Eclectic Full Contact Theater Company 5th Annual Patchwork Play Festival

Website

Deadline: October 31, 2025

Email submissions to: Patchworkplayfest@gmail.com

The 5th Annual Patchwork Play Festival
A One-Act New Play Festival

To be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL.
Feb. 20, 2026 - March 1, 2026

We are currently accepting submissions of New One-Act Plays that embody this years theme of: Hope

Nine finalists will have their play produced in our festival. 

A $250 Award will be presented for best production as adjudicated by a panel of Chicago Theater professionals. 

​A $250 Audience Award will also be presented to the festival favorite as determined by our audiences.

Submission Requirements:​

• Play must be previously unproduced. (Staged Reading are fine)
• Play length not to exceed 30 minutes.
• Play must reflect the yearly theme. This years theme is: Hope
• Play must be received by October 31, 2025
• Playwrights cannot submit more than 2 scripts per year for Patchwork. If more than 2 scripts are submitted by the same playwright, we’ll pick 2 at random. Only one play per playwright may be featured per Patchwork Festival per season.
• Scripts cannot contain copyrighted music unless the playwright owns the music’s copyright, or has written permission from the music’s copyright owner.
• We are not accepting musicals at this time.

Midnight Sun Theatre's Serial Bowl seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: July 29, 2025

Anchorage Alaska 

Submit episodes electronically to dblock@midnightsuntheatre.org. 

Writers must include a “treatment” of how the work will be expanded in future episodes (No more than 250 words.) Please use Open Office, Microsoft Word or PDF format.

The mission of Serial Bowl is to produce well rehearsed performances of well written episodic one acts where writers have opportunities for rewrites and edits while collaborating with teams of Directors and Actors, with the possible end result of a much longer piece of work.

How Does Serial Bowl Work?

• Teams of a Writer, Director and Actors rehearse well written pieces of episodic theatre that have a tantalizing “hook” which provides for a later continuation of the piece.

• The “one acts” are produced and performed over the course of a Friday and Saturday night.

• Audience members vote on which pieces will move on to the following episode.

• Writers of episodes selected to return write the next installment of their piece.

• Repeat this process leading up to a final performance which will see the top two winning serials performed in totality with a concluding final scene.

How does a show move on?

• The audience will vote on the pieces they would like to see continue to the next event through an online application that audiences access via their phones at the conclusion of the full performance,

• Round 1: 6 - 8 short (12-15 minute) performances. Four will be selected to continue to

Round 2.

• Round 2: Four previous winners perform. Each piece is composed of the original episode from Round 1, plus an additional episode. Combined they should be 20- 30 Minutes. Two will be selected to continue to Round 3.

• Round 3: Two previous winners perform. Each is now 45-60 minutes long which includes all of the previous performance with a continuation that finalizes the work. The Audience will vote one last time, selecting the Serial Bowl Champion!

Writers

Submit a FIRST EPISODE using the following instructions. Subsequent episodes will be requested if your script is voted to continue.

The Basics

• The first Submission should be 12-15 minutes long.

• Limit your play to no more than 4 actors.

• Scenes should anticipate very simple technical requirements - Props should be simple and few. VERY few. “Costume” should be limited to modern day clothing, other clothing actors might own personally or an extremely limited number of costume elements that might be added for effect (a crown, animal ears, etc) but NOT full costuming. Staging will allow for a table and chairs and two entrances. Do not expect anything more than a rep light hang (wash and 1-2 center specials) with no color options. Sound effects should be limited. This should be about the writing and acting, not tech.

• Your piece should be formatted for the stage, IE., no screenplays, short stories, etc. It should be printed (not hand written) in standard play format. Pages must be numbered. While it is not the only format out there, San Jose State offers a good guide based on the old CPF format at https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Scriptwriting%20Format.pdf

Additional

• You may submit plays from any genre. Remember though, this is episodic theatre. Characters should be the primary focus followed by plot. If you are thinking of writing something that is a “statement,” make sure it can carry for a duration.

• Each episode should have a compelling angle to it that will cause audiences to want to see additional episodes. A good “cliff hanger” at the end of the episode is a typical method.

• Audiences should be able to enjoy any episode as a standalone work, but scenes should also be “open ended” enough that they may continue to a next Episode.

• The pieces do not have to be “for purpose” scenes. That is, the piece might be something you've written previously. Please make sure you own the rights to produce any previously written works.

• This will be an all ages performance with suggested age of High School age and up.

Consider this in your writing. Also consider your wish to be voted to come back. Language and topic material should be chosen appropriately.

• Each scene will be preceded by a selection of Bumper music. If you have a specific music requirement, please specify in your script, otherwise a piece of music will be chosen for you.

• Writers should be available to the producer should there be questions about their work.

• You may send multiple submissions. An Author may have more than one work in production at a time.

• You own your work. However, by submitting your play to this production you agree to allow the producers royalty free production rights for the duration of the Serial Bowl season. If your work goes on to bigger and better things, we hope you mention Midnight Sun Theatre's Serial Bowl as one of your initial performances. Writers are expected to write all episodes of their work. If a writer cannot continue or is unwilling to continue a successful series,

Producers retain the right to move forward with creative control of the concept for successive performances during the Serial Bowl season.

