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Monday, April 30, 2012

NYCPlaywrights survey results

Thanks to all 270 visitors of the NYCPlaywrights web site who participated in the survey. 

No surprise, a large majority of the survey respondents - 94% are playwrights. Respondents were allowed to select multiple options so the results don't add up to 100%:

The survey question: which of these are you?

Playwright: 256  (94%)
Actor: 67  (24%)
Director: 51 (18%)
Stage manager: 10 (3%)
Designer: 7 (2%)
Theatre Lover: 63 (23%)
Other: 16 (5%)

Sunday, April 29, 2012

LONELY, I'M NOT - Discount Tickets for NYCPlaywrights


Discount tickets are offered to visitors of this web site for

LONELY, I'M NOT
By Paul Weitz
Directed by Trip Cullman


With Mark Blum, Lisa Emery, Topher Grace, Christopher Jackson, Maureen Sebastian, Olivia Thirlby

2econd Stage Theatre- 305 West 43rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)

At an age when most people are discovering what they want to do with their lives, Porter (Topher Grace: Traffic, Spider-Man 3, In Good Company, "That 70’s Show") has been married and divorced, earned seven figures as a corporate "ninja" and had a nervous breakdown.  It's been four years since he's had a job or a date, and he's decided to give life another shot.  From the playwright that brought you the 2010 hit Trust and the director of the critically acclaimed Bachelorette (Second Stage’s Uptown Series), Lonely, I’m Not is a comic journey that follows Porter as he meets an ambitious young businesswoman, Heather (Olivia Thirlby: Juno, Being Flynn, United 93) who is overcoming her own obstacles to emotional success. 

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! NOW – MAY 27

Performance Schedule:*
Tuesdays 7pm | Wednesdays 2pm (beginning April 25)| Wednesdays 8pm |
Thursdays 8pm| Fridays 8pm| Saturdays 2pm & 8pm| Sundays 3pm

Evening performances  Wednesday 5/9, Thursday 5/10 & Friday 5/11 at 7pm
No performance on Tuesday 5/8

$45 TICKETS (REG. $75)*
$30 FOR AGES 30 AND UNDER**
$18 STUDENT RUSH**

THREE EASY WAYS TO BUY:

ONLINE:  Visit www.2ST.com and enter code PEKO

PHONE: Call 212.246.4422 and mention code PEKO

IN PERSON: Visit the 2econd Stage Theatre box office- 305 West 43rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.2ST.com

*Offer valid through 5/27. All sales are final. Regular service fees apply. All artists/schedules subject to change without notice. 

**One student rush/$30 under 30 ticket per valid ID, full time high school or college students and age 30 & under.

BolderLife Festival seeks 10-minute scripts

web site

BolderLife Festival is seeking plays to be included in its upcoming multi-media festival to be held September 20-23, 2012, in beautiful Boulder, Colorado.

Please submit plays that follow these guidelines:
  •  10 minutes in length
  •  No monologue plays
  •  Maximum of two submissions from the same playwright
  •  Simple production, prop and costume requirements
  •  Must be related to the topic of Bolderlife.
  •  Tasteful humor and a light approach are encouraged
  •  Diversity and roles for women are encouraged
  •  Scripts may have been performed as festival, staged readings or educational projects; do not submit scripts that have been professionally performed or published.
Please state character descriptions and a one-sentence summary of the play on cover sheet, along with complete contact information – email, mailing address, and phone numbers!

Submit your script as an email attachment to our theater director, Vonalda Utterback, at: vonalda@bolderlifefestival.com .
Deadline for submissions is May 18th.
There is no fee for submissions, nor is there a stipend if your play is chosen for performance.

WE WILL EMAIL YOU WHEN WE RECEIVE YOUR SUBMISSION. If you do not receive an email, we did not receive your submission.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Thespis Theater Festival seeks 40 - 90 minute plays

web site

Deadline May 31, 2012

There are no fees associated with this festival.

Thespis Theater Festival
August, September, October

An opportunity for never-before seen plays to be presented onstage and have the chance to win a $5,000 prize for Best Play, $1,000 for the play that Helps Make the World a Better Place and $500 for Best Actor.

Thespis Theater Festival is an event organized by ThespisNY, Inc., a not-for-profit 501c3 meant to help new plays get seen by audiences and give directors, playwrights and actors the opportunity to leave with exciting visuals that can be used to gain future performances.
Plays must be between 40 and 90 minutes long.

The festival offers:
  • Three performances in the Cabrini Repertory Theater.
  • The chance to have a professional video of your play taken, plus a professionally edited, 4-minute trailer, which can be included in a production package that you can show to agents, producers and theaters after your run in Thespis.
  • Time in the theater at no charge to create the visual elements of your production package.
  • An affordable website designed (not mandatory) for your play.
  • Winners in the categories of Best Play and Help Make the World a Better Place will have the chance to have their play streamed on GoodNewsPlanet.com, a website created by former CBS & PBS producer Paul Sladkus, and will be reviewed for the chance to be interviewed by Mitchell Rabin on A Better World Radio.
Staging your play for the first time is an exciting and vulnerable experience.

Thespis Theater Festival was designed with the intention to support artists during their first run with a stage, audiences and prizes, and professionally shot visuals that can be used to help find further performances once the festival is over.

Please Note: Thespis Theater Festival is for non-union/non-equity members only.

Thespis Theater Festival will be held at the Cabrini Repertory Theater, 771 Fort Washington Avenue, Washington Heights, NYC

Thespis Theater Festival only accepts plays that have never been shown onstage before. They must be first runs.

When applying to the Thespis Theater Festival, all submission materials must be sent by email. Your work will be read for roundness, completion and the possibility to be staged.

All submissions will receive an answer via email after May 31, 2012.

Email all materials to TheaterFestival@ThespisNY.com.

Please include:
  • Your full script. A simple Word document will be sufficient and better for us. Please use a font size of 12 for your script.
  • A bio (including contact information) of the person submitting the play, as well as contact information for one additional person in your production should the management need to contact someone quickly.
  • Please include the title of your play IN A FONT SIZE OF 24 on the first page of every document you send to us.
  • Please feel free to send us any additional information you think will help the submission process..
Please tell us who is in charge of your play and include their mailing address, email address and telephone number. This will be the person in your production that we will always contact first and who will also receive the checks for all Thespis prizes.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOUR PLAY MUST BE BETWEEN 40 AND 90 MINUTES.

REHEARSALS & PERFORMANCES

Each play will be given 3 performances. In addition, every play will be assigned one tech/dress rehearsal of 4 hours. If you choose to have a production package made, you’ll be given an additional 4-hour time slot in which to be filmed. You will not pay for the space during your video shoot.

STORING PROPS
We have space in the outside courtyard to store your props & set pieces for the entire length of the festival.

 PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE THEATER HOSTING THESPIS NY IS INVOLVED IN SEVERAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS TO AID THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. THEREFORE, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO SEE ANY OF THE SHOWS RUNNING IN THESPIS FOR FREE. THESE PEOPLE WILL BE A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR AUDIENCE, AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT OVERCROWDING. THE THEATER CAN SEAT UP TO 200 PEOPLE. ANYONE WHO WALKS IN WILL BE GIVEN A SEAT.

Seeking Scripts for Loaf Theatre's Reading Series

web site

Loaf Theatre Company seeks 60-90 minute scripts for its first annual 'Fresh Out of the Oven' Reading Series to be presented in early/mid July of 2012.

Each play will receive one staged reading presentation in a Manhattan venue followed by an intensive talk-back session with actors, audience, and Loaf Theatre members. Loaf Theatre will provide the space and will assist in finding actors, directors, and moderate publicity if needed. No pay provided, but selected plays will be considered for future development and production with Loaf Theatre Company.

Interested playwrights should email writing resume, synopsis, and complete script to: loafsubmissions@gmail.com

For more information about Loaf Theatre, please visit: www.loaftheatrecompany.com

Conejo Players Theatre play submissions guidelines

web site

Play Submission Guidelines

Conejo Players Theatre accepts new full-length plays, comedies, musicals, and plays for children. Musicals should include a demo CD of the songs in addition to the script.

The CPT season is year-round and follows a calendar-year schedule. The upcoming year's season is selected February through May and announced in August.

