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Deadline: October 30, 2020
These awards, created and endowed by Richard Rodgers in 1978 for the development of the musical theater, subsidize full productions, studio productions, and staged readings by nonprofit theaters in New York City of works by composers and writers who are not already established in this field. The winners are selected by a jury of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
A. REQUIREMENTS AND ELIGIBILITY
1. The term "musical theater" is understood to include musicals, plays with songs, thematic revues, or any comparable work. The submission of innovative and experimental work is encouraged. The work submitted must be of significant length to fill an evening; it may consist of a group of smaller, related pieces.
2. The jury will consider only completed works. Care should be taken to submit the work in its best possible form as it may not be submitted again, in another year, even if substantially revised.
3. Only one submission by a collaborative group or a sole creator will be accepted.
4. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
5. Works by members of the Academy and previous winners of the production awards are not eligible for consideration. Former winners of Richard Rodgers awards for staged readings or studio productions may submit new works.
6. An applicant whose works in the musical theater have received professional or amateur productions in New York City or out of town is eligible unless, in the judgment of the jury, the applicant has already achieved significant recognition in the field of musical theater through the work submitted or through any previous work. Under special circumstances and at the discretion of the jury, applicants who have achieved recognition in fields outside the musical theater may be eligible. Works which have been produced by professional theater companies before a paying audience are eligible only if such productions received no more than 21 performances by a for- profit company or 50 performances by a nonprofit company.
B. SUBMISSION OF MATERIAL
Deadline: October 30, 2020
ll applications for the Richard Rodgers Awards are to be submitted online by October 30. Application requirements and procedures are explained in the application form below. Please download, read, and sign the application form before beginning the online application.
Mailed applications will not be accepted.
2021 Application Form (PDF)] | Click here to begin online application.
Mailed applications will not be accepted.
2021 Application Form (PDF)] | Click here to begin online application.
These awards, created and endowed by Richard Rodgers in 1978 for the development of the musical theater, subsidize full productions, studio productions, and staged readings by nonprofit theaters in New York City of works by composers and writers who are not already established in this field. The winners are selected by a jury of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
A. REQUIREMENTS AND ELIGIBILITY
1. The term "musical theater" is understood to include musicals, plays with songs, thematic revues, or any comparable work. The submission of innovative and experimental work is encouraged. The work submitted must be of significant length to fill an evening; it may consist of a group of smaller, related pieces.
2. The jury will consider only completed works. Care should be taken to submit the work in its best possible form as it may not be submitted again, in another year, even if substantially revised.
3. Only one submission by a collaborative group or a sole creator will be accepted.
4. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
5. Works by members of the Academy and previous winners of the production awards are not eligible for consideration. Former winners of Richard Rodgers awards for staged readings or studio productions may submit new works.
6. An applicant whose works in the musical theater have received professional or amateur productions in New York City or out of town is eligible unless, in the judgment of the jury, the applicant has already achieved significant recognition in the field of musical theater through the work submitted or through any previous work. Under special circumstances and at the discretion of the jury, applicants who have achieved recognition in fields outside the musical theater may be eligible. Works which have been produced by professional theater companies before a paying audience are eligible only if such productions received no more than 21 performances by a for- profit company or 50 performances by a nonprofit company.
Despite the uncertainty around the return of theatrical performances to New York City due to Covid-19, the Academy has decided to continue its Richard Rodgers Awards program for 2021 with the hope that these prizes will help bolster the return of live musical theater when that becomes possible.
B. SUBMISSION OF MATERIAL
1. The name(s) of the author(s) must not appear on any of the items submitted, with the exception of the application form. Include only the title of the work on the script and plot summary. Please be sure author names are not included in music file metadata.
2. Entry must include:
4. Applicants will be notified of the jury's decision by March 2021. The Academy is aware of the challenges facing the theatre landscape in the current climate, and will work with the winners to apply the award in a reasonable amount of time.
C. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. All rights to the material submitted shall remain the property of the author(s); the Academy will not retain any control over, or rights in, the work after the award production.
2. The decisions of the jury will be final as to eligibility and all other matters.
2. Entry must include:
- a) Script with lyrics, in PDF format.
- b) Half-page synopsis of the action and a list of characters, in PDF format.
- c) A separate track sheet (PDF) of recorded songs with page numbers indicating where they appear in the script and specifying the total number of minutes recorded.
- d) At least 45 minutes of music, including a minimum of eight songs. Orchestrations are not necessary; piano and vocals are sufficient. Songs must be numbered in sequence (e.g. 01 Song Title.mp3) and each song’s lyrics clearly typed into the script where it appears. Tracks must be uploaded in the order they appear in the script.
- e) Application form signed by all collaborators (see below). Applicants submitting work that has already been produced must give full information concerning these productions, including programs. A work is not eligible if one of the collaborators is deceased.
- f) If applicable, a statement of intent declaring how the applicants would use the award if their musical is a winner. If the piece is already attached to producers or a theater, even if tentative, these associations must be declared here.
4. Applicants will be notified of the jury's decision by March 2021. The Academy is aware of the challenges facing the theatre landscape in the current climate, and will work with the winners to apply the award in a reasonable amount of time.
C. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. All rights to the material submitted shall remain the property of the author(s); the Academy will not retain any control over, or rights in, the work after the award production.
2. The decisions of the jury will be final as to eligibility and all other matters.