SQUARE ONE: 1st D.R.A.F.T.

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Development, Readings, Artists, Feedback & Theatre

We are now accepting submissions for Square One: 1st D.R.A.F.T., a collaborative new play development program designed to take original one-act plays from concept to fully staged production.

Questions? Please email maya@lakeworthplayhouse.org

Over the course of 6-8 months, selected playwrights will work alongside directors, actors, and theatre professionals through an intensive development and workshop process that includes:

• Script evaluations and feedback
• Table reads with actors
• Guided rewrites and revisions
• Collaborative development sessions
• Staged readings with an audience
• Professional production opportunities

This is not simply a play festival. Square One is a development lab.

We are seeking playwrights who are excited about collaboration and open to the rewriting process. Scripts selected for the program will evolve through multiple drafts and workshop sessions with input from theatre professionals, performers, and audiences. Writers should submit work they are comfortable revising and developing as part of an ensemble-driven creative process.

At the conclusion of the program, 3-4 plays will be selected for full production.

Submission Requirements

• Original one-act plays only
• Maximum of 15 minutes/15 Pages in length
• Plays should be able to be performed in a small 60 seat Black Box Theater
• Plays must be written specifically for the assigned Square One theme
• Playwrights retain full intellectual property rights to their final script
• 1 submission per playwright
• Plays may only be 2-5 actors (no one performer pieces, no more than 5 actors)
• ThemeA Light In The Dark
• Formatting Requirements12-point Times New Roman or Courier
• Single-spaced
• Character names in ALL CAPS above dialogue
• Standard play formatting and pagination
• 1-inch margins (1.5-inch left margin preferred)

May 18 through June 30
Selection Period

June 30 through July 25
10 plays selected for development
Phase One: Development Lab

August through 1st Week of November

This phase will alternate between:
• Writing and revision weeks
• Actor reading/workshop weeks

***PLAYWRIGHTS MUST BE AVAILABLE to meet 2-3 times a month in the evenings, August – October

The process culminates in a public staged reading of all 10 selected plays in the 1st Week of November.
Final Selection

Following the staged readings, 3 finalist plays will be selected for continued development and production.

Phase Two: Production Sprint

January through 1st Week of AprilFinal script revisions with playwrights
• Directors begin staging and rehearsals
• Full productions mounted for performance
Final Performances

Tentatively scheduled for 1st Week of April

Woodward/Newman Award 2027/28

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

The Woodward/Newman Award is an exclusive honor offered by Constellation Stage & Screen, started through the support of Joanne Woodward, Newman’s Own Foundation, and the Newman family, celebrating Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward’s tremendous history of work on stage and screen. It presents the best unpublished play of the year with a cash prize of $3,000 and a full production as part of Constellation’s Mainstage season.

Please note that there are significant changes to our submission and selection process from previous years. In order to make the Woodward/Newman Award accessible to all, we have eliminated submission fees as well as the contest format. The Woodward/Newman Award will continue to be awarded to an unpublished new play once per year and come with a $3,000 cash prize and a full production. 

Submissions will be accepted and reviewed by our literary team on an ongoing basis, and will be considered for the award as well as for all 7 production slots in our season. So a play that is not selected for the Woodward/Newman slot in our season, may still be considered and selected for production. 

This will allow us to now accept open submissions for all types of plays (including TYA shows). Plays submitted by midnight, August 31st, 2026 will be considered for the 2027-28 season, while plays submitted beyond that date will be considered for the 2028-29 Season. All submissions will be kept on file for 2 years after submission.

If you have questions regarding submissions to the Constellation Stage & Screen, please contact the Literary Manager at literary@seeconstellation.org.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

We are currently accepting submissions for the 2027-28 Woodward/Newman Award. The award recipient will be announced by May 15, 2027. 

The winner will be awarded $3,000 and a full production.“Full-length” plays should have a complete running time of between 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes) to 2 hours 15 minutes (135 minutes). TYA shows should have a complete running time of over 40 minutes.

Plays submitted must be unpublished at the time of submission (independently published is acceptable).
Each play should be individually submitted at the following link: CONSTELLATION STAGE & SCREEN PLAY SUBMISSION.

You will be asked to submit your play as an attachment and all other information (bio, history, synopsis, character breakdown) will be entered into a form. Musical submissions may upload demos as an attachment or include a link to a shared folder.

Limit of 2 play submissions per year.

$3,000 cash prize is in lieu of royalties for the full production. Housing & transportation will also be provided.

Any unpublished play submitted to Constellation regardless of method (e.g. online form, agent submission, direct contact) may be considered for the Woodward/Newman Award.

Please note that we are moving away from a “finalists” model in lieu of keeping all plays under consideration for extended periods (2yrs). We will only announce a winner.

If you have any questions, please email literary@seeconstellation.org.

Script Consulting for Stage Plays and Musicals with Arianna Rose

In need of a pair of eyes on your stage script as you prepare for or continue with rewrites? Desire assistance with structure, character arcs, dialogue or plot? The play doctor is IN! I’ve helped playwrights and musical theatre writers with their scripts of all lengths.

“Arianna provided terrific advice as dramaturg on my new full-length drama… She was thoughtful and professional… Her comments were astute, perceptive and creative, and she never held back from challenging me in a positive manner… Her analysis has been rich and in depth…Long after I received her report, I continue to reflect on her analysis and be enriched by it.” 

            - Elan Garonzik, playwright

“Arianna!!!! Thank you so much. Genius. This is exactly the type of feedback and actionable brainstorming I was hoping for. I truly appreciate your thorough and thoughtful work. My mind is already drumming up ways to “show, not tell” this story…I'm going to spend some super quality time with your write-up and notes.”

~ Karen Campion, Award-winning Playwright and Screenwriter

“…[Arianna] excels in the kind of focused dramaturgy that supports AND stimulates a writer’s process. She is completely adept at breaking down, honing-in, and explaining (with clarity) wherever there may be issues or problems in the story. Her skill at examining details is only exceeded by her innate ability to ask the right questions that stimulate a writer to find and understand their path to making rewrites/corrections that stay true to their own style and voice… She IS the real thing!”

~ Jack G Hyman, playwright, author, actor, musical theatre writer

MY CREDENTIALS

• M.F.A., NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
• Alumna, BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop
• Member, LMDA (Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas)
• Playwriting Instructor: Dramatists Guild Institute, PlayPenn Theatre.
• Dramaturg: “Plays in Progress” program for plays and musicals, Dramatists Guild
• Founder & Moderator, Plays on Purpose/New Musicals (Weekly Stage Writers Group)

MY RATES

I offer a discount to current Dramatists Guild members or South Florida Theatre League members, and the rates for short plays include rewrites. You can find my current rates, code of ethics, dramaturgical process, more testimonials and a contact form on my website page:

http://ariannarose.net/dramaturg-for-hire

You can also email me at rockawayrose@gmail.com I look forward to helping you with your play or musical!