Submissions may be made anytime to:

CONEJO PLAYERS THEATRE
ATTN: Executive Director
351 S. Moorpark Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361-1008

If the manuscript is to be returned, a self-addressed pre-paid envelope should be included with the submission materials. All material should be clearly labeled with the playwright's name, address, phone number, and email address (if available). Submissions will be considered year-round but may not be returned until scheduling is completed mid-year.

Lebanon Community Theatre Play Writing Contest

web site

Aspiring playwrights of all ages and experience are invited to submit scripts for LCT's 14th annual play writing contest.

Plays will be judged on content, dialogue, ingenuity, use of theme, and ability to be staged. Plays with special effects, lighting or elaborate sets can not be produced.

Previous years' winning plays came from throughout Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic area, and from across the United States and Canada.

The authors will maintain all literary rights to their own material.

All winning plays will be presented on the LCT stage on August 23, 24, 25, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and at a Sunday matinee on August 26, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.

For further information call: Karen Dundore - Gullota at (717) 507-0543
or send an e-mail message to contest@lct.cc

Prizes

LCT's Play Writing Contest Committee and the LCT Artistic Board will judge the entries. The winners will be notified by letter near the end of June, 2011.

Each winner will receive:

a) a $100 cash prize; and

b) one season ticket for LCT's 2013 season for local winners; and

c) each of the winning plays will be performed on the LCT stage; and

d) each playwright may direct and cast their own play if they wish. Playwright directors will
be assisted by committee members; and

e) a DVD of the production of the winning plays.

All plays submitted should center on a common theme, idea or concept.
This year's theme is:




Rules

All plays submitted must be the original work of the author and must comply with guidelines of length and appropriateness for community theatre audiences.

Plays not on theme or not written for this contest will not be judged.

Play's should be at least 10 minutes long, but must not exceed 20 minutes of production time.

Plays should have no more than three scenes using limited sets, props and costumes. Only simple on-off or fade lighting will be considered. The cast of characters must be at least two,
but should not exceed eight.

Playwrights should keep in mind that they are writing for the stage and not television or film, and must use dialogue, not stage directions, to develop their play.

There is no limit to the number of plays each person can submit.

Please submit two copies of your play. Submissions should be typed and double-spaced on one side only. Both copies should be unbound and stapled on the top left corner.
Do not use any covers. Use a simple font such as Times New Roman or Courier.


All plays must be submitted by April 30, 2012 and must include on the title page a short paragraph stating how your play makes use of the theme.

Mail your plays to:

L.C.T
P.O Box 592
Lebanon, Pa 17042

Production

Auditions for the winning plays will be held at LCT on Sunday, July 29 and Monday, July 30, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. All winning authors who want to cast and direct their own play should be present. Playwrights are encouraged to recruit potential actors; and those auditioning will be considered for all winning plays.

Print a play writing contest entry form using Adobe Acrobat.  (see web site)

Friday, April 27, 2012

URBAN STAGES is looking for new plays

web site

Our current production, My Occasion of Sin, came to us through our Words By Women Reading Series. Now we, at Urban Stages, are looking for more submissions and this time we’re accepting plays for a slew of READING SERIES! Here’s the list:

TEN-MINUTE FESTIVAL:
We’re now accepting any and all ten-minute plays for a reading festival at our theatre late summer/early fall. We pay special attention to innovative plays that touch on social issues in the current public sphere and we require all plays to have small casts (4 or less characters).

ASIAN-AMERICAN FULL-LENGTH PLAYS:
We’re putting together a reading series that shines light on some of the modern-day concerns and values of the Asian-American community. We’re also seeking to provide a platform for Asian-American playwrights. Full-length plays only. 7 characters or less. Minimal sets, if possible.     

WORDS BY WOMEN:
Off the success of My Occasion of Sin, we are again putting together a Words by Women reading series. This means we’re accepting full-length plays (7 characters or less, minimal sets if possible) by female playwrights on all topics (but again special attention is given to plays that touch on current social issues.)

All submissions must be sent via mail (sorry, no email):

Urban Stages
555 Eighth Avenue, RM 1800
New York, NY 10018

Please include a self-address stamp envelope (a small one for a response letter or a large one with appropriate postage if you would like us to return your play – otherwise scripts will be recycled.)

All submissions must be postmarked by May 4th, 2012.
Please write either Ten-Minute, AA Plays or Words by Women on your envelope…otherwise submissions will go in our general submission pile. There is no submission fee.

It usually takes two to six months for us to read and process your script. We ask that you do not call or email our offices to inquire on the status of your play.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Page 73 Development Programs

web site

Each year, Page 73 offers the following three development programs to early-career playwrights:
The P73 Playwriting Fellowship, a nationally recognized fellowship program that supports one playwright for a full year with financial, production and career resources; “Interstate 73”, a writing group consisting six to eight emerging playwrights who are given the resources to develop new plays with a group of their peers; and a one-week summer residency on the Yale University campus for three to four early-career playwrights.

These programs serve as many as fifteen playwrights per year.

The deadline for the 2013 Page 73 Development Programs Application is May 1st, 2012
(email time stamp or postmark deadline).

Below please find links to the application for last year’s Page 73 Development Programs (in word and .pdf format).  Kindly follow the instructions set forth in the application. There is no fee to apply

2013 Application for Page 73′s Development Programs (.doc format)

2013 Application of Page 73′s Development Programs (.pdf format)

Eligibility Requirements for Page 73′s Development Programs:

  1. The applicant must be a US resident at the time of participation;
  2. The applicant must have completed at least 2 full-length plays or at least 3 one-act plays;
  3. The applicant must have made a commitment to playwriting as a professional goal;
  4. The applicant must have never received a production of his/her work in New York City that was larger than an Actors’ Equity Showcase Code presentation; and
  5. The applicant must not be enrolled in a degree/certificate program at the time of participation.
We prefer to receive applications via email. Please send completed applications to application@p73.org. Further instructions for email submissions are included in the application document.

Applications may also be mailed (we only accept regular mail and courier deliveries — please do not drop off personally) to:

Page 73 Development Programs / Page 73 Productions
138 South Oxford Street, Suite 4E
Brooklyn, NY 11217

If you have any questions regarding the application, please email michael@page73.org.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Roust Theatre Company submissions... preference for social issues

web site

Roust Theatre Company accepts new, previously unproduced plays from both literary agents and directly from playwrights as unsolicited manuscripts, with some limitations. 'Unproduced' means not previously seen on a stage in a professional capacity, it does not include being previously produced as a staged reading.

Please send an email to submit@RoustTC.com including a cover note, a brief synopsis and your best 10-page selection from the script (either in a Word document or PDF). If the material interests us, we will contact you with a request for the complete script. Please don't email a complete script in the hope that we might, by some crazy chance, print it and read it. We won't, primarily for two reasons: we just don't have the time and we try and care about the environment by saving paper. If we discover you've sent the complete script your submission will be deleted.

A word to the wise, we only like to receive plays that fit our mission. Keep in mind that Roust focuses on important social matters. This doesn't mean we only accept political plays or dark brow-furrowing dramas, though we happen to produce those as well. Straight plays, musicals, comedies, love-stories, experimental pieces; if it's a social 'hot-potato', we want to read it. We need you, and so does theatre!

Thespian Production showcases need one-act plays

web site

Thespian Production in NYC is seeking one-act plays (no more than 15 minutes) for its upcoming showcases in August and October 2012. If you have submitted a script within the last three months, you need not reply again.  Please include synopsis and contact information. Submissions on any genre will be accepted through June 1, 2012.

Please submit scripts to charsunshine64@gmail.com or submissions@thespianproduction.com.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Theatre company seeks short horror plays

LE PETIT MORGUE, a new theatre company devoted to new and classic works of horror, is looking for short plays for a reading series which will have its first event on Friday, July 13th, 2012 in NYC. Plays should be no more than 30 minutes and must be in the horror genre - no horror-comedy or spoofs. Please send submissions to MissSardonicus@gmail.com

There are no fees involved, but there is also no payment. We will only be contacting writers we are interested in working with.

Happy Birthday Shakespeare project seeks bloggers



Blogging Shakespeare seeks bloggers to participate in their Happy Birthday Shakespeare project.

Happy Birthday Shakespeare was launched in 2011 - bloggers from around the world were invited to wish the Bard a "Happy Birthday" by writing a blog post about how Shakespeare has effected and impacted their lives. A site was created to link to the participants' blogs and video blogs,  essentially a giant birthday card to the Bard.

