We never post opportunities that require a submission fee. LEARN MORE.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

MITF Presents Special July Short Play Lab - Cash Prizes

web site

Dear Friend in the Theatre,

The last Short Play Lab of the season has come and successfully gone, at which point I usually call it a year and focus on the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF). But this year we decided to include a Short Play Lab in the MITF itself, which will create more-varied programming in the MITF and offer more opportunities for glory to (mostly local) playwrights.

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 July Short Play Lab. Not only do you rub shoulders with your fellow short-playwrights, but you get to be promoted among 50-some other plays of all sorts, from the microscopic to full-length commercial musicals. (Our audiences number in the thousands.) The rules are easy-peasy: 

Deadline is July 1. 

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!
Unlike other Labs, this one will be performed on Fri. night and Sat. afternoon.
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. This Lab will take place in the WorkShop Theater Company's Jewel Box, 312 W. 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018.
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 Friday, July 25.
Every play gets 2 performances, 1 on Fri. and 1 on Sat. Each play will be part of 1 of 2 programs: Program A or Program B, but not both. Program A takes place at 7:30 pm Fri. and 4:30 pm Sat. Program B takes place at 9:30 pm Fri. and 2:30 pm Sat.
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

Blog Archive