Axis Review seeks plays

Instagram

Deadline:  June 10, 2026 at 11:59pm EDT

SUBMIT VIA GOOGLE FORMS

Restrictions: For writers identifying as female or living in a feminized body.

Axis Review is a new literary magazine centering female and feminized bodies. We are currently accepting submissions for our inaugural Summer 2026 issue! We are looking for poetry, fiction (short fiction, flash fiction, plays), nonfiction (personal essay, cultural critique, scientific essay), and visual art (illustration, photography, mixed media, digital art, and more), particularly work that reflects an element of our mission statement: “Where the body sits at an axis. Where the intimate becomes political, the private becomes public, and the scientific becomes poetic.

There’s something for everyone at the Playwrights Group

There’s something for everyone at TPG!

Script Consultations

If have a script you want feedback on — just send a PDF of your script and you’ll get a critique via email and/or video conference. See website for rates.

Richard Caliban has worked with individuals on their scripts from all over the world — Indonesia, China, Greece, Australia, Serbia, as well as right here in New York. A script consultation will provide you with feedback on the structural soundness of your story, the dramatic arc of your protagonist, thematic unity and much more.

Online One-on-One Courses

If you’re looking for more, check out our One on One Online Playwriting Courses:

• The Art of Playwriting
• Write a Play in 10 Weeks
• 3 Hour Short Course

All are with instructor Richard Caliban, and since it’s One on One, the courses can be adjusted to fit your level of experience.

The Weekly Workshop

Join our nationwide community of playwrights on Zoom. It’s a great way to stay connected and motivated.

Participating in a weekly workshop can give you the kick you need to see your script through from beginning to end. You can bring in anything you’re working on — a full length script, a musical, a TV pilot, whatever. And when your script is ready — we’ll present it in a Public Reading. We also bring in Guest Speakers, like Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret Edson (Wit).

Sit in on a session and see for yourself!

Thursdays 7 - 9:30pm EST

Please visit our website for further Info and Rates: 

www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

Contact us at 

scripts@theplaywrightsgroup.com

San Miguel de Allende Diez Minutos Festival 2026 seeks 10-minute plays

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Deadline:  June 30, 2026 midnight Central Time

Only the first 100 plays entered are guaranteed to be considered. 

Please email your submission to: diezminutosfestival@gmail.com. Any inquiries should be sent to the same address.

The San Miguel de Allende Diez Minutos Festival is very happy to be back after a 4-year hiatus. 

The plays will be fully staged and performed in the Santa Ana theatre in the centro historico of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in January of 2027.  

There is no fee for submitting. The audiences will vote on their favorite play. The winner will be given $50 USD as a prize, the second favorite $30 USD and the third, $20 USD. 

Each playwright whose script is selected and performed will receive two complimentary tickets to the production.

Submission Guidelines

Players Workshop may delete, without reading, any submission that does not comply with these rules. 

Only one play may be submitted per entrant. Send us your best!

Only the first 100 plays entered are guaranteed to be considered.

The theme of this year’s festival is: SMALL SPACES.

There must be no nudity, and suitability for performance before a general adult audience will be a factor in selection. No musicals or children’s plays, please.

The play must be submitted by email, as an attached PDF file, with a separate PDF listing playwright information. No Word files or other formats will be accepted.

We’re asking for blind submissions again this year; your name must not appear on the script. The second PDF shall include all contact information for the playwright, including name, address, telephone number and email address on a separate title page.

The script must be in standard play format, with a title page, a character listing, the setting, props, and any technical requirements or other production considerations.

The two PDF files should be titled "Submission [Name Of Play]” and "Title Page [Name Of Play].”

The play must be in English and no longer than 10 pages in standard format, with a calculated running time of no less than eight minutes and no more than twelve minutes.

Submission period opens on June 1, 2026. Entries must be received prior to midnight U.S. Central Standard Time, June 30, 2026. No late submissions will be accepted because of transmission problems.

The play must be unpublished but may have had previous productions. If the play has had previous productions, a production history must be included with the submission of the title page. The submitting playwright must own all rights to the play.

Selection of plays will be at the absolute discretion of the judges. Selection of a play does not guarantee production. Producers may decline to produce a selected play because of casting, directing or any other consideration.

Notification is expected to be made no later than October 1, 2026. Only playwrights whose plays have been selected for performance during the festival will receive notification of acceptance. Playwrights whose plays were received in the first 100 submitted will receive first-round notification. Producers reserve the right to consider additional plays not received in the first 100.

Plays are restricted to 4 or fewer characters. Small casts are preferable, as the stage size is modest, with minimal set, props, sound cues, and costuming.

Our talent pool is composed mostly of actors aged 40 and older. This will be a factor in selection.

Entering playwrights grant the producers of Diez Minutos permission to perform the play a maximum of twelve times during the Diez Minutos festival, and to make as many copies of the script as are necessary for production. All other rights remain with the playwright.

Thanks, in advance, for helping us to make Diez Minutos 2026 a great success. We look forward to reading your entry.

Players Workshop
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Fairy Tale Review seeks plays for Volume 23

Website

Deadline: June 16, 2026 3AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Fairy Tale Review invites submissions for consideration by the editors for Volume 23, which will be published in Spring 2027.

We can consider up to 30 manuscript pages. 

Submissions can include a single work or multiple complete works. 

You will be asked to designate a genre when you submit. Y

ou may submit in multiple genres, but please only submit once to each genre. 

We prefer Word documents; please include page numbers. A cover sheet with titles is helpful if the document includes multiple works. If your work has special formatting needs to appear on the page as intended, please submit both a Word document and a PDF. 

We consider all styles and genres: prose fiction, verse fiction, memoir, essay, craft essay, creative scholarship, poetry, not to mention work that does not fall neatly into any category (go ahead and pick the closest genre on Submittable; we’re used to seeing unusual work). 

We would love to see some graphic novel excerpts or stories, comics, and plays.

The script doctor is in the house! 🩷

Award-winning bicoastal playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering her coveted script doctoring services online, for a limited time. 

Whether you are a producer with a screenplay/series that needs reworking, a fiction writer in need of inspiration, or a playwright with a new play, Sarah is here to help you take your script to the next level. Many clients that have worked with Sarah have won major awards in film festivals as well as prestigious theatrical opportunities.

Visit Sarah's website to connect with her.

