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Monday, October 31, 2011

SUBMIT A PLAY TO LARK'S OPEN ACCESS PROGRAM

web site

The Lark is committed to providing access to all playwrights, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, experience, or agent representation. The Open Access Program encourages the development of new voices for the theater by seeking plays that reflect diverse and vital perspectives.

A volunteer committee of readers known as the Literary Wing carefully reviews and evaluates submitted work according to the Lark support criteria. The plays that receive strong recommendations and generate enthusiasm during this process advance to a final committee that ultimately selects a slate Writers chosen for Playwrights' Week are provided with creative teams including a director, professional actors, and a resource person for ten hours of rehearsal time to address specific development goals, culminating in an informal presentation in order to share their work with an audience.

This annual program serves as the Lark's central entry point for new play submissions.

*Given that one of the primary goals of our Open Access program is to increase the number of writers we serve, alumni who have previously presented work in a Barebones, Studio Retreat, Public Reading or Playwrights' Workshop are not eligible to submit. (Writers who have ha Roundtables or participated in Playwrights' Week can apply.)
WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING E-SUBMISSIONS!

deadline: November 30, 2011

(11:59pm or postmark)

Word or PDF (preferred) files only.
Emailed submissions are strongly encouraged. Please EMAIL your script and completed application as two separate attachments to: Submissions@larktheatre.org

Please note that all applications should be typed.

2012 APPLICATION FORM
**Please note, you must have Microsoft Word to open this file
(If you have problems downloading the form contact submissions@larktheatre.org)

If you prefer to send via snailmail, mail completed submission materials to:
Lark Play Development Center
c/o Playwrights' Week Submissions 2012
311 West 43rd Street, Suite 406
New York, NY 10036

If you have any questions or would like more information please email: submissions@larktheatre.org.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

10 Things I Hate About Anonymous

I should be happy that Anonymous turned out to be such a laughably incoherent botch of a film. One that should make the purveyors of the pernicious Shakespeare “authorship” conspiracy theory hide their heads in shame.

But, alas, they won’t. They have no shame. The conspiracy theorists who waste time trying to browbeat the credulous into thinking that the works of William Shakespeare were actually ghostwritten by Someone Else (in Anonymous, it’s the Earl of Oxford) can’t stop. They have invested too much of their lives in the chuckleheaded fantasy to give it up now, despite how ridiculous the film reveals it to be.

It’s kind of sad. They were all atwitter, the “Oxfordians,” when they when they heard that Roland Emmerich would be making this film. Emmerich, of course, is the auteur who brought us that super-distinguished film based on an equally bogus theory, 2012. “Ooh, Hollywood is paying attention to us!” the poor Oxfordians exulted.

Indeed, the Oxfordians are so excited about their turn on the big screen that I recently have been bombarded with email missives from an Oxfordian who, just by happenstance, is also editor of Fluoride Journal. (Remember the fear that the commies were poisoning our “precious bodily fluids” with fluoride? Birds of a feather.)

Believe me, I didn’t want to see the movie, or write about it. My position has always been that what matters is what Shakespeare wrote, not who he was. That life is short and you essentially have a choice between immersing yourself in the dizzying astonishments of his language or spending that precious time spinning idiot conspiracy theories about who wrote those words. I tried to avoid the subject entirely in my book The Shakespeare Wars, which was about genuine controversies regarding the way to read and play the plays. I didn’t want to dignify the film with any coverage or comment.

Read the entire article in Slate

October 2011 Play of the Month: KNUCKLEHEADS by James McLindon



The October 2011 Play of the Month is KNUCKLEHEADS by James McLindon. Performed by Diane Quinn and Doug Rossi. Thanks to everybody for your great work and sharing your talent.

James discusses the genesis of the play:
I had long wanted to write a contemporary play involving an Irish fairy -- not the Disney variety, but the deeply frightening ones that country people deeply believed in, in some cases until well into the last century. Simultaneously, I read a number of stories about the strains that our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were putting on single-parent households, and specifically about the psychic damage done to a child whose only parent was in harm's way. From these two strands, Knuckleheads was born. I have since expanded it into a full-length play entitled, Comes a Faery, which was developed at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.

more about James and the cast here.

The next Play of the Month will be in November 2011. Deadline is November 6. More information here.

