"Shoestring Radio Theatre" accepts submissions from writers. We are always looking for good, original radio plays of any genre. We have produced dozens of scripts submitted by writers from all over the world who originally found us on the web.
Format
Your script needs to be a radio play (i.e. no stage directions or visual cues). We do not accept stage plays or screenplays. Radio drama scripts should include only things you can hear—i.e. dialogue, sound effects and music cues (stings, transitions, etc.). There is no industry standard for radio drama script layout, so we will leave the exact formatting up to you; just make sure that it's easy to distinguish the dialogue from the sfx and music.
Length
To fit into our weekly 30-minute broadcast, plays can be a maximum of 28 minutes long (most scripts are about one minute per page but it depends on the formatting). Therefore, we accept 25-28 minute plays (which air in one part) and 50-56 minute plays (which air in two parts). We also accept shorts, which can be up to 10 minutes in length.
Fame Not Fortune
As a non-profit organization which really does operate on a shoestring budget, we do not pay for scripts at this point in time. However, if we produce your play, we absorb all production costs and it will air nationally on public radio stations across the country (including our RealAudio simulcast). You will also receive a copy of the finished production.
Agreement
If we accept your script, we will send you a writer's agreement, which:
- Grants us permission to produce your script
- Grants us Public Broadcasting rights to the finished production
- Grants you, the writer, all rights to the original script
Feedback Policy
Unfortunately, due to the volume of scripts we receive, we cannot provide feedback on your scripts. Please do not be discouraged if we reject your submission. We reject scripts for any number of reasons, including excessive length, unsuitable content, and sometimes writing quality. Unfortunately, even if we really like the idea, we do not have time to work with writers to improve their scripts. Our advice is to keep writing as much as possible to gain experience, show your scripts to others for feedback, and take writing classes if you feel it would be helpful. Good luck!
Mailing Address and Email Address
We accept both hard copies of scripts and email submissions.
Please mail scripts to:
Monica Sullivan, Producer
Shoestring Radio Theatre
P.O. Box 590163
San Francisco, CA 94159-0163
U.S.A.
You can email scripts in Microsoft Word, PDF or Text Tile format to:
srt@shoestring.org