The 46 Minutes Collective March 2026 Mixed Bag Presentations

Website

Deadline: February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

Mixed Bag is a variety show for first drafts. We provide artists working in a variety of mediums with a low-tech space and audiences to further develop their works. We hope this will be an opportunity to learn about your piece and discover the next steps in your process.

Application Closes: February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST
Performance Date: March 23, 2026 from 4:30-9 PM, Performance at 7:30 PM
Location: Brick Aux (628 Metropolitan Ave)

What we are looking for: 

• In-development work that has not yet premiered. One or two developmental readings or showings is okay, but we are looking for work in the earlier stages of development. 
• Works in any medium: performance art, dance, theater, film, music, poetry, multi-media, interactive art, magic, mime, juggling, etc. (these can be excerpts of longer works).
• Artists who are looking to investigate or discover something about their work.
• Cast: Up to 10 performers
• Length: Up to 15 minutes

We Can Offer: 

• A low-tech performance space at Brick Aux to share your work .
• One, 20-minute spacing rehearsal the hour before the show.
• A Stage Manager to assist with the run of show.
• Photos and video of your piece.

An audience of fellow artists and creatives to share in your developmental process with the option for feedback from the audience if that is helpful for your process.
Marketing through the 46 Minutes Instagram and mailing list. If selected, we will ask for additional marketing materials from you/your team.
Brick Aux space capabilities (basic sound system, clip lights, projector, tables and chairs) (learn more here).
Box Office Split: Please note that tickets are donation-based, so we cannot guarantee a profit from this event. Once we have covered the space rental via donations, all additional ticket funds will be split evenly amongst the performers and the collective.


What You Bring:

• Collaborators and creative team.
• Any desired props, costumes, lights, design elements, etc. beyond what exists in the Brick Aux space.
• An understanding of what you need to present your own work at whatever stage it's at in your process.
• An openness to the liminal space that is in-process work and a desire to discover what can be learned when presenting a rough draft.Please Note: The artist is responsible for all rehearsal process needs. We are unable to provide any rehearsal space or financial assistance at this time. This is designed to be an in-process showing, so we encourage you to come as you are with whatever you have created at this point in time. 

Each artist may only submit one piece per Mixed Bag showing.

If you have any questions please reach out to us at 46mincollective@gmail.com 

We at The 46 Minutes Collective are committed to making our programming accessible to all who wish to participate, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 46mincollective@gmail.com with any ways we can support you.

Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest

Website

Deadline: December 31, 2026

The Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest invites playwrights to submit original works inspired by, connected to, or thematically centered on the history, architecture, culture, or personal stories associated with the Northern Michigan Asylum (also known as the Traverse City State Hospital). Works may be dramatic, comedic, historical, speculative, or musical in style, but all submissions must honor or explore the site in a meaningful way.

Contest is hosted by Old Town Playhouse (OTP), a community theater serving Traverse City, Michigan, and The Minervini Group LLC (TMG), redevelopers of The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, the original site of the Northern Michigan Asylum.

The contest opens January 19, 2026, and all submissions must be received by December 31, 2026.

Eligibility

• Open to writers of all experience levels.
• Writers must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission.
• Co-authored works are permitted.
• Submissions must be written in English.

Content Requirements

Subject Matter: The play must contain significant themes, settings, characters, or plot elements directly related to the Northern Michigan Asylum/Traverse City State Hospital.

Allowed Formats:

o One-act plays
o Two-act plays
o Musicals

Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest — Submission Guidelines 

Length Guidelines:

o One-act: 20–60 minutes
o Two-act: 60–150 minutes
o Musicals: 45–180 minutes

• Originality: Only original, unpublished, and unproduced works are eligible.

Prohibition on AI-Generated Content

To preserve artistic integrity and honor the spirit of the competition:

• No portion of the script may be generated by artificial intelligence tools (including ChatGPT, other LLMs, AI story generators, or automated scriptwriting tools).

• Writers may not use AI to draft, plot, or produce dialogue or lyrics.

• AI-assisted proofreading (e.g., spelling/grammar checks) is permitted, but no AI content generation may be used at any stage.

• Entrants will be required to attest that all creative content is human-authored.