Chatterton Short Play Lab for December

Dear Friend in the Theatre,

We are looking for a few more scripts for the Dec. 17 - 18 Short Play Lab. New participants are welcome! The rules are easy-peasy:
Deadline is Dec. 3. Notification will be immediately after submission, if not sooner. The sooner you get your script in, the more time you have to prepare. Get that script in pronto!
Plays should be 1 - 10 pp. in standard playscript format.* (The shorter the better; shorter plays get priority.) Include a title page, as the first page of the script, with contact info.
Submit scripts in MS-Word.
You produce the play; the SPL provides the theatre (at the Roy Arias Studios, 300 West 43rd Street, NYC).
Productions must be non-union: no showcases please! (And no Equity waivers, either.)
Keep production values to a minimum: costumes and hand props are okay. We provide rehearsal cubes, chairs, and a table or two.
We provide a board op, box office, and venue management.
There are no fees. The SPL keeps the door.
Tickets are $20. Each playwright and director gets to watch his/her show for free. There are no other comps.
There will be a tech rehearsal, on the afternoon of Dec. 17. Plays get a maximum of either 15 mins of tech (1 - 5 pp.) or 30 mins. of tech (6 - 10 pp.).
Every play gets 2 performances, 1 on Sat. and 1 on Sun. Each play will be part of 1 of 2 programs: Program A or Program B, but not both. Program A takes place at 7 pm Sat. and 4 pm Sun. Program B takes place at 9 pm Sat. and 2 pm Sun.
We don't do staged readings. Be off-book, please! Plays not off-book during tech will be removed from the line-up.
THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTION IN EACH PROGRAM RECEIVES A CASH PRIZE OF $100. Winners are determined by polling patrons at the box office.
*12 pt Times Roman; character names in the middle on their own line; line spaces between speeches and between speeches and stage directions; indented stage directions.
The SPL is a lot of fun and a good way to see your work on its feet in a supportive environment. It's also a great way to see actors and directors at work, so you can recruit people for later productions.
To submit a script, send it as an attachment to john.chatterton@gmail.com. Any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an E-mail!
Thanks,
John Chatterton
Executive producer, Short Play Lab

Saturday, October 29, 2011

StageQ Call for Plays - Queer Shorts 7

web site

StageQinvites you to submit a short play for our seventh annual festival of short queer plays, Queer Shorts 7.

Plays should be no longer than 15 minutes in length

Deadline: December 15, 2011.

Please include a one-page précis, including:

· One-paragraph description of the plot
· Casting requirements (number of actors, gender, ages, special requirements, if any)
· Set requirements (remember, this is a playfest with 10 - 12 plays in one evening; simple is better!)
· Running time (no more than 15 minutes!)
· Special technical requirements, if any
· Who is the intended audience?
· Is there lesbian, gay or other queer content?
· Is there nudity? Adult language?
· If a musical, is there a written score?
· If a musical, what are the instrumental requirements? Vocal requirements?

Please send us no more than 3 scripts. And please don't re-submit scripts that you have sent us in the past.

You can e mail your script and précis to QueerShorts@stageq.com.

We have a strong preference for receiving scripts electronically.

But if that's not possible for you, send via snail mail to:
Queer Shorts c/o StageQ
113 E Mifflin Street
Madison, WI. 53703

We're serious about the 15 minute time limit. 5 or 10 minutes would be even better. We'd love to have a musical in the fest! And call us language snobs, but synopses and scripts full of typos, spelling, grammatical and syntactical errors are not going to knock our socks off. We read almost 300 scripts for Queer Shorts each year and accept 10 or 11, so make yours easy for us to love.

We acknowledge all scripts received, so if you don't hear back from us within a couple of weeks, we didn't receive your submission. We'll also let you know by early April, 2011 whether or not we selected your script, but please don't start bugging us about it on April 1st. Queer Shorts 7 will be performed May 31 - June 9, 2012 at the Bartell Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Mondays Dark Theatre Company seeks plays

Facebook page

Mondays Dark Theatre Company, a new Not-for-Profit theatre company in New York City, is seeking play submissions of new works to fully produce in its upcoming seasons.

Mondays Dark is interested in the development and cultivation of new works, so submissions are welcome in any stage of completion.

Please Email submissions in pdf format to mondaysdark@gmail.com. Include with submission a cover letter that includes a brief synopsis of the piece as well as any history of the production.

Musical submissions are also welcome.

7 Reasons Why Theatre Makes Our Lives Better

...First, theatre does no harm. Theatre is one of those human activities that doesn't really hurt anyone or anything (except for its carbon footprint -- but let's ignore that for now). While we're engaged in making or attending theatre, or any of the arts for that matter, we are not engaged in war, persecution, crime, wife-beating, drinking, pornography, or any of the social or personal vices we could be engaged in instead. For this reason alone, the more time and energy we as a society devote to theatre and the arts, the better off we will be...

More at Theatre Washington - thanks to Liz Kimberlin for sending.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Impact Theatre submission info

web site

Impact Theatre is always seeking new scripts! If your script is full-length, unpublished, and has not yet been produced in the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s eligible for consideration for our season.

Impact Theatre now only accepts scripts via email. Please email a word .doc or a .pdf to melissa at impacttheatre dot com.

Impact Theatre absolutely, positively does not discriminate based upon gender, race, sexuality, age, height, or anything else.

The Cutting Ball seeks experimental plays

web site

The Cutting Ball Theater will be accepting submissions of new experimental plays from October 1 through November 30, 2011 for consideration for the 2013 RISK IS THIS Festival and possible future productions. We are eager to support the work of established and emerging writers who explore bold, challenging new forms in their writing.

Please read the following submission guidelines carefully before submitting your work.

1. In order to effectively manage the volume of submissions, scripts will only be accepted between October 1 and November 30, 2011.

2. All scripts considered for RISK IS THIS must be experimental plays – plays that employ unconventional, dynamic and imaginative language, structure, and staging. We encourage authors to look at Cutting Ball’s past productions and plays selected in previous RISK IS THIS festivals, or, better yet, to come see a Cutting Ball production to learn more. (see website for more information)

3. All scripts considered for RISK IS THIS may not have received a professional production with AEA actors. Workshops, readings and non-professional productions are ok.

4. All submissions must be sent electronically to Cutting Ball’s literary office, at literary@cuttingball.com The subject line in the email should read “Writer’s full name – 2013 Submission” (e.g. August Strindberg – 2013 submission). Submissions should be attached to the email as a Word Document (.doc or .docx) or PDF. No hard copies will be accepted.