Script Services:

• Help clients get “out of their own way” and fully realize their work and writing potential
• Offer rewrite suggestions 
• Punch up jokes and humor
• Improve confidence 
• Fine-tune material to hook a reader’s interest
• Assist in finding submission and publication opportunities as needed
• Marketing strategy help 

Bio

Sarah Congress is a playwright and script doctor with LA representation. Her play "Last Sunrise" was produced by Nylon Fusion for their Gilded Age/Cage Festival at TADA Theatre (June, 2025). "Last Sunrise" was presented with writers John Patrick Shanley, Lyle Kessler, and Migdalia Cruz. Sarah’s play “Delulu” was a semifinalist for Centre Stage's 23rd Annual New Play Festival (1 of 40 plays from 800 submissions). "Delulu" was read at the Episcopal Actors' Guild October 2025 and published by Feels Blind Literary and read at AWP 2026. She co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You!" which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival. Her play “Overdose” won 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwrights Horizons.

Teaching Experience

Sarah has taught writing classes for the Hoboken Historical Museum, Project Write Now, The Knowledge Project, RTA and the Hudson Valley Writers Center - as well as private teaching.

Testimonials - many clients find that working with Sarah is like "therapy"

"Sarah Congress is a wonderful teacher. She's supportive, intuitive, knowledgeable about writing and the landscape of theatre, film and TV. She asks the right questions, gives great notes and the sessions are enjoyable and productive. If you want to take your writing to the next level I can't think of a better coach/script doctor. The sessions fly by but the lessons you learn endure. She's great."

~ Jeff Perlman, Playwright & Non-profit CEO

"I had a breakthrough in my playwriting after working with Sarah. Her coaching made me realize I had the bad habit of undermining the power of my words.. I saw that after she pointed out one line in my play BIG FAT BABY IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS which I went on to rewrite immediately and submitted for a serious Playwrights Fellowship. Just yesterday I heard from the UCROSS Foundation that I am the Alternate Fellow in the event one of the winners cannot attend in Spring 2025. I am honored to be acknowledged for the Fellowship and thank Sarah for her important coaching. Sarah will have you grow as a playwright/screenwriter in front of her eyes."

~ Tino Juarez, Playwright

"Sarah is a wonderful coach and mentor. She is tough and challenging and fun and really pushes me as a writer into places I didn’t know I was able to go. I have learned so much working with Sarah, not just as a writer, but also as a teacher, as I transition from novelist to playwright. I could not give a higher recommendation working with her. But I assure you, if I could, I would."

~ Jon Papernick, Novelist and Assistant Professor at Emerson College

IATI Theater seeks submissions for the 2027 Cimientos Season - CONVOCATORIA PARA OBRAS TEATRALES

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CONVOCATORIA PARA OBRAS TEATRALES - Las instrucciones también están disponibles en español (desplácese hacia abajo).

Submissions are only accepted through the electronic form–see link below. Make sure to read guidelines before completing the submission form. For more information: iatitheater.org or contact: guillermo@iatitheater.org.

Cimientos is IATI Theater’s Play Development Program. We provide playwrights the opportunity to develop new, never-before produced plays through a community of cutting-edge theater artists. Through the PPP* and SRP*, Cimientos amplifies as clearly as possible the voice of the playwright who lays the foundation from which the work emerges. Like IATI Theater, Cimientos is committed to supporting playwrights and works that challenge convention and explore the avant-garde spirit of IATI’s Vanguardia.

Submissions that do not adhere to the following guidelines will not be reviewed.

1. The online form is the only method of submission. No submissions will be accepted via email. Once submitted, no changes can be made. Please ensure to submit the correct file. The submission button will be active during June.

2. This program is open to authors from anywhere in the world with original works in English or Spanish who are interested in feedback from a New York audience.

3. The playwright must commit to take part in the PPP (Playwrights Peer Panel) meetings, which will be held online. The PPP will meet for ten (10) consecutive weeks during December 2026 - February 2027.

4. The playwright must commit to participate in their post-reading talk-back, either in person or video conference. Staged readings will take place at our theater space in the East Village in July 2027.

5. Applicant must be the original creator of the submitted work and the sole owner of its rights. By submitting their work, applicants grant IATI Theater permission to use the submitted material for the Cimientos Program.

6. The submission must be a completed, new, full-length play that has not had a previous professional production. If the play has undergone a workshop, staged reading or development of any kind, the playwright must state so on the online form. We encourage plays in an early stage of development.

7. Submissions must be unpublished work. Published plays in any format are not acceptable.

8. Only one play may be submitted per playwright, per season.

9. Scripts must be between 45–90 minutes in length.

10. The play must have five (5) actors or less. Plays with more than five characters must include a clear doubling plan demonstrating how the play can be performed by five actors or fewer. It must be clearly expressed on the online form.

11. The playwright’s name(s) or identifying information must not appear anywhere within the script, file name, or document metadata. Cimientos reads submissions “blind,” in an effort to let the quality of the work speak for itself and to keep our judging process as equitable as possible.

12. All documents must be submitted in PDF format. Other formats will not be accepted.

13. Submissions for the 2027 Season will only be accepted from June 1 to June 30, 2026.

TO SUBMIT

https://www.iatitheater.org/cimientos

Cimientos 2027 will consist of two main components:

◆ PPP (Playwrights Peer Panel): Playwrights accepted to the program and IATI Theater’s artistic staff will converge in workshop meetings to discuss the new works that make up the particular season. Every meeting will be dedicated to a single playwright in the program, the focus being in further advancing the text before it is presented in front of a live audience. These meetings will be held online.

◆ SRP (Staged Reading Presentation): Each playwright in the program will be given the opportunity to present their play in a directed, professionally acted staged reading. Thus, the piece will be exposed to a receptive audience that further develops the featured script through a post-reading talkback. The staged reading will take place in person in our theater in New York City.


CONVOCATORIA PARA OBRAS TEATRALES

Del 1 de junio al 30 de junio de 2026, IATI Theater acepta obras teatrales para su programa Cimientos 2027. Los envíos de obras teatrales solo se pueden hacer a través del formulario electrónico en el enlace abajo en este documento.

Asegúrese de leer las instrucciones antes de completar el formulario. Para más información consulte iatitheater.org o contáctese a través del siguiente email: guillermo@iatitheater.org.

Cimientos es un programa de desarrollo de obras teatrales llevado a cabo por IATI Theater que brinda la oportunidad de desarrollar obras nunca producidas a través de una comunidad de artistas de vanguardia. A través de nuestras sesiones de laboratorio (PPP)* y las lecturas dramatizadas (SRP)*, Cimientos amplifica la voz creativa de quien escribe, la cual consideramos la base fundamental de toda obra teatral. Al igual que IATI Theater, Cimientos se compromete a apoyar a las obras que impulsen las convenciones y exploren la vanguardia teatral.