Submission Requirements

• Format:

o PDF file only
o Standard script formatting preferred (12-point font, standard margins)
o Include a title page with:

▪ Play title
▪ Author’s name
▪ Contact email
▪ Contact phone number
▪ Whether the play is one-act, two-act, or a musical
• Page Header: Include the play title and page numbers on each page.

Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest — Submission Guidelines Page 2• Synopsis: Include a 150–300 word synopsis at the beginning (separate page).

• Character Breakdown: Provide a list of characters, including vocal ranges for musicals.

• Optional: A brief (100-word) playwright biography.

Submission Process

• Submissions open January 19, 2026 at 12:00 AM EST.

• All entries must be submitted by December 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.

• Submissions must be sent by email to contest@oldtownplayhouse.com either as a PDF attachment or unrestricted link to cloud storage.

• Each entrant may submit up to two plays.

Evaluation Criteria & Winning

Entries will be judged on:

• Quality of storytelling and dramatic structure

• Creative integration of Northern Michigan Asylum themes

• Originality and artistic vision

• Character development

• Stage feasibility

• Musical quality (for musicals)

One work will be chosen to be fully workshopped and produced in late 2027 or early 2028 by Old Town Playhouse. The performance will take place at Kirkbride Hall located in one of the original Northern Michigan Asylum buildings. [Note: A staged reading may be presented in lieu of a full production if material warrants such].

Judges panel will be comprised of two representatives from Old Town Playhouse, two representatives from The Minervini Group LLC and one outside representative designated by Old Town Playhouse to serve on the panel.

Winning playwright will be notified no later than February 28, 2027.

Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest — Submission Guidelines 

Rights and Permissions

• Playwrights retain all rights to their work.

• By entering the contest, playwrights grant the organizers permission to excerpt, read publicly, or stage readings for purposes of event promotion from the time the winning script is selected and announced until the closing performance of the OTP production produced in late 2027 or early 2028.

Scenes from a Coffee Shop Festival seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: February 18, 2026 12AM PST

SUBMISSION FORM

Dreamscape Theater Company (dreamscapetheater.com) in Corvallis, Oregon, is seeking original plays to be considered for production at Imagine Coffee in April 2026.

PLEASE USE THESE GUIDELINES WHEN SUBMITTING. Plays that do not adhere to the following will not be considered.

Submissions will be accepted January 1-February 18, 2026. Deadline for submissions is midnight, Pacific Time, February 18, 2026. Winners will be notified no later than February 22, 2026.

Winning plays will be produced at Imagine Coffee Co., Corvallis, Oregon, (imaginecoffee.online) April 11 (7 pm) and April 12 (2 pm), 2026. 

The setting for your play should be a coffee shop.

Please ensure that your play can be performed in 15 minutes or less. Plays longer than 15 minutes will not be accepted.

We prefer plays with at least two characters but no more than five that can be staged with a simple set (black boxes/chairs/stools) and minimal light/sound/prop requirements – in a coffee shop.

There is no residence requirement but preference will be given to playwrights from Oregon.

We are looking for NEW plays. Do not submit anything that has previously been produced.

Only one entry will be accepted from each playwright.

Please do not include your name or contact information anywhere in the script you submit. Please read and consider the Judging Criteria.

Your play must be written in English. We recommend using standard play formatting. 

By submitting to this contest, you agree to accept the decision of the judges as final.

There is no fee to submit to the Dreamscape Play Festival–Caffeine Dreams. 

No royalties or payment will be provided to playwrights should their play be chosen.

Winning playwrights will be asked to submit a headshot and short bio for publicity purposes.

If you have any questions, please email admin@dreamscapetheater.com. 

Celtic Calling seeks Celtic-themed plays

Website

Deadline: February 7, 2026

All proposals and scripts must be emailed to TipJarTheatre@gmail.com. Your subject line should be the title of your play.

Celtic Calling is now accepting submissions of original Celtic-themed plays, vignettes, or one-acts, not to exceed thirty minutes. Up to 5 plays will be selected to be performed during the weekend of the 10th Celtic Calling Gathering, March 4-8, 2026, at a location to be determined, in Charleston, WV,USA.
The deadline for submission is February 7th, 2026, and the winning submissions, plays to be performed will be announced asap.