5. All submissions must be in a single document, with page numbers and the author’s name and email on each page. All submissions must include the following elements, in this order:

•A title page, with the script title, the author’s name and contact information.
•A one-page synopsis of the play, with a list of characters and other special requirements.
•A production and developmental history of the play (including readings, workshops, and non-professional productions)
•The script itself, in standard script format.
•A one page resume or bio of the writer (optional)
6. All authors will receive acknowledgment of receipt of submission. Notifications about selections for the festival will be sent in the early spring of 2012.

7. Questions about the submissions process should be directed to Cutting Ball’s Literary Manager, Bennett Fisher, at literary@cuttingball.com

Saturday, October 22, 2011

BBC Afternoon Play

Listen Now

Drama Ministry Scripts Writer's Guidelines

web site

What you need to know before you submit a script.

Please be sure to have your script formatted according to our script style sheet. (see web site)

In general, we're looking for scripts that can be used in worship services to focus the attention of worshipers on specific themes or life issues that the pastor can then address in the sermon or message that follows. Thus, the best scripts dramatize and heighten the issues without always resolving them; resolution is left to the sermon or is subtle enough that the sermon can tie it in. Our scripts are intended to be supplementary to the message of the day, and not be the main event themselves.
Writer's Guidelines:

Sketches should be from 4 to 7 minutes long and use 1 to 6 characters.

Include a statement of purpose, time requirements, list of characters, prop list and any unusual sound or light requirements.

Scripts should be sensitive to the unchurched. Avoid Christian-club jargon and insider church terminology.

Must have broad appeal to both evangelical and mainline audiences.

Most of our scripts are not obviously religious in nature. Rather they pose human situations that can be addressed from the pulpit following the sketch.

No elaborate staging or costumes.

Problems should be identified without sarcasm or overly critical tones (hope-based vs. critique-based). We do not want scripts that scold the audience or try to shame the viewers. Scripts that ridicule the hypocrisy of Christians are not for us.

Avoid didactic lines. Specifically, avoid making "less spiritual" characters mere foils who present questions and/or problems for "more spiritual" characters to resolve as "teachers."

Prefer everyday situations to extreme situations. Remember that there is enough drama, whether painful or humorous, in most people's daily lives. For example, the temptation to tell a lie is much more common than the temptation to kill someone. Build your scripts around situations most people encounter in the normal course of living.

Avoid predictable endings. Prefer instead a conclusion that is unexpected but still a reasonable extension of the theme of the sketch.

Please be sure to have your script formatted according to our script style sheet. (See web site)

Send Scripts to:
Regi Stone
Drama Ministry
P.O. Box 40387
Nashville, TN 37204

PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS ON YOUR SCRIPT.

Please note that your submission will not be returned.

Single Carrot play submission guidelines

web site

Submit electronically one full-length play or two plays not to exceed 150 pages in length. You may submit synopses of other works with submitted scripts. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis. We will contact you in March if we are considering your play for the upcoming season.
Email submissions and inquiries to plays@singlecarrot.com

The Renaissance Guild submission guidelines

web site

Copyright – we only accept copyrighted material

Publishing History – we only accept works that are NOT published

Performance History – we will accept works that have been previously performed but prefer to PREMIERE the works at the ActOne Series or at least the Southwest Region

Subject Matter – no censorship allowed!

Royalties – are only paid for Mainstage Series productions.

No scripts will be returned.

Due to the large number of submissions, you will only receive a response if your script is chosen.

All scripts are kept on file indefinitely, however, you will be contacted if your script is selected at a later date.

MainStage Series Specific Guidelines:
Length – two acts

Number of Characters – no limit

Royalties – To be negotiated

ActOne Series Specific Guidelines:
See ActOne Series Page

For further inquiries, please call 210-656-0349 or send an e-mail to TRG General Email

Please mail all scripts to:

The Renaissance Guild
P.O. Box 12381
San Antonio, Texas 78212

THANK YOU!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Dezart Performs 4th Annual Play Reading Series - NO FEE for snail-maill submissions

web site

[NOTE FROM NYCPlaywrights - there is no submission fee for mailing a hard copy submission for this play reading series, there IS a submission fee for email submissions. NYCPlaywrights does not recommend paying submission fees. If you want information about submitting electronically, see their web site - the link is provided above.]

Dezart Performs 4th Annual Play Reading Series Call for Entries – submissions accepted October 15, 2011 through November 21, 2011.

Dezart Performs is a professional theatre company in the Palm Springs area dedicated to bringing new and exciting theatrical experiences to the Coachella Valley. The 4th Annual Play Reading Series will be held audience members will vote for their favorite play of the series. The "Audience Favorite" will be produced and staged at the beginning of Dezart Performs' fifth season in the Fall of 2012.

Submission Guidelines:

• Plays can be any length but require no more than 2-4 actors.

• Production elements must be kept to a minimum, one setting preferred and no special technical requirements.

• Plays previously considered for the Annual Play Reading Series will not be accepted.

• Plays must not have been previously produced in the Coachella Valley.

• All submissions must include a cover page with:

Play Title
A brief synopsis (1 paragraph) of the play and cast requirements
Author's Name
Contact Information

• Playwrights may submit by mail or email - Two copies of the script required via mail; one PDF for email submission.

