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Saturday, June 27, 2020

THE MAXIM MAZUMDAR NEW PLAY COMPETITION

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DEADLINE: June 30, 2020
Buffalo, NY

Entries are accepted in the following categories. Playwrights may submit up to one play to each category per year.

 *New in 2020: there is no submission fee for any category. Submit here: deadline June 30.

Full-Length Play/Musical
— 90 minutes or more, requiring no more than 10 performers
— Finalists will be notified approximately November 1, 2020
— Winning play will be announced approximately December 1, 2020 and will receive its premiere production in the 2021/22 Alleyway season. The playwright will receive an award/royalty prize of $500.

One-Act Play/Musical
— 20 minutes or less, requiring no more than 6 performers
— Finalists will be notified approximately November 1, 2020
— Winning play will be announced approximately December 1, 2020 and will receive its premiere production in the 2020/21 Alleyway production of BUFFALO QUICKIES. The playwright will receive an award/royalty prize of $100.

Special Category for 2020: Digital
— Original plays or musicals written specifically for a tech platform such as Zoom. As theatres face the challenge of moving programming online, please consider the following:
— Creativity. We are not looking for plays that could just as easily be performed on stage. We want you to truly embrace the digital/virtual platform. How can you engage with an audience through this distant reality? How can you make this mediated form immediate?
— Technology. We are only at the beginning stages of understanding all the incredible opportunities technology can afford us. Which platform will work best for your play? How will it be done? What “magic” can you employ to use technology to help tell your story in the most successful way? Is it Zoom? Skype? FaceTime? An app? Something else? Is it live? Live to tape? Filmed previously and heavily edited? The winning plays will be specific and creative in this approach, as emphasis should be placed equally on the story and the form.
— Audience. Who is this for? Is it interactive? Passive? Zoom fatigue is real. How long can your production honestly ask an audience to sit at their screen? 10 minutes? 60? 90? Be realistic in your attempts at engaging your target audience.
— Finalists will be notified by early Fall 2020 and the winning play will receive its premiere production via Alleyway online during the 2020/21 season and will be awarded a royalty/prize of $250.
Mazumdar Competition Submission Requirements for All Categories

— Plays must be unpublished and unproduced at the time of submission (developmental readings and workshops notwithstanding).
— All entries must be withheld from production during the period of the competition, reserving the premiere production for Alleyway Theatre
— A single PDF submission packet must include the following items, in this order. Submissions which do not comply, or fail to meet the following, will not be considered. Each of the first 5 requirements are a single page each. The full script should begin on page 6 of your PDF.

— Page 1: Title page with author name and contact information
— Page 2: Cover Letter. One page maximum, discussing your artistic pov, and detailing why your play fits with the mission and history of Alleyway and should be produced in our season.
— Page 3: One page including a short synopsis of your play, and a character breakdown.
— Page 4: One page listing any developmental history, including readings, workshops, etc.
— Page 5: One page playwright bio
— Page 6+: The script

— Musical submissions must include a link to sample audio files. This URL should be included on Page 1 of the PDF.
— The PDF file must be saved using the following filename format: PlayTitle_LastNameFirstName_Category.pdf, where Category is Short, Full, or Digital

Each year, entries will be accepted during a late-Spring submission window. For 2020, entries are accepted from May 15 through June 30 only. 

*Playwrights who submitted unsolicited work between January 1-May 15, 2020 will be automatically entered into this year’s contest unless you ask otherwise. There is no need to resubmit.

Entry in the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition is understood as an indication of the playwright’s willingness, in the event of winning, to grant first production rights to Alleyway Theatre. Selection as Winner requires the playwright’s prior commitment to grant first production rights under the terms of Alleyway Theatre’s Standard Production Agreement, and additional terms will not be negotiated.

Submit to the 2020 Mazumdar Competition
(please tell them you heard about it via NYCPlaywrights - thanks)

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