The selected Top 5 submissions will receive cash prizes!

• First Place $150
• Second $100
• Third $75
• Fourth $50
• Fifth $25

In addition, the author of the Audience Choice Award during the festival will receive $100.

1. All proposals and scripts must be emailed to TipJarTheatre@gmail.com by February 7th, 2026 at 11:59pm. PDFs preferred. Your subject line should be the title of your play.

2. Multiple submission are permitted, as are collaborations between writers.

3. The submission must be original, and the entrant must have the rights of performance and broadcast prior to submission. Celtic Calling will be granted exclusive rights of performance within a 250 mile radius of Charleston, WV, from the time of contest close through March 31, 2026. Celtic Calling will be granted the right to stream the performance of the winning submissions, all or in part.

4. The play should not exceed thirty minutes.

5. The play must have at least two characters with speaking roles.

6. Celtic Calling may charge for tickets to the performance, which will go to offset the costs of production of the play(s) and/or festival.

7. The submission must have a Celtic theme, which is solely up to the interpretation of the reading committee.

8. The play(s) will be selected by a committee, whose decisions are final, including the decision not to decide, should the entries not meet the requirements or other standards. 

2026 Annual One-Act Jamboree seeks short plays

Website

Deadline:  February 28, 2026

Submission fee waived for members of Dramatists' Guild must include proof of current membership                                                                                    

StageWorks Theatre Group

Show Dates: July 24th, 25th, 26th 2026

Writers must submit their one-act plays (with a running time of 20 minutes or less)

Entries will be judged on plot, character development, dialogue, and overall quality.

Please send manuscripts and enclose your $20 reading fee (waived for members of Dramatists' Guild)

to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC.
237 Hamburg Turnpike
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
Attention: One Act Jamboree

Alternatively, you may submit your play via our website. Click "Submit Your Play" to send your manuscript via Google Form. Then, click "Pay Reading Fee" button above to pay your reading fee (online payment convenience fees apply). Manuscripts will NOT be considered until the reading fee has been submitted. (Fee waived for members of Dramatists' Guild).

Between 6 and 10 winners will receive the prize of a staged production of their play at the StageWorks One Act Jamboree, which will be held during the Summer of 2026 at StageWorks Studio 237.

The production will have auditioned actors, directors chosen by committee, producers, stage managers, ushers, ticket takers, and tech crew.

2026 Annual One-Act Jamboree Terms and Conditions

Writers are encouraged to submit their one-act plays (with a running time of 20 minutes or less) by Saturday, February 28, 2026. Entries will be judged on plot, character development, dialogue and overall quality by a committee of three to five. Directors will be chosen by the committee.

Between 6 and 10 winners will receive the prize of a staged production of his or her play at the StageWorks One Act Jamboree, which will be held during the summer of 2026 at StageWorks Studio 237.

Plays will be judged on the following criteria:

• Plot
• Character Development
• Dialogue
• Overall writing quality

Playwrights are limited to three (3) submissions.

Please read and follow our submission guidelines. Submissions that are incomplete or do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified. To enter your play, you must submit the following:

(1) Three (3) hard copies of your play (or Google Form submission in advance for electronic submissions/Paypal payment).i

Plays should run 20 minutes or less and be written in the proper playwriting format (when in the proper format, running time is approximately one minute per page):

A list of characters with a brief physical description of each should also be included.

Plays should contain 12 or fewer actors.

One person plays are accepted.

No musicals, unless you are providing accompaniment.

Plays should have simple staging and technical needs.

(2) A cover letter with the following information:

The name of your play

Your name full address, full contact information (including your e-mail and phone number)

A brief synopsis of your play (for publicity purposes if your play is selected)

A brief biography


(3) A check in the amount of $20 (US dollars) for each play submitted, made payable to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC. *Fee waived for members of Dramatist Guild (must include proof of current membership)

Please write "One-Act Jamboree" in the check's memo line.


The submission package must be sent to:

StageWorks Theatre Group, INC
237 Hamburg Turnpike
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

Attn: One-Act Jamboree

Additional Information:

Submissions must be postmarked on or before February 28, 2026

Plays will NOT be returned and will be recycled.

