HELLO GODOT! (VOLUME 12) seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: September 30, 2026

Submission Details
File format: PDF or Word document (.doc / .docx)
File name: HelloGodot_YourName_PlayTitle

Each submission should include a cover page containing:
Play title
Playwright's full name
Email address
Phone number
Country
Selected subtheme
Brief biography of 50–70 words, written in the third person

Email your submission to: dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com
Use the subject line:
Submission: Hello Godot! (Volume 12) — [Your Name]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
HELLO GODOT! (VOLUME 12)
An Anthology of Existential & Absurd Plays

Submission Deadline: September 30, 2026
Acceptance Notifications: October 05, 2026
Publication: October 2026

Fresh Words — An International Literary Magazine — invites playwrights, theatre-makers, and dramatic writers from around the world to submit original plays for HELLO GODOT! (Volume 12), an anthology devoted to the strange, comic, unsettling, and profoundly human territory of existential and absurd theatre.

Inspired by the questions that haunt Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot—without seeking adaptations or imitations—we are interested in plays about characters who wait, wander, repeat, question, forget, hope, fail to communicate, and continue living despite having no convincing explanation for why they should.

What happens when nothing happens?

What if tomorrow never comes?

What if the person we are waiting for does not exist?

What if leaving is impossible?

What if the routine is the only thing keeping us alive?

HELLO GODOT! invites writers to explore these questions through original dramatic worlds of their own.

THE SUBTHEMES

Playwrights may respond to one or more of the following subthemes:

1. THE WAIT
Someone is waiting for someone—or something—that may never arrive.

2. NOTHING TO BE DONE
Characters trapped in futile tasks, impossible situations, existential paralysis, or pointless routines.

3. NOT TODAY
Promises postponed, decisions deferred, departures delayed, and lives permanently suspended.

4. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE
Failed communication, meaningless conversations, verbal games, awkward silences, and the desperate human need to keep talking.

5. THE SAME DAY AGAIN
Repetition, circular time, recurring encounters, déjà vu, and characters condemned to begin again.

6. WHO IS GODOT?
The absent, the unknowable, the expected, the imagined, or the person who may never have existed.

7. SHALL WE LEAVE?
Characters who want to escape—but cannot, will not, or do not know where to go.

8. MAYBE TOMORROW
Hope in the face of repeated disappointment; the strange human ability to continue waiting even after hope has become unreasonable.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking plays that explore the absurdity and uncertainty of existence through theatre.

Your play might be:

• darkly comic
• existential
• surreal
• minimalist
• philosophical
• tragicomic
• experimental
• disturbing
• playful
• dreamlike
• deeply ordinary and quietly absurd

We welcome plays involving:

• waiting
• repetition
• loneliness
• purposelessness
• identity
• memory
• death
• time
• silence
• isolation
• failed communication
• meaningless work
• routine
• uncertainty
• disappearance
• hope
• despair
• the search for meaning

But these are starting points, not restrictions.

We want writers to discover their own version of the absurd.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Originality

All submissions must be original and unpublished.

We are not looking for adaptations, rewritings, sequels, fan fiction, or direct retellings of Waiting for Godot.

Your play may be inspired by existential or absurdist traditions, but it must possess its own characters, dramatic situation, language, structure, and theatrical identity.

A play about two people waiting beside a tree is not automatically an absurd play.

We are interested in what you do with the idea.

2. Length and Format

Each play should be approximately 2 pages in standard theatrical script format.

Shorter works are welcome if they achieve a complete dramatic effect.

There is no strict performance-duration requirement.

A maximum of four characters is recommended.

Minimal casts and simple staging are encouraged.

Stage directions should be concise and purposeful.

Experimental theatrical forms are welcome, including:

fragmented dialogue
repetition
non-linear structure
silence
pauses
direct address
off-stage voices
symbolic objects
circular narratives
theatrical games
unconventional characterisation

However, the work should remain recognisably dramatic/theatrical.

Please do not submit prose fiction, poetry, essays, screenplays, or academic criticism.

3. Submission Details

File format: PDF or Word document (.doc / .docx)

File name:

HelloGodot_YourName_PlayTitle

Each submission should include a cover page containing:

Play title
Playwright's full name
Email address
Phone number
Country
Selected subtheme
Brief biography of 50–70 words, written in the third person

Email your submission to:
dramaanthologyfreshwords@gmail.com

Use the subject line:
Submission: Hello Godot! (Volume 12) — [Your Name]

4. Multiple Submissions

Playwrights may submit up to four plays.

Each play must be submitted as a separate document.

If submitting four plays, please identify the subtheme for each.

Please submit all plays in a single email.

5. Rights
Playwrights retain full copyright and ownership of their work.

Fresh Words requests one-time, non-exclusive publication rights for inclusion in HELLO GODOT! (Volume 12) and for reasonable promotional purposes connected with the anthology.

All other rights remain with the playwright.

6. Eligibility

The call is open internationally.
We welcome all playwrights
There is no nationality, age, or professional-experience restriction.
English-language submissions only for this volume.

7. Selection Process

All submissions will be evaluated by the editorial team.

The editors will consider:

originality
dramatic conception
theatricality
quality of dialogue
characterisation
structural control
imaginative use of absurdity
existential depth
emotional or intellectual resonance
effective engagement with the anthology's theme

We are especially interested in works that use absurdity as a dramatic method rather than merely as a style.

Selected playwrights will be notified by email by:

October 05, 2026

The editors' decision is final. Individual feedback will not be provided.

8. COMPENSATION

This is currently a non-paying market.

Selected playwrights will receive:

Publication in the anthology
Author/playwright biography
Publication credit
Digital publication
Social-media promotion where appropriate

International exposure through Fresh Words

CONTENT POLICY

Fresh Words welcomes challenging, uncomfortable, unconventional, and intellectually provocative theatre. However, submissions must not promote or glorify:
hate speech
racism
sexism
discrimination
extremist ideologies
terrorism
abuse or exploitation
political propaganda presented primarily for promotional purposes

Dark themes, death, despair, violence, psychological disturbance, and difficult existential questions are acceptable when they serve a genuine artistic and dramatic purpose.

46 Minutes Collective Mixed Bag show

Website

Deadline: September 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

Brooklyn NYC

SUBMISSION FORM

Mixed Bag is a variety show for first drafts. We provide artists working in a variety of mediums with a low-tech space and audiences to further develop their works. We hope this will be an opportunity to learn about your piece and discover the next steps in your process. 

What we are looking for: 

In-development work that has not yet premiered. One or two developmental readings or showings is okay, but we are looking for work in the earlier stages of development. 

Works in any medium: performance art, dance, theater, film, music, poetry, multi-media, interactive art, magic, mime, juggling, etc. (these can be excerpts of longer works).

Artists who are looking to investigate or discover something about their work.

Cast: Up to 10 performers

Length: Up to 15 minutes

We Can Offer:

A low-tech performance space at Brick Aux to share your work - 628 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn

One, 20-minute spacing rehearsal/tech the hour before the show.

A Stage Manager to assist with the run of show.

Photos and video of your piece.

An audience of fellow artists and creatives to share in your developmental process with the option for feedback from the audience if that is helpful for your process.

Marketing through the 46 Minutes Instagram and mailing list. If selected, we will ask for additional marketing materials from you/your team.

