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.
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 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.