Caleb Reese Festival of New Plays and Musicals

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Fees are waived for members of WGA or Dramatists Guild

We're now accepting full length play submissions for the 2017 Caleb Reese Festival of New Plays and Musicals.

The Festival will be held between May 1st and May 14th 2017. 

The Festival presents four staged readings of new unproduced plays or musicals, an Evening of New Short Plays and a Composer/Lyricist Cabaret. Playwrights whose work have been presented include Beau Willimon, Y York, Donna Hoke, Kris Bauske, Jack Heifner, Janet Neipris, Craig Bohmler, Hal Corley, James McClure, Rich Orloff, Eric Coble, Dale Wasserman, & Richard Warren.

The Festival is accepting submissions for the following:

Full Length Plays:

• Both dramatic and comedic.
• Plays should be original, un-produced full length scripts
• Plays should be in a development phase that would profit from a staged/concert reading by a professional creative team and open to additional development process.
• Please no screen plays.
• No multiple authors or collaborations will be accepted.
• Scripts may not exceed 120 pages of dialogue and must be submitted bound or in a folder or by e-mail (send fee separately to the address below).
• Cast size must be limited to 5 actors or less (actors may play more than one role)
• No more than 5 locations.
• Submission fee: $10 Fees are waived for members of WGA or Dramatists Guild
• Please make checks, money orders, etc., payable to Phoenix Theatre. Payments must be included with your script. Do not send cash. 
• Please mail a full bound script/libretto to Phoenix Theatre, C/O Robert Harper 100 E McDowell Rd Phoenix, AZ 85004
• Or send your submission to r.harper@phoenixtheatre.com with Full Length Submission in the subject line. Please make sure the script is submitted as a PDF.
• A notice of receipt will be sent by email once your script has been received.
• Airfare and lodging are provided for the festival

Full Length Musicals:

• Musicals should be original and un-produced
• Please send librettos/scores bound or in a folder or by email.
• CD’s of studio recordings are accepted as well.
• Musicals should be in a development phase that would profit from a staged/concert reading by a professional creative team and open to additional development process.
• No more than 3 authors (book writer, lyricist and composer) will be accepted.
• Librettos may not exceed approximately 120 pages of dialogue/lyrics.
• Cast size must be limited to 8 actors (could play multiple characters) or less.
• No more than approximately 5 locations.
• Full Length Musicals would receive a staged reading/concert reading.
• Submission fee: $10 Fees are waived for members of WGA or Dramatists Guild
• Please make checks, money orders, etc., payable to Phoenix Theatre. Payments must be included with your script. Do not send cash. 
• Please mail a full bound script/libretto to Phoenix Theatre C/O Robert Harper 100 McDowell Rd Phoenix, AZ 85004
• OR send email submissions to r.harper@phoenixtheatre.com 
• Please put Full Length submission in the subject line. Please make sure that the libretto/score is submitted as a PDF and send fee separately via email.
• A notice of receipt will be sent by email once your script has been received.
• Airfare and lodging are provided for the festival.

Short Plays

• No fee required
• Plays should use 5 or fewer actors, comedy or drama (please no musicals).
• Selected short plays will receive a staged reading in our annual Evening of New Short Plays.
• Plays should be unproduced.
• Please email submissions to r.harper@phoenixtheatre.com (Robert Kolby Harper: Associate Artistic Director)
• Please put Short Play Submission in subject line.
• Please make sure that the play is submitted as a PDF.
• No more than 2 submissions per playwright are accepted.
• Please include phone number.
• Travel and lodging for the festival not included.

For full length scripts we offer a staged reading, with professional actors, directors and dramaturges, to be held May 1st – May 14th 2017 in Phoenix. If your script/musical is selected, you must be available to be in residence for a 8-10 day time span during the span of the festival.

Scripts will NOT be returned.

All submissions will be accepted starting May 1, 2016.

Deadline for submission postmarked by: August 1, 2016

Finalists will be chosen and contacted by: November 1, 2016

For questions please email:

Mr. Robert Kolby Harper at r.harper@phoenixtheatre.com
(Associate Artistic Director/Festival Director)

To submit your script:
Please send to:
Phoenix Theatre
C/O Robert Kolby Harper
100 E. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85004