INSTRUCCIONES DE PARTICIPACIÓN

La participación es gratuita

Las obras teatrales que no cumplan con los siguientes requisitos no serán evaluadas.

1. El formulario en línea en la página de IATI es el único método de envío. El sistema estará activo durante el mes de junio. Una vez enviada la obra, no pueden hacerse cambios. Por favor asegúrese de colocar el archivo correcto. No se aceptarán obras por email.

2. Este programa está abierto a personas de cualquier parte del mundo con textos originales en inglés o español que quieran exponer su trabajo a la audiencia de Nueva York.

3. La persona participante debe comprometerse a asistir a las reuniones de laboratorio o PPP (Playwrights Peer Panel),

las cuales se darán por videoconferencia. Las sesiones de PPP se realizarán durante diez (10) semanas consecutivas

entre diciembre 2026 y febrero 2027.

4. La persona participante debe comprometerse a asistir a la conversación con el público posterior a la lectura dramatizada de su obra, ya sea en persona o por videoconferencia. Las lecturas tendrán lugar en nuestro espacio teatral en el East Village de Manhattan en julio 2027.

5. La persona participante debe ser la autora original del trabajo presentado y la única propietaria de sus derechos. Alenviar su trabajo, se otorga permiso a IATI Theater de usar el material presentado para el programa Cimientos 2027.

6. La obra debe estar completa y no debe tener una producción profesional previa. Si la obra ha participado en talleres, lecturas dramatizadas o procesos de desarrollo de cualquier tipo, se debe indicar en el formulario en línea. Las obras en primeras etapas de desarrollo son bienvenidas.

7. La obra enviada debe ser inédita, no debe estar publicada en ningún formato.

8. Solo se puede presentar una obra por participante, por temporada.

9. La obra dramática debe tener entre 45 y 90 minutos de duración.

10. La obra debe requerir cinco (5) actores o menos. Aquellas que tengan más de 5 personajes y puedan ser interpretadas por 5 actores o menos requerirá una explicación en el formulario. Las obras de más de 5 personajes sin explicación precisa no serán evaluadas.

11. No debe existir en ninguna parte del texto, nombre del archivo o metadatos del documento ninguna información de autoría o identificatoria. Cimientos evalúa las obras “a ciegas”, en un esfuerzo por dejar que la calidad del trabajo hable por sí misma y por mantener el proceso de evaluación lo más equitativo y transparente posible.

12. Todos los documentos deben presentarse en formato PDF. Aquellas obras enviadas en otros formatos no serán evaluadas.

13. Los envíos para la temporada 2027 solo se aceptarán del 1 de junio al 30 de junio de 2026.

PARA ENVIAR:

https://www.iatitheater.org/cimientos

El programa Cimientos 2027 constará de dos componentes principales:

◆ PPP (Playwrights Peer Panel): Lxs autorxs aceptadxs en el programa y el staff artístico de IATI Theater se reunirán en sesiones de laboratorio para discutir las nuevas obras que componen la temporada. Cada reunión estará dedicada a una sola obra del programa, con el interés de desarrollar aún más el texto antes de que se presente frente a un público en vivo. Las reuniones se darán de forma virtual en un horario a convenir.

◆ SRP (Staged Reading Presentation): cada dramaturgx en el programa tendrá la oportunidad de presentar su obra enuna lectura dramatizada dirigida y actuada profesionalmente por artistas de la ciudad de Nueva York. Posteriormente, la obra estará expuesta a un público local con el que se tendrá una conversación en vivo para continuar desarrollando el texto. La lectura dramatizada será en persona y tendrá lugar en nuestro teatro localizado en el East Village (Manhattan) en la ciudad de Nueva York.

CALL FOR AFRICAN PLAYWRIGHTS

Website

Deadline: June 7, 2026

APPLY BY EMAIL volunteer@afri-kana.org
Please note, this is not a volunteer position. That is simply the email we are using to receive submissions.

Afrikana is seeking African immigrant / first generation playwrights to submit scenes, monologues, short plays, or full-length works for an upcoming production centered on the immigrant experience.

All stories are welcome! The majority of the script must be in English, but multilingual stories and scripts are accepted and celebrated.

The final piece will be produced and brought to life on stage as part of a larger fundraising production supporting Afrikana’s mission and its goal of raising $1 million in seed capital to establish an endowment fund.

ABOUT AFRIKANA
Afrikana supports New York’s newest and oldest residents. We specifically focus on Black, Arab, and Muslim arrivals who face significant barriers to accessing services, including legal, shelter, workforce, and benefit assistance.

Subject Line: SCRIPT SUBMISSION 2026
Name:
Title of Play:
Genre:
Summary: 200 words maximum
*Link to Excerpt (Google Docs PDF):
Link to Script (Google Docs PDF):
Tell Us About Yourself: Optional, 100 words maximum

*For scripts longer than 10 pages, please include a separate PDF with a 10-page excerpt.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
Scripts should be formatted in 12-point Arial font with 1.5 line spacing. All pages must be numbered in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the Title Page as page 1. Please include a list of characters on page 2, as well as any additional contextual information you wish to share.

PAY
Selected playwright(s) will receive a stipend; details provided upon selection.

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature seeks one-act and full-length plays from current or former citizens of the Philippines

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026

ONE-ACT ENTRY FORM

FULL-LENGTH ENTRY FORM

In the ONE-ACT PLAY/DULANG MAY ISANG YUGTO categories, an entry must be of sufficient length to approximate a performance time of forty-five (45) minutes and must include a separate one-page synopsis.

The theme is open and free.

7. In the FULL-LENGTH PLAY/DULANG GANAP ANG HABA categories, an entry must consist of two (2) or more acts and must include a separate one-page synopsis.

All entries MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE through the official CPMA website: www.palancaawards.com.ph –

please follow the instructions under the Contest page. Printed and/or email submissions WILL NOT BE

ACCEPTED.

F. ENTRY CONDITIONS

1. Authors may submit only one (1) entry per category; however, they may submit entries across multiple categories, provided that each entry is distinct.

2. An entry or excerpt thereof, may only be submitted in one (1) category and may not be entered in any other category.

3. A translation of an entry submitted in one (1) division shall not be eligible in any other division.

4. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest before 12:00 M.N. of 30 June 2026 is not qualified for the awards.

