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Saturday, January 31, 2015

Fourth Wall Review is seeking play submissions

web site

We are welcoming scripts of any genre and length, and searching for great plays to feature as "Play of the Month" on the Fourth Wall Review website, and in the Fourth Wall Review journal. The next issue being published is the Spring Issue in April 2015. Submissions by email only, please.

E-mail Play Submissions:

1. Please submit plays as an attachment to submissions@fourthwallreview.com.

2. Email subject line: Your Last Name, First Name, Play Title.

3. All plays must be submitted with a synopsis of the play as a seperate attachment. One or two paragraphs.

4. File formats: Word or PDF.


Play Formatting Guidelines:

Submit your play with a synopsis of the play.

We do not require a specific script format at this time. With that said, we have two formatting preferences outlined here:

1. Use the generally agreed upon formatting rules such as character names being placed center, or somewhat center, of the page above the dialogue, etc. For anyone new to playwriting, there are many formatting resources on the web that can be referenced through a Google search of "play formatting". Below are a couple of web sources for formatting. At the bottom of the page is the email for manuscript submissions. Please submit your script as a Word or PDF file only.

http://2012.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatastageplay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtPWEk7AECw

OR

2. You can place the character names in ALL CAPS on the same line as the dialogue followed by a colon. Any stage direction immediately after the name is italicized and in parenthesis.

Examples:

JIM: Hello. How are you doing today.

JIM (Frightened): How are you doing today.


Play of the Month:

Submissions for "Play of the Month" should be previously unpublished, and ideally have no production history or have had a very limited production history.

Submissions guidelines for Art, Audio and Video files:

We are always looking for talented artist, filmmakers, graphic artists, performers to publish in the Fourth Wall Review or to premier work on the Fourth Wall website.
Email Graphics, Art, Audio or Video to: Email to: mediasub@fourthwallreview.com

Friday, January 30, 2015

Write the Next Great American Musical

Great musicals are the result of great collaboration. You’ve got a lyricist writing the lyrics, a librettist writing the book, and a composer setting it all to song. And in the end, it all has to seem like it was written by a single voice. This semester, Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) offers two classes that are perfect for the playwright who wants to venture into the world of musical theater writing. 

LIBRETTO with KAIT KERRIGAN (Librettist/Lyricist, ...Samantha Brown at Goodspeed)
A musical is only as good as its libretto, the piece that marries the plot and character development with musical composition. This 10-week class tackles the techniques of plot structure, story development, and adaptation, as well as how to write for various musical genres such as pop, rock, and musical theater. By the end of the class, you will have a solid treatment of your musical and be prepared, with or without a composer, to embark on the first draft.

LYRIC with ADAM GWON (Lyricist/Composer, Ordinary Days at Roundabout Theatre)
Lyrics are the foundation of musical theater storytelling and, for many playwrights, the final frontier. An understanding of this discipline is essential not only for lyricists themselves, but also for their collaborators. This 10-week class will cover song structure, scansion, and rhyme, teaching you to apply your existing storytelling impulses to a lyric format. 

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do here at ESPA, which is why Kait Kerrigan’s LIBRETTO class will be working closely with Adam Gwon’s LYRIC 1 class this semester.  


Classes begin the last week in February.  Payment plans available. 

Thursday, January 29, 2015

THE EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT PROJECT

web site

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • You must be 18 years or older to enter.
  • The play must be unpublished, original works only.
  • The play must be full length, at least 90 minutes. Dramas, comedies, and farces are accepted. No adaptations or musicals.
  • Cast size is limited to five characters, with interesting storylines.
  • The play should require only a single set.
  • Scripts should be typewritten on standard paper size, bound with staple only and pages numbered.
  • Submit three copies with title only. Include unbound sheet which includes the title of the play, playwright's name, address, email, and telephone number.
  • Entries are accepted from October 1 to March 1. Entries postmarked after March 1, 2015 will not be considered.
WHAT YOUR SUBMISSION SHOULD INCLUDE
  • The Playwright's Biography
  • The development/history of the play 
  • Character breakdown, and brief synopsis of the play.
  • Your complete mailing address, email address, and telephone number.
  • All scripts must be firmly bound. No changes or revision accepted after submissions. 
  • No double-sided pages.
  • UpStage Theatre Company will not assume responsibiliity for lost or damaged scripts. 
  • PLEASE RETAIN A COPY OF YOUR SCRIPT
MAIL YOUR SUBMISSION TO:
UpStage Theatre Company
Emerging Playwright Project
1713 Wooddale Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

TAKE BACK THE ROM-COM SELECTIONS

NYCPlaywrights has made the selections for the TAKE BACK THE ROM-COM reading.

We had almost 300 submissions and we’re sorry we couldn’t include all the plays we liked. Thanks to everybody for participating.

Special thanks to Alice Anne English, Bryn Packard, Nilsa Reyna and Doug Rossi for their good work in the selection process.

The reading will be held at the end of March. The date/time/location will be announced soon.



Congratulations to the authors of these plays:


  • HOT COFFEE by EMILY BRAUER ROGERS' 
  • GOING UP? by Cynthia Morrison
  • GOODNIGHT IRENA by Rhea MacCallum
  • HAPPY CHRISMUKKAH by Jack Feldstein
  • SEMICOLON IS A DOUBLE by Larry Rinkel
  • VERSAILLES by Jason Rainey
  • YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY #3 by Todd Wallinger
  • YOU CAN'T BE THE ONE by S. L. Daniels

Wings to Fly 6th Annual Young Playwright’s Festival

web site

SAY Sí is currently accepting submissions for its 6th Annual Young Playwright’s Festival, Wings to Fly. The ALAS Youth Theatre Company will select and produce an evening of short plays written by emerging young writers from the San Antonio area. The selected scripts will culminate into a 2-day festival where local audiences will enjoy a diverse collection of new works written by San Antonio’s next generation of playwrights.

High School students and young adults have a chance to get their new and original script produced by SAY Sí’s ALAS Youth Theatre Company. San Antonio is full of talented young playwrights, and ALAS wants to take their work from the notebook to the stage!

Qualifications:

SAY Sí will accept short plays, one-acts and full-length scripts until February 9, 2015. Scripts must be suitable for all audiences. There is no restriction on subject matter or style. Scripts must be written by individuals or groups ages 21 and under. The script can be submitted by the playwright themselves, a parent/guardian or a teacher. The selected scripts will be produced and performed by ALAS Youth Theatre Company at SAY Sí’s Black Box Theatre for the Wings To Fly festival, which takes place April 3 & 4.

Script Submission:
Scripts must be submitted by February 9, 2015 to joy@saysi.org or as a hard copy to:

Joy Jimenez @ SAY Sí
1518 S. Alamo St.
San Antonio, TX 78204

Please attach a cover sheet with your contact information.

If you have questions please contact Joy Jimenez at 210.212.8666.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Watermelon One-Act Festival (Lexington Park Maryland)

web site

Welcome to watermeloninc.org - home of Watermelon Inc.'s production of the Watermelon One-Act Festival (WOAF)!

Now accepting scripts for WOAF 2015!

Please email scripts to watermelon@watermeloninc.org. Up to three scripts per playwright may be submitted. Please complete a script submission form for each play.

GOOD LUCK!

The 2015 Watermelon One-Act Festival will be hosted by The Newtowne Players (NTP) at the Three Notch Theater located at 21744 Coral Pl, Lexington Park, MD 20653.

a. Plays will be selected by February 28th. Playwrights will be contacted by March 1. The $100.00 participation fee must be received by March 14th.

b. A phone conference will occur on March 21 at 6 pm among all production representatives, the WOAF Coordinator, and the WOAF Technical Director. This phone conference provides an opportunity to review information and answer questions. A conference call phone number will be distributed via email prior to the meeting.

c. A technical package with additional information and requirements (e.g., program format, poster image criteria for website) will be distributed to all production representatives before the phone conference. The technical package is due 4 weeks prior to the technical rehearsal.