There is no charge for mailed submissions, a $10.00 copy fee for emailed submissions.

• Submissions must be postmarked or emailed by November 21, 2011.

Postal Submissions: mail two (2) copies of your script to Dezart Performs:
Mailing Address:
Dezart Performs
611 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite 7538
Palm Springs, CA 92262

Disclaimer: By submitting your play to the Dezart Performs Play Reading Series you agree to allow Dezart Performs to stage a professional reading of the play before a public audience, and if chosen to present a full stage production. Submission does not guarantee your play will be selected for the Play Reading Series or for production.

Turtle Shell Productions - 8 minute madness

web site

Festival Application & Information

THE 8-MINUTE MADNESS FESTIVAL, 2012, produced by Turtle Shell
Productions, returns for its TENTH SEASON at our state-of-the-art theater in the heart
of Times Square.

ADULT PROGRAM PLAYS WANTED
We are now accepting submissions of 8- to 10-minute plays for the festival. "Plays"
also include musicals, and all plays should allow for simple staging.

YOUTH PROGRAM PLAYS WANTED
We are also accepting submission of Plays or musicals to be performed by Teen
actors. (Please note: The story line does not need to be how drugs are bad or have some
sort of life lesson. We are looking for entertaining, fun, interesting stories or plays that
could be dramatic or a skit on Saturday Night Live.

The selected plays, presented in two groups of 11, will be directed by carefully
selected directors, performed by New York Actors, and mounted by a team of
experienced set, lighting, sound, and costume designers. The run of up to 11
performances will be publicized by our marketing team.

As in the past, audience members will not only discover fresh new work offered by
innovative writers but will have the opportunity to vote for "BEST PERFORMANCE
BY AN ARTIST" and "THE BEST PLAYWRIGHT OF 2012." At the end of the run,
the recipients of the “Best Playwright” and “Best Performance” awards will receive
the 8-Minute Madness Playwright Festival Trophies at the Artist Celebration
Awards Ceremonies.

Group A will have 11 plays to be performed by adult actors. (This may include a child actor, if needed.)

Group B will have 11 short plays performed by young actors (ages 9-17) as part of a
separate presentation on an alternate night.

DEADLINE:
WE MUST HAVE ALL SUBMISSION ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH , 2011.

PLEASE MAKE SURE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1) The front cover has the play's title and the playwright's name, address, phone number,
and email.

2) Include a page with the character breakdown.

3) Script pages are numbered and the text is presented in an acceptable format.

4) If you would like to be notified that your script has been received, include a self-
addressed stamped postcard.

5) Plays must be 10 minutes or less in duration, and be prepared to shorten them
if necessary.

6) You may submit up to 2 plays, and there is NO FEE for submitting your play(s).
DO NOT SEND US AN ORIGINAL COPY. WE WILL NOT RETURN SCRIPTS.

7) If play (s) have been produced under an "Equity Code," please note it on the
application with the dates of production. We are also accepting plays that have
been produced before or has had a reading, we will still accept your submission.

8) Each playwright may submit up to two plays. (Please note on the application which is
your first submission and second.)

9) Please include your application with play submission.

____________________________________________________________________________

TO ACCESS THE FESTIVAL APPLICATION
CLICK BELOW

PDF APPLICATION

_____________________________________________________________________________

10) NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS PLEASE. WE WILL NOT READ THEM.

11) SEND YOUR SCRIPT(S) to the following:

Turtle Shell Productions
300 W 43rd Street #403
New York NY 10036
Attention: 8 Minute Madness 2012 Scripts

12) If you have any questions, please contact the Festival Selection Committee at 8minute@turtleshellproductions.com

Thank you and we look forward to reading your work.

John W. Cooper
Artistic Director & Producer
Turtle Shell Productions

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Compound seeks plays

web site

The Compound, a theatre collective in southwestern Louisiana, is seeking new plays for their 2012 new play development program.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: We’re looking for previously unproduced, full-length shows for 10 actors or less. (Shows with a history or readings or workshops are welcome.)

WHAT KIND OF PLAY EXCITES US?: Strong stories, bold characters, plays with as much on their heart as on their mind, plays that play with language in inventive ways, plays that explore communities and experiences not normally represented in the theatre.

WHAT WE’RE DOING WITH THE PLAYS WE FIND: We will begin exploring new works that interest us in a series of readings starting in 2012. From those readings, we’ll further the developmental process with writers and plays we connect with. We are more interested in finding writers we can work with over many projects, not just a single reading of a single play.

WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE: We’d like a cover letter telling us a little about you, a one-page synopsis, and a 10-page writing sample from the play. Send your submission ATTN: Cody Daigle at thecompoundtheatre@gmail.com

Sunday, October 9, 2011

How to submit your play to the Astoria Performing Arts Center

web site

Please include the following material with your submission:

- A brief abstract of the play you are submitting. Not necessarily a synopsis — I am more interested in how you talk about the themes and ideas with which your play deals. It’s good for me to know what’s important to you in the work, and to get a better idea of your interests as a writer.

- A cover letter that indicates why you are interested in APAC, how you heard about us, etc. Don’t be afraid to submit here if you’ve never seen any of our shows. Just take a look at the website and get a sense of what we’re about.

