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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Short plays wanted for MITF

(no web site available)

NOTE: no submission fee, $100 participation fee

Dear friend in the theatre,

I just finished producing a very successful and varied Midwinter Madness Short Play Festival in Times Square. It's time to think seriously about the summer equivalent, the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF)'s Short Subjects, now in its fourth season. (The MITF itself is enjoying its 13th season.)

The MITF Short Subjects are a repertory of plays running from 30 - 60 min. performed in their own intimate venue, with lower participation fees and ticket prices than other plays in the MITF. The Short Subjects is an excellent opportunity to test new theatrical ideas in a less demanding environment than full-length plays in larger venues.
The following facts and rules set the Short Subjects apart from the rest of the MITF:
  • We do not accept Short Subjects from outside the tri-state area. If your play is from outside the tri-state area and can be coaxed to run an hour or more, please consider the "regular" MITF.
  •  Every play gets 3 performance slots in the WorkShop Theater's 30-seat Jewel Box theater. We attempt to honor requests for slots ("third week only, please!") but our scheduling decisions are final. Performance dates are July 16 - Aug. 5, 2012, 6 - 10 pm weekdays and noon - 10 pm weekends.
  • All plays must be 30 - 60 min. long. Scripts must be in standard playscript format, in Word or PDF, E-mailed to us*.
  • There is no application fee. 
  • The participation fee is only $100, payable on acceptance of the script by the MITF, by check or PayPal**.
  • There is a simple one-page agreement, sent on acceptance of the script and payment of the participation fee.
  • Deadline is June 1, 2012.
  • The production is responsible for producing the play, including finding actors, director, board op, props, costumes, rehearsals, etc; the MITF provides the theatre and some shared scenery (cubes, table, chairs).
  • You may not produce your show as an Equity showcase, and Equity is not issuing waivers for this program. All shows must be non-union.
  • Production values must be kept to a minimum: costumes and hand props only. We provide rehearsal cubes, chairs, and a table.
  • We provide box office services and venue management.
  • The MITF keeps 100% of the door.
  • Tickets are $17 for shows running 45 - 60 min., and $14 for shows running 30 - 45 min. Each playwright and director gets 1 comp to each of their performances. Comps are non-transferable. There are press comps but no industry comps.  The production must purchase any additional seats they wish to comp.
  • Your show will be allotted a tech rehearsal running at least 2 hours, during the hours of 10 - 5:30 weekdays during the Festival (July 16 - Aug. 3).
  • We don't do staged readings; productions must be off-book. Plays not off-book during tech rehearsal will be removed from the line-up.
  • While you may submit a program of related short plays totaling 30 - 60 min., the MITF will not "marry" two or more unrelated short plays into one program.

*Standard playscript format for us is 12 pt Times Roman; character names in the middle on their own line; line spaces between speeches and stage directions; indented stage directions. E-mail all scripts (no snail-mail please!) to john.chatterton@gmail.com.

**Please add 3% for PayPal handling fees. Make PayPal payments to john.chatterton@gmail.com. Send all paper checks to: John Chatterton, 2578 Broadway #145, New York, NY 10025. Paper checks should be made out to MITF.

Thanks,
John Chatterton
MITF executive producer

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