We welcome all original and unpublished works between 10 and 65 minute running time (includes set up/breakdown and curtain call). Ten to fourteen entries will be selected based on the quality of the writing, story/plot, and character development. Minimal technical requirements is advised as there are only 60 minutes for a technical rehearsal, all props and actors must fit into a 10- by 10-foot space, and there is no technical award. To submit a play is completely free and up to three scripts can be submitted per participant. 

However, if selected, a non-refundable $100 entry fee is required to assist with defraying festival expenses.

Further information, including festival rules and script submission forms, are available for download.

Watermelon is NOT producing the play, merely presenting the finished product, which may be performed a total of two times if selected as a finalist.

Please email us if you have any questions.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

International Playwrights Group Residency at the Royal Court

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Since 1989 the Royal Court Theatre has collaborated with emerging playwrights from all parts of the world, working in over 70 countries and in more than 40 languages. The International Playwrights Group (formerly the International Residency) is part of this programme that offers the opportunity for international playwrights to spend time at the Royal Court Theatre in London, developing a new play. It also offers international theatre artists a forum to meet and work with leading British writers, directors, practitioners and performers.

In summer 2014, seven international playwrights were invited to London to take part in a focused, residential writers group, working with members of the Royal Court Theatre artistic team in July 2014.

Programme
International playwrights will be asked to develop a new play during their time in London in collaboration with members of the Royal Court artistic team. Writers will follow an intensive programme that combines group sessions led by leading British theatre makers with individual one-to-one meetings. Each playwright will be teamed with a Royal Court script advisor and translator who will work with them to help realise their new play. There will also be an opportunity to share work with the rest of the group in a workshop environment, working with a company of professional actors.
The Royal Court Theatre will arrange complimentary tickets to all shows at the theatre for the duration of the programme, as well as a selection of productions at other venues in London.

Writing facilities can be provided throughout the programme, but applicants are asked to bring a laptop computer or tablet with them where possible.

History
The International Playwrights Group is the latest incarnation of the Royal Court Theatre’s development work with international writers in London. This started in 1989 as the Summer School before becoming the International Residency for Emerging Playwrights from 1993 with support from the British Council. This evolution has taken many forms, focusing ever more closely on international playwrights and their plays.

Many new and exciting theatre projects have evolved in different parts of the world as a result of these programmes, including seasons of new international work at the Royal Court which have often included the work of former participants, many of whom have gone on to become some of the most celebrated playwrights in their countries. These include Marcos Barbosa (Brazil); Pedro Miguel Rozo Florez (Colombia); Marius von Mayenburg (Germany); Anupama Chandrasekhar and Abhishek Majumdar (India); Amir Reza Koohestani (Iran); Dalia Taha (Palestine); Anna Wakulik (Poland); Olivier Choinière (Québec, Canada); Gianina Cărbunariu (Romania); Juan Mayorga (Spain); and Natalia Vorozhbit (Ukraine).

The Royal Court Theatre is one of Europe’s leading theatres, which since 1956 has presented a programme of new and innovative drama that has become known throughout the world. Since its foundation, it has presented premieres by almost every leading contemporary British playwright, from John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger to Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls to Jez Butterworth’sJerusalem. The Royal Court Theatre is the only British new writing theatre with a commitment to working with playwrights across the world to develop new plays.

Funding
The Royal Court Theatre may seek funding for successful candidates in order to pay for their participation. Playwrights may be asked to help in researching and applying for grants available in their home countries. Please note that acceptance on the International Playwrights Group is NOTdependent on funding.

Language
Playwrights will be expected to write in their mother tongue and this work will be translated by the Royal Court. However, participants will need to have a good working knowledge of English as all meetings and group sessions will be conducted in English.

Travel and Accommodation
International travel, subsistence and accommodation will be provided by the Royal Court Theatre, supported by a number of local and international funding bodies. Accommodation is self-catering and in single rooms, within walking distance or a short bus ride from the theatre.
The Royal Court Theatre will also reimburse any UK entry visa costs.

Applications
The 2015 International Playwrights Group will take place from Monday 6th – Friday 24th July 2015 (inclusive)
Successful candidates will arrive in London on Saturday 4th or Sunday 5th July, departing on Saturday 25th July.
Applicants must be exclusively available for all dates.

The deadline for completed applications is 6pm GMT on the 30th January 2015.
Please note, applications will not be accepted after this date under any circumstances.

Applications are now open and will be accepted until the closing date.
No preference is given to early applications – all will be considered equally as long as they are received by the closing date.

Between 5 – 7 participants will be selected from all applicants to take part in the 2015 residency.

Please provide us with the following:
A completed application form in English (download here)
A recent example of your work (this should be an original, full length stage play in the original language and not an adaptation)
Two letters of recommendation from people who know your theatre work.
A personal statement as to why the International Playwrights Group would be of particular benefit to your development as a writer.

Applications are accepted by email or post. E-Mail applications are preferred.
Where possible, please complete the electronic form in Microsoft Word.

All e-mail attachments should be titled as follows:
“FAMILY NAME, GIVEN NAME – XXX” (eg. BURNS, HARRY – MY PLAY.doc)

All postal applications should be printed single sided and unbound. Please do not send ring-bound or stapled scripts. Please ensure that all scripts contain page numbers. If hand-writing your application form, please ensure your writing is legible, in black ink.

We will acknowledge your application within two working days of receiving it.
Please send your completed application to:
Elyse Dodgson, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS, United Kingdom
Email: residencies@royalcourttheatre.com

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Free theater in Portland Oregon


Arundel Festival Theatre Trail

Web site

The Arundel Festival Theatre Trail, conceived and presented by Drip Action Theatre Company, is now in its fifteenth year. It performs at the end of August, on each of the Festival’s eight days, eight short plays at eight different venues all over Arundel – this year, for example, in a community hall, a restaurant, a football club and Arundel Jailhouse. An audience of over 2,000 came to see the eight 2014 Theatre Trail plays.

The Trail is firmly established as one of the major components in the Festival and is a great showcase for both new and established writers, both from the UK and beyond

THEATRE TRAIL WRITERS COMPETITION 2015

Writers are invited to submit plays for next year’s Trail.

Plays should be between 30 and 40 minutes long, with practicable casting, props and effects. All entries should be submitted to

Drip Action Theatre Trail 2014

c/o SCGIS Ltd
65a High Street
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 9AJ

Entries must be received by 31st January 2015. There is no reading fee.

One play only per entrant, in hard copy (not e-mail). Please enclose an SAE if you’d like your play returned.
Our reading committee will select the plays that will be performed, with the best submitted script receiving the Joy Goun award of £250 at our Theatre Trail launch in May 2015.
Each successful playwright will receive a £150 writer’s fee.
For further information call 01903 885250 or email info@dripaction.co.uk

MTC Residency

web site

MTC wants to help you share your talent with the Miami community
Apply for the 2015–2016 SandBox Series

MTC’s SandBox Series offers theater artists a five-week residency in which to develop,
rehearse, and perform new work. A program of MTCperformance, the series nurtures theater artists by inviting them into an environment that prioritizes quality, rigor, and ample time to engage in a challenging and rewarding artistic process. The SandBox Series is supported by a generous Knight Arts Challenge Grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Who Is Eligible?
Artists from theater discipline are welcome to apply. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and eligible to work in the United States.

What’s Expected of the Artists?
Artists chosen for the series are expected to create a new performance lasting 50 — 120
minutes, which they will perform 6-9 times over the course of 3 consecutive weekends.

Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of theater professionals, and finalists will be invited to present their project proposals in person at Miami Theater Center. The four artists selected for the 2015–16 series will be notified in March 2015, and the SandBox Series residencies will take place between October 2015 and June 2016.

Artist Package
Artists chosen for the series receive:
Commissioning fee of $5,000.00
75 hours of rehearsal in the SandBox during the 3 week period prior to the premier of the commissioned work
25 hours of load-in and rehearsal with technical director, stage manager, and stage
hands supplied by MTC during the week leading up to the premier
Marketing, publicity, production, and professional development support from MTC staff
60% of revenue from box office
10 complimentary tickets for the run of the performance

About MTC
Led by our Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Ansin, the team at Miami Theater Center produces thought-provoking contemporary works and newly imagined adaptations of classics that bring the transformational power of theater to audiences of all ages and abilities. Our programs include: MTCperformance – innovative new works and fresh adaptations;
MTCeducation – learning opportunities for students, professionals, and the general public;
and MTCfilm – a partnership with O Cinema that screens the best in independent cinema
several nights a week.