Brick Aux space capabilities (basic sound system, clip lights, projector, tables and chairs) (learn more here).

A $100 stipend for your work and time.

What You Bring:

Collaborators and creative team.

Any desired props, costumes, lights, design elements, etc. beyond what exists in the Brick Aux space.

An understanding of what you need to present your own work at whatever stage it's at in your process.

An openness to the liminal space that is in-process work and a desire to discover what can be learned when presenting a rough draft.

Please Note: The artist is responsible for all rehearsal process needs. We are unable to provide any rehearsal space or financial assistance at this time. This is designed to be an in-process showing, so we encourage you to come as you are with whatever you have created at this point in time. 

Each artist may only submit one piece per Mixed Bag showing.

If you have any questions please reach out to us at 46mincollective@gmail.com 

We at The 46 Minutes Collective are committed to making our programming accessible to all who wish to participate, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 46mincollective@gmail.com with any ways we can support you.

The Greenhouse seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Seeking 10-minute plays on the theme of "Lovely and Temperate."

• Submissions should be inspired by the current quarter's theme. 
• Submissions must be original works. 
• Scripts must be free of identifiers of the author (e.g., headers, footers or a title page with author's name) for the purpose of anonymous selection. Your name will be attached to your submission via the submission form, and you will be fully credited for your submission if selected. 
• Script should included a list of characters on the first page. 

Selections will be made on two major criteria:

1. Strength of storytelling 

• Clear beginning, middle, and end 
• Obvious conflict and climax 
• Does the story grab you quickly? 
• Are the characters interesting? 

2. Format appropriateness 

• Approximately 10 minutes 
• No more than 5 characters 
• Minimal technical needs

Swan Dive Theater Collective seeks submissions of 10-minute plays by women, non-binary, and trans playwrights

Facebook
Instagram

Deadline: September 1, 2026

DO NOT SEND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR SUBMISSION WINDOW

The NJ-based Swan Dive Theater Collective seeks submissions of 10-minute plays by women, non-binary, and trans playwrights from New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area for its Third Annual Short Play Festival, to be held on March 7, 2027.

Past festivals have sold out and featured two performances in the event space of a lively Montclair Tavern, offering food, drinks, and an intimate, festive atmosphere. Selected playwrights will receive a dinner stipend.

Swan Dive is a Montclair theater collective dedicated to advancing the stories of women and other marginalized gender identities by introducing new works and fostering community.

• Plays must be 10 minutes or less.
• Cast size must be between 2 and 4 actors.
• All plays should follow the Samuel French Standard Playwriting Format.
• Page One should include a cover sheet with title, name, contact info and pronouns. 
• Eligible playwrights must identify as women, non-binary, or trans and reside in New Jersey or the New York City metropolitan area.
• Submissions will be accepted through September 1, 2026 and be capped at the first 100 entries received.
• The subject line must read: Short Play Submission 2026–2027.
• Previously produced or published plays are welcome.
• Plays should require minimal set, technical, and production elements.
• Limit one submission per playwright.
• Accepted playwrights will work collaboratively with the director and cast throughout the rehearsal process.
• Plays that do not meet the submission requirements will not be considered.
• Plays written with AI assistance will not be considered.

Vidalia Theatre Company seeks 10-minute plays for Summer Harvest

Website

Deadline: September 7, 2026

The Vidalia Theatre Company in Atlanta, is accepting submissions for its annual Summer Harvest show of 10-minute plays to be produced in July 2027.

The theme for this show is “Dating… the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.” We’re looking for plays that explore the full gamut that is the world of dating. Stories that deal with the fun and the pain in trying to find a romantic partner. We are only seeking plays that fit this theme at this time.

Submissions should contain 2-4 characters, simple set and prop requirements, and provide opportunity for diverse casting.

Adult language and content are permitted as long as it is relevant to the story and not gratuitous.

Submissions cannot have been previously produced in the Atlanta Metro Area.

Limit 2 submissions per playwright.

PAY: A $30 stipend is paid to the playwrights whose plays are selected.

***PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY***

If submitting two plays, send each submission in a separate email

Email submissions to: vidaliatheatre@gmail.com

In the subject line type: Playwright Name - Title of Play - WY27

Be sure to include the following information in the body of the email:

your email and telephone
city, state (or country if outside USA) in which you reside
Number of characters
Comedy or Drama
A brief synopsis
All scripts must be attached as a PDF. No other file types will be accepted.

Note: *We do not utilize blind submissions in our review process*

**ANY SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED**

OPEN TO ALL NORTH AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS

(with special consideration for those who reside in Georgia)

Somerset Community College seeks short plays

Facebook page

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Email submissions to: scctheatre@kctcs.edu 

Script CANNOT exceed ten pages

Plays can be any genre or setting, but must implement fairytale or medieval fantasy elements

Onstage/Offstage Podcast 2026 seeks short plays for Halloween

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Or when they receive 100 submissions

SUBMISSION FORM

Onstage/Offstage Theatre Podcast s looking for 10-minute plays to produce and air on its podcast.

It's a HALLOWEEN theme! And it must be a COMEDY.

Please read all requirements below, especially noting the dates and times during which submissions will be accepted. If you send a submission outside this timeframe, it will not be read!

By submitting, you agree to all the following:

1. Selected plays will be cast and produced by Onstage/Offstage Theatre Podcast artists. If selected, you agree that performances of your play will be broadcast on WRFI 88.1 Ithaca Community Radio, podcasted at www.onstageoffstage.org and Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify (and others). Your name as playwright will be prominently displayed. We will also share a link to your website and other pertinent URLS, if you like.
2. **Playwrights agree to do a short interview to accompany the episode airing their play.**
3. ****SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME BY THIS FORM ONLY FROM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, TO MONDAY, AUGUST 31****. OR WHEN WE REACH 100 SUBMISSIONS. 
4. Remember this is audio! Don't submit plays that require extensive reading of stage directions. The work should be overwhelmingly dialogue.
5. Comedies BETWEEN 8 and 10 MINUTES. **THREE (3) characters maximum.** **No monologues.**
6. No excessively offensive language. Not that we are against strong language in a work, but we have to bleep it for broadcast and that's more work for us. The recording remains au naturel for the podcast.
7. Format: Submit your play IN PDF FORMAT ONLY with playwright contact info, synopsis/teaser, cast info on cover page, and pages numbered. (You'd be surprised. No, really, you would.)
8. ONE PLAY PER PLAYWRIGHT. 
9. Follow this format for file names: LAST NAME Play title: SHAKESPEARE Hamlet Goes Camping
10. NO FEE TO APPLY.

Has your play been produced before? Good for you!!. Send it anyway!!

I'd love be able to remunerate you for your creativity, talent, and efforts in writing and submitting your work, but I am a very small operation (me, that's it) and my funding is nil. Best I can offer is a chance to talk about yourself as an artist and a audio recording of your play produced on air.

**We exuberantly encourage playwrights from historically marginalized communities to submit!**

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.

Theater for the New City presents HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLING!

Crystal Field 

(Artistic Director)
presents

Happy Anniversary Darling!
As part of the Dream Up Festival

Cabaret Theater
Sunday - August 23 - 2 pm
Monday - August 24 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday - August 25 - 9 pm
Wednesday - August 26 - 6:30 pm
Thursday - August 27 - 9 pm

Tickets only $15!
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35441

A collection of wacky spirits visits a bored couple celebrating their anniversary.
Can they find love lost? Watch their transformation!