• Writers are expected to participate in the promotion of the event through social media.

• We expect Writers will conduct themselves at all times in a manner that positively reflects on the event, their work and the producing company.

More information

NYLon Fusion seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: November 12, 2025 ​

All submissions should be sent to nylonfusion@gmail.com 

NYLon Fusion is back and so is “This Rounds on Us”!
We’re excited to present: LIFE IN TRANSITION.

Please submit any scripts that speak to the following themes (each will have a separate festival within the 2025-26 season)

The Great Society

Each submission should be no longer than ten pages or approximately 10 minutes in length. Not have been previously produced.

We are accepting new works for our 2025/ 2026 This Round’s On Us festivals, each of which will focus on certain broad eras.(see below). But the plays do not necessarily have to be set in these time periods, but they should at least be informed by the social, cultural and/or political happenings of the time. Whether you find inspiration in the movies, music or theater of a particular era, the major events that formed the historical narrative or which have been ignored by history, or the everyday lives of people in the bygone days of the not-so-long-ago, you can send your 10-minute play to NyLonFusion@gmail.com

To be considered This Round's On Us please submit/email the following: A cover letter, brief synopsis, resume and full script to nylonsubmissions@gmail.com Please be specific as to which project you are submitting to. Write on the SUBJECT LINE For example: This Round’s On Us: The Gilded Age/ Cage.

NOTE: accepted plays are produced (including casting) by Nylon Fusion Theatre Company. Playwrights are encouraged to attend rehearsals. 

NOVA PLAYWRITING COMMISSIONS 2026

Website

Deadline: July 31, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

NOVA is Tara Theatre’s flagship paid playwriting programme. We are looking to commission playwrights of South Asian heritage or connections that want to develop and showcase their work. 

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

As Tara Theatre approaches its 50th anniversary, we’re recognising and celebrating the rich history and vast tapestry of stories that have built British theatre.

This year we are paying homage to the past and exploring the hidden legacies that exist in British history. The untold or forgotten stories of South Asian diaspora communities – our ancestors that have indelibly left their mark on British society. 

KEY THEMES FOR NOVA 2025/26: 

Radical Revolutions Stories of revolution that radically shifted the political landscape

Stories that galvanised communities to action Hidden Legacies Stories of bravery, courage and autonomy Queer Lineages Hidden queer stories from the diaspora that have been lost to time 

OdysseysUntold migration stories about finding new homes / hopes

Stories about the process of travel Defiant Victories Untold stories of protest and victory.

We want you to go on a journey of discovery – trace back to the past and find the rarely told stories that need to be shared. Look into the history, find the stories, do the research.

We want to invite you to convert fact and history into fiction. Explore verbatim theatre, gather information about real people and their lives to create new plays, new stories and new original drama.

We want to uncover the stories we haven’t heard before. Talk to the people in your lives. Challenge your process. Think outside the box.

This year’s NOVA playwrights will be developing new, original plays platforming unheard voices and stories.

Give us the work that hasn’t been staged but needs to exist within the British South Asian canon.


WHAT IS OUR OFFER? A commission of £1,500

Writing Masterclass and dramaturgical support from our in-house artistic team and an acclaimed playwright. Past playwrights include Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti Opportunities to speak to our marketing and producing team In-kind space at Tara Theatre to write and develop your work A period of development for your work from page to stage, culminating in a public performance led by a professional director and actors at Tara Theatre Invited industry and facilitated audience feedback for future development of the work Networking and producing opportunities


HOW DOES IT WORK?

A window will open for submissions on Tuesday 8th July at 12PM for writers to send us their work through an online submission form.

Writers can submit their ideas in the form of either: A synopsis A pitch A script extract (no more than 10 pages long)

Please note: if you are submitting a synopsis or a pitch, please provide an example of your writing no more than 10 pages long.

This should be accompanied with thoughts around the following questions:Tell us about yourself. Please briefly include information about your background and your location. (150 words)
Why is this an unheard story that deserves to be told? (150 words)
Tara Theatre makes politically charged theatre. How does your play align with this ethos? (150 words)

Your submission can be sent to us as either a written, video or audio submission. (3 minutes maximum).

Please note, if you make a video or audio submission you will still need to include a sample of your writing.


WHAT CAN YOUR IDEAS BE?

Your ideas can be original ideas and adaptations.


SUBMISSION WINDOW

Our script submission window at Tara Theatre opens on Tue 8 Jul at 12PM and closes on Thu 31 Jul at 12PM.

Due to current limitations with funding, we aim to use our resources in the best way possible to support writers.

At present we only have capacity to receive scripts during this window. Our team will aim to read every script submitted to us within this window and you will hear back on whether you were successful or not within 8-12 weeks of submission.