- A resume that details your previous writing and production history. I am specifically interested in any development that the play you’re submitting has received. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to evaluate a second draft on the same level as a sixth or seventh draft, so let me know where you are in your process.

- Links to your personal website(s), if you have one, so that we can learn more about you. I’m also a big proponent of having other writing samples available. Please only include one play per submission, but do send me links to look at along with it.

- And, of course, the play itself. Make sure that the play is in proper play format. If you don’t have Final Draft, get it. If you can’t afford it, download Celtx — it’s free, and formats just as well. Don’t send me a Word Document — send me a PDF. Make sure that your document includes a title page with your name and contact info, as well as a secondary page that lists the characters, setting and any acknowledgments. The fact of the matter is that the evaluation begins on page 1, and a play that isn’t properly formatted, or lacking in the aforementioned information, will already have points against it.
APAC is now accepting electronic submissions!

In fact, I prefer them. Please e-mail all of the items listed above at literary@apacny.org. In the subject line, please write: “SUBMISSION: [Name of Play]“. And please understand that I am just one person reading tons of scripts and that I will respond to you as soon as I can.
If you would prefer to submit your materials via the mail, you may do so here:

Astoria Performing Arts Center
Kaufman Astoria Studios
34-12 36th Street, Rm 1/232, MB 40
Astoria, NY 11106

Please note that no submission materials will be returned.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at literary@apacny.org. I am genuinely looking forward to hearing from you.

Play of the Month - KNUCKLEHEADS by James McLindon

The October Play of the Month has been selected: James McLindon's KNUCKLEHEADS.

The reading of the play will be video-recorded and posted to the NYCPlaywrights web site by the end of October 2011.

Scripts Wanted for Nov. 19 - 20 Short Play Lab

We are looking for a few more scripts for the Nov. 19 - 20 Short Play Lab. New participants are welcome! The rules are easy-peasy:

Deadline is Nov. 3. Notification will be immediately after submission. The sooner you get your script in, the more time you have to prepare. Get that script in pronto!

Plays should be 1 - 10 pp. in standard playscript format.* (The shorter the better; shorter plays get priority.) Include a title page, as the first page of the script, with contact info.

Submit scripts in MS-Word.

You produce the play; the SPL provides the theatre (at the Roy Arias Studios, 300 West 43rd Street, NYC).

Productions must be non-union: no showcases please! (And no Equity waivers, either.)

Keep production values to a minimum: costumes and hand props are okay. We provide rehearsal cubes, chairs, and a table or two.

We provide a board op, box office, and venue management.

There are no fees. The SPL keeps the door.

Tickets are $20. Each playwright and director gets to watch his/her show for free.

There are no other comps.

There will be a tech rehearsal, on the afternoon of Nov. 19. Plays get a maximum of either 15 mins of tech (1 - 5 pp.) or 30 mins. of tech (6 - 10 pp.).

Every play gets 2 performances, 1 on Sat. and 1 on Sun. Each play will be part of 1 of 2 programs: Program A or Program B, but not both. Program A takes place at 7 pm Sat. and 4 pm Sun. Program B takes place at 9 pm Sat. and 2 pm Sun.

We don't do staged readings. Be off-book, please! Plays not off-book during tech will be removed from the line-up.

THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTION IN EACH PROGRAM RECEIVES A CASH PRIZE OF $100. Winners are determined by polling patrons at the box office.
*12 pt Times Roman; character names in the middle on their own line; line spaces between speeches and between speeches and stage directions; indented stage directions.

The SPL is a lot of fun and a good way to see your work on its feet in a supportive environment. It's also a great way to see actors and directors at work, so you can recruit people for later productions.

To submit a script, send it as an attachment to john.chatterton@gmail.com. Any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an E-mail!
Thanks,
John Chatterton
Executive producer, Short Play Lab

Strand Theatre Company submission guidelines

web site

The Strand currently seeks script submissions for its 2012-2013 season and the summer Friends and Neighbors Festival for 2012. The Strand encourages creative and innovative scripts. The Strand encourages submissions by women with roles for women. The Strand will select plays that are relevant, well-written, and experiment with new theater conventions.

About Friends and Neighbors: The Friends and Neighbors Festival is a five week-long festival that includes a new script performed at the Strand every weekend for five weeks with an admission price of $5. The Friends and Neighbors Festival was created to give local artists a chance to perform experimental pieces in front of an audience with the support of a fully functional theater. The Friends and Neighbors Festival also allows theater patrons to explore new works affordably. All playwrights are given a stipend of $100. Plays are fully produced by the Strand Theater, on a small budget. Playwrights are supplied with a director and stage manager, and given use of the Strand space on a sign up basis.

REQUIREMENTS:
Season Plays: A season play must be full length. The Strand seeks innovative plays that break conventional theater standards and put a focus on the lives of women.
Friends and Neighbors Festival: The Strand encourages playwrights, performers, comedians, all walks of life, to submit to the FN Fest. The FN Fest accepts performance pieces that range from traditional plays to performance art to workshops. Everything is encouraged. There are no limitations! If you are not submitting a traditional play, please submit a written statement describing your proposed performance or idea. For possible inclusion in the 2012 Friends and Neighbors Festival, please send plays by Monday, January 9, 2012. New plays granted a production will be selected by Monday, February 13, 2012. If you have submitted your play to past Friends and Neighbors Festivals, please resubmit for consideration this year. The Strand will not produce plays that have previously been produced in Baltimore.