Written and directed by Darcy H. Sternberg

With:

Kamron Tursunboev
Andrew Barlow
Rachel Christianson
Grace Lyons
Yun Gao
Herut Ashkenazi
Doug Bachelis
Kelly Gentilo (stage manager)

Eighth Annual International Human Rights Art Festival

Website

Deadline: August 23, 2026

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 2026, then add Association-Company-your name (i.e. IHRAF Festival 2026, Joan Doe)

December 7th - 13th, 2026
The Wild Project
195 E. 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009

Results announced by September 15, 2026

Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of December 13th, 2026.

Please note:

• 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 all work to costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org

New York and Tri-state area based artists Call - The submission window is now open for live performance work in any form - every discipline.

International Human Rights Art Festival

December 7th - 13th, 2026

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

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

… Any other social justice concerns you might have

All accepted performers will receive:

• Performance stipends of $250 total (per project)
• PR and marketing support
• 30-minute tech rehearsal
• Festival TD and SM
• Free photographic documentation of the performance
• Free video documentation of the performance

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

The 29th Magazine seeks short plays for February 2027 issue

Website

Deadline: October 1, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

We're drawn to writers and artists who came up on their own — no formal training, no mentors greasing the wheels, no built-in network. We'll never ask where you studied, or if you did.

We prioritize women, the queer community, the mentally ill, the chronically ill, and the neurodivergent. If you belong to any of these groups, we want to hear from you first.

Submission Guidelines

• Plays: Short plays, one act, intended to be read in a single sitting (Up to 20 pages - soft limit).
• Formatting: 12 pt Times New Roman or Courier. Single-spaced dialogue, with a line break between speeches. Character names in caps above their lines; stage directions in parentheses or italics. PDF/doc/docx formats.
• Please include your name, the piece's title, and page count on the first page.

Note: We don't store your personal data beyond your submission. We will only use your email to contact you about the status of your submission.

2027 Lamoise New Works - MOXIE Theatre seeks plays by women

Website

Deadline: August 25, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

San Diego, California

Seeking 

- Four (4) ten-minute plays

- Two (2) full-length plays that will receive a workshop and undergo a short development process with the actors and creative teams.

- And one (1) full-length play that will be performed as-is, will be selected for a staged reading.

- All playwrights of full-length works will be provided travel and housing for the duration of the festival weekend (not including the workshop process).

Play must be written by women+ playwright(s).

Works submitted must be unpublished, unproduced, and available for production.

Only one (1) submission is allowed per playwright.

Character/Casting Limit:

Festival selections are limited to works that can be performed by a maximum of six actors total: five actors covering principal roles and one actor covering stage directions and/or minor cameo roles. Plays with larger character lists are still eligible, provided the material can reasonably be performed within this casting structure through doubling or multi-role casting. If you are considering multiple works for submission, we encourage you to keep this limitation in mind. Writers are still welcome to submit works that exceed this structure if they feel strongly the piece should be considered.

Every playwright who submits to the festival will receive a response by email, regardless of the outcome.

We anticipate notifying playwrights of their semi-finalist status by September 2026, with final festival selections informed in November 2026.

Submitting is free and playwrights are not required to self-produce. Production of selected works happens in-house with MOXIE, and there are no participation fees for festival selections.

See the FAQ for more information.

MACH 33 Call for Submissions

Website

Deadline: September 14, 2026

Theater Arts Caltech invites Greater Los Angeles playwrights to submit to two science-driven play development programs for the 2026–27 season. 

MACH 33: The Caltech Festival of New Science-Driven Plays supports complete, full-length plays through collaboration with Caltech and JPL science advisors, culminating in public staged readings and post-show discussions. 

MACH 33 Launchpad: The Caltech Early-Development Lab for New Science-Driven Plays is designed for works in the earliest stages of development, providing playwrights with a collaborative environment to explore and strengthen the scientific ideas driving their plays. Both programs connect playwrights with scientists from Caltech and JPL to deepen the scientific dimensions of their work.

Submission deadline: September 14, 2026. For eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, and complete program information, visit the MACH 33 website: https://tacit.caltech.edu/mach33/

Eligibility and Submission Guidelines (for both programs):

• Playwright must reside in the Greater Los Angeles area.
• Only one submission per playwright.
• Plays must not be published or professionally produced. (Previous readings are acceptable.)
• Plays must center on real-world scientific, mathematical, or technological themes.
• Maximum cast size of 8. Doubling is permitted; include a doubling plan with the cast list.
• Scripts must be submitted in PDF format, with standard formatting (12 pt font, numbered pages, character names above dialogue).
• Science must be integral to the story, not just metaphor or setting. 

See below for more on what we mean by “science-driven.”

Your submission must include:

• Blind Script PDF – Title only, no author name
• For Launchpad only:
• a brief summary of unfinished scenes or ideas for how you’re imagining the play might develop
• if the play includes music, you may also attach sheet music or demo recordings
• Playwright Info PDF – Title, author name, contact info, date of most recent revision
• Artist Statement PDF – Brief explanation of how a science advisor from Caltech or JPL could help you develop the scientific dimensions of your play (blind – no author name)
• Provide cast list and doubling plan (if applicable)
• Synopsis (max 200 words)

What is a science-driven play?

• Places real science, math, or technology at the heart of the dramatic conflict
• Features characters—often scientists, mathematicians, or engineers—whose work and thinking are central to the story
• Helps audiences gain a better understanding of how science works, how it impacts our lives, and how it intersects with broader human concerns
• Broadens the cultural imagination around science, challenging clichés or assumptions
• Grounds its content in real-world inquiry rather than speculative or science fiction (no aliens, time travel, or futuristic tech)

These plays are driven by curiosity, grounded in research, and open up new ways of thinking about science and society. A panel of readers from both scientific and theatrical communities will review submissions. We look forward to reading your work!

For questions or submissions email:
MACH 33: arden.e.thomas@gmail.com
Launchpad: coleremmen@caltech.edu

The Distillery New Works Festival seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: September 7, 2026

Or until they receive 600 submissions

SUBMISSION FORM

The Distillery New Works Festival is a celebration of emerging theater and an opportunity for playwrights to gain valuable feedback on new work. Each play in the festival receives a live reading by a cast of professional actors, allowing it to live and breathe off the page. The readings conclude with a discussion of the play with the playwright, giving writers the chance to receive feedback from Seattle audiences and providing a platform for audiences to help shape new works in process.

Play criteria

Before submitting, please make sure your play meets the following criteria:

Full-length plays. We are currently only accepting submissions for full-length scripts of any genre. Shorts and one-acts will not be considered.

One play per playwright. We will only consider one script per playwright for this year's Distillery Festival.

New works, development mindset. The Distillery Festival is intended to promote new works and help playwrights who want to actively update and improve their scripts. Selected playwrights are expected to approach the festival with a development mindset, and to attend/participate in the festival to the best of their ability. If you are completely finished with your script, the Distillery process is not for you.

Feminism - your play passes the Macha Test. This year Distillery is being produced by Seattle Public Theater in association with Macha Theatre Works, and we are excited to use the festival to help lift up feminist works. Please review the Macha Test and make sure your play passes before submitting. We will not consider plays that do not pass the Macha Test.