If you would like to have an informal chat about NOVA, please email our Associate Director, Gavin Joseph at gavin@taratheatre.com


KEY DATES

Submissions open 12PM on Tue 8 Jul
Submissions close 12PM on Thu 31 Jul

NOVA Longlist announced W/C 15th Sep
NOVA Shortlist announced W/C 29th Sep
NOVA Playwrights announced W/C 27th October

Rehearsals and Showcase W/C 4th May 2026


ACCESS

If you would like to submit your application in a different format such as Large Font or another Accessible Format, we would be happy to accommodate this. Please contact shahreen@taratheatre.com

We actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds with different experiences, skills and stories to join us and influence and develop our working practice. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates from Global Majority backgrounds and candidates who self-identify as disabled and neurodiverse. All candidates who self-identify as disabled who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria will be invited for interview. Tara Theatre is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

The Shrew Series seeks short works by women

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2025

Have something you’d like to submit? Send a email totogetherweareuninhibited@gmail.com

We focus on the themes of womanhood & gender roles. Be that an emotive spoken word piece, witty & hilarious monologue or incredibly relatable poetry piece. The focus is on self expression and highlighting themes or experiences.

Needs to be between 3-5 minutes in length.

Monologues, poems, spoken word, comedy sketches (to name a few for inspo!)

Send in your preference of medium - for writers send in your written submissions or if submitting as a writer/performer, feel free to send a performative example (audio or video submissions)

Unpublished work only - sorry!

Ideally 1 person focused for performance reasons.

We will endeavour to get back to all who submitted with an update by late September.

The series will be then be recorded over Autumn for a release ahead of 2026.

Due to the beginnings of this journey, all collaborations (writers & actors) are voluntary however you will have a professional recording of your piece/performance and the opportunity to work with a team of wonderful women and be part of an ongoing community!

Seventh Annual International Human Rights Art Festival

Website

Deadline: August 15, 2025

Submit all work to costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org

International Human Rights Art Festival
December 8th - 14th, 2025
The Tank
312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Results announced to applications by September 8, 2025

Full schedule announced by October 1.

The submission window is now open for performance work in any form - every discipline!
Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of December 14th, 2025.

• The performances must be fully produced by you; IHRAF is a presenting platform.
• Considering performances 10-20 minutes long
• We accept just one proposal for each application.

Submit HERE


We are jurying work with the following interests, for performance blocks:

Climate Change Action
Immigration
LGBTQIA
Celebration of Women/Women in Power
Celebration of Black Men/Undiscovered Women
Shalom/Salaam
With Love from Africa
Any other social justice concerns you might have

Plus: Ten Minute Play Festival and a Ten Minute Performance Festival

All accepted performers will receive:

Performance stipends of $200

PR and marketing support

30-minute tech rehearsal

Festival TD and SM

Free photographic documentation of the performance

Free video documentation of the performance


SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Please email our Festival Assistant Producer Costanza Bugiani at costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org with the following, and any questions:

A brief description of your piece, including approximate running time - we’re accepting 10-20 mins works.

A cover letter, including details regarding the piece’s discipline, issue of concern treated and a brief summary of your artistic goals

Your bios or resumes and the names of any collaborators already on board

A sample of work (scripts, pics, videos, songs, any other links or file that could help us to know more about your project)

As email subject, please type IHRAF Festival 2025, then add Association-Company-your name (i.e. IHRAF Festival 2025, Joan Doe)

Please note:

Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of December 14, 2025.

The performances must be fully produced by you; IHRAF is a presenting platform.

We accept one proposal for each application.

Also, let us know if you already had part of our previous festivals as a performer or in the audience!

We are encouraging New York and Tri-state area based artists. Unfortunately we cannot cover any travel/lodging expenses.

Winding Road Theater 6th Annual Eight 10s in Tucson 10-minute Play Festival

Website

Deadline: July 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM PDT

Or the first 300 scripts

EIGHT 10S SUBMISSION FORM

​The submission period for our 6th Annual Festival is now open (as of 12:01 am PST, Monday, July 14, 2025) and will remain open through Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST. The first 300 scripts that meet all of the submission requirements will qualify for the blind selection process that we use to determine which plays are included in the festival. To ensure a fair and impartial selection process, our reading and scoring teams are never able to identify the playwrights.

Submissions will be accepted ONLY through the official Eight 10s Submissions Form. Scripts submitted through any other channels will unfortunately be rejected without further notification.

The BLIND SUBMISSION process requires that ALL identifiable playwright information MUST BE REDACTED from the script. 

Identifiable information includes: playwright names, addresses, titles, theater names, industry associations, production history, review quotes, endorsements, dedications, etcetera. Scripts that include identifiable information anywhere in the script cannot be considered for selection in the festival.

• A Title Page that contains only the title of the play is required
• A character synopsis and logline are required on a separate page that immediately follows the title page
• Script run-time should be a minimum of eight (8) minutes and a maximum of ten (10) minutes
• Submissions must be original works
• All themes/genres encouraged
• Legal clearance of third-party materials is the full responsibility of the playwright
• Standard Dramatists Guild play formatting is required--see link below
• Scripts must be submitted as PDF files
• Only one (1) submission per playwright will be permitted

DRAMATISTS GUILD OF AMERICA PLAY FORMAT GUIDELINES

UP Theater Company Seeks Previously Produced Plays for Second Chance Series

Website

Deadline: July 31, 2025

We at UP Theater Company believe that World Premieres are overrated. There. We said it. We know that all new plays that receive production runs of three weeks or less are just about ready to open by the time they close. That’s why we are putting out a call for new plays that have had a single production of three weeks or fewer. 

