fourteen Out of Ten Productions is a non-profit production company that focuses on merging the talents of aspiring artists with seasoned professionals. Our company is always looking for new performers, writers, directors, technicians, and composers of all ages and levels of experience to work with to create exciting work.

We will be producing our second annual Evening of Scene and Song in mid-October and this year’s even is titled: Dangerous Love. Last year’s performance, Complicated: Relationships Through Scene and Song http://tinyurl.com/6tymjls included professional actors such as Debra Jo Rupp (That 70’s Show) Ray Bokhour (Chicago), Kevin Carolan (Newsies) and Liz Ward Land (Memphis). This event seeks to incorporate performers and writers of all levels working on newly developed scenes, and songs along with off beat music from various Broadway and off-Broadway shows.

We are looking for writers, composers, and performers for this year's event! 

What to Submit:

WRITERS: Comedic scenes no longer then 5 minutes, no more then 4 characters, and should require minimal set/props. They must be comedic. Also, we also ask that writers keep in mind the theme of “dangerous love” whatever that means to you!

COMPOSERS: Short songs about relationships of all kinds. Solos, duets, and more should apply!

PERFORMERS: Performers can audition to sing, act, or both. Auditions for new performers will be held in late August/early September. Interested performers should send in an email submission (instructions below).

Click on the appropriate link, and fill out the appropriate submission form. Please send an email entitled “Dangerous Love Submission” to submissions@14outof10.org and attach the completed submission form along with any other required documents. Attachments must be PDFs. If you have trouble accessing these links please email submissions@14outof10.org.

Writers: http://14outof10.org/forms/Work%20with%20Fourteen%20Out%20of%20Ten%20-%20Writers_distributed.pdf

Composers: http://14outof10.org/forms/work%20with%20fourteen%20out%20of%20ten%20-%20musician-composers_distributed.pdf

Performers: http://14outof10.org/forms/Work%20with%20Fourteen%20Out%20of%20Ten%20-%20Performers_distributed.pdf

Saturday, July 7, 2012

2013 Write Now New Plays Competition and Workshop

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The purpose of this biennial workshop is to encourage writers to create strikingly original scripts for young audiences. Playwrights from across the country are invited to submit scripts for review by a panel of peers.  All submitted scripts will receive constructive feedback at the request of the playwright. 

At least four scripts will be selected as finalists to participate in the full workshop process, which includes a week on site at Childsplay with a development team, followed by a reading of the script at the Write Now gathering (transportation and housing will be provided to the finalists).  Semi-finalists will also be invited to read excerpts from their scripts at the Write Now gathering.

The deadline for script submission for the 2013 Write Now is July 31, 2012.

Tri-Annual CAP21 Writers Residency - agent submission or letter of recommendation required

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Applications are now being accepted for the January 2013 installment of the tri-annual CAP21 Writers Residency.

The CAP21 Writers Residency is offered by CAP21 as an opportunity for a concentrated time and place to be artistically productive in a focused atmosphere while remaining in NYC. It will take place for a 1-2 week period (Jan 7th - 18th) depending on the needs of the writers. During the length of the residency, selected writing teams are provided a beautiful studio space at CAP21 in New York City, complete with a piano and wireless internet, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, Monday through Friday.

One goal of the residency is for the writers to refine their new musical and move it forward to production. Other goals include beginning work on a new project, as well as working on multiple projects. In addition, the writers are able to network with each other, in the interest of forging new relationships and collaborations. Furthermore, CAP21’s Artistic Director will meet with each team and discuss the goals of the project. “CAP21 takes great pride in offering this residency, in the heart of New York City, and in supporting writers to create a fresh new canon of musicals,” says Eliza Ventura, Artistic Director of CAP21.




CAP21 accepts recommended and agent-submitted works only.  Materials for consideration must not be optioned, published, or produced in New York City

All submissions MUST include the following information:

Submission Requirements for Plays:
  • Cover Letter
  • Writer resume
  • Writer Bio
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Play synopsis
  • Development/production history (if applicable)
  • First 30 pages of the play
Submission Requirements for Musicals:
  • Cover Letter
  • Writer resume
  • Writer Bio
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Play Synopsis
  • Development/Production history (if applicable)
  • Full Libretto (no score)
  • CD of selected songs
Please Send All Submissions to:
CAP21 – Literary Department
18 West 18th Street, 6th Floor
New York, New York 10011

Please Note: Submission Materials will not be returned.  No submissions will be accepted via e-mail at this time.  CAP21 will request the full play if there is interest following evaluation. CAP21 will be in contact by phone or e-mail only if it can offer a venue for the development of the piece.  Thank you.

