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Deadline: June 14, 2021
Generations 2021: Guidelines and Submission Form
BETC’s new play development program, Generations, features the work of parent playwrights with children under 18. The name comes from BETC’s goals for the program: to welcome all generations into the theater to see new plays, and to empower playwrights to generate new work.
Each season, BETC selects one playwright through a national competition to join us in Boulder for a one-week residency. During the residency week, the playwright works with a professional director, dramaturg, and actors to develop the selected script. The week concludes with a public reading and post-reading conversation.
In order to support the work of parent playwrights, BETC is seeking full-length plays written by a parent with at least one child 18 years of age or younger as of June 14, 2021. Guidelines and the submission form are below. Please read carefully before submitting.
Entry Guidelines:
Plays must be full-length scripts (at least 70 minutes estimated run-time).
Eligible playwrights are parents of at least one child 18 years of age or younger as of the submission deadline. Playwrights must be U.S. residents.
Each playwright is limited to submission of one script for consideration.
Plays must be in the English language.
No musicals will be accepted.
We will not reconsider scripts that have been submitted to the Generations competition in previous years.
Scripts that have been produced by Equity or professional companies or that have been published are ineligible.
Scripts may not be under option or scheduled for production or publication as of June 1, 2021.
We will consider scripts that have had a workshop, reading, or academic production.
Residency and Prize Information:
The winning playwright will receive:
BETC’s new play development program, Generations, features the work of parent playwrights with children under 18. The name comes from BETC’s goals for the program: to welcome all generations into the theater to see new plays, and to empower playwrights to generate new work.
Each season, BETC selects one playwright through a national competition to join us in Boulder for a one-week residency. During the residency week, the playwright works with a professional director, dramaturg, and actors to develop the selected script. The week concludes with a public reading and post-reading conversation.
In order to support the work of parent playwrights, BETC is seeking full-length plays written by a parent with at least one child 18 years of age or younger as of June 14, 2021. Guidelines and the submission form are below. Please read carefully before submitting.
Entry Guidelines:
Plays must be full-length scripts (at least 70 minutes estimated run-time).
Eligible playwrights are parents of at least one child 18 years of age or younger as of the submission deadline. Playwrights must be U.S. residents.
Each playwright is limited to submission of one script for consideration.
Plays must be in the English language.
No musicals will be accepted.
We will not reconsider scripts that have been submitted to the Generations competition in previous years.
Scripts that have been produced by Equity or professional companies or that have been published are ineligible.
Scripts may not be under option or scheduled for production or publication as of June 1, 2021.
We will consider scripts that have had a workshop, reading, or academic production.
Residency and Prize Information:
The winning playwright will receive:
a week-long workshop residency, with daily rehearsals, culminating in a staged reading of the selected script;
the chance to rewrite and revise during the week as part of the script development experience;
a stipend for travel costs;
During the residency, the selected play will be rehearsed with a cast of professional actors, director, and dramaturg. The week will culminate in a public reading. This year’s Generations residency may be held online if public health circumstances dictate but our goal is to offer an in-person residency. Specific date arrangements for the residency will be made directly with the winning playwright.
Competition Deadline:
The application deadline is June 14, 2021, or when our 200-script submission cutoff is reached. Our winning playwright will be notified by September 15, 2021.
The submission form will require you to submit a blind copy of your full script as a PDF file.Please do not include your name anywhere in the sample file. The biographical and demographic info you submit will not be referenced during the selection process.
Selection process:
In our initial reading round, we read the first 20 pages of a script. Script excerpts nominated by two readers continue to the semi-finalist round, in which two readers read the full scripts and complete thorough reader responses. Highly regarded scripts become finalists. Our full committee reads all finalist scripts, then advises our producing artistic director in selecting the winning play.
FAQ’s:
Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we do not provide feedback on submitted scripts during or after the competition. We will confirm that an initial submission has been received, and notify applicants of the competition winner.
Due to available program funding and staff capacity, we will not consider scripts from grandparents or others who are not currently custodial parents of a child 18 years of age or younger. We hope to be able to expand our program to additional generations in future years, but at this time our focus is on assisting playwrights with young families.
a stipend for travel costs;
- $500 prize; and
- $500 childcare stipend to defray the costs associated with childcare during the residency.
During the residency, the selected play will be rehearsed with a cast of professional actors, director, and dramaturg. The week will culminate in a public reading. This year’s Generations residency may be held online if public health circumstances dictate but our goal is to offer an in-person residency. Specific date arrangements for the residency will be made directly with the winning playwright.
Competition Deadline:
The application deadline is June 14, 2021, or when our 200-script submission cutoff is reached. Our winning playwright will be notified by September 15, 2021.
The submission form will require you to submit a blind copy of your full script as a PDF file.Please do not include your name anywhere in the sample file. The biographical and demographic info you submit will not be referenced during the selection process.
Selection process:
In our initial reading round, we read the first 20 pages of a script. Script excerpts nominated by two readers continue to the semi-finalist round, in which two readers read the full scripts and complete thorough reader responses. Highly regarded scripts become finalists. Our full committee reads all finalist scripts, then advises our producing artistic director in selecting the winning play.
FAQ’s:
Because of the volume of submissions we receive, we do not provide feedback on submitted scripts during or after the competition. We will confirm that an initial submission has been received, and notify applicants of the competition winner.
Due to available program funding and staff capacity, we will not consider scripts from grandparents or others who are not currently custodial parents of a child 18 years of age or younger. We hope to be able to expand our program to additional generations in future years, but at this time our focus is on assisting playwrights with young families.