For ANY questions regarding script submissions, please email Jayme Kilburn: jayme@strand-theater.org Please only submit plays to submissions@strand-theater.org and fill out the required online form for each play submitted found HERE.

Because of the high volume of scripts submitted, the Strand is unable to produce progress reports for individual plays. The Strand will send a mass email to playwright's whose plays were not accepted into the Season or Festival, and call individual playwright's who are being produced. Please only submit electronically. Please do not send any plays to Jayme Kilburn, Artistic Director. Only submit to submissions@strand-theater.org.

Go to the web site for additional submission requirements

Friday, October 7, 2011

THE JCC METROWEST JEWISH PLAYWRITING CONTEST Official Request for Plays

web site

JCC MetroWest and the Jewish Plays Project are excited to announce a competition for full-length plays that deal with Jewish themes. Using a curated jury process followed by a live selection event, the contest will give equal voice to Jewish audiences and artists in creating Jewish theater for the 21st Century.

A separate track will select one Theater for Young Audiences piece geared to celebrate Jewish identity for students ages 8-18.

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE CONTEST IS OPEN TO ARTISTS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, DENOMINATIONS, FAITHS, CREEDS, RELIGIONS and other IDEALS. We believe that Jewish identity and culture are specific manifestations of universal human cravings for spiritual, ethical, moral and worldly joy. “Matrilineal descent” is neither important nor necessary.

ELIGIBILITY: Full-length plays that deal with Jewish themes that have never been produced in New York City. The following must be true of a submitted play:
1. It is NOT a yiddish play.
2. It contains significant Jewish themes, characters, content, or points of view.
3. It does NOT fall into the beloved category of "ethnically stereotypical comedy" (No 'Yiddishemammeh" plays, no "My Afternoon With Bubbe", no "Jewtopia")
4. It's a really good play.
5. It has not had a full production in the NY Metro region.
6. It is NOT a musical (plays with music may apply).

SUBMISSION: Entries are due by November 1 at 6 pm. There are two steps to submit:
1. Email the play as an attachment to jpc@jewishplaysproject.org with the playwright's name removed from ALL pages.

2. Click here to fill out the JPC Application form.

There is NO fee to apply, but there is a one (1) submission per person rule.

SELECTION PROCESS: The JPC seeks to discover and develop a new generation of plays that reflect the 21st Century Jewish experience, and strives to engage a broad audience in a discussion of what that experience may be. Each script will be reviewed by a Community Panel of up to 30 lay leaders involved in the Metrowest Jewish Community who will score the play on the clarity, importance and personal connection of the Jewish ideas in the play. A separate Artistic Panel of noted actors, directors, writers and academics will evaluate scripts for their aesthetic value, structural and stylistic innovation, and production feasibility.

Submissions will be due on November 1, with three finalists being announced on December 20. The three finalists will be given a rare opportunity to participate in JCC MetroWest’s Txt2Thtr Event.

This event, a JPP original, will present staged selections from three plays along with a director and designer's production concept to an invited audience at JCC MetroWest’s Maurice Levin Theater in West Orange, NJ. This audience will then give real-time feedback to the selection committee by responding to a text-message survey on their cell phones. At the end of the night, a winner will be announced.

THE PRIZE: The winning play will continue on to a workshop presentation by the JPP at Manhattan’s 14th Street Y Theatre in June of 2012, where the JPP will select one project to receive a full production.

THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES CATEGORY: The Project and the JCC will also be seeking one-act (under 50 minutes) plays or musicals geared toward student audiences celebrating Jewish identity. (Music must be able to be performed by one musician or played on CD). The winning playwright will receive a cash award of $250, a staged reading by the JCC Metrowest Teen Production Company. Interested playwrights should follow the submission guidelines and choose TYA in the category field.

ABOUT THE JCC: JCC MetroWest’s vision is to be the premier Jewish social, recreational, cultural and educational center that serves the entire MetroWest community and inspires every individual to explore the boundless potential of Judaism. We will be a welcoming Jewish neighborhood that links every Jew to the home, the community, and the rest of the Jewish world.
www.jccmetrowest.org

ABOUT THE JEWISH PLAYS PROJECT: The Jewish Plays Project is a development house for 21st Century Jewish theater. We seek to ignite an explosive engagement between cutting-edge theater artists and Jewish audiences by developing and advocating for a new generation of plays and musicals that embrace and investigate the intersection of Jewish identity and secular self.
www.jewishplaysproject.org

QUESTIONS? CONTACT:
Ben Kamine
Resident Director, Jewish Plays Project
ben@jewishplaysproject.org
347.878.5771

Carol Berman
Director, Gaelen Center for the Arts
cberman@jccmetrowest.org
973.530.3421

Manhattan Repertory best play competition

web site

No submission fee but produce-your-own fee on acceptance.

Manhattan Repertory Theatre is seeking submissions for its Winter One Act Play Competition. Competition runs January 11-28, 2012 at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, 303 W. 42nd St., NYC.

Seeking—Fully-Produced One-Act Plays: 10-30 minutes in length.

Note: Seeking full productions of original one-act plays that are cast, directed, and ready to perform; not seeking scripts.

Each play will be given a minimum of three performances (more if the play moves on to the finals). A sound and light board tech will be provided by Manhattan Rep.