To apply visit cap21.org and download the CAP21 Writers Residency Application located in our New Works Development section.

Secret Theatre one-act competition

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The Secret Theatre is pleased to announce its second one-act competition: Midsummer Nights, taking place August 23rd through September 1st. In the tradition of our last festival competition, Midsummer Nights will feature actors, playwrights, and directors banding together and competing to win cash prizes in an epic theatrical showdown. In the first week, the programs will be voted on each night and the top plays will advance to the second week which will encompass the Semi-Finals. The Festival culminates on Saturday, September 1st, at which time the Finals will take place and Prizes will be awarded for Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Whether you're on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience: this is going to be a great time.

Midsummer Nights is now accepting submissions for this year's festival running August 23rd through September 1st.
Deadline for submission is July 13th, 2012.

Please send scripts (in PDF or Word only, please) to submissions@secrettheatre.com and visit our website www.secrettheatre.com for more information.
Prizes
Best Play $200 + Staged reading of either full length or multiple short/one acts
Best Director $100 + “ “ “ “
Best Actor $ 50
Best Actress $ 50
Guidelines for submission:
--One Acts can be on any theme.
--Must be under 15 minutes.
--No sets. (Some set pieces will be provided as necessary)
--There are no props or costume storage available so it must be kept minimal.

The theatre will provide free limited rehearsal space on a first come first served basis (at least 3 rehearsal hours per play if needed). There is an open call for directors as well who will be paired with the plays at the discretion of the producers. However if the playwright has a director they’d like to recommend for their piece, it will be taken into consideration. Directors are responsible for casting but the theatre may provide free space (limited) if directors wish to hold their own auditions. Minor script adjustments may be suggested in order to suit the festival production. Strong consideration will be given to submissions from Queens-based playwrights.
email
submissions@secrettheatre.com

10-minute plays wanted - NYC metropolitan area only

No website available

Dumeng/Triacca Productions seeks submissions for a short play event.

Plays may not be longer than 10 pages. We are looking for 8-10 minute plays. Large casts okay but minimal props and costumes. Sorry, no musicals. The theme is 8 stages of a relationship. COMING TOGETHER: Initiating, experimenting, intensifying, bonding & MOVING APART: Differentiating, stagnating, avoiding, terminating It can be the relationship between people or objects. It must be original and never before produced. Authors agree to permit Dumeng/Triacca to produce their submitted play if the company wishes to do so. We are responsible for all aspects of production including casting. The author retains full copyright and ownership of their play. Authors must be residents of the NYC metropolitan area.

Performances are in New York City September 11-16th plus additional performances before and after at a prestigious club in Greenwich Village. No Pay.

Please send a short cover letter with contact information and the full script with title and author’s name on each page in PDF to IDWORKNET@gmail.com
Subject line: Eight Stages and Name of Author

Grex Group Theatre seeks writers for Insomniacs 24 Hour Play Festival

web site

The Grex Group Theatre seeks experienced or early career WRITERS for our Insomniacs 24 Hour Play Festival to be performed this summer in New York’s Greenwich Village at The Player’s Theatre!

What is the Inomniacs 24 Hour Play Festival? A group of sparkling actors, clever playwrights, and daring directors are given only 24 hours to create, stage, and perform an original short play for a live audience!

For detailed information, visit our web site at www.grexgroup.com and click on the "insomniacs" tab.

Festival Dates:
Friday, July 27th, 6:30 p.m. – Registration / Orientation
*all participants must be present at this orientation meeting.
Saturday, July 28th
6:00 p.m.: Insomniacs Performance #1 at The Player’s Theatre
8:00 p.m.: Insomniacs Performance #2 at The Player’s Theatre

The clock is ticking... Playwrights: e-mail your resume TODAY!

Please write " 24 HOUR" in the subject line.