5. Published/produced works which were first published or first produced between 01 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, and/or unpublished/unproduced works, may be entered in the contest. However, for the Novel and Nobela categories, which are opened every other year, authors may submit either published or unpublished works, provided that published entries were first published between 01 June 2024 and 30 June 2026. 

AWARDS

One-act plays

First prize 18,000
Second prize 12,000
Third prize 9,000

Full-length Plays

First prize 21,000
Second prize 14,000
Third prize 9,000

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards) was established in 1950 to commemorate the memory of Carlos Palanca, Sr. through an endeavor that would promote education and culture in the country.

The Palanca Awards aims to develop Philippine Literature in the following manner:By providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary works;
By being a treasury of the Philippine’s literary gems from our gifted writers; and
To assist in their eventual dissemination to our people, particularly students.

In 1950, the Palanca Awards called on Filipino fictionists to weave their best short story in either English or Filipino.

MORE CONTEST RULES

Showpeople Theatre Collective’s Inaugural Theatre Festival

Website

Deadline: June 20, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

SHOWPEOPLE THEATRE COLLECTIVE INC. is currently seeking new works by emerging artists for its first-ever theatre festival, to play in Long Island City, Queens, this coming December.

We will be selecting two plays or musicals to take part in the inaugural Showpeople Theatre Festival, performing on a weekday during the first week of December.

What Do You Get?

Two performance slots: 3 PM - 6 PM and 7 PM- 10 PM at a theatre in Long Island City, Queens

Tech rehearsal space from 9 AM - 2 PM (5 hours) the same day as your performance

40% of your ticket sales, meaning you’ll get $12 per ticket sold!

A Showpeople liaison during both your tech and your shows, who will also act as an usher

There are NO submission or performance fees

What Do You Bring?

Your show! (~120 minutes as a soft maximum run time)

Your cast

Your crew, including (as needed) a technician(s), stage manager, stagehands, musicians, etc.

Any costumes, props, or set pieces you need (there will be an additional timeslot on Monday, November 30th, 2026 when you can bring these over to the theatre to save you tech time)

Additional Things to Know

Solo shows and two-handers may be less likely to be chosen as we want to provide this opportunity to as many theatremakers as possible. Showpeople is all about big shows done simply

We may be less inclined to choose shows requiring substantial nudity or realistic looking weaponry. Any weapons used must be safe and clearly props (no sharp edges, no glass, no heavy metals, etc.)

Showpeople has a history of primarily supporting musical theatre, but straight plays will be given equal consideration

We will consider potential conflicts when deciding which slot your show gets Tuesday through Thursday, but it is ultimately up to the discretion of the Showpeople Theatre Festival coordinators

If chosen, consider your expenses before accepting admission into the festival. Showpeople Theatre Collective is not able to provide any funds for actors, crew, costumes, set, etc. (that being said, much great theatre can be done with minimal bells and whistles!)

You will have no rehearsal time in the space before your tech day of, so try to dry run your show in a similarly sized rehearsal room to make the transition as easy as possible

As mentioned above, your show’s performance will be given two three-hour time slots. The shows we’re producing in-house are all 120 minutes or less, so aim for this as a limit. This DOES NOT mean you absolutely can’t perform a longer show, but timing must be considered. For practical purposes, any show that seems like it may run too long for the time slot will be rejected

Intermissions are allowed

Plays do NOT need to be NYC or world premieres

No pieces under 60 minutes will be considered

Deadline is June 20th, and selected plays will hear by July 1st

2027 Open Stage Space Grant

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

2027 Open Stage Space Grant Application Form.

For over 100 years, EAG has provided emergency financial aid and career support to New York City’s professional performing artists. We take pride in our ongoing effort to find new ways to support our vibrant performing arts community. Understanding how challenging it is for emerging theatre companies to find affordable space for creating work in NYC, we introduced the Open Stage space grant in 2017. With Open Stage, we can support theatre companies by giving them an opportunity to create and present work without the challenges that come with finding and maintaining affordable space.

When a NYC theatre company is awarded an Open Stage grant, they will receive:

• a $6,000 credit to be used towards booking up to 80 hours in our historic theatre space at our EAG member rate of $75/hour during a two-month residency at Guild Hall (1 East 29th Street, NYC 10016),
• $1,000 from EAG's Teri Black Performance Fund to be used towards performer/director stipends, AND
• limited additional funding (amount TBD) for some specific line items in their production budgets thanks to NYSCA and NYC's DCLA. 
• During a grantee's residency, they can use their time booked in Guild Hall to meet, develop, devise, rehearse, tech, and perform the piece of their choosing. Each residency must culminate with 4-8 ticketed public performances in Guild Hall. The gross proceeds from these performances will be split evenly between the grant recipient and the charitable programs of EAG. 

All applicants are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with our unique space before applying (www.actorsguild.org/rent-our-space). If you have not been to Guild Hall before and would like to see it in person, please call or email us and we will be happy to schedule an appointment for a walk through.

This year, we are accepting applications for ONE Winter 2027 (January/February) Open Stage grant and ONE Summer 2027 (July/August) Open Stage grant.

For our 2027 Open Stage grants, EAG is specifically looking to support NYC theatre companies that are seeking a residency to present:

• a staged reading of a new/original work with a larger cast,
• a developmental workshop of a new/original work with a smaller cast, OR
• a more fully realized production of a new/original solo show or two-hander.
• After several years of offering Open Stage grants, we believe that these options for the scale of a piece/presentation provide the most flexibility to grantees to successfully develop and explore a new work in our unique space while making mindful use of everyone's time and paying everyone equitably.

What makes for a successful Open Stage application?

A strong mission,
A demonstrated need,
A commitment to equitable pay for artists, AND
A demonstrated ability to achieve stated goals for the project (appropriate levels of staffing and funding to see the proposed project through, etc.)
You can preview the questions asked on this year's application here. All applications must be submitted online through this form in order to be considered for this opportunity.


TIMELINE
Application due: Sunday, May 31, 2026. No applications will be accepted after the deadline.
Finalist Interviews (in person at Guild Hall): The week of July 6, 2026.
Announcement of grant recipients: The week of July 13, 2026.

Unstaged Magazine is seeking experimental 1-minute plays, monologues

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 at midnight

To submit, send your work and a short bio to submissions@unstagedmagazine.org

Unstaged Magazine is seeking experimental 1-minute plays, monologues, poems, stories and other theatrical moments for publication in our upcoming themed-edition.

On the Theme: Burn This Script

The theme is fire. What do you see when you stare into it? Fire in the landscape, and the ghost stories we tell while burning our marshmallows.

Erasure. Censorship. The melting of ICE.

I read somewhere that pamphlets used to fall from the sky. Ironically, these were missives from the underground. Reading them could get you expelled from any decent school. What was in those pamphlets?

