Call for Submissions for Theatre@First's Eighth Annual Short Play Festival

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Festival@First 8: Fractured Fairy Tales

Theatre@First seeks scripts for an evening of short plays to be performed in Somerville over the weekends of July 31-August 8, 2015. Our Selection Committee will be looking for quality plays by new or established playwrights that draw the broadest possible audience while creating a vibrant evening of theatre. Boston-local playwrights are particularly encouraged to submit.

The festival's theme is "Fractured Fairy Tales." We hope to see this theme interpreted broadly! Consider not only familiar Western fairy tales but also those less popular or from other cultures ("The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage," "Momotaro," "Baba Yaga") as well as myths and legends. Comedy is welcome, but so is drama – fairy tales contain poverty, child abuse, and serial-killer husbands as often as talking animals and charming princes. Think realism, like Pygmalion, as well as spoofs likeRocky & Bullwinkle and fantasy like Into the Woods. Use fairy tales as a jumping-off point for your imagination!

Directors will be sought after the Selection Committee chooses the slate of plays. Each play will have its own director and cast, and all casting will take place via a general audition this spring. Submission criteria is as follows:

• Plays should be 10-15 minutes long.
• Recommended cast size 2-5.
• Theatre@First embraces diversity; writers are encouraged to imagine plays for actors across a wide spectrum of race, gender expression, religion, age, body type, and ability.
• No improvisation or straight dance pieces.
• Published, unpublished, new, or previously performed plays are all welcome.
• Plays will be performed on a simple stage with minimal prop and set requirements and a repertory light plot.
• Maximum two play submissions per playwright.
• The plays must be royalty-free as unfortunately we cannot offer payment for rights. Theatre@First was founded to provide affordable theatre to our community and to offer an artistic venue to community members wishing to volunteer their skills and talents.

DEADLINE for submission is March 15, 2015, with notification of intent to submit no later than March 1.

Interested playwrights may submit a script and brief bio via e-mail (Word document preferred) tofestival@theatreatfirst.org.

For questions, please contact us at festival@theatreatfirst.org.