Recover-Me seeks monologues

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Deadline: September 18, 2021

Recover-Me's third annual event to raise a deeper understanding of mental illness through visual and performing arts is now accepting submissions for this year's hybred in person and virtual event!

Looking for scenes, monologues, songs, movement pieces, and poetry about but not limited to the following:

• DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder)
• Schizophrenia
• Depression
• Anxiety Disorders
• Bipolar 1 and 2
• PTSD
• Trauma
• Eating Disorders

Any and all experiences with mental illness

Questions and Submissions to

recover.me.project@gmail.com

BY SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

REQUIREMENTS: Submit your piece and a short paragraph introducing yourself

The Strides Collective Emerging Playwrights Initiative

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Deadline: September 8, 2021

SUBMISSION FORM

WHAT IS THE EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS INITIATIVE?

The Strides Collective offers a special opportunity for emerging playwrights to have a chance to have their scripts edited, workshopped, and performed. These programs can take the form of full residencies, which culminate in some sort of final produced element, or workshops, which are strictly developmental processes with no final audience-facing production.

To us, Emerging Playwrights are those who have not had their work fully produced before or may not have the resources or means to have their work developed otherwise. Wherever you’re young in your playwrighting career or seeking a change of direction in your life, we’d be happy to consider your work!

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS TO SUBMIT?

Submissions are open to emerging, queer-identifying playwrights in PA, NJ, DE, and NY. The following qualifications must also be met:

You must be 18+ to submit.
Scripts should be full-length plays of at least 50 pages.
Plays submitted should not have had a full production; workshops and other readings are okay.
Plays should call for no more than 5 actors (doubling of parts is fine).

Plays must be aligned with The Strides Collective’s mission.

WHAT’S THE PROCESS LIKE?

Our Emerging Playwrights Initiative looks to serve finished – but not final – drafts. Selected playwrights will receive personalized dramaturgical feedback on drafts, an intimate community space of playwrights, the opportunity to hear their work read aloud by local actors, and the possibility of further development beyond the residency’s timeline with The Strides Collective. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO SUBMIT?

A PDF of a 20-page selection of your full script
A separate PDF of the full draft of the script
A short artistic statement about yourself and your play
Please include your last name and the title of your piece in the file names (i.e. LastName_PlayTitle.pdf)

Two Strikes Theatre Collective Brown Sugar Bake-Off seeks 10-minute plays

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Deadline: September 3, 2021

Website: www.twostrikescollective.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHTM5NKBY8Ct0lLj_S4U5dw

Submit via Google Forms: https://forms.gle/D1bjo4XkeXTvdPT38

If by email, format of the script: PDF, with playwright contact information removed (Blind Submission)

The length of plays wanted: 10-minute

Eligibility: Black women and Black non-binary persons

 
Playwright can submit more than one play
Submitters will be notified by email in mid-September

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSTC.Baltimore

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tstc_baltimore/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tstc_baltimore

2021-2022 INKubator New Play Program

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Deadline: August 31, 2021 11:59 PM ET

INKubator is an eight-month generative process for a select group of playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. Playwrights will meet on a monthly basis from October to May alongside program director Alex Tobey to share new work, receive feedback, and develop the first draft of a new play. At the end of the process, each writer will team up with a professional director and actors to present a public staged reading as a part of the annual INKubator New Play Festival.

Monthly meetings are tentatively scheduled for the first Monday of each month in the evening. Given the unknowns surrounding Covid-19 and to accommodate individual comfort levels, we are planning to meet virtually over Zoom throughout the year, but present the INKubator New Play Festival in person in May 2022. We are doing our best to remain flexible, and this is subject to change according to New Jersey public health guidelines.

In addition to monthly meetings, INKubator playwrights will receive free admission to performances, mixers, and other events at Art House Productions. Playwrights will also have the ability to schedule meetings with Art House’s paid Zoom account and, once our new space opens in 2022, reserve the theatre for meetings, rehearsals, and readings as needed for free (subject to availability and public health recommendations).

Applications are open to all playwrights in New Jersey and New York who can commit to monthly meetings and have a specific play they are looking to write and develop over an eight-month process. We are interested in pitches for plays that are at the earliest stage of development, and that demonstrate a specific need for why you need to be a part of INKubator to complete the first draft.

Art House Productions is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and encourages playwrights of all backgrounds, ages, and experience levels are encouraged to apply.

Application Requirements:

- Your current playwriting resume.
- A one-page artistic statement describing your artistic goals as a playwright, a pitch for a specific play or project that you’re hoping to write, and what you hope to gain out of being a member of the Art House INKubator Program.
- The first 10 pages of a full-length play. The writing sample should give us a great taste of who you are as a playwright. Please also include the full play as a separate PDF.

There is no fee to apply. The deadline to submit is Tuesday, August 31 at 11:59PM ET. All applicants will be notified of their status by the end of September.

Submissions will be evaluated by Meredith Burns, Alyssa Haddad, Courtney Little, SMJ, and Alex Tobey.


Apply online at https://www.arthouseproductions.org/pages/inkubator .

Have questions? Feel free to email Alex Tobey at alex@arthouseproductions.com.

Three Rivers Theatre Company seeks faith based and/or family friendly plays

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

Three Rivers Theatre Company, a non-profit community theatre, based in East Tennessee, has launched a somewhat different kind of playwrighting contest. It is one in which they are looking for faith-based or family-friendly plays.


• Each playwright may only submit one (1) play for consideration.

• All entries should be original, unpublished and previously unproduced material.

• We are ONLY asking for faith-based and/or family-friendly dramas or comedies to be submitted.

• Submissions should be properly formatted, full-length plays with an approximate running time of no more than two (2) hours.

• Musicals will not be considered at this time.

• A unit set is preferred (the entire play takes place in one location with minimal set changes).

• Please limit the number of characters to eight (8) or less.

• Number all pages of the script.

• Scripts should be securely bound or stapled in the upper, left-hand corner.

• Two (2) copies of the script must be submitted by U. S. mail ONLY (no digital entries will be considered.)

• All entries must be postmarked by August 31, 2021.

• Winners will be notified on or before October 15, 2021.

• Be sure to include your contact information on the title page of the script (including name, telephone number, email and mailing addresses).

• On the first page following the title page, please provide a one paragraph synopsis of the play followed by a list of all characters, with a brief character description.