The project continues in 2012 - if you want to participate, write a post on your blog sharing  Shakespeare's effect or impact on your life and publish your post anytime between April 22th - April 28th- with the 23rd being ideal, as that is the Bard's actual birthday.

To get involved with this project fill in this form.

Have questions or need more information? Contact Jessie White at jessie@misfit-inc.com

Spotlight Players is seeking scripts with all characters over the age of 50

web site

Spotlight Players is seeking scripts with all characters over the age of 50. Their actors range in age from 50 - 90. Scripts should be 2 act plays (not monologues).  The larger the cast the better, at least 5 - 25 roles is preferred. Spotlight Players has a mainstage theater that seats 400 (2 productions annually) and also a black box theater (one show annually) that seats 80.  Please indicate in which theater your play would work best. Comedies are preferred, but all types will be considered. 

Please submit your appropriate plays to Debbie, Artistic Director, at debbie617555@sbcglobal.net

Monday, April 23, 2012

American Repertory Theater of WNY YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

web site

In keeping with American Repertory Theater of WNY’s mission statement of supporting a new generation of American playwrights, ART is proud to announce, through the Erie Canal Harbor Development, ART will be presenting a Local Young Playwright showcase July 2012.

The intention of the festival is to encourage aspiring playwrights up to the age of 25 to submit their works to be produced by American Repertory Theater of WNY (ART of WNY). Additionally, young directors and actors will also have the opportunity to work alongside established members of the theater company as all strive to produce these works.

In addition to the opportunity for a young playwright to work alongside established local playwrights, directors and actors, ART is also encouraging young directors & actors an opportunity to become involve in the process and overall presentation.

The choice of the material to be presented will depend on originality, length, craftsmanship and the practicality of producing the work for the stage. An emphasis in the determining process will center upon the playwright being American and/or having a work pertaining to the American story, especially regional relationships.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
MAY 30th

SUBMIT WORK AND COVER LETTER TO:
American Rep Theater of WNY
C/O Young Playwrights Showcase
369 Cadman Drive
Williamsville NY 14221
(Please Include Self-Address Envelop if request return)

To find out more information and to speak to a representative of American Repertory Theater of WNY, please call 716-634-1102 ( 9am to 4:30 pm)

A Red Orchid Theatre submission guidelines

web site

We accept new plays from playwrights looking to get their work seen. We do our best to read all the plays that are sent to us, however, since our script readers are comprised primarily of volunteers, we unfortunately cannot get to every piece of work that we receive. If we are interested in your play, we will contact you, so please do include all of your contact information with your script. No phone calls please. Please send your materials (no SASE necessary) to the following address:
A Red Orchid Theatre
Attn: Literary Department
1531 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610-7752

DRAMATISTS GUILD FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

web site

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications for the program commencing in Fall, 2012 must be received by the Guild no later than May 4, 2012.

**IMPORTANT CHANGE: This year, we will be accepting electronic submissions ONLY.** E-mail all submissions to fellows@dramatistsguild.com.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants will be eligible for the program with one of the following qualifications:  1) Participation in a graduate program in theatrical writing within the last five years; or 2) Participation in an organized theatrical workshop within the last five years; or 3) Comparable experience, and a recommendation by a theater professional or theater educator; or 4) Pertinent, documented practical experience. All applicants must be residents of New York or the surrounding metropolitan area for the time of their fellowship.   Applicants must also be prepared to meet on alternate Monday evenings of every month, and to make themselves available, if possible, to participate in observerships, assistantships, etc. when those opportunities arise.

DRAMATISTS GUILD PLAYWRITING FELLOWS:

Please submit a cover letter telling us why you would like to participate in the Dramatists Guild Playwriting Fellowship Program; a resume containing pertinent contact information for you; 20 pages of a script you have written. Please name submission as follows: LastNamePlayTitle (for example: NottageRuined.pdf. The document(s) must be e-mailed as a PDF.

DRAMATISTS GUILD MUSICAL THEATER FELLOWS:

Please submit a cover letter telling us why you would like to participate in the Dramatists Guild Musical Theater Fellowship Program; a resume containing pertinent contact information for you; mp3 files of four (4) songs with lyric sheets; a brief description of each song as to its plot placement, and a brief synopsis of the musical. Musical submissions need not be elaborately produced; piano and voice is sufficient. Please note that we can only accept music in the mp3 format. Please e-mail each song separately and name them as follows: LastNameMusicalTitleSong# (for example: FlahertyRagtime#1.mp3) The other documents must be e-mailed as a PDF.

**PLEASE NOTE: if you are applying as a Musical Theater Fellow and you write both music and lyrics, you may apply alone as a “self-contained” writer. Members of collaborative teams must apply together. Unfortunately, we cannot accept people who write only lyrics or only music without a writing partner, as we cannot pair collaborators. The cover letter and materials submitted should make it clear whether you and your collaborator are applying as a team or whether you write both music and lyrics.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Doc Jim Martin Playwright Competition

web site

Submissions are due by June 1, 2012
 
In honor of Jim Martin, Reno theatre supporter, collaborator and angel, our One Act Play Competition has been renamed The Doc Jim Martin Playwright Competition.

We like to encourage the writing of new works even though our mission is dedicated to classic shows. You never know what new piece will be a classic 30 years later.

To that end, we invite all one act submissions from national and international hobbyists or professionals. You will have the chance to work directly with a director assigned to the competition on the development of your script and our talented actors to bring your words to life.

The intermediate goal will be to workshop a staged reading of our two winning scripts. The long term goal will be to have a full stage production grace the GLM mainstage.

Submissions are due by June 1, 2012.
Staged Readings scheduled for August 17, 18, 19, 24 and 25, 2012
Stage Production scheduled for November, 2012

Email submissions are preferred. Please submit to chad@goodluckmacbeth.org.
For snail mail submissions please send to:
Good Luck Macbeth
Playwright Competition
PO Box 2729
Reno, NV 89505

Seeking 10 Minute Plays

web site

NOTE: No submission fee, although a donation is suggested.

Center of the World Festival announces their Amateur Playwright Competition for 10-minute Eco-drama plays. 

DETAILS

This playwrighting competition is open to "everyperson" without age and geographic restriction, but honoring all laws relating to citizenship and under-age minors participation. Non-citizens must certify legal right to participate in this competition. Minors (children to age 18 years) must have signed parental consent.

Competition is restricted to English language submissions only.

No collaborations are accepted--single authorship only.

No "X" rated material. 

No Fee, but donations suggested (minimum $10.00). 

Grand Prize $500. 

Submission Deadline is 4/30/12. 

Festival dates are 8/17/12 to 8/19/12. 

Venue is Pine Mountain Club (PMC), Kern County, California. PMC is a small community nestled within the Los Padres National Forest, near the historic spiritual site of Mount Pinos, worshipped by the Chumash Indians as the center of the world (Liyikshup), "the point where everything is in balance." 

Only "hard-copy" paper "snail-mail" submitted applications are accepted. E-Mail scripts will not be accepted. Send to:

The Center of the World Festival
P.O. Box 1929
Frazier Park, CA 93225-1929

If you wish to be notified that script was received, please enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope. Do not send manuscripts by certified mail, or signature required.

Go to web site for more information and submission form.

Friday, April 20, 2012

OCCUPY THE EMPTY SPACE: Call for Submissions

(no web site available)

NOTE: do not send scripts until May 1, 2012

Submit from May 1-31, 2012

Event Date & Time TBA July 2012

Needed: 10 Minute Plays/Immigrant Rights/OWS Themes

After a successful first event, Occupy the Empty Space is back in action! Our next festival will take place in early July, date and venue(s) to be announced in June. For those of you new to Occupy the Empty Space, we are a ten minute play festival and activist outreach event directly affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  The festival takes place in an outdoor or nontraditional venue. We do not charge our audience. There is very rarely a traditional stage. We accept works from playwrights of all career levels.  We do not monetarily compensate any playwright, director, or actor involved; we offer great work with great people. And we consider that priceless. 

YouTube Links of previous material, consult for a better idea of our project. [ all available at NY Raw Video user… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iFHcq5yqqg OR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQuXMH-3czs&feature=relmfu OR peruse the links!]