When my mother was just a child, their apartment on Main Street was caught in a terrible fire. I think about this more often than necessary. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Fires happen. Once, I showed up to the aftermath of a house fire with another Red Cross volunteer. It was this family standing in the street and their life had turned to carbon and all we could give them was a blanket, a stack of phone numbers, and a few hundred dollars cash. That one was somebody’s fault. Actually, it was the son’s off-brand hoverboard that had basically exploded. This is a true story.

You can’t fire me, I quit.

Remember HTML message boards, back when the internet wasn’t trying to kill everybody? Submit something anonymous if you want. Submit something.
The Finer Details


We only publish unproduced work, but will consider a piece that's been workshopped or read. We prioritize short-form originals but will consider excerpts on a case-by-case basis.

We’re looking for a page or two, maybe 500 words max. The shorter the piece, the better the chances of publication, but feel free to send longer work if you truly can’t help yourself and we’ll see what we can do.

We can’t pay contributors yet, but we’re working on it. We’d be happy to offer other forms of support for contributors like beta reading or promoting your other projects on social. Let’s talk.

Submission Deadline: when the clock strikes midnight on May 31st, 2026 our submission window turns back into a pumpkin.

Seeking Ten-Minute Science Fiction Plays

Website

Deadline: July 15, 2026

In one document, please send:

• A PDF or Word document of your play with a logline, short summary, and production history 

• A brief playwright bio (no more than 100 words)

• Playwright contact information

• Email submissions to: futureworksplays@gmail.com

• Subject Line: Future Works Submission – [Playwright Last Name]

With the rising popularity of science fiction in popular media and theatre, submissions are now open for Future Works: Ten-Minute Science Fiction Plays, a new anthology of short science fiction plays. The anthology is slated for publication by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2027.

This collection will gather 20-25 of the best performance-ready ten-minute plays exploring the possibilities of science fiction for the stage. With the success of plays like The Nether by Jennifer Haley, Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play by Anne Washburn and Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison, science fiction has proved it can be a rich landscape for theatrical exploration. From intelligence and climate collapse to alien contact and time travel, this anthology seeks to highlight the ways science fiction playwrights engage with contemporary questions through speculative storytelling and theatrical invention.

Possible Themes and Subgenres:

• Artificial Intelligence / Robots

• Time Travel

• Alien Life / First Contact

• Space Exploration / Space Adventure

• Space Opera

• Climate Futures / Environmental Collapse

• Virtual Reality / Simulations

• Dystopian or Utopian Societies

• Cybernetics / Human Enhancement

• Genetic Engineering / Cloning

• Post-Apocalyptic Survival

• Futurism / Speculative Technologies

• Alternate Histories

• And beyond

A wide variety of writing styles are welcome, including dramas, comedies, absurdist plays, and experimental works.

Please Note - What we are NOT Looking For:
This anthology is specifically seeking science fiction plays. We welcome a wide range of theatrical styles and approaches; however, submissions should engage meaningfully with science fiction concepts generally based in imagined science, technology, or societies.

Please do NOT submit:
• Fantasy plays centered on systems of magic, wizards, mythical creatures, or supernatural occurrences/quests
• Horror plays without a clear science fiction framework (i.e.: hauntings, demonic possession, purge-like scenarios)
• Fan-fiction or fandom-culture inspired works
• Medieval fantasy, high fantasy, or fairy tale adaptations
• Supernatural stories that do not meaningfully engage with speculative science or futurism

If you have any questions, or need further clarification, please don't hesitate to email futureworksplays@gmail.com

• Plays should be approximately 10 minutes in length (no longer than 11 pages).
• Plays should be submitted in standard play format. Other formats will be rejected.
• Submissions must be original plays (no adaptations of classic science fiction stories, please).
• Submissions CAN have received previous productions. Please include a production history with your submission.
• Playwrights may submit up to 2 plays for consideration.

Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence 2027

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

The Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence is awarded annually to one outstanding, early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes in the broad sense. This award is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a 2 - 5 week stay at Oak Spring. While at OSGF, the Fellow will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit our rare book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art.

OSGF intends to award the Fellowship to an exceptional artist whose works show remarkable promise to contribute to a deeper understanding of the natural world, and humankind’s place in it. The Fellow will be scheduled to visit when there are other Interdisciplinary Residents or Fellows on-site. This scheduling will allow the Fellow to join in communal meals, and optional activities and field trips with other artists, ecologists, researchers, or scholars working on projects related to OSGF’s mission. Beyond time devoted to their projects, a Fellow’s typical day at Oak Spring might include a walk to enjoy the landscape or birds; an appointment to visit the Oak Spring Library; and/or a morning spent volunteering at the BCCF or in the formal garden. These optional activities provide Fellows time to learn from, and interact with our staff. None of these activities are required, and we understand that some Fellows might want to spend most of their time in their writing or working independently. We support and enable Fellows to use their time as they best see fit.

At the culmination of their stay, we encourage, but don’t require, Fellows to give a 20 – 30 minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other Fellows, Residents, or program participants who might be on site.
Application Process

The application portal will open on February 14, 2026 and close on May 31st, 2026. Please note that there is one application for all of our 2027 Residency and Fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:

A resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages);

200 - 300-word statement describing your current body of work, creative projects, scholarship, or research.

200 - 300-word statement explaining why Oak Spring Garden Foundation and why now. Please consider how your work aligns with our mission.

200-word or less statement describing a time when you were part of a community. What role did you serve in the community, and what aspects of being in community did you enjoy the most?

Work samples.

For visual artists: 5 - 10 images, please include the dimensions, year, medium, and title of each work sample. 

For creative non-fiction, fiction, essayists, or other writers: 7 - 10 pages total that demonstrate your current interests. Please use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and double-space your writing sample. Do not include photocopies of published work, title pages, tables of contents or HYPERLINKS. Please be sure to state the genre of the work sample.
For time-based artists, including: filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and performance artists: 10 minutes cumulatively of work samples. OSGF encourages video files to be uploaded directly to Submittable, but when necessary, we also accept links to vimeo or other external sites as long as the appropriate passwords are provided.

For poets and playwrights: you may submit 7 - 10 pages total. Poetry may be spaced as needed, and scripts should follow standard script formatting.

NOTE: When applying to this Fellowship, you will be asked if you are interested in being considered for one of our other residencies, if you are not selected for the Fellowship. To learn more about our residencies, visit www.osgf.org/residencies.

Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2027. We will consider individuals with a proven track-record of professionalism, but who are yet under-recognized, as early-career. Eligible early-career applicants will have some recognition in the form of exhibitions, commissions, performances, grant awards, residencies, Fellowships and/or publications.