Materials to be included with application:
Artist Bio (1000 characters maximum)
Resume (2 pages maximum)
Project narrative (5000 characters maximum)
1 video of the artist describing their project (2 minutes maximum)
2 work samples: short video clips not exceeding 5 minutes each.

Videos may be submitted in DVD format or via a Youtube or vimeo video link.

If submitting Vimeo or Youtube links, list them on a separate page.
Production Budget (1 page)
Optional: Enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope for returning work samples.
Limit mailing envelop to 9” x 12”. Materials will not be returned if self-addressed stamped envelope is not included.

Mail application and materials to:

Miami Theater Center
9806 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami Shores, FL 33138
Attn: Yolima De Avila

Yolima@mtcmiami.org

For more information visit www.mtcmiami.org/sandbox-series-past-productions
Applications are due Monday, February 2, 2015 by 4pm

Click to view the PDF application

Friday, January 23, 2015

SUBJECT: FREE Master Classes with JUDITH LIGHT, SARAH RUHL, and JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) invites you to join us for ESPAfest 2015: a week of free master classes, workshops, and performances!

To view the full schedule and RSVP to events, visit http://primarystages.org/espafest2015


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2: FREE MASTERCLASS MARATHON

Whether you’re a writer, performer, director, or some combination of the three, these free Master Classes offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to hear from some of the industry’s best and brightest.

SARAH RUHL: Monday, February 2 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Sarah Ruhl, Tony nominee, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of such plays as The Oldest Boy, Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, and The Clean House, joins us to discuss the challenges of playwriting today.

JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY: Monday, February 2 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

John Patrick Shanley, Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning American playwright (Doubt: A Parable), Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Moonstruck), and theater and film director, comes to ESPA for a Master Class on plays, screenplays, and much more.

JUDITH LIGHT: Monday, February 2 from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Two-time Tony-winning actor (The Assembled Parties, Other Desert Cities) and current star of Amazon’s award-winning show “Transparent” Judith Light shares her experiences about the ins and outs of the acting industry.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3: FREE WORKSHOPS AND MIXER

Alexander Technique Workshop with Karen Braga: 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Mixer: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Getting it Written Workshop with Deborah Zoe Laufer: 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Hang out after the Mixer with DEBORAH ZOE LAUFER, whose play Informed Consent will premiere at Primary Stages next season! Get your creative juices flowing with a series of writing exercises designed to push you outside your comfort zone, banish writer’s block, and break all the rules.


WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4: SOLO TRAIN – A FREE SOLO SHOW PERFORMANCE

6:00 pm at The Laurie Beechman Theatre
An intimate evening of solo performances written and performed by Judy Gold’s Solo Performance students at ESPA. Hosted by Judy Gold.

Please note that tickets are free, but there is a $15 food and beverage minimum.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5: FREE PERFORMANCE

Detention #26: School Dazed and Confused

7:00pm & 9:00pm at Jimmy’s No. 43 in the East Village
Every month, we hook up our writers, directors, and actors to perform in a one night only show at Jimmy’s No. 43!

All events are free and open to the public. Happy #ESPAfest 2015!

More information: http://primarystages.org/espafest2015

10 By 10 in the Triangle An international festival of new 10-minute plays

web site

10 Plays! 10 Actors! 10 By 10!

Call for Submissions

January 5 - January 30 2015
The 10 very best plays submitted will showcase on The ArtsCenter's Main-Stage Theater July 10-26

The Submissions:
Please email new, original 10-minute plays with minimal set requirements to artscenterstage{at}artscenterlive{dot}org.
  • Plays that have had no prior productions or limited prior productions are preferred. 
  • Musical submissions with little or no accompaniment are accepted. 
  • Plays that have been published are not accepted. 
  • Monologues are not accepted. 


New Submission Request:
Starting this year, for 10 By 10, ArtsCenter Stage is interested in presenting thought-provoking plays that highlight current social, political, and ethical issues. Plays that are socially and/or culturally significant and that speak to the whole of society are our interest. We are seeking politically progressive plays that: look at social and/or economic problems and challenges; explore possibilities of social transformation; and, reflect the concerns and interests of communities or which explore the importance of community. We are also welcoming scripts that experiment with form and seek new ways of seeing and new ways of experiencing theatrical performance.

Submitted plays may be humorous or serious or any where in between.

Some thoughts to help determine whether your play falls within our parameters of consideration:

Play addresses issues that create barriers to social justice or dramatizes a social injustice:

• Supports life and dignity of the human person
• Influences attitudes of tolerance between and within racial groups
• Fosters new understanding and builds respect for cultural differences and identity
• Supports creative approaches to addressing issues of social justice/injustice
• Demonstrates the performing arts as a powerful tool and community resource for facilitating civic engagement and advancing social change
• Makes the audience bear witnesses to social injustice
• Inspires others to action against a social injustice
• Proposes solutions for social injustice
• Raises awareness of a little recognized social injustice or argues on behalf of an ignored human right

Playwrights may submit up to 2 scripts.

Submit one email for each script.
When submitting two scripts, two separate emails must be sent.
Do not zip the files.

Email Contents:
The subject line is the title of the play followed by the words 10 By 10 submission. (Example subject line: Fighting Mr. Right - 10 By 10 Submission).
The BODY of the email MUST include the title of the play and the playwright’s full contact information including playwright’s name, mailing address, phone(s), and email.
DO NOT attach contact information.
Attach script in standard format in Word or PDF with cast and set requirements.
There must be NO contact information on the script itself. Scripts that contain contact information will not be considered for submission.
Contact information found on a script will disqualify that play from consideration.
Submission Dates:
January 5, 2015- January 30, 2015
Plays will not be accepted before January 5, 2015.
Plays will not be accepted after January 30, 2015, 5:00PM EST.
Notifications:
We will notify the semi-finalists by email and will post those titles on our website.

We will notify the 10 finalists by email and will post those titles on our website.

We cannot respond to each individual playwright.

We will announce the final 10 plays by May 29, 2015.

The Award:
Playwrights receive an award of $100. Playwrights who attend our playwright gala on July 18, 2015 will also receive an additional $100 travel stipend.

The Space:
Our main-stage theatre is a 355-seat house with basic lighting and sound capabilities.

The Producer:
ArtsCenter Stage will provide directors, actors, designers, and technical crew for the festival. The directors will contact the playwrights at the beginning of the rehearsal process. For more information about The ArtsCenter, please visit our website: www{dot}artscenterlive{dot}org.

The Dates:
July 10-26, 2015, Fridays-Sundays, Playwright Gala Saturday, July 18, 2015

The Production:
The ten plays will be presented together as an evening of theatre. All ten shows run each night and are performed by an ensemble of five men and five women. Participating playwrights are invited to attend the Playwrights Gala on July 18, 2015 which includes an overnight stay at a local hotel.

If you have questions, please contact Jeri Lynn Schulke at artscenterstage{at}artscenterlive{dot}org

We’re looking forward to reading your work!

Jeri Lynn Schulke
Artistic Director
ArtsCenter Stage

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Thespian Production is seeking one-act plays

web site

Thespian Production is seeking one-act plays for its 2015 "Whistling with Slush in my Shoes" Spring play festival. Plays should be between 10-15 minutes in length, have no more than four characters, and can be of any genre. We love producing new and unpublished works but do accept works already produced. Multiple submissions are accepted. Plays should have simple set requirements. Since we are a community theater, plays with excessive vulgar language are less likely to be accepted. Please include synopsis and contact information.

Plays will be accepted through January 30, 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Geva Theatre Festival of New Theatre

web site

The following guidelines apply to submissions for our Festival of New Theatre, Plays in Progress and general production consideration.

Playwrights with professional representation may have their agents send full manuscripts at any time. Please note that lawyers and law firms do not qualify as professional representation.

To best accommodate our schedule of new play activities, we have an Inquiry Window, during which playwrights who are not working with an agent may send a submission inquiry. 