• Scripts will not be returned.

• Submissions will be narrowed down to no more than ten (10) entries by the Three Rivers Theatre Company staff, with the final winners being selected by a committee of judges consisting of theatre and other professionals who possess a strong passion for playwrighting and original works. (A complete list of judges will be posted on or before July 1, 2021.)

• There is no entry fee.

Mail hard copy submissions to:

Three Rivers Theatre Company
820 Trenton Street
Harriman TN 37748

THE HENLEY ROSE PLAYWRIGHT COMPETITION FOR WOMEN 2021

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

The first 250 submissions to be received between July 1st until August 31st will be considered.

$22 submission fee will be waived for current members of the Dramatists Guild. Please include a scan or photo copy of your current membership card with your script for verification.

The Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women was founded by Yellow Rose Productions, with permission of Beth Henley, to encourage and recognize the new works of female playwrights. The Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women aims to give voice to the stories of this generation and to bring into the spotlight important works that have been crafted.

The Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women seeks to honor both the writings of Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley and those of future winners of the Henley Rose Award.

Submissions are welcome from July 1st until August 31st and will be read by a committee of writers, theatre artists, and producers.

A small group of finalists will be announced in May, 2022. The First, Second, and Third Place winners will also be announced by the end of May, 2022, and will receive the Henley Rose Award. In addition, submission fees will go toward creating a cash prize for the winners of the Henley Rose Award. Information on the Henley Rose Staged Reading Series will be announced at a later date.

Please note, we are unable to provide feedback on scripts that are submitted.

GUIDELINES

• Submissions must be completed, full-length or two-act plays. No one-acts, please.
• Submissions must be the original work of the submitting female-identifying playwright.
• Submissions may not have been previously produced or fully staged.
• Submissions are due by August 31st, 2021 and must include all of the submission materials to qualify.
• One script may be submitted per applicant.

SUBMISSION MATERIALS
Completed Registration (Click Here for Registration)
Script
Payment: $22 submission fee. Submission fees will go to create a cash prize for the winner of the Henley Rose Award. ($22 submission fee will be waived for current members of the Dramatists Guild. Please include a scan or photo copy of your current membership card with your script for verification.)
All applicants may choose to submit scripts and/or payment via snail mail (checks made payable to Yellow Rose Productions):

Henley Rose Competition
1321 Raleigh Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37917

All applicants may choose to submit materials via e-mail for an additional $10.00 printing fee. E-mail submission materials may be sent to henleyrosecompetition@gmail.com.

At the completion of your registration form you will receive a an e-mail confirmation with additional instructions. If you are choosing to submit electronically, please attach your script as a response to this email confirmation. If you are planning to submit via snail mail, please respond to the confirmation e-mail to let us know when your script is on its way.

If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail within a few minutes of submitting your application, please check your SPAM folder and make sure to add henleyrosecompetition@gmail.com to your contacts to be sure we are able to reach you!

Please note that your submission is not complete until all submission materials (application, script, and payment – if required) have been received. Submissions via snail mail must be postmarked no later than August 31st, 2021. Should the submission cap be reached before August 31st, 2021, the application will no longer accept new submissions and an announcement will be made. Any accidental payments made past the 250 script cap are fully refundable.

Feel free to contact us with any questions at henleyrosecompetition@gmail.com.

Diez Minutos Festival 2022 seeks 10-minute plays

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

Players Workshop seeks plays for its Ninth Annual International 10-Minute Play Festival, Diez Minutos. This fully-staged festival will be in English and will take place in March of 2022 in the international arts center of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico — a World Heritage Site brimming with charm, history, and culture. San Miguel was recently voted Conde Nast Traveler Magazine "Best City in the World.” In 2017, readers of Travel – Leisure Magazine voted it the #1 city in the world to visit.

There is no fee for submitting. 

Each playwright whose script is selected and performed will receive a $25 USD cash honorarium and two complimentary tickets to the production. One play will be selected as the Audience Favorite and its playwright shall receive an additional $25 USD cash award. No other remuneration will be provided. Any playwright attending must do so at his or her own expense.

Submission Guidelines

Only one play may be submitted per entrant. Send us your best!
Scripts are generally not limited in subject matter or content, except no musicals or children’s plays, please.

Only the first 100 plays entered are guaranteed to be considered.
There must be no nudity, and suitability for performance before a general adult audience will be a factor in selection.

We’re asking for blind submissions again this year:
The play must be submitted by email, as an attached PDF file; your name must not appear on the script. A second separate attached PDF shall include all contact information for the playwright, including name, address, telephone number and email address. The two PDF files should be titled "Submission [Name Of Play]” and "Title Page [Name Of Play].” No Word files or other formats will be accepted.
The script must be in standard play format, with a title page, a character listing, the setting, props, and any technical requirements or other production considerations.

The play must be in English and no longer than 10 pages in standard format, with a calculated running time of no less than eight minutes and no more than twelve minutes.

Plays are restricted to 4 or fewer characters. Small casts are preferable, as the stage size is modest, with minimal set, props, sound cues, and costuming. Our talent pool is composed mostly of actors aged 40 and older. This will be a factor in selection.

The submitting playwright must own all rights to the play. The play must be unpublished, but may have had previous productions. If the play has had previous productions, a production history must be included with the submission of the title page.
Selection of plays will be at the absolute discretion of the judges. Players Workshop may disqualify, without reading, any submission that does not comply with these rules.

Selection of a play does not guarantee production. Producers may decline to produce a selected play because of casting, directing or any other consideration, in which case no payment will be due the playwright.

Notification is expected to be made no later than December 1, 2021. Only playwrights whose plays have been selected for performance during the festival will receive notification of acceptance. Playwrights whose plays were received in the first 100 submitted will receive first- round notification. Producers reserve the right to consider additional plays not received in the first 100.

Entering playwrights grant the producers of Diez Minutos permission to perform the play a maximum of twelve times during the Diez Minutos festival in March, 2022, and to make as many copies of the script as are necessary for production. All other rights remain with the playwright.

Submitting Your Play

Entries must be received prior to midnight U.S. Central Standard Time, August 31, 2021. No late submissions will be accepted because of transmission problems.
Please email your submission to: diezminutosfestival@gmail.com. Any inquiries should be sent to the same address.