We will consider your script for an upcoming reading series and potential full production (ironically, of three weeks). 

You can send your Second Chance Plays to info@uptheater.org, with “Second Chance” in the subject line, and include in your message 

(1) where the play was originally produced, 

(2) the length of the run, and 

(3) the creative team. We also need you to confirm that you retain all rights to the play and that the original producing company has no claim, monetarily or otherwise, to the script. 

You should also learn a little more about us at uptheater.org. We are an awesome company that does good work, and we are great to work with (we swear). We look forward to reading your submissions.

The Garden State New Play Festival 2025

Website

Deadline: August 15, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

The Garden State New Play Festival (GSNPF), a partnership between Jersey City Theatre Center and The New Jersey Play Lab, is an innovative new play development festival celebrating the unique way in which art can impact, unite, and inspire.

The mission of the Festival is to marry community engagement around issues relating to social justice with a rigorous dramaturgical process, resulting in the presentation of a slate of new plays by a diverse group of writers that have the clarity of intention necessary to spark rich conversation and an open exchange of ideas and perspectives.

The four pillars of the Festival are:“Community and Advocacy” To engage a broad spectrum of New Jersey artists and arts organizations, audiences, and community advocates around the power of theatre as an agent for change 

“Awareness and Connectivity” To explore how writing about local and personal politics and issues connects to a larger global context

“Artistic Equity and Exchange” To bring together a diverse group of artists of varying career levels under an umbrella of learning, sharing, and artistic expansion

“Craft and Excellence” To champion and execute best practices in new play development and to be a resource for NJ Professional Theaters to identify new plays for production.

The Festival is designed to foster a supportive and responsive environment for each participating playwright through an individualized approach of tailored dramaturgical guidance, community workshops, artistic and advocacy exchange opportunities, and a flexible focus on process versus product. Through this more holistic and welcoming approach to play development, the Garden State New Play Festival aims to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that values and champions the power of playmaking.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

This Festival is open to playwrights of all career levels residing in the state of New Jersey or the Metropolitan Areas of New York City or Philadelphia.

The Garden State New Play Festival is a play development festival focused around community engagement and social justice. The time commitment spans from November 2025 to May 2026. The Festival presentation itself takes place from May 1st to May 17th, 2026, and will feature readings of all the plays selected for inclusion in the Festival.

Selected playwrights are expected to engage in a rigorous dramaturgical process around their plays, and to offer workshops and classroom visits within New Jersey communities. Selected playwrights are expected to have flexibility within their schedules, and be able to be present in and around the Jersey City area on multiple occasions, both during the festival itself and in the months leading up to it.

Interested playwrights should submit in one of two categories:

“Early Career” (You may have written a play or two, or you may be writing your first play; Perhaps you have had a few readings, but most likely no professional productions; You may be coming from another art form or career, or be right out of University.)

“Emerging or Professional” (You have written several plays; You have had numerous readings and/or professional productions; You have some experience in play development settings; You may or may not have a graduate degree.)

Please note that each selected playwright will be supported based upon their level of experience and the stage of development of the play. Each development process will look different.

Playwrights should submit: 

• The FIRST 20 pages of a full-length play focusing on some element of social justice. This is a very broad subject and we encourage you to think outside of the box of what this can mean and what this means to you personally.
• Plays can be completed or in process, and may be unproduced or previously produced. However, as this is a play development festival, playwrights should only submit work they feel is in need of further development.
• The play must not be currently under development in another long-term development process with another entity that will overlap with the work around the Festival.
• Musical submissions will be considered if they are small musicals (a cast of 4 or less) and can be accompanied by a solo musician.
• There is no limit on cast size for plays, but cast size may be considered within the selection process.
• A brief cover letter.
• Your playwriting resume (Please also include any additional resumes regarding any other work that you feel is pertinent to your artistry or experience.)
• A synopsis of the play (1 page maximum. This is not a marketing blurb or summary. This is a full synopsis of the play.)
• A character breakdown (Please include any doubling so we can assess the number of actors needed to perform the play.)
• A list of the development history of the play

Please upload your PDF documents to this Google form. You will be notified when we have received your submission. Please note submissions open on July 1st, 2025.
The deadline for submissions is August 15th, 2025.
Requests for full scripts will go out by September 15th, 2025.

SOME THOUGHTS ON WHAT KIND OF PLAYS WE ARE LOOKING FOR….

