Short Play Lab

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Deadline Approaches for Mar. 29 - 30
Short Play Lab -- Cash Prizes!!

Dear Friend in the Theatre,

Deadline is March 15
For the Short Play Lab, scheduled next for Mar. 29 - 30, is obviously hard upon us. While I've been out producing the Midwinter Madness Short Play Festival, scripts have been slow to trickle in. If you have something handy, or have been procrastinating, please drag yourself to the keyboard and send in that script!
New participants are welcome! Whether you've thought about doing a short play in New York but have never tried, or if you're a regular at such events around town, please give a thought to producing a show in the upcoming Short Play Lab.

The rules are easy-peasy:
Deadline is Feb. 28 (yes, we'll take latecomers!). Notification will be soon after submission, depending on number of submissions. The sooner you get your script in, the more time you have to prepare. Get that script in pronto!

Plays should be 1 - 10 pp. in standard playscript format.* (The shorter the better; shorter plays get priority.) Include a title page, as the first page of the script, with your contact info (preferred means of contact is by email).

Submit scripts in MS-Word.

You produce the play whether or not you live in New York.  The SPL provides the theatre (at the Roy Arias Studios, 300 West 43rd Street, NYC).

Productions must be non-union: no showcases please! (And no Equity waivers, either.)

Keep production values to a minimum: costumes and hand props are okay. We provide rehearsal cubes, chairs, and a table. You can't leave your stuff in the theatre overnight.

We provide a board op, box office, and venue management.

There are no fees. The SPL keeps the door.

Tickets are $20. Each playwright and director gets to watch his/her show for free. There are no other comps.

There will be a tech rehearsal in the daytime on Mar. 29.

Every play gets 2 performances, 1 on Sat. and 1 on Sun. Each play will be part of 1 of 2 programs: Program A or Program B, but not both. Program A takes place at 7 pm Sat. and 4 pm Sun. Program B takes place at 9 pm Sat. and 2 pm Sun.

We don't do staged readings. Be off-book, please! Plays not off-book during tech will be removed from the line-up.

THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTION IN EACH PROGRAM RECEIVES A CASH PRIZE OF $75. Winners are determined by polling patrons after the performance. We reserve the right to break ties.

*12 pt Times Roman; character names in the middle on their own line; line spaces between speeches and between speeches and stage directions; indented stage directions.

The SPL is a lot of fun and a good way to see your work on its feet in a supportive environment. It's also a great way to see actors and directors at work, so you can recruit people for later productions.

To submit a script, send it as an attachment, in Word format, to john.chatterton@gmail.com. Any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an E-mail!

Thanks,
John Chatterton
Executive producer, Short Play Lab