Thanks, in advance, for helping us to make Diez Minutos 2022 a great success. We look forward to reading your entry.
Players Workshop San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Producer of Diez Minutos 2022

Sauk Shorts 2022

web site

Deadline: September 10, 2021 5PM

Jonesville Michigan

The Sauk is seeking scripts to consider for production as part of SAUK SHORTS 2022.
Scripts may be original works or published works that you would like us to consider. Scripts should have a performance time no longer than 15 minutes.

We will begin accepting scripts on Friday, August 27 and will continue to accept scripts until 5 p.m. on Friday, September 10.

Scripts should be e-mailed to saukshorts@gmail.com.

We are looking for comedies and dramas. Plays with roles for teens and young people are encouraged.

SAUK SHORTS is an annual collection of 10-minute plays. Each year, we produce a combination of popular published works and original un-produced pieces. 

We try to balance a combination of local and national playwrights. There is no fee for submitting scripts.

Selected scripts will be announced in early October. If you do not receive an e-mail by October 1 at 5 p.m., your play has not been selected. 

A royalty is paid to all selected scripts. Scripts that are not selected for production in 2022 may be kept on file for consideration in future years.

Veterans Repertory Theater (VetRep) seeks audio plays from veterans

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Deadline: December 31, 2021

Veterans Repertory Theater (VetRep) is launching a 10-minute audio play competition for playwrights who meet one of the following criteria:

- current or former US military, law enforcement, fire, EMS, foreign service, or intelligence service veteran 

 

- immediate family member of a current or former military, law enforcement, fire, EMS, foreign service or intelligence service veteran

Submissions should be emailed in PDF format to vetrep.theater@gmail.com and should include the veteran/immediate family member status of the playwright in the body of the email.

Plays should be:

- 10 minutes or less in length.
- Written as an audio play
- Any genre (but especially comedy and thrillers)
- Any subject matter; does not have to be related to veteran's service

Playwrights may submit more than one play

Plays should not have been previously produced and/or published

Winners and finalists will be notified via email no later than July 4, 2022. (Note: We will make every effort to have results back to submitters ASAP, however, in order to ensure fair treatment of each submission and to plan for any contingencies which may arise, we are providing a worst-case scenario for our timeline).

There is no participation or submission fee.

There is no guarantee that winners’ or finalists’ work will be produced by VetRep.

The competition winner:

- Will receive a $1000 cash prize.

- Will receive feedback from panel of judges.

- Will be invited to join the VetRep Playwrighting Incubator where Winner will have the opportunity to submit plays for commissioning and production at VetRep.

- Will win a one-year PSH Subscription (www.playsubmissionshelper.com).

The second-place finalist:

- Will receive a $750 cash prize.

- Will receive feedback from panel of judges.

- May be invited to join the VetRep Playwrighting Incubator where finalist will have the opportunity to submit plays for commissioning and production at VetRep.

- Will win a one-year PSH Subscription (www.playsubmissionshelper.com).


The third-place finalist:

- Will receive a $500 cash prize.

- Will receive feedback from panel of judges.

- May be invited to join the VetRep Playwrighting Incubator where finalist will have the opportunity to submit plays for commissioning and production at VetRep.

- Will win a one-year PSH Subscription (www.playsubmissionshelper.com).


The fourth-place through tenth-place finalists:

- Will receive feedback from panel of judges.

- May be invited to join the VetRep Playwrighting Incubator where finalists will have the opportunity to submit their plays for commissioning and production at VetRep.

- Will win a one-year PSH Subscription (www.playsubmissionshelper.com).

Founded in February 2021 in Newburgh, NY, Veterans Repertory Theater (VetRep) is a creative hub that brings talented veteran writers and professional New York-based artists under one roof to create compelling live theater and events. 

Our website will go live by the end of July at https://vetrep.org/. You can follow us at https://www.instagram.com/vetreptheater/ and https://www.facebook.com/vetreptheaternewburgh to see our latest events and updates.

Write-on-Q annual playwriting competition

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Deadline: September 7, 2021

Each year, Infinithéâtre organizes a playwriting competition open to Québec playwrights and Indigenous writers from across North America. 

Infinithéâtre receives many innovative and exciting new plays from a wide array of talented playwrights across Québec, with a jury of professionals deciding on the top three scripts.

The winning script, as well as two or three additional plays, comprise the line-up of our annual reading series, The Pipeline, which is an animated weekend of free public play readings. After each Pipeline reading, Infinithéâtre takes its cue from the audience at talk-backs involving the actors and the playwright. These discussions provide valuable feedback for future programming and script rewrites.

2021 WRITE-ON-Q DEADLINE: Tuesday, September 7, 2021. We look forward to reading your play! Don't hesitate to call 514-987-1774 or email info@infinitheatre.com if you have any questions.

PlayZoomers Seek Script Submissions

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

PlayZoomers, Inc., a leading U.S. online theater company, is seeking scriptssuitable for Zoom productions, for our upcoming season beginning January 2022. We produce live, monthly performances, featuring plays of different genres and lengths, with cast sizes ranging from 2 - 20. We are pleased to work closely with playwrights to adapt their work to a digital platform while reaching a new audience. Visit our website at www.playzoomers.org.

With 55 plays professionally produced virtually in 2021, and with the involvement of over 150 playwrights, directors, designers, and actors, PlayZoomers has become the leading nonprofit theater company for online productions, with an international community. We welcome theatre artists andaudience members of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

We are looking for plays of any genre and length (ten-minute, one-acts, and full-length) that is suitable for Zoom productions. Playwrights receive a small stipend for their work if selected.

Send your script to playzoomers@gmail.com. The deadline for this round ofsubmissions is August 31, 2021.

On the first page, please include the title, author, estimated run time, and contact info. On the next page, please include a logline/brief plot summary and a detailed character breakdown, well as any production history (plays donot need to be new) and a short playwright bio.

Please format your script according to guidelines conceived by playwright Sam Graber. Guidelines can be found at https://samgraber.com/2014/12/08/how-to-format-your-script/

At the end of the script, please describe production details, such as sets,costumes, props, music, and sound effects.

We will acknowledge your script submission but will only reach out to those whohave been selected to move on to the next step.