Clayton Guiltner, producer
Grex Group Theatre New York
grexgroup.com
grexgrouptheatre@gmail.com

Thursday, July 5, 2012

31 Plays in 31 Days Project

web site 

What?
The 31 Plays in 31 Days Project is a chance for playwrights to push themselves to write a new play every day for the month of August. The plays must be a minimum of one page. Are you up for the challenge?

Why?
The 31 Plays in 31 Days Project is based on the idea that to become a better writer, you must write. You must write a lot. And you need to practice experimenting with your writing form constantly. The pressure of this goal will allow you to set aside preconceived notions of what you should be writing and how you should be doing it. You will not have time to overanalyze your work, you will just have to write, write, write and be surprised by what comes out of you. You may love your work some days and wonder what happened on others, but by the end of the month, you will have amassed 31 new plays. Instead of waiting for the breeze of inspiration to blow your way, you will see that writing is a craft that can be called on at any time.

When?
August 1st at 12:00 am until August 31st at 11:59pm

Where?
Anywhere and everywhere!

Who?
Playwrights who are crazy enough to write 31 Plays in just 31 short days!

Finally…. How?
Register on our website. We will list your information in our Participating Playwrights section. We’ll send you instructions on how to submit your script daily. Or, you can just write a play a day on your own and not tell us about it! We encourage all participants to comment on their progress often, and their experience throughout the month. If you wish to be eligible for the 31 Plays in 31 Days Internet Staged Reading (details to be announced in September) you must select the daily submission option.

We will announce on July 15th the submission procedure, sending out emails to all participating playwrights. There will be an option to make your submissions public s that the community can see the work being done each day. This is completely optional.

Theatre Three Festival of One-Act Plays

web site

    Submission Guidelines:
  •     Only UNPRODUCED works will be accepted.
  •     Plays that have had staged readings are eligible.
  •     No adaptations, musicals, or children’s plays.
  •     Cast size maximum:  8
  •     Length:  40-minutes maximum.  No minimum.
  •     Settings should be simple or suggested.
  •     Playwrights may make multiple submissions. (These need not be made under separate cover.)
  •     Please do not submit works that have been previously submitted.
  •     Scripts must be post-marked by September 30, 2012.
Please submit a cover letter, a synopsis, and a resume along with one copy of the play.  Cover-sheet of play should have title, author, author’s address, author’s telephone number, and author’s e-mail.  Plays should be neatly bound or stapled on the left hand corner.  (No loose pages and no binders, please.)  All submissions must include a standard SASE for correspondence.  Or, if playwrights wish to have their works returned, an appropriate SASE must also be included.
Selected plays will be presented for ten performances.  Playwrights will receive a small stipend.

Plays should be submitted to
The 16th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays,
Attn. Jeffrey Sanzel, Artistic Director, THEATRE THREE,
PO Box 512, Port Jefferson, NY  11777-0512.

We do no accept electronic (e-mail) submissions).  Please do not call or stop by the theatre.

Final selection of plays will be in late 2012.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Future Ten seeks 10-minute plays

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It's time once again to submit your ten-minute plays for the eighth installment of Future Ten, the annual ten-minute play festival produced by the alternative art space Future Tenant. Future Ten 8 is scheduled to run at the art space, located at 819 Penn Avenue in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District, in November.

Please visit http://hnz.cm/future-ten-9 to submit up to two plays for consideration. There is NO FEE for submission.

In order to be considered for production, scripts must be received in PDF, DOC or DOCX format no later than Sunday, July 29, 2012.

Other submission guidelines are as follows:
  • Since the general rule is that one typewritten page of a play equals one minute of stage time, each play should be approximately ten pages in length. Scripts longer than 12 pages will not be considered.
  • Playwrights must submit their play in PDF, DOC or DOCX format using our online submission process. Visit http://hnz.cm/future-ten-9 to submit your play for consideration.
  • Writers may submit up to two (2) scripts; however, no more than one (1) play per writer has the possibility of being selected for production. If you submit more than two scripts, we will consider only two, and the two we review will be chosen at random.
  • One-act or full-length plays, musicals, children's plays, or plays that have been professionally produced will not be considered.
  • Due to the limitations of our space, please craft your work to meet the following criteria: cast size – 2 to 10; set – basic chairs and tables; costumes – try to avoid costume changes; props – limited to a few items that you or your director must provide; lighting – full, dim and blackout are the only three light changes we can offer at this time. (NOTE: We will not necessarily rule out a quality script based on a production issue, but we may ask you to make changes in order for your work to meet the limitations of our space.)
A panel of judges will choose their favorite plays, and the selected playwrights will be notified by early September. Open casting will be held at Future Tenant in mid-September (dates TBA).