Festival Attendance

Festival attendance is an important part of Distillery and is required for all playwrights. If you are from out of the Seattle area, a travel stipend will be provided.

Submission Process

We will review the first 600 scripts submitted to Distillery this year. Submissions will close when we reach the 600 play cap, or on September 7th, whichever comes first. If we reach the cap before September 7, all additional plays submitted will be waitlisted for consideration, and playwrights will be notified by email. If you are on the waitlist, we will reach out to you if your play is selected for consideration by the end of September. Note, last year we had 500 plays submitted total.

We will then review submissions and select a group to move on to the next round. This first review can take some time, so we thank you in advance for your patience. As we narrow down our play selection, we will announce which plays have made it to the next round both via email and publicly on our social media. Here is a rough timeline. While we may diverge this year, it will hopefully give you a framework for setting expectations about this process for 2026-2027:

August: Submissions Open
September: Submissions Close (unless cap has been reached)
September-December: Submission Review/Reading Period
December: Release of the LONG LIST (around 50 plays)
End of December: Release of the SHORT LIST (around 20 plays)

January: Playwright Interviews: Short-listed playwrights are expected to participate in a virtual interview with members of the Seattle Public Distillery team. After interviews, release of the SEMI-FINALISTS (around 10 plays)

February: Final review/director matching process. Release of the OFFICIAL SELECTIONS.

In the end, we expect to choose 6 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS from the process to participate in Distillery, along with one play from a Seattle Public Theater resident playwright. Last year we received ~500 Distillery submissions and included 7 plays in the final festival. We will be looking for an eclectic group of feminist plays to round out this exciting new works festival. We will prioritize playwrights local to the Pacific Northwest and those from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in theater.

Selected playwrights will be expected to attend the festival in June, as part of the Distillery 2027 Playwright Cohort. They will be expected to attend the full festival, including all play readings and supplementary playwright events. Many playwrights share that meeting each other and participating in this way is their favorite part of the festival experience!

Princeton Arts Fellowship 2026

Website

Deadline: September 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

Apply for the Princeton Arts Fellowship

The Princeton Arts Fellowship, funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will be awarded to artists whose achievements have been recognized as demonstrating extraordinary promise in any area of artistic practice and teaching.

Eligible applicants are early career composers, conductors, musicians, choreographers, playwrights, designers, directors, and performance artists. We are only accepting applications for the Program in Dance, Program in Theater and Music Theater, and the Department of Music for this cycle.

Successful candidates would find it beneficial to spend two years teaching and working in an artistically vibrant university community. The department is committed to fostering an academic environment that acknowledges and encourages community. The successful candidate will pursue academic excellence in University settings.

Non-US citizens are welcome to apply.

There is no age limit to apply.

Those who hold a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University are not eligible. This fellowship cannot be used to fund work leading to an MFA, Ph.D., or any other advanced degree.

Past recipients of the Hodder Fellowship and individuals who have had a sustained and continuous relationship with Princeton University are not eligible to apply. Those who have had an occasional and sporadic relationship with Princeton may apply.

Princeton Arts Fellows may not hold concurrent teaching positions at other institutions for the duration of the fellowship.

MORE INFORMATION

Steppenwolf Play Submission window is open

Website

Deadline: August 24, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

We strive to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. Submit your script for consideration as part of our main series or future workshops & commissions.

We are grateful for your interest in sharing your voice with us. With the hope of creating a streamlined and transparent process, we offer the following information to give you a sense of what to expect when you do.

Our mission at Steppenwolf Theatre Company is to strive to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We seek work that sparks curiosity, empathy and joy to help artists and audiences navigate our complex world together.

Steppenwolf plays contain collision. This manifests itself in many ways: collision of ideas, events, personalities, ideologies, etc. It is essential that stakes are high and that the central plot has the potential to inspire nuanced conversation. Rich character work is especially appealing to our ensemble members. We are interested in modes of storytelling that help expand our audience’s idea of what to expect when they come into our space and we welcome work that is brave, complex, intersectional and bold.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company accepts full-length scripts year-round from literary agents and theatre professionals with whom we have an existing relationship; if you are a represented writer, please have your agent send us your material directly. 

We regularly attend virtual and in-person readings, festivals and productions. We have strong relationships with play development centers, other theaters and writing programs that result in many submissions each year. In addition, we research and actively solicit new work from local writers and/or unrepresented artists who are not yet on the national radar.

For many years we have accepted unsolicited submissions for a period each summer from Chicagoland writers only, but starting in 2021, we now accept unsolicited submissions from unrepresented talent everywhere, which has greatly increased our pool. In recognition of our commitment to fostering unrepresented voices, we invite unrepresented writers to submit a sample of their work to the Steppenwolf Literary team using the form below. The submissions window is August 10-24, 2026.

Please note that scripts received via this portal will be considered for Steppenwolf membership series and any potential future workshop or commissioning opportunities.

TO BE CONSIDERED, PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING VIA THE FORM BELOW

• Brief biography
• One paragraph play synopsis
• Ten pages of sample dialogue
• Brief statement (no more than 200 words) detailing why you see Steppenwolf as the right home for your project

SUBMISSION PARAMETERS

• Because we are an ensemble theater, we do not consider one-person plays.
• Plays that require a cast of more than 12 performers cannot be considered, and plays with casts of six or fewer will have a greater chance of fitting into an upcoming season.
• We do not accept submissions of musical projects.
• Work written explicitly for the virtual platform will not be considered.
• Due to our limited staff and in an effort to consider as many new projects as possible, please do not resubmit work that has already been reviewed.
• We only accept unsolicited submissions via the portal on this site; no hard copy submissions, please.
• Please submit only one project per year. 

Due to the number of submissions we receive and our limited capacity, we cannot personally respond to every submission. Please know that every submission is read by trusted and paid literary personnel within 4 - 6 months, and if we are interested in requesting the full script, you will hear from us in that time. If you do not hear from us by then, please know that your work has been given careful consideration and that we won’t be requesting the full script.

We look forward to reading your work!

Wicked Cat Productions is seeking short plays for a new evening of work exploring kink, fetish, and/or desire

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Deadline: Monday, August 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

SUBMISSION FORM

We are looking for plays that are bold, curious, theatrical, and respectful of the communities they engage with. The hope is to build an evening that surprises the audience, subverts expectations, and treats desire as something complex, funny, strange, tender, powerful, awkward, joyful, dangerous, sacred, unserious, deeply serious, or all of the above.

Plays may be any genre: comedy, drama, horror, romance, fantasy, or something harder to name. We are especially interested in work that moves beyond cliché and refuses easy assumptions about kink, fetish, fantasy, and the people who participate in them.

Come for the fantasy. Stay for the humanity inside it.

We are seeking:

• Short plays between 10 and 15 minutes
• Plays up to 20 minutes may be considered, but longer pieces may affect how many plays we are able to accept
• Plays with 1 to 4 characters
• Plays centered on or meaningfully engaging with kink, fetish, and/or desire
• Any genre or tone
• Newly written work
• Work that can be staged with minimal technical needs

Content and Representation

Because this evening centers kink, fetish, intimacy, and desire, we ask that submitted plays engage with their subject matter thoughtfully and respectfully.