Radcliffe Fellowship

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Deadline: September 9, 2021

Based in Radcliffe Yard—a sanctuary in the heart of Harvard University—fellows join a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community. A fellowship at Radcliffe is an opportunity to step away from usual routines and dive deeply into a project. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate our past and our present.

Throughout the year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress. Coming from diverse disciplines and perspectives, they challenge each other’s ideas and support each other’s ambitions. Many say that it is the best year of their professional lives.

Our online application for the 2022–2023 fellowship year is now available.

The deadline for applications in humanities, social sciences, and creative arts is September 9, 2021.

The deadline for applications in science, engineering, and mathematics is September 30, 2021.
Prospective applicants are invited to join a Zoom session that will provide information on what makes a strong application to the Radcliffe Fellowship Program. 

The session will be held on June 30 at 4 PM ET.

The sessions will include introductory remarks by former fellows and past reviewers followed by Q&A.

Register to attend the session.

Please note that participation in these sessions is optional and in no way guarantees acceptance into the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program.


The Radcliffe Fellowship Program awards 50 fellowships each academic year. Applicants may apply as individuals or in a group of two to three people working on the same project. We seek diversity along many dimensions, including discipline, career stage, race and ethnicity, country of origin, gender and sexual orientation, and ideological perspective. Although our fellows come from many different backgrounds, they are united by their demonstrated excellence, collegiality, and creativity.

Explore the broad range of Radcliffe fellows’ projects.

We welcome applications from a broad range of fields and perspectives. The strength of our fellowship program is its diversity.

Radcliffe supports engaged scholarship. We welcome applications from scholars, artists, and practitioners proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social and policy issues and seeking to engage audiences beyond academia.

We welcome proposals relevant to the Institute’s focus areas, which include:
Law, education, and justice
Youth leadership and civic engagement
Legacies of slavery
Reflecting Radcliffe’s unique history and institutional legacy, we welcome proposals that focus on women, gender, and society or draw on the Schlesinger Library’s rich collections.

Interdisciplinary exchange is a hallmark of the Radcliffe Fellowship, and we welcome proposals that take advantage of our uniquely diverse intellectual community by engaging with concepts and ideas that cross disciplinary boundaries.

Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program
8 Garden Street
Byerly Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138
fellowships@radcliffe.harvard.edu

Tiger's Heart Players seeks new work

https://www.facebook.com/TigersHeartPlayers

Submissions on a rolling basis - no deadline

WE ARE NOW SEEKING SHORT WORKS—10 TO 25 PAGES - OR UP TO 25 PAGES+-FROM A LONGER WORK

(to be read in full, in installments)

Multiple Submissions are fine. Response time is usually swift—within a couple of weeks.

NOTE: Tiger’s Heart Payers does NOT cast your play for a Reading, but we will be more than happy to assist.

(Production is an entirely different matter.)

We are especially interested in work from Women, Outliars of all description, and Playwrights & Actors around the globe!

Submit @ Tigersheartplayers@gmail.com.

PDF or Word Accepted

Lab Sessions are posted each weekend on our Facebook Page @ Tiger’s Heart Players

The Ten-Minute Musicals Project 2021

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

Annual Competition Guidelines

Since the inception of The Ten-Minute Musicals Project, over sixteen hundred submissions have been received, from librettists, lyricists and composers in seventeen nations: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Uruguay, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Denmark, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine.

Stories 1.0 is the full-length musical comprised of works selected in the first several rounds. Several works in Stories 1.0 were workshopped in San Francisco, New York City, Miami, and Nashville over the years. Individual segments have been independently workshopped in Dallas, Chicago, London, and Boston.

SEEKING: Complete original stage musicals which play between seven and twenty minutes. Works which have been previously produced are acceptable, as are excerpts from full-length shows, if they can stand up on their own.

MUSICAL STYLE AND THEATRICAL FORMAT: Any musical style: pop, rock, C&W, show, opera, etc; or theatrical format: comedy, mystery, drama, etc.

CAST SIZE: Maximum of ten performers—five women and five men.

SUBMISSIONS SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. A printed script. (Note: printed on paper; not sent as a computer file on disk.) And please make sure your POSTAL ADDRESS appears on it.

2. Lead sheets or piano score. (This need not be at all elaborate; very basic is fine.)

3. A CD or DVD of either the entire piece or just the musical material.

4. A stamped self-addressed large envelope if you want the work returned. (Submissions from outside the USA should enclose four INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE COUPONS to cover postage. These can be obtained at your post office.)

CONCERNING THE ABOVE, PLEASE NOTE: NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS -- HARD COPIES ONLY

DEADLINE: Simply postmarked by August 31st. (Do not waste money on overnight express, registered, or certified mail. All that's requested is that the package be postmarked by August 31.) Response will be by November 30th.

FINANCIAL REMUNERATION: $250/US royalty advance for each piece selected, with an equal share of licensing royalties when produced.

SEND TO:

The Ten-Minute Musicals Project
Michael Koppy, Producer
P.O. Box 461194

West Hollywood, CA 90046 USA
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” — Orson Welles

“The more restrictions you have, the easier anything is to write.” — Stephen Sondheim

The single most important piece of advice we can offer is to caution that it will surely take much time and effort to create a quality work. (Occasionally a clearly talented and capable writer and composer seem to have almost “dashed” something off, under the misperception that inspiration can carry the day in this format. But all the works selected in previous rounds clearly evince that considerable deliberation, craft, and time were invested.)

We’re seeking short contemporary musical theater material, in the style of what might be found on Broadway, off-Broadway or the West End. Think of shows like Candide or Little Shop of Horrors, pop operas like Sweeney Todd or Chess, or chamber musicals like Once on this Island or Falsettos. (Even small accessible operas like The Telephone or Trouble in Tahiti are possible models.) All have solid plots, and all rely on sung material to advance them.

Of primary importance is to start with a strong story, even if it means postponing work on music and lyrics until the dramatic foundation is complete. This is one reason we suggest (but do not require) that musicals be based on a short story, play, film, poem or teleplay—either in the public domain (usually meaning it was originally published more than seventy-five years ago) or for which adaptation rights have been obtained. (While we’d love to have pieces based on works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Rod Serling, or Stephen King, getting the rights to adapt a work still in copyright can sometimes be difficult. Stories by writers like Ambrose Bierce, Jack London, and Guy de Maupassant, among many others, are in the public domain and can be freely adapted.)