Individuals who have participated in an extensive number of solo exhibitions, or who have published a significant number of books will be considered established or late career, and are not eligible for the Eliza Moore Fellowship. We encourage those who are not eligible for this Fellowship to apply to the Interdisciplinary Residency.

The successful Fellow must be self-directed and able to work independently while on site. Applicants are expected to show dedication to their artistic practice, clear connection to the natural world in their work, exceptional promise, and good communication skills.
Dates

The $10,000 individual grant associated with this award can be put towards travel to and from OSGF, materials and supplies purchased for their residency, and other items that will support their work, before or after their stay at OSGF.

The selected Fellow should make travel arrangements to Dulles International Airport, where Oak Spring will arrange ground transportation for them to our estate in Upperville, VA. The Fellow will be housed in nicely appointed shared accommodations. The Fellow will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen with 1 – 3 other Residents or Fellows.

Ingram New Works Festival 26/27

Website

Deadline: June 26, 2026 at 5PM CDT

SUBMISSION FORM

Back by popular demand, Nashville Repertory Theatre is proud to welcome back the Ingram New Works Festival! Since 2009, the Ingram New Works Project has supported the development of over 70 plays, many of which have gone on to productions in New York and theaters across the country. This year’s festival features four original scripts, presented as professionally staged readings.

SEND

The first 15 pages of your script draft

If a musical, need to also submit 3 demos from the show, at any point

A Purpose Statement

Please answer the questions in the statement: Why are you submitting, what do you hope to gain? Where is the piece in development?

Statement should not exceed 2 pages double spaced.

A Bio from everyone on the creative statement

A synopsis of the play

You will be notified by email that we have received your application.  Finalists will be notified by email, and many finalists will be asked to take part in Zoom interviews.  

A public announcement of the 2025/26 Lab playwrights will be made in late July/early August.

Questions can be sent to Meg Sutherland, Company Manager at meg@nashvillerep.org

BREAK A LEG PRODUCTIONS annual One-Act Slam

Website

Deadline: June 1, 2026

Email scripts to plays.balproductions@gmail.com with the subject line "[PLAY TITLE] – [PLAYWRIGHT'S NAME]." 

This year's theme is NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: New York City (or tristate area) writers writing plays about the New York City experience. 

PLEASE INCLUDE ON THE COVER PAGE OF YOUR SCRIPT A SHORT PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOUR CONNECTION TO NEW YORK CITY.

Plays should run 15-20 minutes. The Slam will be on September 26th. 

The audience votes on their favorite short play, and the winner receives $100.

Only one submission per playwright, please. 

TIGER’S HEART PLAYERS' Mark McQuown Memorial Short Play Literary Competition seeks short plays

Facebook group

Deadline: when they receive 150 submissions

DO NOT SEND - THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR SUBMISSION LIMIT

Please submit your 10-15 minute plays (one only per playwright)


There is no theme.
There is no Submission Fee.
Be certain to paginate.

The file attachment should read: play title—whatever follows is unnecessary. (This conforms to our filing system).

Subject Line: SUBMISSION: THP/MARK
Please follow Dramatists Guild formats.

Please do include all your contact info on the title page. No need to “blind” the script. We intend to support playwrights, not simply plays.

If you’d like to submit a bio or cv in a separate attachment please feel free to do so.

1st Place Winner is Awarded $150
2nd Place Winner is Awarded $100
3rd Place Winner is Awarded $50

And there will be one or two Honorary Mentions

All will Receive Public Readings

On Zoom at a time TBD.

THP reserves the right not to award any prizes.

We would like to add that THP is seeking Readers for the Competition.

Please let us know if you are interested. At: Tigersheartplayers@gmail.com More details to follow]

Thank you.
Tiger’s Heart Players

North Park Playwrights Festival 2026 seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026

San Diego CA

 We ask that all submissions be sent to us via snail mail at the theater. 

Address is: North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe, 2031 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104, Attn Summer Golden, Artistic Director. 

Our goal in building the North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe was to provide a small theater to produce new, untested plays. In support of this goal we have produced the North Park Playwright Festival each October. The festival provides a platform for brand new, short (ten minute), plays written by playwrights from around the world. Over the past seventeen years more than 600 new plays have been produced. We encourage new directors and actors to become involved in theater through the festival as well. Through the North Park Playwright Festival over ninety playwrights, directors, and actors each year are able to showcase their talents. We invite interested playwrights to submit work to the festival. 

 Please follow the guidelines below.

1. Short new plays (no more than 12 pages, less is fine) that are easily staged and have casts with no more than four people. Our theater is very small and we normally use a minimal set concept in this festival. We have to be able to change sets in just a few minutes as we do six to seven plays each evening of the festival. We don't have space for large casts.

2. We request new work. A play that has had workshops or one or two previous productions is OK, but we are not interested in work that has been produced in numerous other places. Our goal in building the theater was to have a place to produce brand new work and let playwrights have a chance to see their work done for the first time.

3. We seek complete plays rather than excerpts from a larger work.

4. Work will be chosen by the directors we have in the festival. It is not a "contest" and we are not really judging plays in the formal sense. The directors choose the plays we will produce, within the production budget guidelines we give them.

5. Most subject matter is OK. We don't do nudity or off color humor.

6. We ask that all submissions be sent to us via snail mail at the theater. Address is: North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe, 2031 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104, Attn Summer Golden, Artistic Director. We have too much trouble with differing email, word processing, and computer platform issues to take them via email. Additionally, our selection process requires the directors read the plays submitted and the cost of printing all the plays we receive each year is prohibitive. Please insure submissions have a title page with complete contact information (including email), a character summary, and are in proper script form. There is no charge to enter. No need to go to the post office. You can just staple your play together, put in a business size envelope and drop in the mail. You can print on both sides if you want to save postage.

7. Submissions must be postmarked by June 30, 2026. Please do not send plays by any method that requires a signature from us. We are not often at the theater when delivery occurs. We will email notice of receipt to all playwrights submitting plays.

8. Send only one script. Multiple submissions do not increase chances of production.

General information:

We are trying to support new work and involve actors, playwrights, and directors of all experience levels. We have had a wide variety of artists involved from very experienced to first time directors and actors, to an 8 year old playwright (very short, well received play). We feel having a wide range of experience involved helps the new people learn from the more experienced.

We really appreciate your interest in our theater.