The entry fee is non-refundable.

As the playwright, you are invited to auditions and will have input regarding casting and production presentation. However, Executive Director may choose to exercise her authority regarding questionable content and/or presentation of the show with consideration and protection of the reputation of the company in its entirety.

Prizes:

At the conclusion of the jamboree, one winner will receive a $250 cash prize based on audience vote.

BLACK WOMAN GENIUS ~ JOY by Shaneisha Dodson

Shaneisha Dodson is originally from Arkansas and currently resides in California. She is a playwright, entrepreneur and the creator of the first black 18 inch superhero doll. Dodson is the founder of the Brilliant Girl and Black Girlz Productions. She has won numerous awards for her literary works. In her free time, she enjoys writing and spending time with loved ones.

Social Media: IG:@blkgirlz12
www.blackgirlzproductions.com

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE

It's estimated that over 300,000 black women lost their jobs in 2025. Therefore, I wrote Joy. It's a love letter to black women geniuses that focuses on being resilient and self confident in a world that doesn't always play fair.  

If you enjoy a monologue published in the BLACK WOMAN GENIUS project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

EXCERPT FROM JOY

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

                 

I can’t control people or their thoughts. I can only worry about me. The black woman who rocks. The black woman who is making history.  The black woman who is reaching her goals even when the goal post is being pushed back. The black woman who sometimes feel like giving up but keeps pushing. Making it this far in life hasn’t been easy. This is why I will never give up on me. My accomplishments matter. My mother taught me to speak life into myself until it comes true. I am a black girl genius. I don’t need the world’s approval for me to feel validated. I am a black girl genius. I will continue to be me. I am a black girl genius. I will continue to find joy amid chaos in a world that doesn’t always give me my props. But has no problem taking everything from me including my livelihood. Over 300,000 black women lost their jobs this year. Maybe you didn’t hear me. I’ll say it a little louder for the people in the back. Over 300,000 black women lost their jobs this year!

29th Annual Festival of Originals

Website

Deadline: April 1, 2026 11:59pm 

The TSW-FOO is FREE to enter and will once again be calling for short one act (20 minute) plays in any and all genres from all over the country and the world. 

• Each playwright may submit up to 2 plays for consideration.
• All entries should be unpublished and not previously produced in the Houston area.
• All Genres are accepted. But Light comedies are encouraged.
• Monologues or One Actor plays are not accepted.
• Plays should be 20 minutes in length (give or take a minute or two).
• Page count should be no less than 17, but no more that 22 pages. 12 point font (Courier, Arial, or Times New Roman) and use Standard Playwriting Format.
• There is no maximum limit of characters or sets, but common sense should be used as 5 plays will be produced in one evening.
• Number all pages of the script(s) and they MUST be securely bound by three hold punch with braids or three hole punch folder. NO STAPLES!
• Scripts must be submitted by postal mail ONLY. Emailed PDF or Word files will not be considered.*
• Scripts (heard copies) cannot be returned.

NOTE: *We apologize for the inconvenience of mailed in hard copies for all domestic entries, but the TSW-FOO does make exceptions for overseas entries. if you are entering from a country outside of the United States you may email a PDF to: mimiholloway@gmail.com

This is also the email to address any questions.

Be sure to include your contact information; phone number, email, and mailing address on the title page of each script.

List all characters with a brief character description.

Please include a one paragraph synopsis of the play.

Make sure all mailed entries are POSTMARKED by April 1st, 2026.

Overseas entries must be emailed before 11:59pm April 1st, 2026.

One hundred dollars will be paid to all playwrights selected for production.

Scripts should be mailed to:

Theatre Southwest
3939 Hillcroft Ave STE 160
Houston, Texas 77057-7759

Attn: TSW-FOO

Live & In Color Musical Theatre Development Program

Website

Deadline: February 15, 2026 by 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

For any questions, email musicalsubmissions@liveandincolor.org

Live & In Color is looking for playwrights, composers, and lyricists of color and/or other underrepresented communities interested in developing their new musical. 