To submit your one-act play production, email the complete play, a synopsis of the play, the running time of the play, 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.

Submission deadline is October 25, 2011; applicants will be notified by October 27 as to their acceptance.

For more info, visit www.manhattanrep.com. There is no submission fee.

$150 participation fee required if accepted; there will be no additional security fees or Manhattan Repertory Theatre-based production fees.
First prize for Best Play receives $1,000.

Non-Equity

Monday, October 3, 2011

November Play of the Month

10-Minute Play of the Month: NOVEMBER 2011

The theme for November is Native Americans in honor of the Wampanoag people who taught the malnourished 17th-century English immigrants in Plymouth Massachusetts how to cultivate corn, farm squash and beans, catch fish, and collect seafood. The theme can involve any Native American group, not only the Wampanoag, but there must be a reference to Native Americans in your play.

Deadline: Sunday, November 6, 2011, 11:59 PM

1. Send only one ten-minute play per author to info@nycplaywrights.org

2. The script submission should be sent by email, with the play itself as a file attached to the email. File format should be in either Microsoft Word (.doc) or pdf.

3. The script can be no longer than 10 pages (not including title page, setting info page, etc. - pages will be counted only from where the actual on-stage directions and dialog begin.)

4. The script should be in standard playscript format. If you are not sure what that is, see this page on the NYCPlaywrights web site:

http://nycp.blogspot.com/p/playscript-formatting-template.html

Plays that are not in standard format, or that have more than 10 pages (not counting title page, etc.) will be rejected immediately.

5. Make sure you have your name and your email address on the title page of the script.

6. Plays can be from 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.)

7. There is no fee for submission - and no payment given for the plays selected. Do not send a submission if you are expecting monetary compensation.

8. The NYCPlaywrights selection decision is final and NYCPlaywrights reserves the right to select no plays from those submitted.

9. The play must have been written by the person making the submission.

10. The play can have had a previous production but cannot have been published.

11. All rights will remain with the playwright.

12. The selected play will be videotaped as a reading during an NYCPlaywrights meeting and posted shortly after, during the month of November.

13. The video recording of the play reading will be posted to the NYCPlaywrights YouTube account and from there embedded into the NYCPlaywrights blog. The embedded section may be an excerpt of the play reading rather than the entire reading. The playwright will be asked to review the video recording and approve it before it is made
public.

14. The play must reflect the month's theme in some meaningful way.

15. The readings that are recorded are actual script-in-hand readings, not productions. To get an idea of what to expect for the final product see the page on the NYCPlaywrights web site with samples of past readings of Plays of the Month: http://nycp.blogspot.com/p/play-of-month.html

Any questions email Nancy at info@nycplaywrights.org

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Urban Theater Company call for new writers and scripts

web site

Urban Theater Company (UTC) is committed to the creation and exploration of urban-inspired works that convey, illuminate and empathize with the human experience.
“From the streets to the stage and for the future.”

Seeking scripts that align with our mission of creating thought-provoking theater, in the Chicago area.

Send an inquiry to Literary Manager, Wysteria Edwards at wystieedwards@urbantheaterchicago.org

Inquiry must include:
A complete synopsis and cover letter, include all contact information, including email
10 page sample
Production history, if any
Resume

If we wish to read your entire script we will contact you via email. Please allow 4-6 months to hear back from us.

Thank you for your interest in UTC and best of luck in your writing

Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre script submission policy

web site

Since the 1989/90 season, the first year of Artistic Director Steven Schipper’s tenure, MTC has programmed an average of one new play each year. Of course, world premieres of new plays don’t happen overnight. Playwrights and their work must be nurtured. MTC commissions new work (five are currently in various stages of development) and provides dramaturgical support including readings and workshops.

In our quest for new projects to produce, we accept about 100 script submissions each year, including new plays and works that have been previously produced, which are then read by MTC staff and freelance analysts. Last year, we hired 38 actors to read eight promising scripts for MTC staff as part of our Tuesday afternoon Wordplay series.

What We Are Looking For

It is not enough to write beautiful dialogue or to create memorable characters. Playwrights must give those characters clear goals, high stakes, formidable obstacles and a sense of urgency if they are to hold an audience’s interest. Story structure is an essential, but often under-utilized, element in creating play scripts. Learn how to use it, in concert with great characters, insightful dialogue, and important themes, and you will be in top 10% of the submissions we receive.

How To Submit A Script

Please submit only full-length plays (at minimum, plays that would have a run-time of approximately 70 minutes).

Playwrights who would like to submit scripts are asked to complete the Wordplay submission form below and mail it along with their script to:


Jeff Kennedy, Wordplay Coordinator
Manitoba Theatre Centre
174 Market Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 0P8


Wordplay Submission Form - go to the web site for this form.

The Working Theatre Collective seeks 5-minute erotic plays

web site

Guidelines:
To be performed at five minutes or less
Erotically themed (not necessarily erotic)
Four or fewer actors
Awesomeness

Include in the script at least one of the following:

-the sound of a max train

-a red pen

-”the perfect cup of coffee”

-paper dolls

- "i need a summer evening"

- a distinguishing scar

Submission are due 11/1/2011

Feel free to submit several pieces

We will inform you if we select your work by the new year.