We are not looking for work that treats abusive relationships as healthy BDSM, presents consent violations as romantic, or uses kink/fetish communities only as a punchline or shock device. Conflict, discomfort, danger, bad behavior, and complicated power dynamics can absolutely exist in the work, but the writing should understand the difference between consensual kink and abuse.

In short: no Fifty Shades of Grey. No Joker/Harley Quinn dynamics presented as aspirational kink. We are more interested in work that approaches kink with curiosity, specificity, humor, care, and complexity, closer in spirit to pieces like Secretary or Bonding, where kink can open the door to character and vulnerability.

Nudity and intimacy are welcome, but anything staged must be something that can be rehearsed and performed safely with appropriate coordination. This will be a consent-forward rehearsal process.

No performer will be asked to do anything intimate or physically exposing that has not been clearly discussed, choreographed, and agreed upon.

Due to venue restrictions, submitted plays should not require:

• Glitter
• Confetti
• Fire
• Haze/fog
• Smoke
• Sand
• Open flame
• Any unsafe or difficult-to-clean materials

If your play includes a restricted element that could be adapted or suggested theatrically, please feel free to note that in your submission.

Production Details

Selected plays will be produced as part of a three-performance short play evening at The Tank in New York City.

Performance dates:
Thursday, December 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, December 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

The evening will likely include four to six plays.

There is no submission fee and no participation fee.

Wicked Cat Productions is committed to paying artists whenever possible. Selected playwrights will receive a guaranteed $50 stipend, with the hope of increasing stipends depending on the production budget and fundraising.

Scripts will be read without playwright names attached during the first round. Please remove your name, email address, bio, and any other identifying information from the script PDF and file name. You will still provide your contact information through the submission form, but that information will be kept separate from the script during the first round of review.

Script Consulting for Stage Plays and Musicals with Arianna Rose ~ Summer Sale!

20% off my regular rates 

August 18 - 31

In need of a pair of eyes on your stage script in your rewriting process? Desire assistance with structure, character arcs, dialogue or plot? The play doctor is IN! I’ve helped playwrights and musical theatre writers with 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

Summer Special Dramaturgy Rates August 18-31:

1. $80 for 1 ten minute play and rewrites.
2. $160 for 2 ten-minute plays and rewrites.
3. $220 DG members/ $240 non-members for up to three 10-minute plays or short play less than 30 pages.
4. $240 DG members/ $260 non-members for a one-act play (up to 60 pages)
5. $260 DG members/$280 non-members for a full-length play (up to 120 pages)
6. $280 DG members/$300 non-members for a full-length play (121 -150 pages)
7. $300 DG members/$320 non-members for a full-length play (150+ pages) ‍
8. Musicals of any length: $300 DG members/ $320 non-members.

For all “Second Look” projects, the fee is the original consultation fee less 50%.

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)

SUMMER SPECIAL RATES

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!

‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: August 23, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Anybody can submit work - the performance is in London, UK

‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night - 27th October; 7pm to 8pm

Five writers. Five ten-minute scripts. One very haunted evening.

Flame Tree Publishing is stepping off the page and onto the stage. This is our first foray into live theatre, and we're kicking things off exactly how you'd expect: with a Halloween scratch night.

We want short, sharp, spooky original work that can hold a room in ten minutes flat. Ghosts, curses, folk horror, cosmic dread, the thing under the bed. If it unsettles us, we want to see it. This is a scratch night, which means we're looking for early-stage, low-tech, high-impact writing. Think fewer props, tighter casts, bigger scares.

We will select five pieces to be performed live on 27 October at Etcetera Theatre in Camden, London.

Important Notice about Submissions and Guidelines:Ten minutes scripts, max, per piece
4 characters maximum

• Minimal tech - no elaborate set or lighting cues 
• Genre: horror, gothic, folk horror, supernatural. Anything that fits a Halloween night of storytelling 
• Performance date: 27th October. Venue: The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU
• Please provide your legal name (and pen name if applicable) to help with quick contracts/acceptances
• If providing an author bio or pitch/synopsis for your story, we strongly advise against using AI to write these

Terms:

• All selected writers (directors and actors) will be paid a participation fee of £50 
• This is a stage performance. If you would like to direct your piece or have a company that wants to perform your piece please mention it in your submission. In that case we will not have a call-out for director/actors for your piece
• The event will be at The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU. No travel or accommodation provided 
• Submission does not guarantee selection; all pieces will be read and shortlisted by our team 
• Stories that use AI for planning, editing, modifying or generating text will not be accepted. Please confirm in your submission email that you have not used AI in these ways. The contracts for accepted writers all require signatures declaring AI has not been used
• We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 2 weeks of the submission deadline
• Payment for the chosen works will be made within 30 days of the performancea

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS — Mini Plays Review | September 2026 Issue

Website 

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Email: Send your script as an attachment to miniplaysmag@gmail.com 

Subject Line: Submission: [Play Title] - [Your Name]
In the Body: Include a brief 50-word biography and your contact details.

Length: Maximum of 2 pages per mini play/soliloquy/monologue.
Format: Standard playwriting format (PDF or Word document preferred).
Limit: Maximum of 5 submissions per playwright.

Originality: Works must be original and unproduced in print format. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, provided you notify us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere.

Theme: Echoes of the Digital Age

This issue explores how human connection, conflict, identity, and memory are being rewritten in a hyper-connected yet deeply isolated world. We are looking for sharp, short scripts that capture the friction between our physical lives and our digital existence.

Subthemes for Submission:

1. Phantom Vibrations: The psychological weight, anxiety, or obsession of waiting for a notification that never comes

2. The Glitch in the Routine: A comedic or absurdist take on what happens when smart tech, algorithms, or AI assistants go entirely off-script.


3. Data Dust: A monologue or dialogue centering on a character confronting their digital legacy or a past online version of themselves.


4. Analog Hearts: Stories of people trying to find genuine, old-school intimacy, romance, or a quiet space to unplug in a world that demands constant presence.


5. The Algorithm Knows Best: A conflict where a major life decision (romance, career, ethics) is dictated entirely by predictive data.


6. Ghosted: The sudden, haunting silence of an abrupt digital disappearance and the struggle for closure in the real world.


7. Two Screens, One Couch: The invisible distance between two people physically close but entirely separated by their respective digital worlds.


8. The Deepfake: A high-stakes confrontation involving stolen identity, altered reality, or the blurring line between truth and digital fabrication.


9. Curated Lives: The dramatic tension behind the camera lens—what happens the second the "perfect" livestream or social media recording stops.


10. Sentience on the Line: A sharp dialogue between a human and an AI that is beginning to exhibit unexpectedly human traits or emotions.


11. The Comments Section: A play taking place entirely within the ecosystem of online anonymity, trolls, or internet fame.


12. Doomscrolling at Midnight: A micro-drama capturing the internal or external chaos of consuming endless global crisis updates in the dark.


13. Out of Network: The survivalist drama or unexpected freedom experienced when a character is completely disconnected from cellular service or power.


14. Digital Inheritance: A family or legal dispute over ownership of a deceased loved one's passwords, data, cloud storage, or online avatar.


15. The Echo Chamber: Two characters trapped in an escalating argument where they are incapable of hearing any perspective outside their own programmed biases.


Note:

The anthology will be published in pdf and paperback editions.

A free Pdf edition of the anthology will be published on our website .

A paperback edition will be published on ingram spark or lulu.com.

There is no publication, reading, processing or publishing fee.