This year’s window is from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015. Inquiries submitted outside this time period cannot be processed. Looking for other places to submit your play before the next Inquiry Window? The blog Play Submissions Helper keeps an updated list of new play deadlines.

Before submitting a play for consideration, please look at our production history and at the lists of new plays we have commissioned or produced, as an indication of the kind of work we are likely to produce.

Please do not send us the first draft of a play. Due to the number of scripts we receive, we can only read any play one time, so make sure you are sending us your best work. Plays for consideration in our play development series must not have had more than one production at another theatre.

To have your play considered, submit the following:
  • A cover letter introducing yourself, with your full contact information.
  • Your creative resume and a development or production history of this play. If the play has had other developmental readings or productions, they must be included here.
  • A description of this play, no more than ½ page. This need not be a summary of the plot – we welcome a description of the play’s world, characters and conflict, and your reasons for writing it.
  • A complete list of characters.
  • A ten-page dialogue sample. Pages do not need to come from the beginning of your text but must be sequential.
  • Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like materials to be returned.

Direct your inquiry to:

Jean Ryon
New Plays Coordinator
Geva Theatre Center
75 Woodbury Blvd.
Rochester, NY 14607

After reviewing your query, we will let you know whether or not we wish to read the entire script. Playwrights submitting Inquiries can anticipate hearing from us by June 30. Agents submitting plays should expect a response within 6-12 months.

Centre Stage South Carolina seeks full-length plays

web site

Play Submission Guidelines and Process
  • We are searching for commercially viable comedies and dramas with innovative storytelling that deal with important social issues.
  • We accept only previously unproduced comedies and dramas with a running time of one hour and fifteen minutes to two hours.
  • Playwrights may submit only one play per year.
  • Plays that have received prior readings and development will receive favorable consideration.
  • We do not accept musicals or plays for youth.
  • Plays with excessive violence or profanity will receive limited consideration.
  • Cast size is limited to six.
  • Plays that utilize double (or triple or quadruple…) casting should use this technique for a dramaturgical reason. Double casting should not be an attempt to make a play with a large cast fit the guidelines.
  • Providing playwrights with the highest quality actors is a priority. Plays that can be effectively cast within our market will be considered favorably.
  • Playwrights are encouraged to submit plays that require minimal technical elements and are suited to our thrust stage. Please view the seating chart or our Theatre Accessibility page for images of the theatre.
  • There is no submission fee.
  • Hard copies will be read by at least two readers. However, the following will be rejected:
Screenplays or teleplays submitted as theatrical plays
Obvious first drafts
Plays with typos and spelling errors
Plays that are not formatted according to industry standards
Plays that require costly design elements
Submission Process

Mail the UNBOUND full text of the play along with the following required materials by February 1st to:
New Play Festival Literary Manager, 
Centre Stage
P.O. Box 8451, Greenville, SC 29604

Do not include return postage. Plays that are not accepted into the festival will be recycled. Submissions received after February 1 will be considered for next year’s festival. Semifinalists will be contacted by early June. Finalists will be contacted and posted to our website in early July.

Playwrights accepted into the festival will receive travel and lodging as well as one-on-one time with the playwright-in-residence. Each play will receive at least three rehearsals with a professional director and actors.

If you are wondering if your play is a good match for Centre Stage or if you have any questions about the festival, please do not hesitate to send an inquiry to ellen.jones@centrestage.org.
A full description/synopsis of the story including stylistic and thematic content. This description is not a teaser or publicity blurb; it should be approximately half a page long and include all major plot elements including the climax.
The complete casting requirements (limited to six actors)
The development history of the play (if any)
A brief bio (please be assured that past professional experience is not required)
Full contact information, including phone number and email address.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Silverthorne Theater Company new play competition

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Silverthorne Theater Company is sponsoring a competition to select a new play to produce during its 2015 summer season. We are a professional summer theater organization whose mission is to bring excellence of performance to adventurous drama, staging the best of the theatrical repertoire while also promoting unheard voices and underserved populations.

Guidelines for submissions:

Submissions must be long enough to be considered full length plays. Running time should be in the 90 minute to 2 hour range.

Submissions may have previously been given staged readings and/or workshop productions, but they must not have been fully produced.

Plays may call for no more than eight (8) actors (doubling if needed.)

The selected play will be performed at the Sloan Theater at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. It is a 90-seat house with raked seating; the thrust stage is on the floor with limited backstage space behind a rear curtain. It is appropriate for unit setting or minimal scene changes. Plays requiring elaborate sets and production elements are less likely to be selected.

Should none of the plays submitted meet the stated guidelines and be of substantial merit for full production, Silverthorne theater Company reserves the right not to name a winning play.


Competition schedule and procedures:

Submissions are due by 5 pm on January 30, 2015. The final selection will be announced on March 15, 2015.

All entries will be submitted online as attachments as either an MSWord document or as a PDF. There is a limit of two (2) submissions per playwright.

Entries should be submitted to: silverthornetheater@gmail.com.

Submissions will be judged anonymously by a panel of five readers. Entrants must include a cover page with name, name of submission, and contact information as a separate attachment; the body of the script should contain no information about the playwright.

The selected play will be performed eight (8) time as the third show of Silverthorne Theater Company's 2015 summer season.

The winning playwright will receive a per-show stipend of $80 for a total of $640.

The playwright retains all rights to the play, with the stipulation that if the play is published, Silverthorne Theater Company's will be listed as the first production with a full list of the original cast and production staff.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Heartland Theatre Company is seeking ten-minute plays

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Heartland Theatre Company is seeking eight short original plays to be considered for production in June of 2015 as part of our 14th annual 10-minute play festival. This year, the theme is CLASS REUNION.

The competition is open to all playwrights who wish to submit a play. Eight plays will be selected and performed from among all the submissions

RULES & GUIDELINES

1. Your play must fit the theme – CLASS REUNION – or it will not be considered.
2. Your play must fit our theater and its performance space.
3. We require internet submissions in MS Word. Please note that we do not accept pdfs.
4. When formatting your play, we ask that you follow our style sheet.
5. We are looking for NEW plays. Please do not send us anything that has previously been produced.
6. Your play may contain no more than four (4) characters and no less than two (2).
7. Heartland Theatre Company has a pool of actors ranging in age from 18 to 70. Make sure that your characters can be played by actors within that range.
8. Your play should consist mainly of dialogue, not monologues. Please note that our requirement for dialogue also means mimed or mute plays are not what we are looking for.
9. No children’s plays, musicals, or plays which were previously chosen as winners in any Heartland Theatre playwriting competition will be considered.
10. Do not put your name on the play itself, as submissions are judged blind. Make sure your title appears on every page of the play, however.
11. If your play cannot be considered for any reason, we will notify you as soon as possible. If, in the judges’ opinion, the problem is easily fixable and the play otherwise has merit, we may ask you for revisions. Asking for revisions is completely up to the judges and depends a great deal on timing. No plays submitted after January 1 will be considered for revisions.
12. Those plays which win and are staged will be videotaped for archival purposes.
13. No contracts beyond the guidelines mentioned here will be offered.
14. Only one entry will be accepted from each playwright.
15. Your play must be written in English.
16. Keep your play under ten minutes in length.
17. Remember that something has to happen in those ten minutes.
18. MAKE IT GOOD!
All entrants must complete and submit
Heartland Theatre 10-Minute Play Entry Form.

You must attach your script in MS Word format when you send the entry form.

***Deadline for entries considered for revisions is January 1, 2015. If you want the opportunity to do revisions, your play must be entered by January 1.***
DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FEBRUARY 1, 2015.

Finalists will be notified approximately March 15.

Winners will be announced approximately April 10.
If you have any questions, please email playfest@heartlandtheatre.org

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Send your scripts to Route 66

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CALLING ALL PLAYWRIGHTS! Route 66 Theatre Company is now accepting submissions for its first new play development workshop.

Cultivating new plays and new playwrights has always been an integral part of our artistic process at Route 66 Theatre Company. Our last three productions have been world premieres: A Twist of Water, Cicada, and The Downpour. Now we’re taking our commitment to new work even further by awarding one playwright with an 8-day developmental workshop of their play. This workshop will be focused on the playwright and what they need to move their script toward being production-ready. A workshop curator, two dramaturg mentors, and a panel of special guest directors, artistic directors, and literary managers will provide support, criticism, ideas, and suggestions. If you’re a playwright looking for an experience that will develop your draft into the play you envision, read on!