Guidelines:

  • Plays must be five to ten minutes long
  • Plays must coincide, be able to fit under the theme THE HUMAN RIGHT TO MOBILITY.
  • We will also accept play submissions dealing with themes of Occupy Wall Street, and in particular, immigrant rights.
  • Plays should have no more than five characters.
  • Please do not submit more than two plays at a time. If you wish to submit more than this, please write and ask permission.
  • We will not read play submissions longer than 15 pages, and we will not read play submissions with more than five characters. We will also not read play submissions that deviate greatly from our theme.
  • We will begin accepting submissions on May 1st, and we will stop receiving submissions on May 31st. Any submissions sent before May 1st will NOT be read. Any submissions sent after May 31st will NOT be read.
  • We only accept submissions via email, no paper submissions accepted. 
Please put “Occupy the Empty Space” in the subject of the email, along with a cover letter. It does not have to be long! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you’ve sent us.
  •  Please send submissions (along with questions and concerns) to BOTH Kate Foster at owsvoices@gmail.com and Sarah Duncan, at smduncan@mail.bradley.edu….Happy Writing!


NORTHNORTHWEST - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

web site

The Northwest Playwrights Alliance is now accepting submissions for its 7th edition of "NorthNorthwest," an annual anthology of ten-minute plays.

This year's theme: "A Better Life."

No fee to submit. Limit two ten-minute scripts per playwright.

Deadline for scripts: May 1, 2012.

If selected, notification will be no later than July 15, 2012.
NPA will not retain rights of any kind. Payment: international fame and 3 complimentary copies. Scripts will also be considered for NPA's annual tour to NYC and England, as well as production with our 14th annual summer festival with the Academy of International Education (AIE), co-sponsored with the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma, WA.

Please send your PDF or Word submissions as an attachment to nnw.submissions@gmail.com.
Questions? Please email Senior Editor, Samantha Cooper nnw.submissions@gmail.com for further inquiries.

NorthNorthwest is co-sponsored by NPA, Seattle Repertory Theatre and generously published by Western Washington University.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Blackboard Plays reading series submissions info

web site

Every 2nd Monday of the month Blackboard gives one playwright, who is of African descent or part of the African Diaspora, a chance to have their entire work read and discussed. This is an exciting way for everyone to get to know each other and hear Works-in-Progress. Think of it as an "open mic" for Playwrights where actors in the audience will be apart of cold reads of excerpts selected by the playwright. Playwrights must provide their own copies of the pages they wish to have read.
  1. Playwright must be a Black playwright, meaning someone who is of African descent or part of the African Diaspora.
  2. Plays must be new and un-produced (other staged readings are eligible). 
  3. Both One Act and Full Length Plays AT LEAST 45 minutes in length will be accepted.
  4. A detailed synopsis of your submission, no longer than a page and no less than two paragraphs must be sent. 
  5. Include your name and the title of your submission in the subject line of your email (eg. Garlia Jones - BLACKBOARD PLAYS).
  6.  Send all submissions to: info@blackboardplays.com

Your Name Here: A Queer Theater Company seeks 10-minute plays

(No web site available)
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Your Name Here: A Queer Theater Company is pioneering a new 10-minute play reading series called BLIPS. We are aiming for a one-night recurring event beginning on June 6.

Requirements:
  • 10 minutes or less
  • 5 characters max
  • minimal production requirements

Dates to know:
  • May 1- Submissions received by
  • May 18- Chosen plays will be notified
  • Show on June 6 - 7:30 pm

Please submit your work to: submissionsQTC@gmail.com

We strongly encourage queer women, people of color, and trans people to send submissions.

If you know of someone whose work we should know, please share this invitation to submit to BLIPS.


Good Luck!

James
Literary Manager
Your Name Here: A Queer Theater Company

We are committed to providing a dynamic, progressive environment for Queer artists. Our goal is to represent and to reflect the queer human experience, while creating a safe space in which to empower the LGBTIQQA* communities of New York, through producing self-generated works and nurturing emerging artists.

And Toto Too submission policy

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Submissions Requirements:
  •     Women Playwrights only
  •     Never Produced in Colorado
  •     Full Length: any genre except musicals and children's
  •     6 characters or less
  •     Minimal set requirements
Submit:
  •     Synopsis of play
  •     Character outline
  •     First 10 pages only - manuscript format
  •     Playwright bio and production history of script

Submissions can be sent in electronic format only (PDF preferred) to submissions@andtototoo.org. (Need a PDF converter?)

Any scripts sent by mail will not be accepted; all communication regarding scripts will be done electronically.

Please note that due to the high volume of scripts received, a response to your script could take up to a year, and that we are unable to offer feedback.

Please also note that submission of script, whether solicited or not, does not in any shape or form constitute an agreement to produce.

Scripts not following the above guidelines will not be considered. Please, no phone calls.

Thank you.

Bread and Water Theatre looking for new voices

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SUBMISSION POLICY

BWT is always looking for new dramatic voices for possible future productions.  Due to limited funding, shows that require elaborate sets, special effect cues, and costumes are difficult to consider for production.  Please follow these other guidelines below.
GENERAL RULES
  1. Playwrights must first send a letter of introduction with details of a play they would like to submit for consideration prior to sending a full length script.
  2. Do not send a S.A.S.E.  All scripts that are declined will be recycled.
  3. A current theatrical resume (preferred, but not required).
  4. If your letter of introduction is met with approval send only that script to be considered.
  5. Do not send large bulk packages of plays.  Some playwrights have sent up to eight scripts at once and that is not something that we recommend.
  6. Choose book or media rate to save on shipping costs.
  7. No children's, 10 minute or short one-act plays.
PLEASE SEND TO

BWT: New Play Development
c/o 129 Henrietta Street
Rochester, New York 14620

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rockefeller Foundation Arts & Literary Arts Residency

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Applications must be completed online in English and submitted by the published deadline.  Applicants who have trouble accessing the online form may contact bellagio_res@iie.org to discuss alternative ways to submit the application.

Online Application Overview

  •  All applications are completed online.  If you have difficulty accessing or submitting an online application, please contact the competition administrators at bellagio_res@iie.org.
  •  After you start your application, a unique application number and link will be sent to your e-mail address.  Please be sure to check your spam box in case it is not delivered to your inbox.  Applications do not need to be finished in one session; the online form allows you to save it and return to revise, edit, or add additional information later.
  • Each page of the application form must be completed before you move on to the next page.
  • Choose the most appropriate artistic field(s) for your project (you may choose up to two).  Applications in each category are reviewed by professionals in that field.  Choreographers, performance artists, and artists doing experimental work combining more than one genere or art form should select either video/filmmaker or multi-media artist so that you will be prompted to submit work samples appropriate to your discipline.
  • Prepare a project summary of no more than 250 words for literary artists, poets, and playrights.  All other artists must write a 500 word summary.  Summaries should be written for a general audience that describes the purpose and gloals of your time at Bellagio as well as the artistic and global context of your work.  It should also indicate the specific output of your residency, the planned outcome, the target audience, and the planned means of dissemnation.  The project summary will be a text field in the online application.
  • Provide the names of three recommenders and their e-mail addresses.  Your recommenders will be contacted immediately after you submit your application.  You will also receive a copy of the e-mail sent to the recommenders. Please notify your recommenders before you submit your application so that they can expect your request. Oftentimes, messages are caught in e-mail spamguards.  Please note that it is the applicant's responsbility to ensure that the recommenders submit the letters within two weeks of the application deadline.

Application Materials

In addition to the application form, applicants must submit the following documents as PDF (preferred) or Word attachments where indicated.  These documents should be double-spaced, in 12-point type and have 1" margins.  There are five required components for all applications plus one additional for former Bellagio Center residents. The requirements are as follows:

Project Summary

Prepare a project summary of no more than 250 words for literary artists, poets, and playrights.  All other artists must write a 500 word summary.  The project summary will be a text field in the online application. Summaries should be written for a general audience that describes the purpose and goals of your time at Bellagio as well as how your work is inspired by or relates to global social issues or the Foundation's mission of promoting the well-being of humankind. It should also indicate the specific output of your residency, the planned outcome, the target audience, and the planned means of dissemination.