The selected musical submission will have a one-week workshop in the fall at The Bingham Camp in Salem, Connecticut, culminating in a staged presentation to an invited audience.

Writers receive a $1,000 stipend plus housing, meals, and travel. We provide support, including a several-month development period based on the needs of the composer/writers, leading up to the retreat. Live & In Color staff will continue to support the development of your piece beyond the retreat, including a reading for industry and Broadway Alums.

MUSICAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The musical must be performed with 4 actors (or less)

All submissions should include:

• Resumes + CVs (a one-page PDF document for each team member's resume and CV)
• Artistic Statement (can be authored by individual team members, or as a joint statement)
• Single page synopsis*
• Single page character breakdown*
• Demo of score (2-3 songs)*
• Sample of dialogue (~15 pages)*
• Brief production/development history (properties with prior full productions not accepted)*
• Optional: a PDF of the full script (please note, if you move forward to the Semi-Finalist round, a full script and score will be required) *Submission Materials must be in a single PDF document of all

"That's What She Said" Page to Stage seeks one-act and full-length plays

Website

Deadline: February 20, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Since its inception in 2018, this festival has been a vital platform for powerful new plays that uplift, challenge, and connect audiences. Produced in partnership with That’s What She Said Women’s Writers Collective, this annual event continues its mission to highlight diverse female voices through bold storytelling by playwrights from across the country.

Our 2026 Festival will take place August 14th - 16th at the Curtis Theatre in Brea, CA 

• Full-Length or One-Act plays centered on female, femme, trans, non-binary, queer or other inherently non-male experiences & voices. 
• Plays should be at least 60 pages and no longer than 120 pages in length. 
• Plays should be submitted as PDF files only. 
• Plays submitted can have a lightly produced background but should generally remain within the realm of a “new work”.

Reunion: The Dallas Review open for submissions for 2026

Website

Deadline: February 1, 2026 1AM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

For over three decades, Reunion: The Dallas Review has been dedicated to finding and publishing exceptional examples of short fiction, drama, visual art, poetry, translation work, and creative nonfiction. Our mission is to cultivate the arts community in Dallas, and promote the work of talented writers and artists both locally and across the globe.

Thank you for considering Reunion: The Dallas Review for your Drama piece! We look forward to reading your work.

At this time, we can read only one submission per person per reading window. Show us your best work. If you do choose to withdraw, please do not upload a new submission until the next reading window.

For Drama: We accept plays, screenplays, one acts, etc. that are formatted to industry standards.

• General Submission Guidelines:All submitted work must be previously unpublished. We consider anything found on personal blogs, online archives, other websites, social media accounts, online journals, or print magazines as previously published. If you have questions regarding this requirement, please email the editor prior to submitting.
• A brief cover letter and a biographical statement of no more than 100 words is appreciated.
• Do not include your name on the submission attachment unless it is part of the work itself. Instead, your name and contact information should be included in the body of your cover letter.
• All texts should be Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, and double spaced (with the exception of poetry.) We accept text submissions in the following formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf.
• We do not accept any work above 5,000 words. Any submissions with a word count above this will not be read.
• Submissions may be multilingual, with English as the main language, but may not be translations. Any translations should be submitted to Reunion's translation portal. Translations will not be accepted in drama submissions.
• We do not accept any works made with the use of AI. 

BLACK WOMAN GENIUS ~ INTELLIGENCE by Stacy Nathaniel Jackson

Stacy Nathaniel Jackson is a trans playwright, poet, writer, and visual artist originally from Los Angeles. His work has appeared in Callaloo, Electric Literature, Foglifter, Gay and Lesbian Review, The Georgia Review and elsewhere. His Afrofuturist play The Codex of Narma was a semifinalist for the 2025 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and received a staged reading presented by the National Queer Theater. His Afrofuturist debut novel The Ephemera Collector was also published in 2025 by Liveright. He has received support for his work as an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #191 with Addae Moon in performance writing, and as a Cave Canem poetry fellow, Hurston/Wright Foundation speculative fiction fellow, Jack Straw Cultural Center Writers Program fellow and Millay Arts Vincent Prize fellow. He received an individual artist grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission to support his docupoetics project on African American women in the U.S. military. Stacy is a graduate of USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, holds an MFA in creative writing from San Francisco State University with a concentration in playwriting, and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. 