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 20th, 2015

SUBMISSION MATERIALS: 1) full draft of your play, 2) production history if applicable, 3) character breakdown, 4) play synopsis, no longer than 1-page, 5) playwright bio and/or resume.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Plays submitted should be full-length drafts that speak to Route 66’s mission. All submission materials must be submitted electronically in pdf or MS Word form and emailed tosubmissions@route66theatre.org. (Eligible playwrights should reside in the continental U.S.)

FINALISTS: A few finalists may be asked for a Skype or in-person interview the week of February 3rd, 2015.

WINNING PLAY ANNOUNCED: February 9th, 2015

WORKSHOP DATES: March 9th through March 16th, 2015. Playwright’s must be completely free during the dates of the workshop to attend rehearsals, meetings, and to work on re-writes.

THE WINNING PLAYWRIGHT WILL RECEIVE:

A wholly process-oriented, writer-focused, week-long experience that includes

o Travel, housing (home stay), and a $300 stipend

o Two dramaturg mentors

o A cast of professional actors and Limoncelli as director

o Rehearsal space

o Feedback from dramaturg mentors, Limoncelli, and Tovar

o Time to write between readings and rehearsals so the project can move forward several steps during the workshop

o A reading for an audience and a panel of special guest directors, artistic directors, and literary managers

ROUTE 66 WILL RECEIVE:

The right of first refusal to produce the winning play within a specific time period.

ROUTE 66 TEAM:

Playwright/Director Frances Limoncelli, workshop curator, Artistic Director Stef Tovar, producer.

ROUTE 66 MISSION:

Route 66 Theatre Company introduces, develops, produces, and exports new work for the stage. The road begins with our new play development process and reaches west, where our World and Chicago Premiere shows are given an advocate for further regional productions along the road less traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles.

A MESSAGE TO THE PLAYWRIGHT:

Sometimes a playwright can only get so far working alone. They know their draft has possibilities, but they crave professional actors to read it out loud, brainy dramatists to bounce ideas off of, and experienced directors, writers, and artistic directors to discuss it with. And TIME! They crave the TIME to digest and incorporate the results of those experiences into their play.

In our opinion, too many developmental workshops focus on the culminating performance instead of the development of the work: energy is spent on nabbing a “name” to read the lead role or time is spent staging music stand choreography. This is usually a well-intentioned attempt to give the play a favorable showing for the invited industry members in the audience. That can be of great help for a polished play that’s ready for a backer’s audition, showcase, or premiere…but it’s not so developmental.

The Route 66 Developmental Workshop will be focused on supporting the writing process. You’ll be given resources, guidance, and freedom to experiment. Writing time is incorporated into the schedule so that you can try new ideas and incorporate feedback that strikes a chord with you. It’s our goal to give you everything you need so you can leave with a draft that is several steps further along than the one you came in with.

In our efforts to provide support, we will be careful not to coddle. We believe most artists are excited by a productive, forthright process. We find that even tough feedback, given respectfully and constructively, is usually welcome to the artist who stands to benefit from it. We are also committed to the idea that our support not be misconstrued as directive. The mentor team will provide expert advice from several different points of view, but the creative decisions are the playwright’s alone.

If you’re passionate in your artistry, idealistic in your vision, excited by collaboration, open to feedback, and energetically in pursuit of an experience designed to help your play evolve…then come play with us.

Frances Limoncelli, Workshop Curator
Stef Tovar, Producer, Artistic Director

TAKE BACK THE ROM-COM - submissions closed

Thanks to everybody who sent their 10-minute romantic comedies for the TAKE BACK THE ROM COM project. The January 17 deadline has passed and submissions are now closed. We received almost 300 submissions.

The plays will be reviewed next week and the selection announcement will be made soon after.

Information about the reading location and web site will also be made soon.

It looks like we might just take back the rom-com after all.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Guinea Pig Lab Spring 2015 Competition seeks monologues

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To launch our inaugural weekend of shows, the Guinea Pig Lab is calling for entries in a monologue competition. Monologues are due January 30, 2015 by midnight. 

Winner will be notified the following weekend, with a public reading as a part of Wichita’s Final Friday (a monthly, city-wide arts celebration) on February 27, 2015. 

Winners of the competition are welcome to attend Final Friday to hear their pieces performed.

The night of monologues will be followed by a full production of the family drama, fsh by Kansas playwright, Lisa Sillaway on March 1, 2015.

For the Spring 2015 Competition:
-submit a monologue of 3-5 minutes
-monologues must be family-friendly, or PG-13
-otherwise, you are welcome to select your own topic
-no fee to enter, no limit on monologues you may submit

You MUST be either currently living in Kansas or the KC Metro Area to submit or a former Kansas resident preferably with ties to the state. If you are not living in Kansas at the time of submission, please note when you lived in Kansas and why you are no longer in the state in your bio? (i.e. Lived in Kansas from birth to 18, now in Colorado going to CU-Boulder.)

Please send your monologue with a short author’s bio and contact information to guineapiglab@gmail.com, preferably as a pdf.

Remember, deadline is January 30, 2015.

Final Frontier Festival

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Scripts are now being accepted for Gadfly Theatre Productions’ annual Final Frontier Festival. The Final Frontier Festival is a one-act play festival exploring the intersection of queer, feminist, and geek culture.

Vampires! Haunted houses! Deranged serial killers who may or may not wear your face like a mask! That’s right goblins and ghouls, the theme for this year’s Final Frontier Festival will be Horror! So if you’ve been working on the next great zombie play, or have been toying with the idea of writing a kickass lady slasher play, then this festival is for you! Can you send a shiver up our spine with your queer and/or feminist horror scripts? That remains to be seen, but what is certain, is that the pentagrams have been drawn, the werewolves have howled, and the Final Frontier Festival: Horror is coming! Lock your doors, say your prayers, and send us your scripts!

Scripts should be no longer than forty five minutes, contain queer and/or feminist themes in a horror genre, and have minimal technical demands. We are seeking six one-acts to be performed in repertory over a two week run in the summer of 2015. Each show will receive four performances.

Interested parties should send an electronic copy of the script to gadflytheatre@gmail.com no later than January 31st, 2015.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Take back the Rom-Com - NYCPlaywrights seeks 10-minute romantic comedies

The romantic comedy genre is in trouble. Vulture wondered if the rom-com could be saved, while the Village Voice has declared it dead, and so has the Daily Beast.

NYCPlaywrights would like to take back the romantic comedy. We are looking for as many as ten 10-minute romantic comedy plays, which we will present as a public reading to be held in Manhattan in March 2015.

The romance does not have to be hetero-normative. We encourage LGBTQ romantic comedy submissions.



A few of the NYCPlaywrights Plays of the Month have been romantic comedies, so you see it can be done as a 10-minute play:

DARK RIDE by Ralph Greco
HIGH ON EMMA SAFFORD by Nancy Brewka Clark
TUMMY BUBBLES by Jennifer Lane

The deadline is Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST.

THE RULES - YOU MUST READ THEM BEFORE SUBMITTING
  • Send only one play per author to info@nycplaywrights.org
  • The script must be submitted by the author of the script, no agents or others may submit. 
  • The script submission should be sent by email, with the script itself as a file attached to the email. File format should be in either Microsoft Word (.doc) or pdf. Most preferable is .pdf (Portable Document Format) because it will retain your original script formatting. 
  • Make sure you have your name and your email address on the script. 
  • Plays can be submitted by anybody, anywhere in the world but must be primarily in English (a few non-English phrases are acceptable, but the phrases must include English translations in production notes or stage directions.) 
  • There is no fee for submission. 
  • All rights will remain with the playwright. 
  • The NYCPlaywrights selections decision is final.
  • A play that has had a production is acceptable, although we prefer a new play written for this project. 
  • A play that has been published is not acceptable.
  • The date/venue of the public reading will be announced soon after the winning plays are selected.
  • The public reading performance may be video-recorded (with permission of playwrights and actors) and excerpts posted to this NYCPlaywrights web site.
We will be using an ensemble of actors for the reading, who will do more than one play, and the actor ages will be approximately 25 - 55 years old, so if you have roles listed for younger than 25 or older than 55, the actor cast may not be that exact age, although we will strive to get as close as possible.