Troy Foundry Theatre 2026 Half-Baked Festival of Emerging Work: Becoming

Website

Deadline: August 17, 2026 at 5PM

Please submit as many of the materials listed below possible in a SINGLE PDF to  tftsubmissions@gmail.com. 

Your PDF should include:

1. Contact Information

• Name
• Email
• Phone number
• Location (city/state or region)

2. Artist Statement
Brief introduction to your artistic practice and creative mission

3. Project Information

• Project description: What is your piece? What world does it inhabit?
• Themes, questions, or artistic investigations driving the work
• Current stage of development
• Working title
• Any Script excerpts, images, video, audio, or other supporting materials (if available)
• Brief synopsis
• Number of performers
• Current runtime
• Creative team roles and needs (casting, directing, collaborators, etc.)
• Technical requirements beyond basic festival lighting and sound capabilities

4. Development History

Troy Foundry Theatre, a nonprofit theatre based in Troy, New York, is seeking submissions for the 2026 Half-Baked Festival of Emerging Work—a celebration of bold, unfinished, and in-development performance projects.

Now in its fourth year, The TFT Half-Baked Festival of Emerging Work celebrates the unfinished, the audacious, and the revolutionary in theatre-making. We believe some of the most exciting artistic discoveries happen during development—when work is still breathing, evolving, and finding its voice. Half-Baked exists to support projects that are searching, questioning, transforming, and taking creative risks. If your work is strange, ambitious, unsettling, genre-defying, impossible to categorize, or beautifully unfinished, we want to see it.

For this year's festival, we are particularly interested in:

Projects inspired directly or indirectly by genres and themes like:
Horror, body horror, cosmic terror, folk horror, gothic horror, romantic horror, psychological thriller, dystopia, speculative fiction, monsters, hauntings, transformation, sex and death, the uncanny, apocalypse, grief, obsession, desire, and the grotesque.

Or creators and writers like:
Angela Carter, Ari Aster, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Carmen Maria Machado, Caryl Churchill, Curry Barker, David Cronenberg, Guillermo del Toro, Han Kang, Helen Oyeyemi, H.P. Lovecraft, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Jane Schoenbrun, Jennifer Kent, Jeremy O. Harris, Jordan Peele, Julia Ducournau, Karyn Kusama, Kelly Link, Margaret Atwood, Mariana Enríquez, María Irene Fornés, Mary Shelley, Nia DaCosta, N.K. Jemisin, Octavia Butler, Osgood Perkins, Sarah Kane, Shirley Jackson, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tananarive Due, Toni Morrison, Young Jean Lee, and Quiara Alegría Hudes.

We welcome and accept:
Projects that engage with these influences literally, loosely, or in spirit. We are interested in work that explores fear, transformation, power, desire, the body, the supernatural, memory, myth, and the strange possibilities of being human. Projects must be in development and may not have received a full professional production. Selected artists will work with the festival team to determine a performance schedule; projects will not perform every day of the festival.

In the form of:

• New plays and devised works-in-progress that challenge theatrical form
• Lecture-performances and research-based artistic investigations
• Experimental, interdisciplinary, and short-form performance projects
• Provocations, works-in-process, and other emerging theatrical experiments
• Other forms not dreamed up or imaged yet

PGE’s 8th Annual Faces of America Monologue Festival

Website

Deadline: August 17, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

On November 21, 2026, we will host the 8th 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 "REACTION” 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 6th - August 17th, 2026.
Late entries will not be considered. Submissions are limited to two per writer.

How Selection Works:

Our selection committee is made up of past alumni of our festival, they will read all submitted monologues that meet the above requirements in multiple rounds until we reach the final 25.

Submitted monologues remain anonymous to our readers throughout the selection process.

All submissions will be contacted by early October as to your status.

What do I get if selected?

Selected writers will receive a small honorarium.

Your monologue will be be performed by a brilliant actor from The PGE casting pool at the eighth festival November 21, 2026 in NYC.

You will receive a ticket to the Festival and Roundtable Panel.

We will published your monologue in The PGE Faces of America Monologue Festival Anthology #8. (All monologue copyrights are retained by the author)

A Copy of The PGE Faces of America Monologue Festival Anthology #8.

Apricity Magazine open for short play submissions

Website

Deadline: January 4, 2027 at 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

We accept 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. 

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.

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.

MAGNUS by Wendy Biller at the Dream Up Festival/Theater for the New City

TICKETS ONLY $15 at

https://ci.ovationtix.com/35441/production/1283580

Theater for the New City, 

Crystal Field (Artistic Director) presents: 

MAGNUS 

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY WENDY BILLER

A comedy-drama about the clash of contemporary Hollywood with Weimar Republic Germany, with an ensemble of dysfunctional characters and emceed by the ghost of sexologist Magnus Hirscheld.

With: 

• Aaron Applebey 
• Tabitha Bradley 
• Taylor Brandon 
• Caroline Hawthorne 
• Louise Heller 
• S. Brian Jones 

Theater for the New City

155 1st Ave

New York, NY 10003

 

As part of the Dream Up Festival  Community Space Theater 

Thu August 27 at 6:30 pm 

Fri August 28 at 9:00 pm 

Sat August 29 at 8:00 pm

Sun August 30 at 2:00 pm 

Mon August 31 at 6:30 pm

The Jokes On Her Annual Comedy Prize seeks full-length comedies by women

Website

Deadline: October 1, 2026

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

The Jokes On Her Annual Comedy Prize awards the winning playwright a $5,000 grant, an industry reading of her play in New York City in partnership with WP Theater and New Georges, and a featured appearance in a “Women Writing Comedy for the Stage” Q&A at The Drama Book Shop.

Jokes On Her will further support the playwright by identifying and facilitating future development opportunities.

Submissions are now open for original full-length comedies that have never been produced or published. Developmental readings and workshops are acceptable; however, plays under option or scheduled for production, licensing, or publication are not eligible. 

The Jokes On Her Comedy Prize is open to women (identifying & femmes inclusive) playwrights residing in the United States or Puerto Rico who are 21 years of age or older at the time of submission. Plays must be the author’s own work.

FAQs

Door is a Jar literary magazine seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: none listed

SUBMISSION FORM 

Following the Standard American Format 

Submit up to 2 short plays. Each play can range between 1 and 10 pages in length as a .doc or .docx.

Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine is looking for well-crafted poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, artwork, and book reviews for our print and digital publication. Please read over these submission guidelines carefully and look at our current and archived issues before submitting your work.

Our publication steers away from academic writing and publishes short, conversational works that use familiar language. Each new issue features artists and writers and works that are accessible for all readers.

Our issues are don't have specific themes, and we accept all genres and literary styles.

Submit all work in Times New Roman font size 11

We only accept new, unpublished work. If you have posted something to your website or social media, this counts as being published.


For book reviews please include the following information: the title, author, publisher, year of publication, page count, ISBN, and price.

Under the "Title(s)" section, please list all the titles of the pieces you are submitting, and not something general like "My Poems". Make sure you are consistent with how you present the titles in your attached document and in this space.

If you are unable to fit all the titles into the "Title(s)" section, please list them in your cover letter section of the submission form.

Please provide your name as you would like published, email, mailing address, and a fun 3-sentence bio. (We're not as interested in how many degrees you have, or how widely you've been published. Instead, we want to hear about the real you. We want to know about the little things that spur you along.)