• https://snjackson.com/

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE

Intelligence is an intentional word-play response to the call for Black women genius monologues. The story of Doris "Lucki" Allen has captured my imagination since I first encountered primary material about her in the archives of the Women in Military Service of America Foundation. Lucki is best known in military history for predicting several events, including the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The monologue is an imagined appearance at a twenty-first century campus event where she tells the audience about an encounter with a person in the greenroom, a thinly veiled reference to the views of social media "influencer" Candace Owens. The story is intended to highlight history, its circularity, and Lucki's Black woman genius.

If you enjoy a monologue published in the BLACK WOMAN GENIUS project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

EXCERPT FROM INTELLIGENCE

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

                

LUCKI 

 

I was confronted in the greenroom. My greeter had left me alone for a quick minute to grab water. Right after that, a young lady entered. Said she had to talk to me. That the country was at a turning point. I always make it a point to be respectful, you know. At the end of the day, we all need to feel..we want to be heard. So, for I don’t know how long, I listened to her pitch. After she was finished, she offered me a cap. Looking at the familiar red and white design, I declined. Told her I liked the one I was wearing just fine. I asked how she had come to her points of view. She proceeded to try to dress me down, called me stupid. Got in my face. Said my bronze stars were because of affirmative action, that my induction into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame was a pigment of my imagination. My greeter came back into the greenroom just in time. Shit, it took all of my strength not to hit the girl over the head with my cane.

The Playwrights Realm Script Share Lottery Is Accepting Entries

Website

Deadline: February 9, 2026 at noon ET

Script Share is an opportunity for aspiring writers to engage in a one hour discussion with a theatre professional about a particular script. These conversations are driven by what the writer is hoping to explore, and aim to provide an initial response, perspective, guidance around the craft of playwriting, and further questions, rather than critical feedback.

This program is free to the playwright and is intended for those who have more limited access to the industry, education, and script conversations.

Script Share participants will be selected via lottery for sessions between late February and April. Lottery entries will be accepted through February 9th at noon ET (via the website linked below).

For more information or enter the lottery, please visit https://playwrightsrealm.org/script-share
Please send questions to scriptshare@playwrightsrealm.org

Murmuration Theatre Company is seeking health and wellness themed short plays and one acts

Website

Deadline: February 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM

SUBMISSION FORM

Please submit PDF copies of scripts via the google form about e, and feel free to reach out to murmurationtheatreco@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. 

We will not consider (and will flag writers who submit) pieces that are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise bigoted.

Murmuration Theatre Company is seeking plays for our 2026 First Flight Showcase centered around toxic wellness culture, healthcare disparity, body image, and other health, wellness, or beauty issues. Murmuration is particularly interested in exploring how individuals with diverse perspectives navigate a wide array of health and wellness issues, including capitalism's push to make wellness product-centered, rhetoric tying health to morality, inequality in the healthcare system, and the role extreme opinions in media have in shaping these narratives & our internal monologues.
Shows must...

- have had no prior full stagings in New York State
- have a page count between 2-40
- have a cast size between 2-10

The shows selected will be cast, staged, and directed by Murmuration's creative team. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; a new form completion is required for each piece. Playwrights selected for our upcoming production will be paid a small fee per public performance of their work.

*Solo Shows, Theatre for Young Audiences, and Musicals will not be considered.

*New writers as well as writers with voices that have historically been underrepresented in the theater industry (gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, ability status, etc.) are encouraged to apply.

Free tickets to Black Replay Trivia & Fundraiser with RACHEL by Kenndall Wallace

Our BLACK WOMAN GENIUS prize-winner, Kenndall Wallace will have a staged reading of her play RACHEL, an adaptation of Angelina Weld Grimke's 100 year old play of the same name on February 7, 3PM, at WOW Cafe Theatre.

Discussing oppressive class systems, the cyclical nature of anti-black racism, and what it means historically to evolve from Black Girl to Black Woman, RACHEL is an early adaptation that is looking for fresh eyes and strong support.