Any questions email info@nycplaywrights.org

Mindy Kaling gripes amusingly about romantic comedies.

Please note – a majority of the plays being submitted to this call for romantic comedies are being rejected because they do not meet the criteria. Romantic comedy is a genre, and as such, there are rules that must be obeyed. Which is not to say that a play that does not obey the rules of the genre is a bad play – but it is not a romantic comedy and will not be considered for this project.

“Romantic” – it isn’t only about sex but about love. Sexual desire is necessary but that alone does not qualify as “romantic” – the characters must have some kind of mental/emotional connection in addition to the sexual one.

“Comedy” is in the Shakespearean sense – it has to have a happy ending – the guy/girl gets/keeps the guy/girl. If they don’t get/stay together at the end it may still be romantic, but it’s no longer a romantic comedy – even if you have jokes throughout the piece.

ALSO: a ten minute play does not consist of 15 pages of script. If your play is over 11 – 12 pages maximum it will be rejected for being too long.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Online playwriting courses in NYC…from anywhere!

Maybe you just can’t commit to a weekly class meeting time. Maybe you’re going out of town. Or maybe you don’t live in NYC at all. We’ve taken THE FIRST DRAFT and THE REWRITE, the two most popular writing classes at Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), and put them online.

In THE FIRST DRAFT you’ll create a draft of your new play through weekly assignments and written lectures. These assignments are designed to give playwrights the necessary structure and deadlines to succeed.

THE REWRITE gives playwrights everywhere the opportunity to shape and sculpt their play into a submission-ready draft. Whether you choose to embark on a rewrite of your entire play or focus on individual scenes, Caridad will inspire you to ask investigative questions of your play and look at it from new angles. 

Both classes will be taught by Obie Award-winning playwright CARIDAD SVICH. Open to writers in New York, New Mexico, New Zealand, and everywhere in between. Students will have access to their instructor and classmates via a virtual classroom, including virtual office hours, an online discussion board, group chats, and enhanced file-sharing capabilities.


 Payment plans available.  ESPA is open to all artists in all stages of their career.  

2015 Native Play Festival Submission Guidelines

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Finalists are selected from submitted plays which meet the criteria outlined below. These selected plays are rehearsed briefly (2-3 rehearsals) by OKCTC actors and directors. The plays are then presented in a readers’ theatre format which will be open to the public at the 6th annual Native American New Play Festival May 16-17, 2015. A brief Q&A with the playwright and director will be held immediately following each dramatic reading to encourage audience feedback. The play selected as the most outstanding and the best fit for our audience will receive a fully-staged production at our theatre as the featured event of the next Native American New Play Festival (2015).

Submission deadline for the 2015 Festival is February 1, 2015. Scripts received after that date will be considered for the following year.
Playwright must a member of a federally-recognized Tribal Nation either by birth or adoption.
Manuscript must be a full-length play without a prior full production.
E-mail/Send plot synopsis (300 words maximum), list of characters with brief descriptions of each (sex, age, ethnicity, and other physical or personality traits if desired), and a complete manuscript. Please include a contact phone number and e-mail address on the play’s title page. Beginning 2014 ONLY ELECTRONIC/EMAIL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED in PDF or Word format.

Dramas, comedies, musicals, modern plays, and historical plays are all welcome. Special consideration will be given to plays that deal with Native history, culture, and/or themes and issues.
Playwrights who are questioning whether or not their play is a good match for OKC Theatre Company are strongly encouraged to contact Rachel Irick at rachel@okctc.org before submitting.

An announcement about the 2015 Finalists will be made by April 2015.
All serious submissions are read by at least two readers. Please be advised that the following are not considered serious submissions:
Screenplays or teleplays submitted as theatrical plays
Obvious first drafts
Plays with typos and spelling errors
Plays that are not formatted according to industry standards
Notification: Our Artistic Director screens submissions for eligibility as they are received. Plays are then read by a panel of readers who recommend finalists for the festival readings.
Email manuscripts to: rachel@okctc.org
The subject line should read “NATIVE PLAY SUBMISSION 2015″
Contact Rachel Irick at the OKCTC company office by calling 405-626-6605 with any questions.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Players Theatre Short Play & Musical Festival – SEX!

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Submission deadline: January 19, 2015

FESTIVAL DATES & LOCATIONS:

February 5-22, 2015
The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre at The Players Theatre
115 MacDougal Street, New York, NY  10012

3 weeks, 4 performances weekly (Thursday through Sunday)
5 plays featured each week.

 ELIGIBILITY:
Short Plays and Musicals with a performance time of 20 minutes or less, no more than 20 pages in length.

Writers are eligible to submit up to 2 plays.

 THEME:   “SEX!”

A little bit naughty and slightly steamy but very sexy.  No one under 18 will be admitted to the performance so …..

All plays submitted must be centered on, or revolve around this theme.

** Note **

1) Playwrights are responsible for producing their own play – Host provides Theatre, technicians and box office

2) If selected, there is a $100 REFUNDABLE deposit required and a $50 NON-refundable tech fee required

Plays MUST be NO MORE 20 minutes in length and no more than 20 pages

Submissions open: December 29, 2014
Submissions close: January 19 at 5p
Play selection announced on; January 21

For more festival information visit: www.shortplaynyc.com

Submissions are now open for the James Tait Black Prize for Drama 2015

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Theatre companies and agents are invited to submit scripts to the Department of English Literature by 9 March 2015.

The winner of the £10,000 annual award will be announced in August.

Playwrights Studio Scotland will present extracts of the shortlisted plays as a reading, supported by National Theatre Scotland, at The Traverse Theatre during the August festivals in Edinburgh.
Eligibility

Eligible plays are those over sixty minutes in playing time, originally written in English (including all standard and non-standard varieties) Scots or Gaelic, first produced between 1 January and 31 December 2014, and performed by a professional company for more than six performances.

A typed copy of the script must be sent by post and email with details of the first production, which should include venue, company and date. Where possible, proof of production should be sent such as a flyer, review etc.

The submissions must come from the producing company or the agent of the playwright.

The playwright must have been commissioned formally by a professional organisation using a contract recognised by an industry regulator within the country of production (e.g. in the UK, the Theatrical Management Association (TMA), Equity, Independent Theatre Council (ITC) or Federation of Scottish Theatre).

The production must have had a full production by a professional company using professionally contracted personnel.

Theatre companies and agents are invited to submit scripts by 9 March 2015.

Two copies must be submitted: one digital copy and one hard copy, along with a completed submission form.

Submissions should be sent to Natalie Carthy in the Department of English Literature.
James Tait Black Drama Submission Form (Word 39Kb)

2015 Premiere Stages Play Festival

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Premiere Stages is committed to supporting emerging and regional playwrights by developing  and producing new plays. Through our Play Festival script competition, Premiere Stages offers developmental opportunities to four playwrights. We provide playwrights with an encouraging and focused environment in which they can develop their work through discussions, rehearsals, sit-down readings, staged readings, and full Equity productions.

Beginning October 20, 2014 through January 15, 2015, Premiere Stages will accept submissions of unproduced new plays from playwrights born or currently residing in the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania). There is no fee to enter. All plays submitted to the festival are evaluated by a professional panel of theatre  producers, dramaturgs, playwrights, scholars and publishers.

Four of the submitted plays will be selected for staged readings with Equity casts March 19-22, 2015 and awarded cash prizes. Following the March readings, the winner of Play Festival is selected for a full production during Premiere Stages’ 2015 main stage season and awarded $2000; a second play will be selected for a 29-hour Staged Reading and be awarded $750, and the two other finalist writers will be awarded $500.