For more information about Future Ten 8, email info@futuretenant.org.

Trouble Brewing on the London Stage: Women Demanding More Roles

A groundswell is brewing in London over the lack of roles for women on the London stage.  It started due to the fact that a bunch of plays recently produced at the Hampstead Theatre, the Globe, the English National Opera, and Chariots of Fire in the West End have all-male or male dominated casts.
It's striking how this situation in the UK theatre mirrors the issues related to women and film and theatre here in the US.  Each day I become more and more convinced that these are global issues, and that while thing might be a little different here and there, there remains much difficulty for women to still acheive parity all through the arts.

Some people are sick of it and playwright Stella Duffy made a call for women (who buy 70% of theatre tickets) to use their dollars to seek out plays with more of a gender balance:
Theatre, as we learn in Hamlet, is supposed to offer a window on society and yet women are treated as though they are a minority. If we don't tackle this, what hope is there for the female disabled actor, the black woman actor – they have been made a minority twice...We need, as women, to be more circumspect, to seek out plays with female roles – it is not easy, but it is worth doing.
"It is not easy, but is worth doing."  That is an important point.  And one way to make a difference is to look for plays written by women because the statistics show that women writers create more roles for women.

Read more at Women and Hollywood

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Accomplice

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Interim Writers, a collective based in Boston dedicated to the fostering and development of playwrights, is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for The Accomplice, IW's inaugural playwright residency.

Interim Writers Accomplice seeks to unite and support its member playwrights by incubating works in progress, encouraging writers during the creative process, providing a sounding board for ideas, and advocating for them in the theatre community. Members have the opportunity to contribute to and shape programming, hear their work out loud, and build lasting professional relationship with fellow playwrights and future collaborators.   With these endeavors, IW will advance efforts to establish Boston as a leading contributor to the national new play scene and be an accomplice to area playwrights.

How To Apply:

Send the following application materials in PDF format to submissions@interimwriters.com

  1. A finished play you consider to be your best work, preferably one full-length play.  Two short plays are also acceptable (minimum of 20 pages).
  2. Resume or CV
  3. A letter of interest stating what you hope to get out of the group and what you can contribute
  4. Finalists will be asked to meet the IW team for an interview
  5. The collective will meet twice monthly in Boston. Selected playwrights must attend at least 75% of the meetings. If you are unwilling or unable to make this commitment, please do not apply.
  6. Deadline July 30th 2012 selected writers will be notified by September 15th 2012
Selection Process and Commitment
When selecting members, Interim Writers seeks playwrights who possess practical experience, training, or acumen for the craft of playwriting.  Members will have basic knowledge of dramatic structures, a willingness to hone their craft, and a desire to contribute to the group by edifying and challenging each other artistically. This fellowship will last for one year and meet twice a month on Monday evenings.

Questions? Email submissions@interimwriters.com.

Interim Writers

www.interimwriters.com
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Heiress Productions is now accepting submissions for its 2012 Playwriting Competition

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Here’s how to enter:

Scripts should be full-length and mostly comedic in nature (or with major comedic elements).  In addition, the plays should be unpublished and should not have been produced in NYC.

Submissions will be accepted through August 1, 2012.  

The prize for the winning play(s) will be a complete  reading in NYC produced by Heiress Productions with the potential of being fully produced at a later date.

For consideration, please send the following materials to scripts@heiressproductions.org -

1. Cover Letter
2. Synopsis
3. Ten (10) representative pages. These will be the basis for the first round of consideration. Scripts selected to continue will be read in their entirety by the judging panel.
4. Resume of the playwright(s)

We look forward to reading your work!

Monday, July 2, 2012

LUCIFER'S BAGGAGE online

The first Play of the Week reading, LUCIFER'S BAGGAGE by Mervyn Douglas Kaufman is now online and can be seen at the Play of the Week web site. Videos of cast feedback and interviews will also be posted soon.

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