Project Proposal

Applicants in the literary arts (fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, and playwrights) will need to submit a project proposal not to exceed 1,250 words with a clear and concise description of the following:

  •  Overall description of your project with particular attention to the phase of the project you will be working on during the proposed Bellagio Center residency;
  •  More detailed information on the artistic and global context of your work and how your project is innovative or distinct from other work in your field and how it is inspired by or related to global social issues or the Foundation's mission of promoting the well-being of humankind;
  • Importance and potential impact of your project within your field and/or impact on the well-being of humankind;
  • Short-term outputs and/or intended outcomes of your project;
  • Details on the target audience and the planned means of dissemenation;
  • Specific and clear outline of your work plan for the time at Bellagio; and
  • If relevant, a chapter outline of your work, book, or publication. Please note that this will count towards the 1,250 word limit.

Please Note: Visual artists, composers, and video/filmmakers are not required to submit a project proposal.  However, you are welcome to submit a shorter version of a project proposal if you think it will help the review committee better understand your proposal especially when describing how your work is inspired by or related to global social issues or the Foundation's pioneering mission to promote the well-being of humankind.

Abbreviated CV

Document of no more than four single-space pages with career highlights, including publications and awards.  Please do not submit a professional biography. 
Work Sample(s)

Applicants in specific art fields will have different requirements for work samples.  The following will outline the work samples for each artistic discipline.  Please note that work samples will not be returned. Fiction, Non-fiction, Poets, and Playwrights: If none of your previous work is published in English, please provide either an English translation or summary of the work sample.  

Composers: Work samples consists of a music score and an audio file copy completed in the last five years.  There are a few ways to submit both the music score and audio file: 

 Audio samples can be either uploaded onto YouSendIt or DropBox. Alternatively, audio samples can be sent via post on three separate CDs.  Applicants who would like the reviewers to listen to something other than the first ten minutes of the sample should clearly mark the start and end point of the excerpt. 
  
Music scores can be a) uploaded to the online application in PDF format; b) uploaded to YouSendIt or DropBox; or c) sent via post on unbound 8.5" x 11" (A-4) paper. 

Fiction and Non-Fiction Writers and Poets: A selection from a book published within the last five years (maximum of 20 pages) for which you are the main author. It must be submitted online as either a PDF (preferred) or Word document.

Multi-Media Artists: There are three options for submitting the required materials:   

 Upload to the Online Application: You may upload ten images created within the last five years (maximum height/width of 1240 pixels in .jpg or .gif format with a 300 dpi resolution and should not exceed 1.2MB each). Please indicate a list with image number, title, size, medium, and date of work.  
  
Upload via YouSendIt or DropBox: You may upload ten images created within the last five years (maximum height/width of 1240 pixels in .jpg or .gif format with a 300 dpi resolution and should not exceed 1.2MB each).  Please include a list with image number, title, size, medium, and date of work.  Instructions on how to upload via YouSendIt or DropBox can be found on the Application Resource Center website. 
  
By Post: Three copies of a universally read CD or DVD (for Mac and PC) with ten images created in the last five years (maximum height/width of 1240 pixels in .jpg or .gif format with a 300 dpi resolution and should not exceed 1.2MB).  Please include a list with image number, title, size, medium, and date of work. 

Playwrights: A selection from a play produced in the last five years (maximum 20 pages).  It must be submitted online as either a PDF (preferred) or Word document.


For more information see the web site.

TWISTED, SPOOKY CREEPY - Season 4 (2012) CALL FOR SCRIPTS

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TWISTED, SPOOKY CREEPY – Season 4 (2012)

Little Fish Theatre is accepting scripts for our fourth annual Twisted, Spooky, Creepyproduction to be presented in October 2012.

Scripts can be either comedic or dramatic, and should have one or more of the following themes:   Halloween, dark comedy, ghost story, horror, psychological thriller, thriller — and twisted, spooky, or creepy!

Only ONE play may be submitted per playwright. Please DO NOT RESUBMIT anything you may have sent us in previous years.

Submission deadline is June 1st, 2012.

There will be a $50 flat fee royalty payment to playwrights per play produced.

Preferred plays will:
  • Require no more than 10 actors
  • Run no more than 15 minutes
  • Require minimal set, costume, prop, and special effect requirements

Email submissions (in doc or pdf form) to holly@littlefishtheatre.org.

Response time: Semi-finalists will be notified by mid-July. Final line-up notified late July.

Monday, April 16, 2012

April Play of the Month selected: BAREFOOT by Madeline Hester

The April Play of the Month (no theme, but had to pass the Bechdel test) has been selected: BAREFOOT by Madeline Hester. A reading of this play will be recorded and posted online soon.

Thanks to the reading team for reviewing and offering feedback on the semi-finalist selections - we had over 120 submissions this month.

VISIONFEST Short play festival

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VISIONFEST
Short play festival
LiveWire seeks an image to inspire new plays!

VisionFest 4: Where the image meets the stage will be presented in June of 2012. Further guidelines and timelines for the festival below:

PLAY SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Submissions will be required to use the final image as inspiration. The image should not appear in the play. Submissions are open to local, regional, national and international playwrights.
  • Only original material may be submitted.
  • LiveWire will ONLY be accepting online submissions.
  • Submission should be sent via email vf4-play@livewirechicago.com.
  • Submissions should be formatted as a PDF (.pdf) or Word Doc (.doc) with the title of the play as the name of the file (i.e., My-Awesome-Play.doc).
  • Do not include playwrights' name on any of the pages in the document.
  • In the body of the email, please include: Playwrights' Name, Title of Play, Email Address, Phone Number and Current City of Residence.
  • Submissions will be open February 13 through May 5. (Any submissions sent outside of these dates will be discarded.)
  • Plays must be between 1 to 10 minutes in length; 1 to 10 pages depending on density of material. (Any scripts over 10 minutes will be discarded.)
  • One submission per playwright will be considered.
  • Previously produced scripts will NOT be accepted.
Questions and/or comments should be directed to livewirechicago@gmail.com.

For our inaugural festival, we asked the community to help chose a theme. Through an online poll that offered 12 suggestions from the Collective, the theme of Control was chosen for VisionFest 2008. In 2009, we sought suggestions for Environments that plays would take place in. From those suggestions, the Collective chose 12 for the online poll. The community voted and chose a Street Corner as their preferred Environment. Last year, LiveWire chose the theme of Feast for VisionFest3 and asked for suggestions of a line or phrase that all playwrights would have to include in their play. Again, we chose a dozen of those suggestions to place in an online poll. "I can't remember the last time we were all together," won the community vote.

Once the unique guidelines are chosen, LiveWire opens submissions to playwrights to write plays that meet the requirements. Each year, we have received more than a hundreds plays from writers around the world. From those plays, the Collective chooses 6 to 10 plays to present. At the festival, programs are provided with ample space for the community to offer feedback to the playwrights. LiveWire collects the feedback and sends them to the playwright at the end of the run... The community truly has a hand in shaping these plays and we hope they will continue to help shape the festival for year's to come.

Theatre Three 6th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays

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Scripts must be post-marked by September 30, 2012

Theatre Three proudly presents The 16th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays to be held February-March 2013 at The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre
THEATRE THREE, Port Jefferson, New York, is now accepting submissions for its The 16th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays to be held on its Second Stage, The Ronald F. Peierls Theatre

Submission Guidelines:  
Only unproduced works will be accepted.  Plays that have had staged readings are eligible.        
 No adaptations, musicals, or children’s plays.    
Cast size maximum:  nine
Length:  35-minutes maximum.  No minimum. 
Settings should be simple or suggested.          
Playwrights may make multiple submissions. These need not be made under separate cover. Please do not submit works that have been previously submitted.                

Please submit a cover letter, a synopsis, and a resume along with one copy of the play. Cover-sheet of play should have title, author, author’s address, author’s telephone number, and author’s e-mail.  Plays should be neatly bound or stapled on the left hand corner.  (No loose pages and no binders, please.)  All submissions must include a standard SASE for correspondence.  Or, if playwrights wish to have their works returned, an appropriate SASE must also be included.  Selected plays will be presented for ten performances.  Playwrights will receive a small stipend.  Once plays have been contracted, THEATRE THREE will have the exclusive performance rights until the close of the festival.

Plays should be submitted to The The 16th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays, Attn. Jeffrey Sanzel, Artistic Director, THEATRE THREE, PO Box 512, Port Jefferson, NY  11777-0512.