We prefer works using larger casts. If from six to the maximum of ten voices are used it’s a big plus. (Think “Production Number”.)

Fast-paced comedy material has an advantage.

If adapting a story, you might consider setting it in another time or place, or even changing the character genders.

We’ve found that fairy tales generally end up being too cute and trite.

A narrator often slows things down. Trust audiences to get the story through what characters say, sing and do. And it’s better for a character to share his or her reactions to what is happening than to simply describe events—we can see them unfolding with our own eyes.

Be wary of writing only introspective musical “moments,” as they usually stop the progression of the plot. Solo ballads should be thought of as icing on the cake, as you'll surely still need other sung material—much of it uptempo—which advances the plot in duets, trios, and production numbers.

Don’t worry if an idea seems “unstageable”. That’s what directors, designers, choreographers—and rehearsals—are for.

Finally, please understand that NONE OF THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE GOSPEL. They’re simply recommendations based on what we've learned from seeing works submitted previously. Given that, please take them seriously. However, nearly every one of these recommendations has been ignored by at least one of the works so far selected. In the end what matters most will be the idea and aim of your piece and how effectively they are realized.

Fall Writing Classes Online at Primary Stages ESPA!

Fall 2021 online classes at Primary Stages ESPA are now open for enrollment! Here are just some of the classes in our lineup of opportunities in the writing department:

The First Draft

This class will guide you through the development of your first draft, providing concrete deadlines, constructive feedback, and a collaborative environment to get your ideas on the page.

Instructors:

Tasha Gordon-Solmon (Writer and Director; Faculty, NYU Graduate Playwriting Program)

Caridad Svich (Writer, OBIE Winner for Lifetime Achievement)

Crystal Skillman (Writer, King Kirby, Open, Rain and Zoe Save the World)

Michael Walkup (Artistic Director, Page 73) 

Fast First Draft

Instructor: Lia Romeo (4-time Kilroy's List Writer)

Work on generative writing exercises designed to kickstart your creativity to swiftly and decisively embark on a first draft of a new play.

Fundamentals of Playwriting 

Instructor: Dennis A. Allen II (Writer and Director, Atlantic Theater Co, National Black Theatre)

Build a toolbox of the fundamentals, so your first play can be built on a strong foundation.

Rewriting Your Draft: Writer’s Room

Instructors: Stefanie Zadravec (Writer, The Electric Baby at Two River) and Suzanne Bradbeer (Writer, Pulitzer-nominated The God Game)

As soon as you finish your last line of dialogue, the need for rewrites begins. This class will help you tackle the revision process and develop a stronger version of your play.

Comedy Writing for the Stage

Instructor: Kate Moira Ryan (Writer (with Judy Gold), 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother)

Study the specialized set of rules for comedy, which are vastly different from the dramatic form.

Short Form Screenwriting

Instructor: Mêlisa Annis (Faculty, NYU Tisch Dramatic Writing Program) 

Apply the concepts of character development, visual storytelling, theme, plot, and dialogue to your own original short film script.

Dramatic Structure

Instructor: Mêlisa Annis (Faculty, NYU Tisch Dramatic Writing Program) 

Find the confidence to give voice to character, a foundation for world building, and develop your voice as a writer.

Big D Energy: The Dramaturgy of Playwriting

Instructor: Winter Miller (Writer, In Darfur at The Public Theater)

Through play analyses and writing exercises, look at great works from the outside in to strengthen your own writing.

Tools of Dialogue

Instructor: Matthew Paul Olmos (Writer, so go the ghost of mexico, part one at La Mama)

Hone your skills of dialogue writing in order to engage your audiences in a more meaningful way.

The Artistic Statement

Instructor: Stefanie Zadravec (Writer, The Electric Baby at Two River)

Conquer the overwhelming task of writing about yourself and your work.

Classes begin in September. Start and end dates vary. Click here for the full list of writing classes.

Our award-winning faculty, comprised of working professionals in the field, provides practical skills and expert guidance in a collaborative community atmosphere. 

Primary Stages ESPA provides students easy and convenient payment plans to break up tuition. For more information, call 212.840.9705 x215 or email espa@primarystages.org.

Monthly playwriting contest in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press

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Deadline: none provided

SUBMISSION FORM

We’re proud to announce a new monthly playwriting contest in collaboration with Bamboo Ridge Press!

Every month, Kumu Kahua’s artistic director Harry Wong III will select a writing prompt on or by the first day of that month. We’re looking for 5-page monologues or 10-page scenes based on that prompt; the due date for submissions will always be the last day of the month. All entries must be written in traditional play format; instructions on this format can be found here (https://www.dramatistsguild.com/script-formats), courtesy of the Dramatists Guild.

There will be one winner each month. Scripts will be submitted to the judges anonymously. Winners will receive $20.00 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. Woo!

The prompt for the month of August 2021 is: a confrontation between a person and a cockroach.

Best of luck!

Seeking plays inspired by Edward Hopper

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Deadline: August 31, 2021 11:59 PM

Please note, their submissions were closed but are now open again. 

However, although August 31 is given as the deadline, be advised their web site says: We reserve the right to close submissions at any time.

The details:
Edward Hopper created brilliant works of art that are full of intrigue and possibility.
We are looking for 3-5 original short plays inspired by Hopper paintings for a production in early 2022.

Submission Requirements:
There is no financial compensation if your play is selected.
Plays must be original works.
The Hopper painting must work into the play in some way.

You may select any Hopper work of your choice, but you have greater odds of being selected with one other than Nighthawks.

Your play's content can cover any genre, but should be appropriate for the virtual theatre medium and time period of the artwork.

While many of Hopper's paintings include nudity, it is preferred that is not a part of the play (but may be implied/happen off-stage).

Running time can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.

Only one play per playwright will be accepted.

Submissions must be made by 11:59PM on August 31st, 2021.

Click here to view all 182 Hopper paintings.

To submit your work, click here.

BBC Children’s Animation is looking for fresh, bold, innovative new animation ideas

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Deadline: September 1, 2021 11:59 PM

BBC Children’s Animation is looking for fresh, bold, innovative new animation ideas for a fully funded development opportunity.

You may be taking your first steps into animation, be a long-standing industry professional with something you’ve always wanted to explore or a production company or animation studio with an exciting new idea. Whatever your level of experience, They want to see your proposal with a view to developing it into an Industry Standard proof of concept with living breathing characters in a world that children will love.