• Art is deeply personal and thus highly subjective. That being said, we believe in the value of trying to be as explicit as we can about what currently guides us in selecting plays for the Festival. This is not a checklist, nor is it a “how-to.” It does not connote empirical quality or intrinsic value judgments of any play. It is merely a collection of attributes that we have identified amongst the plays we have felt pulled towards in the past.We are committed to artistic excellence in craft above all else, recognizing the many traditions and styles that can inhabit and inform craft. 
• We gravitate toward contemplative theatre as opposed to consumptive theatre; plays of substance that instigate thought long after the curtain has fallen. However, we firmly believe that just because a play is about something important doesn’t automatically make it an important, or well-structured play.
• We believe that well-told stories come in all voices, tones, and styles.
• We are drawn to work with the potential to resonate beyond its immediate story and circumstances to illuminate or explore a larger, more expansive idea, and we believe that plays which reside in the gray areas of morality and impulse are the plays poised to have the greatest impact.
• We gravitate toward plays that are ambitious, either in an attempt at something new/challenging/complex or by excelling at an established form, as well as plays that challenge our preconceived notions and pose questions as opposed to providing answers.
• We are attracted to plays that have a textured language that lifts the text off of the page, a theatricality that embraces the medium of the stage (i.e. it couldn’t equally be a film), and a heart that seeks to move us by expressing something specifically or deeply human.

If you have any questions, please email submissions@njplaylab.org.

Thank you for your interest in our Festival.

Community Players Theatre seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2025

Bloomington IL

Playwright will be notified of acceptance by October 1st, 2025

Submit to Playreading@communityplayers.org

Enhanced Staged Reading: There will be set, costumes, and props. It is a short rehearsal process which is why we are not requiring memorization.

Restriction: Story must take place in no more than 2 locations. Cast no larger than 6. Must be in English.

Playwrights are more than welcome to submit as many scripts as they would like.

There is no restriction on if a show has been performed before. We just ask that you let us know so it can be properly advertised.

The Playwright will not be required to pay any fees.

The Playwrights Group: Weekly Workshop

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

 

Check out our website for more details and rates. 

 

Script Consultations

 

If you don’t have time for the workshop but have a script you’d like some 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. 

 

Please visit our website for further Info and Rates: 

 

www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

 

Contact us at 

scripts@theplaywrightsgroup.com

Laughpack Productions seeks short plays for curated showcase

Instagram

Deadline: July 16, 2025

To submit for booking considerations, please use the following form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18bRawO987g9B1RSk8A8i9NxN_0DWKAHnkUPf8amNtWg/edit

We are currently seeking short one-act plays (15–20 minutes) for a curated live showcase at HouseWatch, an independent performance space in the East Village. The event will take place on Sunday, August 17th at 8pm.

There is no submission fee and no cost to participate. We’re especially interested in plays that are already cast and ready for performance.

Footage from our past productions at HouseWatch can be found here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DLQpOnwuuUW/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJmkRtuuj9T/

You can follow @laughpackproductions for future updates.

Simons Center for Geometry and Physics Science Playwriting Competition for 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: September 15, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM ON THE WEBPAGE

The Science Playwriting Competition brings science and theatre together for the dissemination of scientific knowledge through an intriguing lens — providing inspiration for plays that lead to exciting ways of learning about science. Rooted in artistic expression, the best science plays can be exceptional works of art that aesthetically convey scientific concepts, potentially resulting in further explorations in both disciplines. In this way, science and theatre may learn from each other, through their common goals of investigating and gaining an understanding of the significance of science and how the world works.

The competition commenced in 2012 with the assistance of an NSF grant awarded for scientific outreach projects initiated by Professor of Physics Christopher Herzog with additional support from the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics. The competition draws playwrights from all over the world who submit 10-minute plays with compelling stories and innovative expression of science and theatricality.

The preferred topics in hard sciences and technology include, but are not limited to: Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Computer Science, Space Exploration, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Anthropology and Archaeology.

-A public staged reading of the winning entries will be performed during the Spring 2025 semester at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics.

Guidelines:

– Plays should be approximately 10 minutes in length (usually around 10 pages).

– Winning playwrights will receive a directed, live-staged reading of their work in the spring 2025 semester.

– Plays must include a title page that includes the playwright’s name, address, phone number, and email address.

– Plays must be original unpublished work and must not be created with the assistance of any form of AI.

*Note: please submit electronic entries as a pdf file. Submitting your play implies permission to have your play performed in a staged reading in the fall semester; all submissions remain the property of the playwright.

Go Try PlayWrite July 2025

Website

Deadline: July 31, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

We're proud to announce a new monthly playwriting contest in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press. Every month, Kumu Kahua's artistic director Harry Wong III will select a writing prompt on the first day of that month. We're looking for 5-page monologues or 10-page scenes based on that prompt; the due date for submissions are always the last day of the month. All entries must be written in traditional play format; instructions on this format can be found here (https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats), courtesy of the Dramatists Guild.

There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. Winners will receive $100 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. Woo!

The prompt for July 2025 is:

A deadly dating. Write a 10-page maximum scene of two praying mantises out on a date, a female and a male. The date should end with “making a baby.” Make sure you look-up mantis mating techniques. This should be a fun one.

UCROSS Fellowship for Native American Writers 2026

Website

Deadline: July 16, 2025 at 2:00 AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Current work is requested. An applicant's work sample and project description are the most significant feature of their application. Unless work is interdisciplinary, i.e. the various genres interconnect, each applicant is encouraged to apply in a primary discipline and submit a work sample and project description that emphasizes this single discipline. Competition for residencies varies annually and with the number of applications. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a general Ucross residency.
ELIGIBILITY: Residencies are open to Native American writers who meet the criteria below. They must:

Be a practicing contemporary writer who is currently producing works in one or more of the following genres, including but not limited to FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, DRAMA, SCREENWRITING, PLAYWRITING, and HYBRID FORMS;

Be an enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.