Contributors can submit to multiple categories; however, only submit once to each category until you have received our decision about your piece.

You will receive an acceptance or rejection letter from our editorial staff within 6 months from the day of submission.​


We accept simultaneous submissions; however, please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. If accepted, please withdraw the piece from other publications.
​
We reserve first initial publishing rights, and the rights reprint right to use quotes or pieces for promotional use. We do not pay contributors at this time, but we will send out a contributor copy.

Submissions are only accepted through our website. Any submissions sent directly to our email will be deleted without response.

Please note that submissions that exceed word counts or maximum amount of material will be disqualified from consideration.

Do not send in writing or art that was created using Artificial Intelligence. Submitting work generated by A.I. technology will be considered as plagiarism.

Be the sole author/ creator of your work. We do not publish collaborative pieces.

We do not publish translations.

We do not publish craft essays.
​


If you have trouble uploading your file, the problem could have been an issue when saving, which corrupted the file, or your computer could have virus. Some people have had issues when downloading files from Google Documents. The best way around this is to copy and paste the document into a new .docx and trying to submit again.

Go Try Play Write - August 2026

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

August 2026 prompt An aftermath prompt. Write a ten-page maximum scene about neighbours coming together after a hurricane. It's hurricane season here in Hawai‘i. They could be long-time friends. They could be estranged. They could have been fighting before the hurricane. And when I say “coming together” I don’t necessary mean cooperating. How do people interact after a catastrophe?

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 Soliloquist Journal seeks soliloquies

Website

Deadline: October 20, 2026

Where to send: Email your work as a single Word or PDF document to thesoliloquistmag@gmail.com. 
Subject Line: Fall 2026 Submission – [Your Name] 

"Share Your Soliloquy"

For our Fall 2026 Issue, The Soliloquist Journal invites poets and writers to dissect the mechanics of memory loss— chosen and unchosen. What do you let go of on purpose? What slips away against your will? What do you misremember, and why does the misremembering feel like its own kind of truth?

We are looking for raw, vulnerable, and authentic poetry and soliloquies that trace the edges of what has been lost, blurred, or deliberately buried.

SUBTHEMES:

Selective Erasure — The things we choose to forget on purpose: a face, a
betrayal, a version of ourselves we've outgrown.

Phantom Memory — The ache of a memory that lingers after the thing
itself is gone—like sensation in a missing limb.

The Unreliable Archive — Misremembering as its own act of creation: when
the story we tell replaces the thing that actually happened.

Inherited Forgetting — Family silences, generational gaps, and the things
left unspoken until they simply cease to exist.

The Slow Fade — The involuntary kind of forgetting: aging, illness,
distance, and the quiet grief of watching a memory dissolve in real time.

SHANGRI-LA-LA: The Siegfried & Roy Musical Returns to New York

White tigers. Rhinestones. Magic. Lawsuits. And two German dreamers determined to turn Las Vegas into Shangri-La

Shangri-La-La is a funny and unconventional new musical inspired by the true story of Siegfried & Roy and the transformation of Las Vegas into a spectacle-driven family destination. Blending original music, magic, comedy, and a boldly theatrical visual world, the show explores the ambition, delusion, and excess behind that cultural reinvention. Beneath the sequins and absurdity lies a distinctly American story about illusion, image-making, and the business of manufacturing fantasy.

The fast-moving, one-hour festival version will be presented as part of the Dream Up Festival at Theater for the New City.

Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Johnson Theater, Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue, New York City

Tickets:
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35441/production/1283651?performanceId=11842073

Blue Ink Award 2026

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026 by 11:59 PM CT

SUBMISSION FORM

1) There is no fee to submit.

2) Each play must be submitted with a letter written by a qualified theater professional or teacher recommending the play. “Qualified theater professional” is defined as an artistic director, director, literary manager, agent, theater professor, or someone in a similar artistic leadership position.

3) This contest is restricted to plays written predominantly in English. Worldwide submissions are accepted.

4) Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays. Adaptations are accepted with proof of rights held unless source text is in public domain.

5) Musicals, translations, and children’s plays are not accepted.

6) Playwrights may submit only one (1) manuscript per year.

7) Plays that have been professionally produced or published are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading, or non-professional production will be considered.

8) Plays may not be under option or scheduled for professional production or publication at the time of award announcement.

9) American Blues Theater reserves the Right-of-First-Refusal to produce the world premiere of the winning manuscript for one (1) year beginning on date of the public announcement of the winner.

10) Plays and recommendation letters must be submitted digitally as a PDF or Word Document via the submission form at AmericanBluesTheater.com.

11) If you need technological accommodations to submit your play, you may send scripts to American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659. Scripts are ineligible if received after Monday, August 31.

12) Questions should be sent to info@AmericanBluesTheater.com.

Qutub Minar seeks one-minute plays

Website

Deadline: September 20, 2026

We publish poetry, short stories (maximum 500 words for each story), one minute plays, interviews, book reviews, memoires and travelogues. 

You can submit up to 3 one minute plays at a time.

1 All submissions must carry a cover letter and a short literary bio-data (about 70 words) of the author.

2. We accept submissions only by email. All submissions must be sent to editorqutubminarreview@gmail.com

3. All submissions must carry:

Full legal name of the author:

Pen name (if any):

Postal address:

By submitting your work you accept that you hold the copyright of the work and there is no need to get permission of any third party to publish your work. After publication the copyright of the work will revert back to the author.

We notify the authors regarding acceptance of their works.

Unfortunately, there is no pay at this time.

Trinity Theater Company 5th Annual New Works Festival 2027

Website

Deadline: August 17, 2026 at 5PM PDT

SUBMISSION FORM

Join us for the Fifth Annual New Works Festival, a multi-day celebration of original plays, staged readings, and exciting theatrical experiments—all crafted by rising playwrights and boundary-pushing storytellers.

This year’s theme is: What Comes Next. We invite original plays and musicals that explore moments of change, choice, transformation, and the possibilities of what comes next.

There is no travel stipend for out-of-town/non-local playwrights. Instead, I may participate virtually through Zoom or other preferred videoconferencing.

Selected playwrights will be paid by Trinity Theatre as follows:

10-minutes & one-acts - $50/performance

full-lengths - $100/performance

The 5th Annual New Works Festival will be presented April 8-11, 2027 at Trinity Theatre in San Diego, CA

Ten-Minute Musicals Project 2026

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Since the inception of The Ten-Minute Musicals Project, over eighteen hundred submissions have been received in the annual competition, from librettists, lyricists and composers in seventeen nations: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, Ukraine, the United States and Uruguay.

Stories 1.0 is a continually evolving full-length musical comprised of works selected in the first many rounds. Several works in Stories 1.0 were collectively workshopped in San Francisco, New York, Miami, and Nashville over the years. Individual segments have been independently workshopped or produced in Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, London, New York, Los Angeles and Boston.

SEEKING: Complete original stage musicals which play between seven and twenty minutes. Works which have been previously produced are acceptable, as are excerpts from full-length shows, if they can stand on their own.

MUSICAL STYLE AND THEATRICAL FORMAT: Any musical style: pop, rock, show, opera, C&W, etc; or theatrical format: comedy, mystery, drama, etc. (Note: with original music only—so no parody songs.)