Up to three ideas will receive full development funding to create two minute animated pilots which will be considered for a commission by BBC Children’s.

They’re looking for submissions from sole creators over the age of 18, collectives, animation studios, production companies, or anything in-between, where creatives would like to co-develop with the BBC rather than engage with the BBC via the usual commissioning process (where applicable).

If you’re a sole creator they can help you find a creative team to help build authentic and engaging characters and stories for Children in the UK and around the world.

The criteria for selection are wide and could include any of the following: originality, engagement for children, innovation, potential to run to multiple series, reaching an underserved section of our audience, international appeal, relatable storytelling and recognisable characters. But central to any idea must be that the stories, settings and characters represent the British culture and values.

How to submit your idea

Initial ideas must be submitted as a pdf document via the BBC Uploader on a single side of A4. Please note, they will not accept ideas via email or BBC Pitch. Read the BBC Uploader privacy notice (pdf).

In the first instance they would like to see a one-sheet for an animated series, targeting young audiences between 0-12 (0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 or any combination of these targets). This should give them a sense of the premise, tone and world you’d like to develop. It can include both illustration and narrative but should be no longer than one side of A4.

Process and key dates

The deadline for submitting initial ideas is 11.59pm on Wednesday 1 September 2021.

All ideas will then be reviewed and shortlisted by the BBC Children’s Animation team and a panel comprising of the Director of Children’s and Education, Heads of Commissioning and Acquisitions for 0-6’s and 7-12’s and the Animation Development Executive will choose up to 20 ideas to receive funding for first stage development. .

This first stage development will comprise of creating a short series bible, a two-minute script, character designs and key background design.

They will then select up to six projects for second stage development.

The second stage will comprise creating a second two minute script, full pitch bible, character and background designs, a two minute animatic and animated test.

Up to three development projects will then be selected to go on to third stage development. This will consist of producing a two-minute broadcast quality animation pilot.

Projects will then be considered for commission by the relevant BBC Children’s Head of Commissioning and Acquisitions.

For more detailed information on how the scheme will work and your eligibility to participate please go to their website and read the Terms of Use (pdf).

Download the BBC Uploader privacy notice (pdf)

SUBMIT HERE

2022 Ecodrama Playwrights' Festival

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, EMOS has been postponed until 2022, and the deadline for submissions has been extended.

• Submissions are online. Go to https://www.judgify.me/emosplays
• If you are a first-time user of Judgify, create a profile by clicking the link underneath the “submit an entry” button.
• Upload a PDF copy of your script with NO IDENTIFYING MARKS (beyond the play’s title)
• First Place Award: Cash prize and professional production
• Second Place Award: Cash prize and possible workshop production or concert reading
• Honorable Mentions: Public reading

Guidelines for Playwrights

Scripts must be original works which have not been published and have not had an Equity or full professional premiere production. (Readings or informal workshop productions are okay.)

In general, we are looking for plays that do one or more of the following:

• Engage the personal, local, regional and/or global implications of man-made climate change.
• Put an ecological issue or environmental event/crisis at the center of the dramatic action or theme of the play.
• Critique or satirize patterns of exploitation, consumption, or other ingrained values that are ecologically unsustainable.
• Expose and illuminate issues of environmental justice.
• Explore the relationship between sustainability, community, and cultural diversity.
• Interpret community to include our ecological community; give voice or character to the land, or elements of the land; theatrically examine the reciprocal relationship between human, animal and plant communities; and/or the connection between people and place, human and non-human, culture and nature.
• Grow out of the playwright’s personal relationship to the land and the ecology of a specific place.
• Celebrate the joy of the ecological world in which humans participate.
• Offer an imagined world view that illuminates our ecological condition or reflects on the ecological crisis from a unique cultural or philosophical perspective.
• Are written specifically to be performed in an unorthodox venue such as a natural or environmental setting, and for which that setting is a not merely a backdrop, but an integral part of the intention of the play.

We are looking for full-length plays that are written primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) in English. Submitted plays should address the thematic guidelines as listed above. Deadline: August 31st, 2021.

Please note: we will NOT consider:

• ten-minute plays
• one-act plays (unless they are longer than 30 minutes in length)
• musicals (though we love them, we cannot financially accommodate their production for this festival!)
• We are only accepting electronic submissions in PDF format. Please do not submit paper manuscripts, as they will not be considered.

Evaluation Process

A Reading Committee composed of theatre professionals and Emory University students will read and evaluate each script in relation to the guidelines above, as well as theatricality, and overall quality. Each play will receive evaluation from a minimum of 2 readers. Highly-scored plays from the first round will be read again by the Reading Committee until a short list of 5 finalists are determined.

Those five plays will be read in a blind process by a panel of distinguished theatre artists from the USA and Canada and the artistic director of Theatre Emory, who will choose the winning plays from five final scripts. Our 2022 judges will be announced soon.
​
Questions?

For inquiries about script submissions contact Chantal Bilodeau at chantal1402@me.com

For inquiries about EMOS 2022 contact Lydia Fort, EMOS 2021 Chair, at lydia.fort@emory.edu

General questions, or interested in future hosting, contact EMOS Artistic Director, Theresa May tmay33@uoregon.edu, and/or EMOS Managing Director, Brian Cook brianecook@gmail.com

The Frank Moffett Mosier Fellowship for Works in Heightened Language

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Deadline: August 31, 2021

Monetary award to playwright: $3000 for full-length works, $1500 for one-acts.

Synecdoche Works may support further development of a submitted work at its discretion.

Conditions for Consideration

Submissions must be in a heightened version of the English language in order to provide a meaningful challenge to the actors. This includes, but is not limited to, works using metre, verse, rhyming schemes, pidgins, creoles, and code-switching.

Plays must contain at least 60% heightened language.

Submissions may be translations or adaptations of works in the public domain.

One-act submissions should target a minimum 40-minute final running time. Full-length submissions should target a minimum running time of 90 minutes.

Authors awarded a grant must be willing to participate in a brief rehearsal process culminating in a Zoom reading of their submitted work.

Submitted works cannot be currently attached to a theater or production company.

Submitted works cannot have had a prior development cycle outside of an educational program.