Whether you’re a playwright, director, or multi-hyphenate, if you’re a Black or Black-allied creative who’s looking to meet like-minded theatre artists in NYC, this event is for you.

BLACK REPLAY is a free theatre event designed to create community within the Black NYC Theatre space and beyond. 

With a free ticket, you can:

– Meet indie theatre producers, playwrights, and actors,
– Test your knowledge on the history of Black theatre via trivia games,
– And see two world-premiere staged readings of Black written and led plays.

This event is open for anyone who’d like to join, though we’re especially looking for BIPOC and marginalized theatre artists, and we would be incredibly lucky to have you attend.

Brave the cold for a good cause, meet &be a part of the next generation of Black Womxn (Theatre) Geniuses, and RSVP here!  https://tinyurl.com/Blackreplay

SPRING 2026 Online Classes in Writing the Ten-Minute Play and Libretto Writing with Arianna Rose

Online classes in Writing the Ten-Minute Play and Musical Theatre Libretto Writing are open for enrollment.

"Writing for the Stage: The Ten-Minute Play"

Six Sessions, 3 hours each, Feb 12 – March 19 : choose one section from the three course offerings below:

1. Thursdays, 1:00 – 4:00 pm EST
2. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9:30 pm EST

Six Sessions, 3 hours each, March 9 – April 27 (no class on 4/6, 4/13)

3. Mondays, 1:00 – 4:00 pm EST

Tuition: $349.00 early bird through 2/5 (for Thursdays) 3/2 ( for Monday); $375 after

Course Repeaters Tuition: $200 (if you’ve taken this course with me before)

Minimum 3 participants per section; maximum 8.

Course Description:

Ten-minute play festivals continue to grow in popularity around the world. While short-form plays share some similarities with full-length storytelling, the dramatists who excel in this form have learned how to write into the differences. You’ll leave with the tools to write to the highest level of craft and make your work more producible

Featuring a combination of lecture, reading, discussion, and in-class sharing of your writing for feedback. Topics include: elements of a successful 10-minute play, dramatic structure, generating ideas, character development, giving and receiving constructive feedback, effective rewrites, formatting your play, submissions, and log-keeping.

Arianna has taught this course since 2023 at the Dramatists Guild Institute, PlayPenn Theatre, Delray Beach Playhouse, and independently. Her short plays have been presented in 37 states and 11 countries to date; have won numerous awards; published in Smith & Kraus Anthologies, Applause Books, Ghostlight Publications, Theatre Odyssey Publications, Purple Light Publications.

“Musical Theatre Libretto Writing”

Six Sessions, 3 hours each: February 23; March 9, 23, 30; April 20, 27

Mondays, 7:00 – 10:00 pm EST

Maximum 4 participants; 2 slots remaining

Course Description:

In this online course, we’ll be analyzing the librettos from GYPSY and FUN HOME and actively working on your own librettos (and lyrics, to an extent). This course is best suited for writers with a draft of a full or partial libretto. Topics include outlining, dramatic structure, character arcs, effective scene transitions, and song placement.

Tuition: $450.00

Arianna is a Kleban Award Finalist for libretto and lyric writing, holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, is an alumna of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, and teaches Musical Theatre History at Lynn University.

Please contact Arianna Rose at rockawayrose@gmail.com, or via her website where there is a comprehensive bio, resume, and more course information:

https://ariannarose.net/playwriting-classes-and-other-workshops

Interested but not available?

If you are interested but don't have availability for that day and times, please email me at rockawayrose@gmail.com and I'll compile a list for another section or future course.

One-on-One Private Dramaturgy

If you prefer one-on-one coaching, I am a member of the Dramaturg and Literary Managers Association of the Americas (LMDA) and the Dramatists Guild Plays-in-Progress Mentor Program. More information here to book my services:

http://ariannarose.net/dramaturg-for-hire

THROWN STONE THEATRE COMPANY ESCAPE: 2026 NEW PLAY COMMISSION RFP

Website

Deadline: February 2, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

ESCAPE: 2026 NEW PLAY COMMISSION RFP

Thrown Stone Theatre Company (Ridgefield, CT) invites playwrights to submit proposals for a new play commission aligned with our mission to empower artists and audiences to engage on the important questions of our time.