PLAYWRITING WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name. * Appropriate samples: One complete play (documentation of production may be included, if relevant), noting the 20 pages that you would like the reviewers to read.

The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers Fellowship 2026

Website

Deadline: September 26, 2025, 5 p.m. EDT

Notification: March 2026
Award Period: September 8, 2026–May 28, 2027
Stipend: $90,000

Online registration required to submit

The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers supports projects that draw on the research collections of The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). The Center seeks top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. Visual artists whose projects require extensive use of Library collections are also encouraged to apply. Visit www.nypl.org/research-collections for detailed information about the collections of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

The Library expects Fellows to work at the Cullman Center five days a week, Monday through Friday, for the duration of the Fellowship term, which runs from September through May. Successful candidates will need to work primarily at the Schwarzman Building rather than at other divisions of the Library. Applications from those working in languages other than English are welcome; however, the applicant must be conversant in English, and application materials must be in English. Fellowships will not be granted for academic projects to post-doctoral fellows or to applicants doing graduate-school dissertation research.


The Center seeks diversity in race, ethnicity, age, gender, field, and type of project. The Center aims to promote dynamic conversation about the humanities, social sciences, and scholarship at the highest level—within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows' published work.


In order to avoid real or apparent conflicts of interest, the Cullman Center does not accept applications from New York Public Library staff members or their partners, or from people active on the Library’s Board of Trustees, Board Advisory Committees, or Library Council.


Fellows may not accept other major professional obligations during the term. Fellows may have a few prior commitments but must limit research trips, attendance at scholarly meetings, and speaking engagements to short periods of time. Anyone who needs to be away for more than two days must notify the Center's Director or Deputy Director. The Library will pro-rate stipends for Fellows who spend excessive time away from the Center

Apricity Magazine seeks short plays for the 2026 issue

Website

Deadline: January 4, 2026 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Apricity accepts submissions from the performing arts, including but not limited to original music, short film, short play, and dance. Scores, scripts, and screenplays count although live versions are encouraged. Please upload or include a link (of a Youtube video, a webpage, or a Google Drive file) to your submission as well as a brief description of your piece and how you arranged your performance. The maximum time allotted for videos is 15 minutes each. Simultaneous submissions are permitted.
Before you submit, please note the following:

NOTIFICATION: You may expect notification of your acceptance or rejection within three months of submitting your piece. As our staff is composed entirely of university students, however, we do not operate from the end of May through the end of August. Any pieces submitted in April and May may not receive a response until August. 

 NON-PROFIT: We are a non-profit student organization. We intend to direct all net proceeds towards publication improvement and charitable donations focused on education.

FEES: There is no submissions fee, nor is there any payment for publishing your work (currently). However, should you be published in the print publication, you will receive a free contributor’s copy. If you are published online and would like to receive a print edition, you will receive a 60% discount.

We welcome comprehensive use of English and other languages. If your piece contains non-English languages, please include an English translation. Though we are an international magazine, our staff’s common language is English.

We also welcome works previously published elsewhere. If a piece you submit has been accepted by another publication, we will credit the other publication.

If we accept your piece before it has been accepted by another publication, we request that the other publication credits Apricity Magazine upon publication of the piece.

If a piece you submit is accepted by a publication that claims sole publishing rights, please let us know so that we may remove it from consideration. (Do note, however, that most publications allow re-prints as long as the original publisher is credited.)

Works are considered on a rolling basis. All pieces submitted will be considered for online publication. After the deadline for print publication passes, we will consider all pieces submitted before the deadline that were accepted for online publication for print publication.

Kindly keep author bios to under 50 words.

Please note that Apricity Magazine is not active during the summer (from late May to late August). Any pieces submitted during this time will not be evaluated until the fall.

We will not tolerate any form of plagiarism.

DQT Classics in Color 2025-26

Website

Deadline: September 2, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

Classics in Color (CiC) is a new play development and public engagement program for BIPoC writers developing plays that blend the BIPoC lived-experience with global classics.

CiC is conducted via Zoom and uses an instructor-led curated classroom format with the goal of working constructively toward advancing each matriculant’s vision for their play.

Since public engagement is an equally important component of both the CiC experience and the DQT mission, up to three excerpts of pieces developed in CiC are chosen by the artistic and executive directors for presentation in an online showcase.

To be eligible for CiC, you must identify as BIPoC, have an early draft of a play that fits the description above, and submit the required materials by deadline. Additionally, participants must be able to attend all 8 sessions in their entirety.

Up to 12 matriculants will be selected based on early drafts of their plays, interviews, and other submission materials (i.e., artistic statement, resumes, etc.)

Classics in Color will be conducted via Zoom Wednesday November 5th, then Mondays November 10th-December 22nd 6:30-9:30pm EST. DQT is proud to announce this season's CiC instructor will once again be OBIE Award winner and recent Guggenheim Fellow recipient Caridad Svich. 