We do not accept electronic (e-mail) submissions).  Please do not call or stop by the theatre.

Final selection of plays will be in late 2012.Theatre Three is a not-for-profit organization supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

MONOLOGUES FOR KIDS

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Monologues for Kids 7-14, will be published at the end of this year by Applause Books.

To submit monologues:

Monologues need to be between one and three minutes. Please specify what age group
you intend the monologue to be performed by. Also specify if the monologue is a standalone
or if it is excerpted from a larger play. (And, if excerpted, is that larger work
published? – and if so by whom.)

Include your own contact information.

The Deadline is May 31, 2012.

There is a limit to the number of accepted scripts.
If you have a monologue chosen, you’ll get a payment choice of a small stipend or five
copies of the book. And your work will be immortalized for tomorrow’s starry-eyed
actors, who will grow up believing you are the stuff of legend and will search high and
low for other traces of your genius. There will also be a launch event at the Dramatists
Bookshop in NYC.

The email address to send monologues to is: kidsapplause@gmail.com

20/20 New Play Commissions

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

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

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

About InterAct Theatre Company

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

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

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

About InterAct’s 20/20 Commissions

There are two types of awards associated with the program:

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

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

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

Round 5: 2011-2012 Season

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

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

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

Please note:

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Co-Op Theatre East is now accepting one-act plays

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ATTENTION NYC PLAYWRIGHTS: Co-Op Theatre East is now accepting one-act plays for our play reading series COTE Tales at Looking Glass Theatre on May 6th at 7:00 PM. Plays should be no longer than 20 pages, and speak to the theme of ""I Can't Believe We're Still Talking About This" a night about America's latest contraception debate.

The DEADLINE for submission is April 21st. 

All chosen playwrights must be able to attend. Each submission must also include a synopsis and resume.  Plays without a synopsis will not be read. Please e-mail all submissions to Casey Cleverly at COTEsubmissions@gmail.com.

Queens Theatre in the Park seeks plays

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Queens Theatre is the only performing arts center in the borough that actively seeks out and develops new works.  Through its two New Play Development programs—Immigrant Voices Project, which develops works that represent the rich cultural diversity of New York City, and Plays A Mother Would Love, which looks for mainstream musicals, comedies and dramas—Queens Theatre has hosted staged readings, workshops and full productions of more than 75 new plays, including Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph, which went to receive its Broadway premiere in 2011 in a production that starred Robin Williams.

IMMIGRANT VOICES PROJECT
The Immigrant Voices Project is a year-round program that provides emerging and established writers with an opportunity to develop new work that represents the ethnically diverse demographics of New York City through staged readings, workshops and showcase productions.

PLAYS A MOTHER WOULD LOVE
Plays A Mother Would Love seeks new, mainstream comedies, musicals and thrillers with small casts for readings, workshops and full productions.

At this time, we are only accepting submissions that fit squarely into the parameters of one of these two programs.

Submission procedure:
  •  Please do not send unsolicited scripts.
  •  Email a letter of inquiry, synopsis, cast breakdown, resume and production history to Rob Urbinati, Director of New Play Development.
  •  Include a statement that indicates for which of the two New Play Development Programs you think your play is suited.
  •  No children's shows or one acts, please.
  •  Production considerations: prefer cast limit of 8
  •  Response to letter of inquiry: 3 months
  •  Response to requested scripts: 6 months

Ars Nova Showgasm

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Ars Nova’s rowdy monthly variety show is designed to showcase fresh music, comedy, theater, burlesque, vaudeville and a whole lot more. Have a five-minute act we should see? We’re always looking for new talent; please fill out this form and send it to us with your materials.  (See web site for form)

Theresa Rebeck on the current postmodernist hostility towards plot and coherence

I was hosting a session at the Lark, a New York developmental theater that helps playwrights build plays in a workshop setting, and one of the writers presented a beautifully written complete mess of a play. After many people, including myself, praised the grace of the writing, I admitted that I found the play incoherent. The writer nodded and laughed, delighted at my response. "I just wanted to stay away from anything that resembled a plot," she explained.

"Oh, well, plot," I said.

Here's a plot: Two guys are waiting for somebody big and important to show up. That guy never shows up, but somebody else does. They go back to waiting, and then the tree grows.

Here's another plot: A lonely guy lives on a farm for a long time. He gets bored with his life. He gets a crush on his sister-in-law, and she gets a crush on his friend. Eventually, everyone goes home, only now all of them are even lonelier than they were before.

Here's another plot: A king divides his kingdom between two of his daughters. All hell breaks loose.

I think it goes without saying that young would-be playwrights in developmental workshops should be so lucky as to write plays as good as "Waiting for Godot," "Uncle Vanya" or "King Lear," none of which would have existed without a decent plot. Obviously a theatrical masterpiece needs more than a plot; many television shows are nothing but plot, and it is doubtful that they will stand the test of time. But I also don't think that making fun of plot, or acting like we're all somehow "above" structure is such a good idea.
Read more here.

Downstage Left Playwright Residencies

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Downstage Left residencies are designed to help playwrights take a project from the conceptual stage all the way to a production-ready script.   Playwrights work closely with one of our ensemble directors and members of the literary team to design a process tailored for the particular needs of their project.  We are now accepting applications for Season 31 residencies.  Please download the application form (on the web site), which also provides detailed instructions.

The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2012. 

Email questions and submissions to scripts@stagelefttheatre.com

Friday, April 13, 2012

Bonderman Playwriting for Youth

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Contest Guidelines

Plays should be intended for young audiences third grade through high school (no play is expected to appeal to all ages simultaneously). Playwrights must suggest the appropriate age category on the official entry form.
  1. Scripts designed for the youngest audience, grades 3-5, should be approximately 30-45 minutes in length. Plays designed for grades 6 and above should have a minimum performance length of approximately 45 minutes.
  2. One development slot will be reserved for a script aimed at the 3-5th grade audience.
  3. Scripts must not be committed to publication at the time of submission. Commissioned works that are not in development are eligible.
  4. Scripts previously produced in an educational or vocational setting are eligible, if playwrights are eager to pursue development of the script.
  5. Scripts previously produced professionally are NOT eligible. (i.e., productions in which the director and actors have been paid).
  6. If the play is an adaptation or dramatization, written proof must be provided that the original work is in public domain or permission of the holder of the copyright has been granted.
  7. Musicals will not be accepted for the 2011 contest.
  8. Only ONE submission per playwright is accepted.

Submission Guidelines

  1. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically as editable digital files (no scans).
  2. Author's name MUST NOT APPEAR in any manner on the manuscript.
  3. Each submitting playwright must also complete and send an entry form electronically. All submissions MUST include a brief synopsis and a cast list. The synopsis should be no more than one page and should include
    • list of unusual effects or technical requirements;
    • list of characters noting age and sex, (and possible doublings).
  4. Supporting materials (reviews, publicity, etc.) SHOULD NOT accompany the submission.
  5. All submissions will be acknowledged via email.
  6. Plays submitted to previous Bonderman National Youth Theatre Playwriting Workshops are ineligible.
  7. Playwrights give permission for their work or portions of it to be read at the Symposium and to be archived in the Child Drama Collection, Hayden Library, at Arizona State University.
  8. Playwrights whose work is being considered for full development (ie a potential finalist) will be asked to submit a brief history of the work and goals for the week of development. Subsequently, each playwright will be expected to confer with his/her director and dramaturg prior to casting.
  9. Playwrights are expected to be in residence in Indianapolis throughout the workshop and symposium.

Deadlines

  •     Submission deadline June 30, 2012.  Late submissions will NOT be accepted.
  •     Winners will be contacted in December 2012.
  •     Submissions not following the guidelines will be considered ineligible.

    Any future production or publication of a finalist play must give the following credit:

_____________ was a winner of the 2013 National Waldo M. and Grace C. Bonderman Playwriting Workshop and was featured in a rehearsed reading at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis.
Questions?

If you have questions, please address inquiries to:
dwebb@iupui.edu

To enter your script into the workshop selection process, please mail to:

bonderman@irtlive.com


Thursday, April 12, 2012

EBE Ensemble Seeks Submission of New One-Act Plays

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New York based theater group needs new short plays for their NYIT-Award Winning Festival.
New York, NY: EBE is accepting submissions through June 2012 for their fifth annual new one-act play festival, Elephants on Parade 2013.