Submission deadline: August 31, 2021

Submission portfolio must include:
The play in standard script format, emailed as an attachment to Synecdoche Works.
A brief author biography, maximum of 200 words.

Please visit synecdocheworks.org for more information.

A is for Playwriting Contest 2021

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Deadline:  August 31, 2021 Midnight EST

Why a playwriting contest?

It’s not just abortion that is stigmatized in our culture, but the entire lived experiences of people who seek to fulfill their promise as autonomous human beings, realize their own dreams, raise their families in safety and peace, pursue their ambitions, and maintain control over their physical and reproductive lives.

The subject of reproductive justice is one too often simplified by our current dialogues, and too often the voices and perspectives of the people most affected by restrictions, legislative prohibitions, and cultural prejudices are excluded from our artistic institutions.

A is For seeks to change that. We believe the theatre is an especially powerful platform with which to share stories, debunk myths, and disempower fears. We believe the theatre can transform. We want to amplify voices which can reframe the conversation, to support and promote artists who can dispel myths and misconceptions. We want to change the way people think about abortion and reproductive justice. We want to hear the stories you want to tell.

In that spirit, the stories we hope to bring to the fore will be diverse in perspective as well as imagination. These plays may be personal and realistic, or they may be allegorical. They may be fantastic, sprung from dreams, or they may be grounded in naturalism. From the surrealist, to the literal. From magical realism, to documentarian. Whatever form or shape they may take, we hope to receive a wide range of works from all over the country, reflecting the great variety of experiences that reproductive justice demands we all recognize.

In highlighting these stories, we’re broadening the emotional vocabulary of the American audience, and opening up our theaters to a fuller and more honest exploration of the human experience.
Dates

Submissions will be accepted through August 31, 2021 Midnight EST.

Winners will be announced at the beginning of November.
Winning plays presented virtually in December


Criteria

Submit one-act plays about reproductive justice, including (but not limited to) the topic of abortion.

• You may not edit your entry after submitting.
• You may submit as many plays as you wish.
• Plays must be no longer than 60 minutes (typically about 60 pages, double-spaced.) Plays longer than 60 minutes will automatically be disqualified.
• Plays do not have to be as long as 60 minutes. They can be shorter. They can be as short as a single page if you feel that’s sufficient to tell your story.
• Please submit your files in PDF only.
• Plays in languages other than English will be accepted as long as an accompanying English translation is also provided.
• Plays should include a cover page that includes the name of the playwright, and all relevant contact information, including representation, if applicable.

Winners

A qualified Jury of accomplished theatre professionals and experts in reproductive justice will read and assess all entries.

Only the winner and runners up will be contacted directly by AisFor once the jury has made its decisions.


Grand Prize will be awarded to one play which will receive $5,000
The Second Place winner will be awarded $3,000, and the Third Place winner will be awarded $1,500.

All three plays will be presented as rehearsed readings during our virtual festival in December 2021.


Support

If you have any questions about the contest or the entry process, please email: contest@aisfor.org

SUBMIT TO CONTEST

23 Miles South submission guidelines

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23 Miles South accepts submissions of full length and one act plays with a focus on female or other marginalized people as main characters and a primarily female cast. We especially need plays for young actors. Send your play, synopsis and character descriptions to 23milessouth@gmail.com with "play submission" in the subject line. If selected for production, playwright will receive a royalty payment.

New Visions seeks full-length plays

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Deadline: September 1, 2021

New York Classical Theatre, an AEA, Off-Broadway Theatre, is expanding its repertoire beyond the classics and launching its first-ever new play competition: New Visions.

The vision statement of NY Classical affirms that we “believe that everyone—regardless of social, economic, or educational background—should have the opportunity to enjoy live professional theatre together as a community.”

We recognize that the historic theatrical canon from which American theatre derives its “classics” has a long history of violence, oppression, and erasure of bodies, identities, and voices that are not white, not male, not cis-gendered, not heteronormative, and/or are not able-bodied.

In an effort to expand our mission to address this erasure, NY Classical is embarking on a three-year initiative to develop two new, original plays for production in our 2024 and 2025 seasons. We are seeking plays that explore new ways of viewing the “classics,” expand our ideas of what “classics” can be, and challenge the power structures that undergird the notion of “classics.”
These New Visions can include, but are not limited to…

Adaptation/Translation. Examples include: Cherrie Moraga’s The Hungry Woman and Herbert Siguenza’s El Henry.

Response/Subversion. Examples include: Branden Jacobs Jenkins’s An Octoroon and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Prequel/Sequel. Examples include: Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2

Plays that engage with history and bring forgotten events to life. Examples include: John Guare’s A Free Man of Color and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean

Plays that engage with written stories beyond the stage, including novels, poems and poetry collections, and journals that exists in the public domain. Examples include: Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice and Kristin Laurence’s Little Women

Plays that derive from oral histories, rituals, and other forms of creating, knowing, remembering, and documenting the world beyond the written word. Examples include: Ondinnok’s Rabinal Achi and SPAC’s Tenshu Monogatari.
For Phase One of New Visions, we will select 8 quarter-finalist plays.

During 2022, each selected playwright will receive:

An invitation-only studio reading by a professional director and professional actors

A conversation with our Literary Director to discuss the play and determine how to structure feedback to best serve the playwright’s goals

Targeted feedback from our invited audience of the theatre’s board, staff, and community members.

A $200 stipend

A script review by our Literary Director following the reading and revisions by the playwright.

For Phase Two, based on feedback from the invited audience, the development of the work, and the opinions of our Literary and Artistic Directors, at least four of the eight plays from Phase One will be invited to continue developing their work with NY Classical. 

During 2023, each continuing playwright will receive:

A full, public staged reading under Equity’s 29 hour reading guidelines.

Continuing conversations with our Literary Director to further develop the play.

A $300 stipend

For Phase Three, 2 of the plays from Phase Two will be selected to receive in 2024:

A one-week development workshop of their play with plans for a full production in our 2024 and/or 2025 seasons. This workshop will include a professional director and dramaturg chosen in conversation with the playwright.

Round-trip airfare and housing for the workshop.

A $70 per diem.

A $500 stipend.

We invite and encourage playwrights of all backgrounds, experience, and training to apply.

***We are especially interested in plays that engage histories and traditions from outside the European canon.*** 

***We are especially interested in works that challenge and contest the classical canon.*** 

Eligibility Requirements:

USA Based Playwrights Only.