At Premiere Stages, we pride ourselves on a uniquely accelerated process in which plays we find particularly promising are developed and fully produced within a year of submission. In many professional theatres the time span between meeting a writer, staging a reading and producing the play can be years. At Premiere Stages, immediately following the Spring Readings, two plays enter an intensive development phase. Playwrights work with a director, dramaturg, and design team to develop the play for a staged workshop or full production only a few months later. When we find a writer we believe in, our Play Festival process allows Premiere Stages to fully commit the time, talent, and resources necessary to share their work with a broad regional audience.

Premiere Stages’ productions offer playwrights the chance to see their work fully realized on stage. We hope, however, that the plays developed at Premiere will go on to subsequent productions throughout the country. Because of this, playwrights whose scripts we produce retain the coveted “World Premiere” brand on their plays. Premiere Stages also strives to facilitate relationships between playwrights and other theatre professionals who we think will respond to their work. Plays are consistently reviewed by the New York Times and scouted by major publishing houses. Multiple Festival plays have been honored by the American Theatre Critics Association.

Premiere Stages will accept full scripts from literary agents or theatre professionals familiar with our work. All other writers are required to submit a 10-page script sample and synopsis. Please review full submission requirements and guidelines below.

Submission Guidelines

A note about submissions: Premiere Stages seeks to support a diverse group of writers. We are particularly interested in scripts that explore or address contemporary issues and tackle topics that challenge and connect with our audience. We encourage writers to view our production history (http://www.kean.edu/premierestages/play.asp) for a better understanding of the type of scripts that we have produced in the past.
d
● Plays must be full-length and have a cast size of no more than eight.
● Plays submitted must be unpublished and must be works that have not been previously produced (readings, workshops, showcases are okay).
Plays must be written by playwrights who were born or reside in the greater metropolitan area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania).
● Musical submissions, adaptations, and solo shows will not be considered at this time.
● Submissions are limited to one script per playwright.
● Electronic submissions (preferred) are due by 11:59pm on January 15, 2015. Hard copy submissions must be post-marked by this date. Hard copy submissions will not be returned.
● Playwrights must have schedule availability from March 19-22 and in the summer/early fall of 2015.

Plays and synopses will be evaluated by a panel of arts professionals. The panel will submit their recommendations to the producing artistic director and resident dramaturg.

Playwrights (non-agent submissions)
Playwrights submitting without an agent must include:
● A brief synopsis of the play (no more than half a page).
● A character breakdown.
● A history of the play’s development (if any) and a brief statement of your goals for development.
● The playwright’s bio or resume.
● A script sample from the play (no more than 10 pages).

The panel will request full scripts from synopses of interest.

Agent submissions

Full scripts will be accepted from legitimate literary agencies and by professional recommendation of someone with an affiliation to Premiere Stages. 

The schedule for the Premiere Stages Play Festival is as follows:

October 20, 2014: Premiere Stages begins accepting submissions
January 15, 2015: Deadline for submission to Festival (postmark deadline)
Early March 2015: Scripts are reduced to four finalists
March 19-March 22, 2015: Readings of four finalist plays
April 2015: Festival winner and runner-up are selected for expanded development
April to July: Development of scripts continues
Late June 2015: 29-hour Staged Reading of Runner-up
July or September 2015: Full Production of Festival Winner

Electronic submissions (preferred method) should be sent via email to: pfsubmit@kean.edu

All materials should be attached as PDF.

Hard copy submissions can be mailed to:

John J. Wooten, Producing Artistic Director
Premiere Stages at Kean University
1000 Morris Avenue
Hutchinson Hall, 2nd Floor
Union, NJ 07083

For more information about the Premiere Stages Play Festival, please visit our website at www.kean.edu/premierestages

For any questions regarding the submission guidelines, please email us at premiere@kean.edu.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Free theater in NYC: ADAGIO & BEULLAH RISING

Two actors, two plays...
ADAGIO & BEULLAH RISING

Written by Cesi Davidson
Directed by Mary Hodges
Movement Coaching by Melissa Riker
Narration by Phillip Burke

Countee Cullen Library
104 West 136th Street
New York, New York 10030
January 15, 2015
6:30 PM
FREE ADMISSION



We begin 2015 with dramatic reading of two different plays that explore female domination and submission. We question how love and compassion can exist when circumstances dictate otherwise.

Leave your drama and see our drama.

Featuring Trevania Campbell & Sandra Kazan

Sunday, January 11, 2015

CARYL CRANE YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS THE RONALD M. RUBLE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

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OPEN SUBMISSIONS FOR NEW PLAYS FOR 2015

Overview

Each year Caryl Crane Youth Theatre hosts a national playwriting festival, showcasing new plays and musicals suitable for young adults and children. A national search is currently looking for the best and most promising unproduced theatrical works relevant to youth today. The weekend long festival held at the beginning of May each year, consists of three to five staged readings of previously unseen theatrical works and will take place in the McBride Auditorium on the BGSU Firelands campus in Huron, Ohio. A winning work will be chosen through committee/audience/participant voting and the author(s) will receive a $500 cash prize as well as the option of a 3-week workshop of their production during the following CCYT season.

Submission Criteria

There is no submission fee for all plays received before January 15, 2015. 

A $10 reader’s fee must be included with all works submitted after January 15, 2014, to be eligible for the CCYT Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival and the $500 award.

Submission deadline for the 2015 Festival is February 16, 2015.

Scripts received after that date will be considered for the following year. Three to five finalists will be selected and announced on April 3, 2015 and their names will be posted to the CCYT website and all social media outlets at that time.

Must be a full-length play/musical for children or young adults without a prior major "fully-produced" U.S. production.
A brief synopsis must be sent together with a bound complete manuscript. Submission must include a contact phone number and e-mail address on the play’s synopsis page. No electronic submissions will be accepted.
The play must be at least 1 hour and no longer than 120 minutes.
The play must be appropriate for audiences of all ages.
Dramas, comedies and farces (with or without music) are all welcome.
Cast size limited to no less than 5 or no more than 32.
The plays selected will be acted by our CCYT student actors, with a mix of regional artists where necessary. Plays that can be effectively cast within our market will be considered favorably.
Playwrights who are questioning whether or not their play is a good match for CCYT are strongly encouraged to contact Artistic Director Brian Marshall at mbrian@bgsu.edu before submitting.
All plays that are not selected for the festival will be recycled. Please do not include return postage.
All qualifying submissions will be read by at least three readers on the festival committee as well as the CCYT Artistic Director and members of the CCYT Teen Board. Be advised that the following are not considered qualifying submissions:
Screenplays submitted as theatrical plays and first drafts
Plays with typos and spelling errors and plays not in a readable format
Plays with excessive profanity or violence or are inappropriate for child audience members

For more information contact:
Brian Marshall, Artistic Director
mbrian@bgsu.edu, 419.372.0732

Plays should be submitted to:
Caryl Crane Youth Theatre
c/o CCYT New Play Festival
BGSU Firelands
One University Drive
Huron, OH 44839-9719

Friday, January 9, 2015

Indie Boots Theatre Festival

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CALL FOR SHORT PLAYS - No Entry Fee!

Regular Deadline: December 15, 2015,
Late Deadline: January 15, 2015


Indie Boots is currently accepting short play submissions for the third annual festival. All plays must use the word "Ella" in the title of the piece. Plays under 10 minutes, comedies, and plays featuring underrepresented characters (women, LGBTQ characters, etc) are highly encouraged. The finalists will be performed this spring in Chicago, IL as part of Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2015: The Ella Plays. An audience award (and cash!) will be presented to one play. Casts may be as large as 10 actors or as small as 2 actors (casts of 3-5 are encouraged). Writers may submit more than one script. To submit, please visit www.indieboots.org/submissions.html

Indie Boots Chicago, IL
www.indieboots.org
www.facebook.com/indieboots
www.twitter.com/indieboots

Thursday, January 8, 2015

THE FIRST DRAFT at PRIMARY STAGES ESPA

Get a jump start on your 2015 New Year’s Resolution to write a new play with THE FIRST DRAFT at Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA). This 10-week class will guide you through the development of your first draft providing concrete deadlines to keep your resolutions on track. You’ll receive constructive feedback in a collaborative environment that will encourage you to get your ideas on the page. Writing can often be a solitary process, but this class will allow you the opportunity to strengthen your writing skills while building connections with your artistic peers. Each week, bring new pages in to hear them read aloud in class, engage in discussion with fellow writers, and ultimately work toward—or complete!—a full-length play.