In 2009’s Festival, "The Interview" by Nico Vreeland won Best New Short Script in the 2009 New York Innovative Theater Awards.  The 2011 festival ran at the Fourth Street Theater in the East Village.  Di Jayawickrema of NYTheatre.com said that the 2011 festival “succeeds on all levels and stands as a radiant testament to why independent theater is always worth watching for.”  The review goes on to say that this is an “impeccable production” with “deft performances” and “luminous scripts.”  The 2012 Festival opens May 3 at the Fourth Street Theater.

Around six plays will be selected for the 2013 festival.  This will run for two or three weeks in April/May 2013 in New York City.  Selected playwrights will receive a small stipend, be invited to participate in audience talkbacks, and be featured in an online interview series surrounding the festival.

Submission Guidelines:
  • One-Act Plays, less than 25 minutes in length.
  • Only electronic (emailed) submissions will be accepted
  • Playwrights may submit up to 2 plays.  All plays should be attached in the same email message.  Any after that will be disregarded.
  • Plays may not have received a full production in the New York region (readings, workshops, non-professional school productions or productions outside of NY, NJ or CT are allowed)
  • Plays must have fewer than 6 characters; no more than 1 character may be outside the ages of 16-35.
In addition to the play, all submissions should include:
  • Full contact information (phone, email and mailing address) in the body of the email.
  • A writing resume (any other artistic resumes may also be included) attached.
  • A brief synopsis (less than 150 words) in the body of the email.
  • A complete scenic and character breakdown, including ages, in the body of the email.
The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2012. 
Earlier submissions are encouraged.  Selected playwrights will be notified by July 31, 2012.

To submit please send all requested materials in PDF format ONLY to literary@ebeensemble.com

Submissions cannot be considered for the festival until all required materials have been received.

EBE is dedicated to creating and seeking out new and unique works of theater that strive to bring new audiences into the theater and push the envelope for active theater goers. The company operates as an ensemble of artists who believe that a positive and energetic work environment is paramount to developing interesting and entertaining works of art. Engaging not only the theater community, but the community of New York City as a whole, EBE focuses on projecting a distinctively youthful and passionate energy with all of their work.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Blue Slipper 10-Minute Play Festival Selections Announcement

 Dear Playwrights,

Thank you all for your submissions to our fledgling play festival. We received 338 entries from 239 playwrights, and honestly if we were a much bigger theatre with a much bigger actor pool to draw from, we would have been happy to produce many more than we are able. However, for our festival we've had to select only 18 plays to be included. The list of those selected is below, but we'd like to thank all of you for contributing and helping to get our first attempt at a festival off to a great start.

We're hoping this becomes an annual event and will keep your names on file to let you know about next year's opportunity to submit. We wish you great success with your writing.

Sincerely,

Marc Beaudin, Festival Director
Blue Slipper 10-Minute Play Festival
http://blueslipper.com
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The Plays:
All the Answers by Mark Cornell
Candy Apples by Storrs Bishop
Contemplation Note by Alexis Weinkauf
Curse the Darkness by Patrick Gabridge
Delilah by Len Cuthbert
Fighting Mr. Right by Barbara Lindsay
Getting Back in Touch by Marjorie Smith
Gun Metal Blue Bar by K. Frithjof Peterson
How About Cannons? by David Vazdauskas
Idaho City by Alan L. Steinberg
Independence Day by Rhea MacCallum
It Sounds Like Science by Russell Weeks
... last and always by Allan Baker
Letting Go by Rhea MacCallum
Misunderstood by Jim Hajny
The Silence by Connie Schindewolf
Snap by Greg Freier
Table Manners in Buenos Aires by William Fowkes

UUCT Children’s Play Competition

web site

Play Competition Guidelines

2012-2013 New UUCT Children’s Play Competition Guidelines:

1. Only original, unpublished full-length plays may be submitted. Plays must not have been previously produced or won awards. Readings are acceptable if no admission was charged and actors read from the script. Musicals and non-musicals will be accepted.

2. At least fifteen characters ages 12-16 years old with at least ten being girls or androgynous.

3. The play should center around at least one social awareness or moral issue including, but not limited to, those dealing with bullying, the environment, self-image, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, homosexuality, abortion, drugs, technology, politics and/or religion.

4. All submissions should be made in standard manuscript form. All author information must be on a title page separate from the body of the manuscript and no reference to the author is permitted in the body of the script. The title page should list the play's title and the playwright’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and page count.

5. Also please include a second title page listing the title of the play; a 1-2 paragraph synopsis; a list of characters followed with a list of acts and scenes. No reference to the author should be on this sheet.

6. By submitting the manuscript to the UUCT New Play Contest, the playwright agrees that UUCT will have exclusive rights to produce the winning play(s) and/or a reading of the play(s) during the 2012-2013 season. Plays will be judged and selected by a 4 person panel of accomplished local artists.

7. Entries must be submitted by mail and postmarked no later than June 01, 2012. Due to volume of mail, manuscripts cannot be returned.

8. Please send a hard copy of your script to:
UU Children’s Theater
UUCT New Play Contest
1616 Casady Drive
Des Moines, IA 50315

9. One or two winning plays will be selected and will be produced as part of the UUCT 2012-2013 season. UU Children’s Theater reserves the right to use the names of the winning plays and its author(s) in all publicity and promotions.

10. The winner(s) will be announced by August 31, 2012 on our website and the winner(s) will be notified directly by email.

11. UU Children’s Theater reserves the right to accept or reject any play submitted. UUCT reserves the right to declare no winner. Decisions of the judges are final.

For submission inquiries please contact info@uuchildrenstheater.com

Monday, April 9, 2012

Altruistic Theatre Company seeks scripts

web site

Altruistic’s signature late night one-act showcase is coming back for another round and we want you in on this. Five plays on any theme will go head to head for a large cash prize. After four sold out shows, we’re feeling pretty confident that this will be the single greatest thing you can do with your summer. Send in your best piece, because, let’s face it, only one of you’s walking out of there. Step up or shut up. Boom.

The Rules
Submit your best 10-20 minute play. After 20 minutes we will fade to black.
Bring your own cast. We can supply a stage manager the night of.
“Bare-knuckle” plays require minimal sets (Tables and chairs provided), no major lighting or sound cues.
No submission fee
, only paying attendees can vote.
Any theme or topic, no casting limitations.
Winner by audience ballot gets 50% of the profits, so bring fans.
Hosted by your well-intentioned friends at the Altruistic Theatre Company.

Full submission guidelines are available at our website: http://altruistictheater.com/current-productions

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Call for scripts: The 8th Biennial Festival of Ten-Minute Plays

web site

The Department of Theatre at The College at Brockport - State University of New York is pleased to announce its 8th Biennial Festival of Ten-Minute Plays

Please note that are several important changes to the Festival submission guidelines and script format that must be followed or the scripts will not be considered for the Festival.

Please read and follow all of the guidelines listed below:
  • All Submissions are Online.  (Click on Button Below to Submit Plays see web site)
  • Do Not Mail Entries
  • Each submission must have a cover sheet (See web site for cover sheet form; copy file, fill out and attach with submission)
  • Please follow the Dramatist Guild format for plays or the suggested script format available here (Click here for script format sheet)
  • Each script must have a running time of seven to fourteen minutes
  • Only original scripts allowed
  • Maximum of two scripts per playwright
  • No musicals
  • Previously produced plays, for which admission was charged, are not accepted
  • Plays written by the College at Brockport - Department of Theatre faculty and staff (full and part time) are not accepted
  • Entries will be acknowledged by e-mail
  • Scripts must be submitted by April 15, 2012 midnight EST
  • The top ten scripts will be produced in fully realized productions as part of the College at Brockport Festival of Ten VIII in February 2013
  • Awards will be given to the top three selected plays
  • Finalists will be notified by December 1, 2012
  • Complete Festival of Ten VIII Policies and Procedures as Established by The College at Brockport - Department of Theatre (see web site)

Sunday, April 8, 2012

May 2012 Play of the Month

NYCPlaywrights is now accepting submissions for the May Play of the Month - the theme is "in the park" - the play must take place in a park and the reading will be recorded in a park.


The deadline is Sunday, May 6th at 11:59 PM.