Recompense will be free tickets and our undying love and affection

send original scripts to theworkingtheatrecollective@ gmail.com
(indicate “20 Erotic Shorts: Trois” in the subject line)

Newburgh Free Academy Drama Department seeks 10-minute plays

NOTE: there is no submission fee, although there is a suggested $1 donation.

The Newburgh Free Academy Drama Department will be accepting 10-minute play submissions for their 2nd annual new play festival.

The Newburgh Free Academy is an at-risk high school located in Hudson Valley,NY. The students will be the in charge of reading,acting,designing, directing, and producing chosen work. Guidlines are as follows:

*Only Ten Minutes (or less).
*Playwrites may submit up to two plays only.
*Must be unplublished.
*Plays which have had productions/workshops/
readings are okay.
*NO electronic submissions. Send to: Newburgh Free Academy, 201 Fullerton Ave, Newburgh,NY 12550 (attention Terry Sandler, Drama)
*deadline: February 1, 2012. Selected plays will be notified early March.
*A suggested donation of $1.00 per play. Checks made out to: Newburgh Enlarged City Schools. The money will be used for the drama club account to buy props and other supplies for the festival.

Contact Terry Sandler @ terrysandler@hotmail.com for more details.

Calling all female playwrights

web site

If you are interested in being a part of an annual playwrights’ festival featuring women writers and directors, then Stone Soup’s Double (XX) Fest 2.0 is for you.

For the past five years, Stone Soup Theatre has produced (along with a team of directors and actors) up to fourteen original works in the Downstage theatre. Last year, we tried something different, and the Double (XX) Fest was born! For three weeks, using both Up- and DownStages in April 2011, we featured short, fully-produced works, an all-female 24-Hour festival, 8 readings and 2 playwriting workshops, all showcasing exclusively the work of female playwrights and directors.

The Skinny:

We are seeking original one-act plays (3-25 minutes in length), particularly 10-minute shorts written by women. Can be any subject matter with casts of both genders – must be written & will be directed by a woman.

GUIDELINES:

1.) One submission per playwright ONLY.
2.) Email submissions preferred: playfestival@stonesouptheatre.org.
3.) If you must submit by snail mail, please mail to:
Stone Soup Theatre
c/o Double (XX) Fest
4035 Stone Way N
Seattle, WA 98103

Submissions, BOTH electronic and snail mail, MUST include (Incomplete or incorrect submissions will be disqualified):

1.) Separate Cover Letter including:
contact info
mailing address
phone number
brief description of authorial intent

2.) Separate Cover page including:
play title
author’s name
character list/description
gender breakdown
genre
brief description of play

3.) ALL MENTIONS OF AUTHOR’S NAME/CONTACT INFO MUST BE REMOVED FROM BODY OF PLAY.
Since it is a blind submission process, and we don’t have the time to go through EVERY page of your script to censor that info…please be sure to comply with this request, or the play will be disqualified.

Due to some lively criticism, we decided last year to waive the $6/script fee; however, as we don't have many extra resources with which to pay our patient readers (240+ scripts submitted last year, and they were ALL read!) if you feel like donating a little something toward that end, we are not too proud to accept it!

Checks can be mailed to Stone Soup Theatre, 4035 Stone Way North, Seattle, WA 98103 to the attention of Double (XX) Fest Literary Manager.

The plays themselves must be ORIGINAL and unpublished(though fine if they have been previously produced) and should be 3 to 25 minutes in length, with minimal set, costumes, and characters. Both spaces we'll be using are extremely intimate: 47 and 65-seat houses, respectively. If you are interested in and capable of putting together the production as well (finding directors, actors, and/or costume and props resources), please include this information in your cover letter.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 14th, 2011

We will make a concerted effort to notify ALL who submit of their status by January 20th, 2012.

Please mail all Double (XX) Fest inquiries, questions, and electronic submissions here: playfestival@stonesouptheatre.org.

September 2011 Play of the Month: TOWER TATTS by Adrienne Dawes

VIEWER ADVISORY: this video clip contains obscene, raunchy language. Viewers are advised to use discretion.



The September 2011 Play of the Month is TOWER TATTS by Adrienne Dawes. Performed by Bruce Barton and Mike Durell. Allan Brown did stage directions and special thanks to Diane Quinn for operating the iPhone camera. Thanks to everybody for your great work and sharing your talent.

Adrienne discusses the origins of the play:
I wrote Tower Tatts first as a 5 minute sketch pitched to SC Faculty member and director Andrew Ritter as part of his sketch revue "Too Soon? A 9-11 Sketch Revue" (currently running in the de Maat Studio Theater in Second City's Training Center thru 10/14). Writing about September 11th seemed such an arduous, emotional task but I was immediately drawn to the project as an opportunity to explore as a comedy writer an extremely tragic event. I was inspired by the idea of exploring "the comedy of grief," a human emotion so raw, organic and universal. How would two grungy, tattooed men talk to each other about their grief related to the September 11th attacks? Though the sketch didn't survive to be included in the sketch revue at Second City, I continued to develop the piece as a 10 minute play and am really excited to share it with NYC Playwrights.

more about Adrienne and the cast here.

ABOUT THE RECORDING: Please note that the script calls for the actors to be in their 20s-30s, but since Bruce and Mike did the original reading (while we were reviewing the semi-finalists for this contest) with such enthusiasm and brio, they were kept on for the recording of the TOWER TATTS reading.

The next Play of the Month will be in October 2011. Deadline is October 2. More information here.

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