11th Annual Pyro PlayFest 2026 Call for Plays Theme: "Spark of Creation: Humanity, Invention, and Expression"

Facebook page

Deadline: January 12, 2026

 SUBMISSION FORM

Paris Junior College Department of Drama's 11th Annual Pyro PlayFest is now accepting submissions!

In a season celebrating new voices, we are looking for bold, original short plays that explore the heart of creativity — the human spirit, invention, imagination, and the drive to express. Whether you tackle these ideas literally, abstractly, or metaphorically, we want to experience the spark that fuels your storytelling!

The chosen submissions will receive a full production on our 3/4 thrust stage space performed by students and community members in late April 2026, right here in Paris, Texas, on the Duane Allen Stage in the Ray E. Karrer Theater.

Please note: This is a non-paying opportunity. While we are unable to offer financial compensation at this time, selected playwrights will have the opportunity to have their work brought to life in front of a live audience by a dedicated team of emerging artists and community members.

Submission Guidelines

• Unpublished, minimally produced plays (readings okay; no full productions).
• Length: 10 minutes or less.
• Page Limit: 10 pages max (standard format, 12-pt font, with page numbers).
• Cast: No more than 6 characters.
• Technical Requirements: Keep it simple — minimal sets, basic lighting, and modest props.
• Theme Connection: Must explore creation, humanity, invention, or expression in some form.

Content Note: Please keep language and themes suitable for a general adult audience.

Important Dates:
• Submission Deadline: January 12, 2026
• Festival Dates: April 22-26, 2026

How to Submit:
Please submit your scripts (Up to three) in PDF format through this Google Form: New Works Submissions

Include a cover page with the following information:
• Play title
• Playwright's name
• Contact email
• Short synopsis (2-3 sentences)
• Character breakdown

Please make sure that your name is not on any part of the play except the Cover Page as we submit our shows to a panel, blind.

THE PGE’S 7TH ANNUAL FACES OF AMERICA MONOLOGUE FESTIVAL

Website

Deadline: August 24, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM ON THEIR WEBSITE

On November 22, 2025, we will host the 7th Annual Faces of America Monologue Festival at The Marjorie S. Deane Theater in NYC.

We created the Faces of America Monologue Festival in 2019 in response to the inequality of opportunities available to marginalized communities.

Each year we celebrate the diverse stories that make up America by inviting writers to submit two minute monologues that showcase the broad spectrum of what it is to live, work and play in America. Our aim is to collect unique, captivating and beautiful stories and share them so that we learn, grow and hear each other.

We can’t wait to hear the incredible stories that will be submitted for this year’s festival.

To submit your monologue for consideration there are 4 few simple rules:

Your monologue must fit in the theme Faces of America.

Your monologue should represent America's incredible diversity. (BIPOC, AAPI, Latine, and LGBTQIA+ artists are all strongly encouraged to apply). Monologues can be historical or futuristic, cultural or political, comedic or tragic, spoken or signed!

Your monologue must be less than two minutes in length. 

We can't stress this one enough. If your monologue is longer it will not be considered.

Include the word "CATALYST" somewhere in your monologue.
If this word does not appear in the monologue it will not be considered.

Send your submission to us between July 5th- August 24th, 2025.
Late entries will not be considered. Submissions are limited to two per writer.

Somerset Community College Fine Arts 4th Annual Short Play Festival

Facebook page

Deadline: September 30, 2025

Somerset Kentucky

Email submissions to scctheatre@kctcs.edu

It may be early, but we’re already looking forward to next year’s Annual Short Play Festival, this time with a gruesome twist! Playwright submissions are now OPEN for the “4th Annual Short Play Festival:
The Show to Die For!”

Whether you’re in Louisville or Los Angeles, if you’ve got a killer short play, we want to see it.

Guidelines:

• Plays can be ANY genre and setting, does NOT have to be mystery/drama
• Script CANNOT exceed 10 pages
• At least one character must be murdered by an unknown killer 

Whether you're a seasoned scribe or a first-time playwright, if you've got a killer idea (literally), we want to see it! Submit your work and be part of this unforgettable event!

Mystic Players Revival Spooky One Act Play Festival

 Website

Deadline: August 3, 2025 at 11:59 EDT

SUBMISSION FORM

The event will be held at McGlynn Middle School in Medford, MA. Tickets to attend the event are free and open to the general public through online event registration.

Submission Guidelines:

-Script must be 8-10 pages.

-Script must have 3 characters or less.

-Minimal lighting, sound, costume, and set requirements.

-Only unpublished plays are eligible. Scripts with prior workshops, readings or academic productions are accepted, but we recommend submitting a version that has been revised.

-Spooky/Halloween themed with a focus on Comedies, but Dramas will also be considered. Whatever spooky means to you... we'll happily read!

-Each playwright may submit up to 3 plays - Please submit all of your plays in one form!

-All work must be totally original and the author's own work (no adaptions).

-Playwrights whos plays have been selected will receive a $75.00 Stipend .

-We will not accept musicals at this time. 

Mystic Players Revival is a new theatre company in Medford, MA and we are so excited to bring some new theatre to the area!

