20/20 New Play Commissions

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InterAct Theatre Company is pleased to announce that the fifth round of submissions for its 20/20 New Play Commissions will have a deadline of Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

Long established as one of the country’s most devoted producers of provocative new plays, InterAct seeks to use the 20/20 Commissions to fund the most adventurous, complex, and dramatically interesting plays of tomorrow. Commissions should embrace and explore the wide range of stories that unfold when the larger forces of our world impact the individual. Twelve commissions and grants have already been awarded to plays ranging in style from hard-hitting drama to absurdist surrealism.

For this round of commissions we want to focus on our hometown. Plays that speak strongly to or about Philadelphia will be given extra consideration, as will locally grown writers. However, submissions are NOT LIMITED to Philly and Philadelphians. Passion is the most important part of your proposal. Also keep in mind that two plays recently submitted as both a sample play and a development grant - IN A DAUGHTER'S EYES by A. Zell Williams and MICROCRISIS by Mike Lew - ended up receiving productions on our main stage. So there is additional value to submitting a proposal!

About InterAct Theatre Company

InterAct Theatre Company, located in Philadelphia, PA, is the home of America's most thought-provoking plays. In its twenty-four seasons, InterAct has introduced Philadelphia audiences to a canon of plays exploring the most important issues of the past two decades: From the fall of communism to the rise of fundamentalism, from religious extremism to American consumerism, from AIDS to genocide. Satire, farce or drama: an InterAct play will always provoke thought and spark dialogue.

Since its founding in 1988, InterAct has produced 35 world-premiere plays by some of the most innovative American playwrights. Plays originating at InterAct have won numerous Barrymore Awards and nominations, and have gone on to receive productions at dozens of regional theatres across the country, including Actors Theatre of Louisville, 59E59, New Georges, Florida Stage, Curious Theatre and New Jersey Repertory Company.

InterAct is a founding member of the National New Play Network and the Philadelphia New Play Initiative.

About InterAct’s 20/20 Commissions

There are two types of awards associated with the program:

    • Development Awards (ranging from $500-$1000) - through which InterAct commits funds toward the further development of a play, including dramaturgical consultation, private and public readings and workshops. Development Awards are given to works already in progress, but not yet production ready.

    • New Play Commissions (ranging from $5000-$10,000) - in which a new and wholly or substantially unwritten play is commissioned and similarly aided in its development by InterAct.

How to Apply for an InterAct Theatre Company 20/20 Commission

Round 5: 2011-2012 Season

The application consists of three parts, which must be submitted simultaneously and received by midnight on April 20, 2012:

Statement of Interest:  Please provide a description of the proposed project, including why the issues and themes of the project will be significant to society over the next twenty years, and what your goals would be should you be granted the opportunity to work with InterAct on the project's development. For Development Award applicants, you may additionally discuss the status of the current work and its development history. Statements of interest should not exceed 2 pages. We prefer proposals that describe a specific interrogation of a particular idea, rather than a vague exploration of a theme. The clearer the story the better. We will not be reading any submissions prior to May 1, so use the time to think through the specificities of your proposal.

Up-to-Date Playwriting CV:  Be sure to include the development history, if any, of the proposed work.
One copy of a previously completed full-length script:  Submitted scripts need not have received previous productions for submission. If possible, please submit a script that fits within InterAct’s central mission. If you do not feel that you have a script suitable to our mission, you may send whatever script you feel best exemplifies the quality and style of your writing.

Please note:

The postmark deadline for completed fifth cycle applications is Midnight EST May 1, 2012, and InterAct will notify all playwrights of its decision via email by September 17, 2012.
    All parts of the application should be submitted as PDFs sent to 2012commissions@interacttheatre.org. Please label the PDFs clearly following this format:

        - Jean Genet Statement
        - Jean Genet CV
        - Jean Genet The Maids (Sample)
        - Jean Genet The Balcony (DA Submission)

    Only full-length plays are eligible for commission or development. Musicals and bills of related one-act plays will not be considered. Collaborations are welcome.
    For all 20/20 New Play Commissions, InterAct reserves the right of first production.
    There is no fee to apply.

Applications should be emailed to 2012commissions@interacttheatre.org.

All inquiries related to the commissions may be directed via email to Kittson O'Neill, Artistic Associate.