TBT seeks full-length plays

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Deadline: April 30, 2018

Should you have any questions please contact us at talkback.submissions@gmail.com .

TBT is dedicated to producing staged readings of full-length new work. For our purposes, "new work" means that the play has never been fully produced. Previous readings and workshops do not render the piece ineligible. We are creating a forum for conversation, and as such we are seeking plays that raise questions about pertinent social, political, or environmental issues of our time.
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The next call for submissions is for plays that highlight public safety issues. Topics could include, but are not limited to, gun violence, responsible policing, domestic abuse, and addiction.

At the beginning of May, we will commence our play selection process. We will announce the chosen play in late-June. The reading will take place in Orange County, California in September or October of 2018. While we highly encourage playwrights to attend rehearsals and readings, we understand that it may be impractical in some cases and do not require it. We encourage local and non-local playwrights to submit.

In addition to a desire to foster conversation within our diverse community, TBT also seeks to support new voices in American theatre and local artists. As such, the playwright of the selected work will receive a writer's fee and will not be responsible for the payment of actors and directors nor the rental of spaces. Please note that TBT cannot provide any additional funds for travel or lodging, though we may be able to help arrange either.

To submit your play for consideration, go to the submission form. Be prepared to answer some basic questions about you, your play, and the important issues your story addresses. You will be asked to upload your full script in PDF form, and we ask that you include a title page and use the file name format LASTNAME_TITLE.pdf.

PLEASE READ THESE ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES CAREFULLY. ANY SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. These guidelines will also be posted directly on the submission form.

Talk Back Theatre currently accepts submissions via Google Forms. If you do not have a Google account or prefer not to submit through Google, you may email us for an application form to submit to us directly. DO NOT EMAIL YOUR SCRIPT WITHOUT AN APPLICATION FORM. It will not be accepted.

1. Submissions must address or highlight a pertinent public safety issue.
This call is seeking plays that touch on gun violence, responsible policing, domestic abuse, addiction, or other issues that fall into the category of public health and safety. Think about what important social issues the audience and panel might discuss after the reading.

2. Submissions must be full-length plays.
This includes plays of one or more acts that are not significantly shorter that 75 pages. We are seeking plays that are over one hour in performance. This excludes 10-minute plays, stand-alone scenes, and one-act plays significantly shorter than 75 pages.

3. Submissions must be unproduced scripts.
For our purposes, previous workshop performances or staged readings do not count as productions.

4. Submissions must NOT be one-person shows.
Talk Back Theatre is not currently producing readings that feature only one performer, even if that piece fits the other guidelines listed.

5. Submissions should NOT rely heavily on extensive movement/dance or media (projections, music, etc.).

Scripts are not disqualified for including any of these elements. However, our readings have minimal blocking and we cannot accept scripts that require dance or other serious movement (including fight choreography), nor can we accept scripts the require projections or other media, including music. If you do not believe your script can or should be presented without any of these elements, please choose a different play to submit.