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

2. The script submission should be sent by email, with the play itself as a file attached to the email. File format should be in either Microsoft Word (.doc) or pdf. Most preferable is .pdf (Portable Document Format) because it will retain your original script formatting.

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

4. The script should be in standard playscript format. If you are not sure what that is, see this page on the NYCPlaywrights web site: http://nycp.blogspot.com/p/playscript-formatting-template.html

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


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


6. Plays can be from anybody, anywhere in the world, but must be primarily in English (a few non-English phrases are acceptable, but the phrases must include English translations in production notes or stage directions.)


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


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


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


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


11. All rights will remain with the playwright.


12. The selected play will be videotaped and posted during the month of May or possibly early June.


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


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


15. The readings that are recorded are actual script-in-hand readings, not productions - although there may be some video production work, such as multi-camera views, music, titles; or minor stage work such as hand props or actor movements. To get an idea of what to expect for the video recording see the page on the NYCPlaywrights web site with samples of past readings of Plays of the Month: http://nycp.blogspot.com/p/play-of-month.html

Any questions email Nancy at info@nycplaywrights.org

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab

web site

The Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab was founded in 1998 to explore and develop the work of a new generation of theater artists and to foster new collaborations between writers and directors in the beginning stages of the creative process. Writers and directors must apply separately. At the start of the cycle, each writer and director invited to join the Lab are matched with one another.
Writer applicants should please submit a resume and a dramatic writing sample, preferably a full- length play. This play should not be the play you wish to work on in the Lab, as Lab writers will work on brand new play. In the late summer, writer finalists will be asked to interview and also to propose an idea for a new play.

Director applicants should please submit a resume, as well as written responses to the following two questions (Each response should be limited to 250 words): 1. Tell us about your current artist obsession. 2. Tell us about your worst experience directing a play. In the late summer, director finalists will be asked in for an interview and also to provide some form of visual representation of their work.

Participation includes attendance at all Lab meetings and readings during the 2012/13 cycle. The Lab meets approximately every other week in the fall and winter to discuss the plays. In the spring, each play is given a public reading at Soho Rep, directed by the director matched with the play. There is typically one reading per week for five or six consecutive weeks.
Eligibility Writers and directors must be able to attend all Lab meetings and readings at Soho Rep in New York City during the 2012/13 cycle. They may not be full-time students at the start of the Lab in October 2012. Past participants of the Lab are eligible to apply, but Soho Rep has a policy of favoring new applicants. (While we value some degree of continuity, we wish to place emphasis on providing this opportunity for new members and expanding the circle of artists who might profit from this program.)

Application instructions are included on the following page. Applications must be submitted electronically to us by 5pm EST on May 14, 2012, and you should expect to receive a response from us no later than September 14, 2012. If you have not heard from us by then, please donʼt hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your interest in the Writer/Director Lab program. If you have further questions please email us at writerdirector@sohorep.org.
2012/13 Writer/Director Lab Application Instructions

Our application process is now 100% paperless!

IMPORTANT: Both documents you submit must be saved in the PDF file format. Instructions on saving Word documents as PDFs are downloadable from our website.

STEP 1: Prepare a PDF resume
-    Prepare a current resume and save it in the PDF format. -    File name should be “FirstName_LastName_resume.pdf”

STEP 2: Prepare a PDF dramatic writing sample (writers) or one-page statement (directors)
-    Writers should submit a dramatic writing sample, preferably a full-length play. -    Directors should submit a one-page statement, as described above, saved in PDF format. -    File name should be “FirstName_LastName.pdf”

STEP 3: Fill out the online application
-    Go to http://sohorep.org/writerdirector-lab. -    Click the “APPLY NOW” link at the bottom of the page. -    Enter the requested information into each field. -    Upload your PDF documents. -    Click the “Send” button.

PLEASE NOTE: Online application form and PDF documents must be submitted no later than Monday, May 14th at 5pm EST. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
If you have any difficulty with the above process, please email us at writerdirector@sohorep.org.

Free reading - MIRROR IMAGE by Josie Parrelli

Mirror Image
Tuesday April 24th 2012
7.30pm

Riant Theatre's CORE PROJECT presents a reading of Mirror Image by Josie Parrelli, directed by Jesse Wooden Jr. at 440 Studios, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor, Studio 3G, NYC, between Astor Place and East 4th Street.


Mirror Image tells the story of soulmates Annie and George and their eternal search for one another after they where split apart many lifetimes ago. The eternal search for reconnection…the eternal search for one another,  their true love.

Mirror Image
DATE: Tuesday April 24th 2012
VENUE: 440 Studios, 440 Lafayette Street, 3rd floor, Studio 3G, NYC, between Astor Place and East 4th Street.
TIME: 7.30pm

To reserve a seat please RSVP at RiantTheatre@gmail.com

Friday, April 6, 2012

A Pie, A Pint, A Play: A New Works Cabaret

web site

The Majestic Theatre in Corvallis Oregon is calling for submissions from playwrights for new one act short plays, ten to twenty minutes in length which will be presented in a two week festival called “A Pie, A Pint, A Play” running June 7 – 17th in The Majestic Lab.

Works selected for production will receive 30+ hours of rehearsal and 7 performances in our 50 seat black box laboratory space. The plays will be directed and performed by local theatre artists from Corvallis and surrounding region.

We are seeking contemporary short plays that are well suited to a low-fi guerilla style production treatment that emphasizes acting, story and ideas above spectacle or gimmicks.

The festival will only consider pieces with casts of 8 or less.

A total of 8 – 10 works will be selected for the program.

Plays will be reviewed by a five person panel led by Dan Stone, Theatre Director of Linn-Benton Community College and Willow Norton, who has worked in new play development at Abingdon Theatre Company, HERE Arts Center, Culture Project, and The Builders Association.

There are no fees to apply.

Playwrights who have work selected for the program will receive $25, two complimentary tickets to the performance, a video clip of their piece and a post play digital and physical packet that will include press and promotional materials from the festival.
A complete submission is composed of:

1) Typed application form.

2) Your script, which should include your name and contact information, email and phone.

3) Resume Please Download the APPLICATION and SUBMISSION GUIDELINES below.

 Email Deadline: April 20, 2012 (5:oopm WCT) 

We prefer PDF format, but will also accept Word documents. Please EMAIL your script, resume, and completed application as three separate attachments with “P3” in the subject line to: willow@majestic.org Download form from web site.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

NYCPlaywrights March 2012 Play of the Month: YEAR OF THE DRAG-ON by Michael Narkunski

VIEWER ADVISORY: this video contains obscene language, drag queens and drug usage. View at your own discretion.


Michael Narkunski on the inspiration for this play:

This came primarily from seeing two drag queens performing on the 7 train. Nothing about their performance was particularly inspirational, I was just struck by the mere fact that I'd seen tons of drag queens in my life, but never any working a subway before. Besides being really odd for the morning, it seemed pretty brave to me. But also desperate considering the danger and derision that must be involved. So I thought about the kind of person that might do that, and how I definitely wouldn't do that, and built my story around those people while also thinking about what is desperate and what is brave when it comes to this kind of thing? Is there time to be weak? Or is it impossible in this... the year of the dragon?


More about Michael and the cast here.

Heartland Plays, Inc. submission information

web site

Heartland Plays, Inc. publishes online a wide variety of plays and drama products including, but not limited to, full-length comedies and dramas, one-acts, short play collections, and musicals. We strive to find plays that have the quality and diversity to meet the needs and interests of most theatres and producing organizations; Professional, Community, Summer Stock, College, High School, and Theatre for Children and Youth.

Response time to your submission is normally 3-6 months. You will be notified by e-mail when we have received your submission. You may submit to other publishers simultaneously. However, please notify us immediately should another publisher offer a contract for the Work. Please do not follow-up on your submission except to notify us of such contract. Once we have made a determination regarding our interest in publishing or declining to publish your Work, we will contact you again via e-mail.
At this time, Heartland Plays, Inc. accepts unsolicited electronic submissions only in a Microsoft Word (.doc), Adobe PDF (.pdf), or a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file.

We do not accept screenplays or works-in progress. Heartland Plays, Inc. selects plays and other drama products for publication from many submissions and is under no obligation to publish or consider your submission for publication nor will it publish or license your Work without a signed contract.

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