Play must be primarily in English. Bilingual plays, including ASL, are encouraged.

Only plays that have not had a professional production are eligible. Scripts that have had readings, workshops, and university productions are welcome.

Plays must have an estimated run time between 70 and 150 minutes.

Plays must include a minimum of 50% characters from historically excluded groups.

We are not looking to commission a new play. We are looking to develop existing original works.

We are not accepting musicals at this time. However, plays with music are okay.

Please submit the following as one .pdf titled “LAST NAME – TITLE OF PLAY” to literary@nyclassical.org:


Your name

A 100-200 word synopsis of the play

A character breakdown that describes the minimum 50% characters that are from historically excluded groups as defined in the opening paragraphs of this call.

A brief statement (as short as one sentence) of how this play is in conversation with an idea of “classics”

The first ten pages of dialogue from the play you would like considered.

Please put “New Visions - Submissions - (your last name)” in the subject line

Please do not send complete scripts unless requested.

Submissions close September 1, 2021.

We contact shortlisted playwrights for complete scripts by November 8, 2021.

The eight Quarter-Finalists will be notified by January 15, 2022.

We look forward to reading your work.

Ensemble Playwright Lab (EPL) is a residency program for NYC-based playwrights

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Deadline: August 23rd, 2021

The Ensemble Playwright Lab (EPL) is a residency program for NYC-based playwrights to engage with Letter of Marque's (LOM) ensemble of actors, musicians, dancers, designers, and dramaturgs to create, develop, or reimagine a piece of work. This experimental process of creation and development is designed to welcome the playwright into the rehearsal room through active participation in devised and improvisational explorations. The goals and outcomes of each residency are mutually determined by both LOM and the playwright.

Playwrights are chosen using an anonymous submission process. Each entrant is asked to create an alias so as to mask their identity. Entrants are also required to omit all mentions of names of previous collaborators and the titles of their previous work. The anonymized submissions are then read by a panel consisting of Lynde Rosario (Literary Manager of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Lea Marie Heller (Resident LOM Dramaturg), LOM Co-Artistic Directors Nolan Kennedy and Scarlet Maressa Rivera, and Guest Dramaturg, Myjoycia Cezar. Finalists are scheduled for interviews to determine the participants in this year’s Ensemble Playwright Lab.
This season, LOM will be exploring the theme of ADAPTING.

For the second season, LOM will proudly offer a $500 honorarium to each playwright chosen for a residency.

There will be two residencies: Fall (Oct.-Nov.) and Winter (Feb-March). Each residency will consist of 7 consecutive sessions to develop a work with the LOM ensemble. At the end of each residency, there will be a public showing and a facilitated post-showing talkback with the audience, playwright, and cast.

All meetings, rehearsals, and showings will take place in person in Brooklyn, NYC unless otherwise arranged.

LOM is striving to amplify more BIPoC and LGBTQA+ voices. Playwrights from these communities are encouraged to apply.

NOTE: This is an annonymous submission process.
Do not mention your real name, the names of companies or artists you've worked with, or titles of plays you've written in your submission. Doing so will get you disqualified!

If you have any questions, please email: lomsubmissions@gmail.com to contact a non-adjudicating member of the team.

Eligibilty

The EPL is open to playwrights...

-who currently live in NYC
who are able to attend all required sessions
-at any stage of their career
-wishing to work on a previously written piece OR wanting to create something new with the LOM ensemble
-age 21 or older

If you have submitted to the EPL in the past, please feel free to submit again!


What we are looking for:
The purpose of the Ensemble Playwright Lab is to build a relationship between a playwright and the LOM ensemble, and to explore/allow for/create new ways of collaboration. This program is intended for artists who identify as playwrights and want to improve their craft as well as their work. Yes, there will be public presentations at the end of the residency. However, what gets presented will be based on the interest and goals of the playwright. Letter of Marque’s mission is to spread ensemble culture, through responsive, inclusive, and accessible theater, and to engage individuals in collective success and meaningful dialogue.

What Does It Cost the Playwright:
There is no monetary charge or fee to participate in the Ensemble Playwrights Lab. We ask for their time, dedication, talent, and energy!

Important Dates
Due to the intensive nature of this program, only applicants who are able to attend all required dates will be considered. 

SPIDER® magazine for ages 6–9 seeks plays for Outside of the Box

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Deadline: August 15, 2021

SPIDER®, a literary magazine for children, features fresh and engaging literature, poems, articles, and activities for newly independent readers. Editors seek energetic, beautifully crafted submissions with strong “kid appeal” (an elusive yet recognizable quality, often tied to high-interest elements such as humor, adventure, and suspense). 

We have particular interests in stories that explore themes of identity (gender expression, ability, race and ethnicity, family structure including LGBTQAI+ and single parent homes, neighborhoods, beliefs, and traditions); global cultures and languages (current needs include South American, African, and Middle Eastern countries, island nations, and Native American nations); scientific and technological exploration and innovation; magical or interplanetary landscapes; cities and metropolitan areas; real kids doing real things; weird and sometimes gross stuff; and the creative spirit.


Outside of the Box

Deadline: August 15, 2021

At Spider (for ages 6-9), we love contemporary stories and poems, but we are excited to read more material that falls outside these popular categories. This might be plays, science fiction, or historical fiction and nonfiction. It might be simple, but inventive, activities like recipes, games, crafts, magic tricks, science experiments, or silly quizzes. It can be anything that defies categorization. We also enjoy stories or poems with accompanying hands-on activities or nonfiction components. Manuscripts must be 1000 words or fewer. Activities should be one to two pages and include reference photos.

Guidelines

Before submitting, be sure to familiarize yourself with our magazines. (Sample copies are available for viewing at the Cricket Media Store, or you can order a current issue by calling 800-821-0115.) Issues are also available at many local libraries.

Fiction Stories and Plays

We seek fiction of all kinds: fantasy, folk or fairytale, sci-fi, historical, humorous, or realistic. Whether the setting is long-ago or contemporary, or the protagonist is a shy newcomer, clever trickster, class clown, fantasy creature, or superhero, characters and the worlds they inhabit should be complex and believable. Plays should have 2–6 characters so that a child could feasibly perform the play at home with family or friends.

Length: 300–1000 words