Woodward/Newman Award 2026-27

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2025

Each play should be individually submitted at the following link: CONSTELLATION STAGE & SCREEN PLAY SUBMISSION.

We are currently accepting submissions for the 2026-27 Woodward/Newman Award. The award recipient will be announced by May 15, 2026. 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).

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.

Stage Frights 2025 seeks short scripts

Website

Deadline: August 10, 2025

Or until they reach 250 scripts

That's right! We're back again this year! While last year's live version ended up getting cancelled due to Hurricane Helene, the online audio play series we released for Stage Frights 2024 was one of the most successful and funnest things we've ever done to date. For 2025, the live event is planned for October 11 (hopefully no hurricane this time) at Le Chat Noir in Augusta, GA and will be followed by a release of the audio plays on the Gather by the Ghost Light podcast. So send us your scary scripts!

You can listen to last year's Stage Frights here, if you want to check out our production value - https://www.gatherbytheghostlight.com/stage-frights-full-show-pts-1-6/

Horror genre only.

• 17 pages or less.
• Blind submissions (No author info on any page of your script).
• No monologues or one-person shows.
• Stage play OR audio play format is fine.
• You can submit up to two plays but know that only ONE from each playwright can be selected.
• Please do not attach any other files other than your script(s). We don't need resumes or bios at this time.
• The body of your email should contain your contact info, title of play, and a synopsis.
• Deadline is August 10 or until we reach 250 scripts.
• Email your script (PDF files ONLY) to submissions@gatherbytheghostlight.com

JUDGING CRITERIA

Story, dialogue, and if your script fits the horror theme are what the judges will be scoring your script on. And good use of sound fx might get you extra credit. These will be presented as audio plays after all. And we have a foley guy. Make us use him.

PLAYWRIGHT PRIZE

Each playwright selected will receive $50 and will have their script published by Ghost Light Publications in the Stage Frights 2025 anthology. You can see last year's anthology of previous winners here - (https://ghostlightpubs.com/products/stage-frights-vol-1-a-collection-of-short-horror-plays).

Theatre Now Soundbites festival seeks 10-minute musicals

Website

Deadline: December 1, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

​

Theatre Now defines a 10-minute musical as any piece that can be performed in 10 minutes or less; has a beginning, middle, and end story arc; and includes music. Having produced over 100 pieces, we want musicals that are diverse and current, that test the musical form and communicate a well-crafted story. We accept musicals across all styles and genres and are happy to consider foreign language and/or bilingual scripts. 

We strongly encourage submissions from female, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers as well as writers with disabilities.

​​

Please review the following criteria thoroughly before sending your submission:

• Ten-minute musicals will be accepted from July 1st, 2025 - December 1st, 2025 at midnight.
• Submissions will not be considered before July 1st or after the deadline.
• Musical theatre writers can submit no more than two scripts during the current submission period.
• The story must have a beginning, middle, and end.
• We accept submissions in foreign languages or that are bilingual. Although the application process is in English, the work itself may be submitted and performed in any other language if selected.
• Each piece must include music.
• All submissions must be submitted via the submission form. No physical copies.
• Each musical must not exceed ten minutes when performed. If accepted, cuts may be required.
• Longer one-acts or full-length musicals will not be considered, although the submission may be a 10-minute portion of a longer piece as long as it tells a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end story arc.
• A musical may be a previously-produced work with a production history.
• We have no formal script formatting guidelines, but all scripts should be easy to read.
• The volume of submissions prevents us from providing feedback on all submissions.
• If your piece is visual (i.e. choreography-heavy), please include video footage or detailed descriptions. 

We expect to contact all writers by mid-February, 2026 on the status of their submission with one of the following emails:

 

An acceptance email into the festival that will include additional information to confirm their involvement. 

A waitlist email. In the event an accepted musical declines their participation, a selected waitlisted musical will be notified to serve as a replacement.

The remaining musicals will receive a "not selected" email and are encouraged to submit again next year.

 

*All criteria is subject to change*

Now You're Talking 2025 Special Holiday Edition ONE-ACTS

Website

Deadline: July 10, 2025 

We are seeking one-act play submissions for our next NYT Special Holiday Edition One-Acts happening in November of 2025. If you have a holiday one-act (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) that you would like to submit, please email: silentechotheatercompany@gmail.com. 

We are giving preference to plays that have not yet been performed in Oregon and are between 10-20 minutes long.

Community Players Theater - Page to Stage 2025

Website

Deadline: July 31, 2025

Please note new deadline
Deadline: August 31, 2025

Page to Stage: An Original Staged Reading is an opportunity for playwrights to submit their work to be performed through Community Players Theatre (Bloomington IL.) To those wishing to submit their work, please make sure it follows this criteria:

• The script must be unpublished
• It is fine if the script has gone through workshops or readings
• No more than 2 locations within the script
• Cast size 2-6
• Can feature a child but the majority of the cast must be adults
• Few adjustments will be allowed once the script has been submitted
• PDF or Word Doc formatting
• No musicals
• A playwright is not limited on how many they can submit
• This process is for the benefit of audiences to hear new plays and new playwrights

Please submit all scripts to Ashleigh Rae-Lynn (playreading@communityplayers.org)