Multiple sections with our distinguished faculty of accomplished playwrights offer students the flexibility to take a class that fits their schedule.

Section A:  
Instructor: A. Rey Pamatmat (Writer, Upcoming after all the terrible things I do at Milwaukee Rep and Huntington Theaters; Co-Director, Mi-Ya Writer's Lab)
Tuesdays from 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Starts February 17

Section D:  
Brooke Berman (Writer, Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages)
Mondays from 10:00am – 1:00pm
Starts March 2

Section F:  
Brooke Berman (Writer, Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages)
Tuesdays from 10:00am – 1:00pm
Starts March 3

ESPA provides students easy and convenient payment plans to break up tuition: http://primarystages.org/paymentplans.


ESPA is a home for all artists, in all stages of their careers. For more information, call 212.840.9705 x211 or email espa@primarystages.org.

Dionysus Theatre call for submissions

web site

Dionysus Theatre in Houston, Texas currently seeks script submissions. Dionysus is a unique non-profit, non-sectarian organization bringing the theater experience to those with disabilities as well as the able-bodied. Dionysus Theatre is only interested in work which is written by or about people with disabilities.Please send letter of inquiry, brief bio along with a synopsis and a 10-page selection from the script. If the material interests us, we will contact you with a request for the complete script.

Requirements:
-The play must be full length.
-There will be no compensation if your play is selected to be produced
-You will only be contacted if we would like to read the complete script
-Small cast, simple set scripts preferred
-work must be written by or about people with disabilities

Send submissions to:
The Dionysus Theatre
5300 N. Braeswood #226
Houston, Texas 77096

Thank you very much, and we look forward to reading your work!

Long Island Theatre Collective (LITC) New Plays Festival

web site

The Long Island Theatre Collective (LITC) is accepting submissions for its inaugural New Plays Festival, to be performed April 17-18, 2015 in Bellmore, NY. 

Selected playwrights will work closely with our collective of directors and actors to develop their piece and share it with our incredible audience.

Scripts of all lengths will be considered: full-length, one-act, ten-minute, or any other duration. Plays with smaller casts, minimal technical elements, and those with themes that are relevant to Long Island audiences will be of particular interest. We will not accept plays that have been previously produced or published.

Submissions will be accepted through January 15. 

Please email your script as a PDF or Word attachment to longislandtheatrecollective@gmail.com with the subject line, “New Plays Festival.” 

Please include a brief synopsis of the play and a character breakdown as a separate attachment. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted. All writers will be notified of the status of their submission by February 15.


Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Boiling Point Theater seeks short plays

web site

Theme: Get Lucky
Deadline: January 15, 2015

Submission email format:
Please email a pdf file to boilingpointplayers@gmail.com per the following format:

Subject Line: Show Theme, Title of your piece

Body of the email: Include your name, email address and phone number but…do not include your name and/or any of your contact information on the actual pdf file itself.

Please submit 1 email per piece per theme. That means if you have 5 pieces that you’d like to submit for one show theme AND/OR if you have one piece that you’d like to submit for multiple show themes, please still only send 1 email per piece per theme.

Additional Information/Guidelines:

We are specifically looking for female-driven one-acts, sketches and/or monologues.
While the stories must be female-driven, the characters do not have to be female.
We must receive your piece by the above deadline. No late submission(s) will be accepted.
Each playwright can submit up to 5 pieces for each show theme.
You may submit a piece multiple times if you believe it is appropriate for multiple show themes.
The set requirements must be minimal.
There is no limit on the number of characters you can include.
The piece must be no longer than 20 minutes which equals roughly 20 pages of dialogue.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Seeking ten-minute plays and monologues

web site

Piney Fork Press/Equity Library Theater is seeking submissions for their 2015 summer festival (now in our fourth year)! Ten minute plays and monologues are being accepted. One submission per person. No fees, just a great time for all. Selected plays will be fully produced in NYC. Send scripts to: submissions@pineyforkpress.com. Need more info? Write to us! Also seeking actors and directors!

Deadline is March 15, 2015.

Female Playwrights Festival in February

web site

We are seeking submissions for a female playwrights festival in February. Ten minute plays and one act plays will be accepted for consideration. Metro-Detroit area directors will pick their favorite pieces by female playwrights from across the country to produce for a one weekend run in February at Two Muses Theatre in West Bloomfield, MI. 

There are no royalties, but selected plays will receive a workshopped (off-book) production to build their theatrical resume. Funds will go toward production costs of theatre to continue to produce plays with quality female roles. 

Please email plays to erdgz12@gmail.com with the headline: "Female Playwrights Festival in February". 

Please include in the email 
-Your name
-Contact Info (Phone number and mailing address) 
-Brief synopsis and/or logline of play

-Casting requirements 

great weather for MEDIA seeks dramatic monologues

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Submissions open October 15th 2014 to January 15th 2015

great weather for MEDIA seeks poetry, flash fiction, short stories, dramatic monologues, and creative nonfiction for our annual print anthology.

Our focus is on the fearless, the unpredictable, and experimental but we do not have a set theme for our anthologies. We highly recommend reading one of our previous collections to get a feel for the type of work we are interested in. Let us know in your cover letter how you found us, and any feedback on what we have done so far. We are based in New York City and welcome submissions from national and international writers. For submission tips, check out our interview on Duotrope.

Submissions are open from October 15th through January 15th every year. Need a reminder? Sign up to our monthly newsletter.

Our 2015 guest prose editor is Chavisa Woods.

Beginning October 2014, we will be accepting work through Submittable only. Work sent via email or snail-mail will not be read. You may set up a Submittable account for free and we do not charge a reading fee. Your account will be created during the first step of the submission process.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

HELENE WURLITZER FOUNDATION OF NEW MEXICO ARTIST RESIDENCY

web site

Submission Guidelines:

NO entry fee.
  • Submissions must consist of the full manuscript.
  • Playwrights may submit only one manuscript per year.
  • Awards will be announced by June 1, 2015.
  • To apply, download the application from: wurlitzerfoundation.org (click on Menu / “Apply”)
  • Indicate on the application that it is for the Robert Chesley Award.
  • Complete the form and mail to: Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, PO Box 1891, Taos, NM 87571
  • Manuscripts cannot be returned after the competition.
No bound or stapled scripts please.Further Information:
Chesley Foundation president Victor Bumbalo: vgb828@gmail.com
chesleyfoundation.org
wurlitzerfoundation.org

To apply for an artist residency at the HWF, complete an application form and submit it by mail to the Foundation (postmarked by January 18th) along with the required information and work samples:

The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of NM
218 Los Pandos Rd
P.O. Box 1891
Taos, NM 87571

The annual postmark deadline for applications is January 18th to be considered for a residence grant the following calendar year. Grantees will be notified of their fellowship awards by June 1st.

The Foundation offers three sessions a year:
Session 1 (mid January - mid April)
Session 2 (June - mid August)
Session 3 (early September - early December)
FAQS

What is the length of the residency?
From 10 to 12 weeks, depending on the session.

What artistic disciplines are eligible for a residency grant?
• Visual artists including painters, photographers, sculptors, filmmakers, ceramicists
• Literary artists, writers, poets, playwrights
• Composers and songwriters

May I submit my resumé, a letter of intent, or a project proposal?
Yes, please submit your resume. A letter of intent or project proposal is not required.

Can applications be submitted by email or online?
Due to the volume of applications, we are only able to process paper applications that are submitted by mail. International artists can contact us to request approval to submit their applications by email.

What format of work samples should be included with my application?
Literary artists and playwrights must submit hardcopy work samples. Electronic work samples are accpeted and encouraged for applications from visual artists, compers and filmmakers. Acceptable electronic file types include jpg, gif, tiff and png.

Can both my partner and I be in residence at the same time?
The casitas are single-occupancy only. Couples who apply must do so separately; if both are award grants, they will be scheduled for different sessions.

Can I bring my pet?
No, we ask you to leave your pets at home during your stay at our campus.

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