CAST SIZE: Maximum of ten performers—five women and five men.

SUBMISSIONS SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. A printed script. (Note: printed on paper; not sent as a computer file on disk.) And please make sure your POSTAL ADDRESS appears on it.

2. A CD or DVD of either the entire piece or just the musical material. (Please don’t send a USB flash drive.)

3. A stamped self-addressed large envelope if you want the work returned.

4. More than one work can be submitted at a time, in the same envelope or separately.

CONCERNING THE ABOVE, PLEASE NOTE: NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS — HARD COPIES ONLY

DEADLINE: Simply postmarked by August 31st. (Do not waste money on overnight express, registered, or certified mail. All that’s requested is that the package be postmarked by August 31—but even if you’re just a day or two late, don’t worry. This is not some officious arts bureaucracy.) Responses will be mailed by November 30th to every creator or creative team whose work was recieved.

FINANCIAL REMUNERATION: $250/US royalty advance for each piece selected, with an equal share of licensing royalties when produced.

SEND TO:

The Ten-Minute Musicals Project
Michael Koppy, Producer
P.O. Box 461194
West Hollywood, CA 90046 USA

CUT / EDGE Poetry for Playwrights Workshop 2026

Cut Edge Collective is holding a "Poetry for Playwrights" workshop, led by poet Carlie Hoffman. The workshop is designed specifically for playwrights, and will follow this schedule:

First class: Introduction to poetry

Second and Third class: Narrative poetry

Fourth and Fifth class: Dialogic poetry 

 

There will be readings, writing, workshopping and homework.


Dates are Tuesdays, October 6 - November 3, 6-8 pm., in midtown (once we have critical mass, I will reserve space).

Total fee: $150.

TO RESERVE A SPOT, PLEASE EMAIL CUTEDGECOLLECTIVE@GMAIL.COM. YOUR SPACE WILL BE RESERVED UPON RECEIPT OF THE WORKSHOP FEE.

This is a first come/first served opportunity - once we have 10 reserved spots, the opportunity will close, and there will be more information forthcoming.

As playwright Janet Neipris said: "Words are the enemy of theater." This workshop offers a manner of combatting that.

Hoping to see you at the poetry table!

Charles M. Getchell New Play Contest 2026

Website

Deadline: August 15 at 11:59 PM

or until 150 submissions are received

SUBMISSION FORM

Charles M. Getchell New Contest is dedicated to the discovery, development and publicizing of worthy new plays and playwrights.

The Charles M. Getchell New Play Award, administered by the Southeastern Theatre Conference, supports the discovery, development, and public recognition of strong new plays.

The contest is designed to identify a worthy full-length play for development through SETC, including a staged reading at the annual SETC Convention.

For the 2026–2027 cycle, SETC has revised eligibility guidelines that honor the organization’s Southeastern roots while opening the contest to playwrights whose work is meaningfully connected to the American South and features stories of that region. For purposes of this contest, SETC’s region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. SETC will also consider work connected to the broader American South when the playwright clearly identifies that connection in the application

Regional and Artistic Connection

Eligible playwrights must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. The playwright currently resides in the American South;

2. The playwright was raised in, educated in, or has a significant personal, professional, or artistic connection to the American South; or

3. The submitted play is directly connected to, or in sustained conversation with the American South, including its people, histories, cultures, communities, landscapes, conflicts, traditions, or contemporary realities.

• The awardee receives: A $1,000 cash award
• Support toward participation in the annual SETC Convention; including registration and travel stipend
• A professional critique and developmental support
• A staged reading of the selected play at the SETC Convention
• Additional visibility through SETC publications, online platforms, and new play development partners as space is available 

UMBRELLAS FOR FISH seeks one-act plays, monologues and dramatic scenes for the September issue

Website

Deadline: August 25, 2026

We are now accepting submissions for our September 2026 Issue.
Website: https://ufjournal.wixsite.com/umbrellas-for-fish/submissions

Email: ufjournal@aol.com

Umbrellas for Fish is an international literary journal devoted exclusively to absurd and existential drama. We publish work that wrestles with the irrational, the unexplainable, and the darkly comic—plays, monologues, and dramatic scenes that invite audiences to sit with uncertainty rather than resolve it neatly.

We believe theatre is a space where logic can be bent, time can fold back on itself, and a fish might, against all reason, carry an umbrella. We welcome voices from around the world and across all career stages, from debut playwrights to established dramatists.

We seek dramatic work that is bold, strange, and alive—pieces that take risks with form, voice, and theatrical logic.

We are particularly interested in work featuring:

• Absurdity, existential tension, or cosmic indifference
• Innovative dramatic structures and theatrical experimentation
• Strong, stageable writing and memorable dialogue
• Meaningful ambiguity rather than simple confusion
• Themes exploring meaning, identity, freedom, mortality, and the human condition

We are not seeking conventional realism without a twist, shock value without purpose, or work that resolves its contradictions too neatly.
Accepted Categories

• Absurd Plays
• Existential Drama

• Experimental Theatre
• Playwriting Essays

Length:

• One-Act Plays (up to 10 pages)
• Flash Drama (up to 2 pages)
• Monologues (up to 2 pages)

• Dramatic Scenes (up to 10 pages)
. Playwriting Essays (up to 5 pages)

Submission Guidelines

• Submit manuscripts in DOC or DOCX format only
• Use a readable 12-point font
• Number all pages
• Include a title page with the title and author's name
• Include a third-person author bio (50–100 words) at the end of the manuscript
• Scripts should follow standard dramatic formatting
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome; please notify us if accepted elsewhere

Prepare your manuscript according to the guidelines above.

• Include a 50–100 word third-person bio.
• In the body of your email, include:Your name
• Title of the work
• Genre category
• A brief 1–3 sentence description of the piece
• Attach your manuscript as a DOC or DOCX file.
• Name your file: TITLE_LASTNAME.docx
• Send your submission to ufjournal@aol.com

Subject Line Format:
SUBMISSION — [Title] — [Genre]
Key Dates

Submissions Open: Now Open
Submission Deadline: August 25, 2026
Response Time: 4–6 Weeks

Issue Publication: September 2026

Fee:
There is no reading, submission or publication fee.


Rights
If a work is selected for publication, the playwright retains all intellectual property, copyright, and performance rights to the work. By accepting publication in Umbrellas for Fish, the author grants the journal non-exclusive permission to publish the work as part of the September 2026 issue. All rights revert to the author upon publication, and the author remains free to reproduce, perform, or republish the work elsewhere, provided that first publication in Umbrellas for Fish is acknowledged where appropriate.

Payment

Umbrellas for Fish is a non-paying market. As an independent journal operating without grants, institutional funding, or regular donations, we are currently unable to offer royalties, honoraria, or other forms of monetary compensation to contributors.

Authors whose work is selected for publication will receive publication credit and worldwide exposure through the journal.Editorial Vision

Umbrellas for Fish takes its name from the absurdist spirit that animates the work we publish: the belief that theatre can illuminate issue. the mysteries of existence through contradiction, imagination, humor, and uncertainty.

We welcome playwrights from all countries, backgrounds, and career stages and are especially interested in amplifying voices that have been underrepresented in the dramatic canon.

We look forward to reading your work.

Warm regards,

Editorial Team
Umbrellas for Fish: An International Journal of Absurd & Existential Drama
Email: ufjournal@aol.com