Jeff Bushnell and Summer Golden
North Park Vaudeville and Candy Shoppe
2031 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
www.northparkvaudeville.com

The Emerging Artists Theatre Spark Theatre Festival NYC

Website

Deadline: June 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM

SUBMISSION FORM

The Spark Theatre Festival NYC is a three-week festival of self-produced works at every stage of development. The Fall Spark Theatre 2026 festival will take place from Oct 5th to Oct 25th 2026 at the 28th Street Theatre.
 
For musical submissions, Emerging Artists is premiering a brand new festival just for musicals in November - the Spark Musical Theatre Festival. Details will be available soon.

Please fill out the information below. Your application will NOT be fully submitted unless all fields are complete.

Submissions are ONLY open for applicants in the Tri-State Area: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Please do not apply if you do not believe you can attract an audience to your performance. 

We will be breaking shows into two categories for the upcoming festival. Please pick the one that best fits what you want to present. Spark Theatre Festival will always remain a developmental new work festival. Your response will not affect your application.

EAT requires each piece to attract at least 1 paying person per minute of their show. For instance, if you have a 10-minute piece, you must have a minimum of 10 paying audience members. Artists who do not meet this requirement must pay for EAT’s portion of the audience guarantee. You can, however, use your box office share to fill in the deficit to EAT, or give a tax-deductible donation to make up the difference. The festival is here to provide artists who are ready to attract a paying audience a place to present their work. For example, a solo artist with a 60-minute show who sells 60 tickets, makes $600 for their hour-long performance, and EAT’s 50% portion of the box office is also $600 (a 50/50 split). If they only sell 30 tickets at $20 each, EAT’s guarantee remains and will keep the entire $600. If they sell zero tickets, the artist must pay the audicnce guarantiee to EAT, which would be $600 at the end of the evening.

Syracuse University New Voices/New Works 2027 seeks musicals for residency

Website

Deadline: June 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

SUBMISSION FORM

The Syracuse University Department of Drama is seeking submissions for its Spring 2027 New Works/New Voices (NW/NV) initiative.  NW/NV supports the development of musicals by writers and composers whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon. 

NW/NV is seeking completed musicals or musicals-in-progress from teams who are interested in developing their work with undergraduate BFA students.  One musical will be selected, to receive a two-week developmental reading in the Spring 2027 semester, directed and music directed by SU Drama faculty and performed by SU Drama students.  NW/NV is open to any writers and composers who feel their perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon.

All creative team members must be 18 years of age or older.

Applicants may submit more than one musical work for consideration.

Applicants may re-apply with works submitted in previous years but must include an explanation of any development and/or changes that have occurred since the prior year’s submission.

All creative team members must indicate their availability for an in-person residency in Syracuse from January 10-17, 2027, on their application.

Questions? Please email Kathleen Wrinn, artistic director of NW/NV and assistant professor of musical theater in the Department of Drama (kawrinn@syr.edu).

• The 2027 NW/NV selection will be developed and presented as part of the New Works/New Voices Festival of New Musicals.
• The work will be directed and music directed by Department of Drama faculty and performed by students in the B.F.A. musical theater and acting programs.
• Rehearsals begin January 5, 2027, with writing team members in residence beginning January 10, 2027.
• The work will receive two public staged reading presentations during the weekend of January 16-17, 2027, at the festival.
• Each presentation will be a maximum of 90 minutes to accommodate the festival schedule; for works exceeding this length, a 90-minute curated version will be developed during rehearsals.
• Presentations will be followed by facilitated audience talkbacks.

Creators must be in residence in Syracuse from January 10–17, 2027, and may be asked to participate virtually in rehearsals prior to arrival.
Travel to-and-from Syracuse and lodging in Syracuse will be provided.
Writing team members will be housed in a shared apartment with kitchen and laundry facilities, located just down the street from the Department of Drama, with off-street parking available.

The script doctor is in the house! 🩷

Award-winning bicoastal playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering her coveted script doctoring services online, for a limited time.

Whether you are a producer with a screenplay/series that needs reworking, a fiction writer in need of inspiration, or a playwright with a new play, Sarah is here to help you take your script to the next level. Many clients that have worked with Sarah have won major awards in film festivals as well as prestigious theatrical opportunities.

Visit Sarah's website to connect with her.

Script Services: 

• Help clients get “out of their own way” and fully realize their work and writing potential
• Offer rewrite suggestions 
• Punch up jokes and humor
• Improve confidence 
• Fine-tune material to hook a reader’s interest
• Assist in finding submission and publication opportunities as needed
• Marketing strategy help

Bio

Sarah Congress is a playwright and script doctor with LA representation. Her play "Last Sunrise" was produced by Nylon Fusion for their Gilded Age/Cage Festival at TADA Theatre (June, 2025). "Last Sunrise" was presented with writers John Patrick Shanley, Lyle Kessler, and Migdalia Cruz. Sarah’s play “Delulu” was a semifinalist for Centre Stage's 23rd Annual New Play Festival (1 of 40 plays from 800 submissions). "Delulu" was read at the Episcopal Actors' Guild October 2025 and published by Feels Blind Literary and read at AWP 2026. She co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You!" which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival. Her play “Overdose” won 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwrights Horizons.

Teaching Experience

Sarah has taught writing classes for the Hoboken Historical Museum, Project Write Now, The Knowledge Project, RTA and the Hudson Valley Writers Center - as well as private teaching.

Testimonials - many clients find that working with Sarah is like "therapy"

"Sarah Congress is a wonderful teacher. She's supportive, intuitive, knowledgeable about writing and the landscape of theatre, film and TV. She asks the right questions, gives great notes and the sessions are enjoyable and productive. If you want to take your writing to the next level I can't think of a better coach/script doctor. The sessions fly by but the lessons you learn endure. She's great."

~ Jeff Perlman, Playwright & Non-profit CEO

"I had a breakthrough in my playwriting after working with Sarah. Her coaching made me realize I had the bad habit of undermining the power of my words.. I saw that after she pointed out one line in my play BIG FAT BABY IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS which I went on to rewrite immediately and submitted for a serious Playwrights Fellowship. Just yesterday I heard from the UCROSS Foundation that I am the Alternate Fellow in the event one of the winners cannot attend in Spring 2025. I am honored to be acknowledged for the Fellowship and thank Sarah for her important coaching. Sarah will have you grow as a playwright/screenwriter in front of her eyes." 

 

~ Tino Juarez, Playwright

"Sarah is a wonderful coach and mentor. She is tough and challenging and fun and really pushes me as a writer into places I didn’t know I was able to go. I have learned so much working with Sarah, not just as a writer, but also as a teacher, as I transition from novelist to playwright. I could not give a higher recommendation working with her. But I assure you, if I could, I would."

~ Jon Papernick, Novelist and Assistant Professor at Emerson College