This year, we’re commissioning plays about escape — the impulse, the act, the aftermath.

Some prompts to get you going:

• What are you trying to escape from — and what’s really chasing you?
• Where are you trying to escape to — and will it be what you imagined?
• What does liberation look like when you’re running toward something rather than away
• Can we ever truly escape, or do we carry everything with us?
• What’s the difference between escape and avoidance, between freedom and running away?
• How do we know when escape is necessary versus when staying and fighting matters more?
• What do we lose when we escape? What do we gain?
• Is escapism a survival strategy, a form of resistance, or just another trap?
• What happens in the aftermath — when you’ve escaped but still have to live with yourself?
• How do joy and play function as forms of escape or liberation?
• What role does imagination play in both our captivity and our freedom?

We want work that’s unabashedly joyful and theatrical — comedy, farce, adventure, romance. Plays built on human spectacle: language, physical performance, poetic imagery. Liberation from the overtechnical. Work that’s perfectly flawed and human.

Make us laugh. Make us wonder. Make us question. Give us something we can take with us back into the everyday world.

PLEASE NOTE

Special consideration will be given to plays that can be developed in audio format as a standalone work or as a pre-production development step. This generally means small casts, or a maximum of 2-4 characters speaking in a scene. This is not a requirement, but in the current arts funding environment, transmedia potential may greatly ease your play’s development path.

The work should align with our mission to empower artists and audiences to engage with the important questions of our time. Learn more at thrownstone.org/about.

Please read the complete guidelines below before submitting, as multiple submissions are not allowed. If you have any questions prior to submitting, please contact us.

COMMISSION DETAILS
Commission Fee: $5,000 (paid in three installments).
Additional Budget: Up to $2,000 in travel, expenses, and research budget to support your creative process.
Purpose: To create a new, original script in collaboration with Thrown Stone Theatre Company. Any future workshops or productions of the commissioned work will be negotiated separately.

TIMELINE AND PAYMENT SCHEDULEExecution of Agreement (By March 3, 2026)Payment: $1,000 upon signing.
Deliverable: Contract executed, initial research begins.
Delivery of Initial Concept/Detailed Outline (By April 7, 2026)Payment: $500 upon delivery and acceptance.
Deliverable: A detailed concept or outline, including core themes, characters, and a synopsis that aligns with the mission and theme of escape
Delivery of First Draft (By August 4, 2026)Payment: $1,500 upon delivery and acceptance.
Deliverable: A complete first draft of the script.
Feedback Session (By September 1, 2026)Artistic Directors will provide dramaturgical feedback to help the playwright shape the second draft.
Delivery of Second Draft (By December 1, 2026)Payment: $2,000 upon delivery and acceptance.
Deliverable: A revised draft that incorporates feedback and demonstrates substantial development of the play.

All deadlines and payments are contingent on mutual agreement and the satisfactory completion of each milestone. Additional travel, research, and expenses will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts and must be pre-approved by the Theatre.

ELIGIBILITY

This opportunity is open to all playwrights who have had at least one professional (AEA) production. See FAQ for details on what qualifies. We encourage submissions from diverse voices and perspectives, including those historically underrepresented in the American theatre.

SUBMISSION TIMELINESubmissions Open: January 2, 2026
Proposal Deadline: February 2, 2026
Selection Notification/Execution of Agreement: By March 2, 2026

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Playwrights should submit their materials via our online submission form. Please note that we will accept and review up to 150 submissions. Early submissions are encouraged as the review process will close once this limit is reached.

This commission is for new, original work developed specifically for this theme. We are not seeking existing scripts, works-in-progress, or drawer plays. Proposals must describe plays not yet written.

To ensure we can thoughtfully review all submissions, proposals will first be assessed for eligibility and thematic alignment before advancing to full artistic consideration by our team. Submissions that do not align with our guidelines, theme, or commission parameters will not advance to full review. We encourage you to carefully review the prompt and criteria before submitting.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

• Playwrights should submit the following materials via our submission form:Proposal Narrative: Provide a detailed concept for your play, including its themes, characters, and theatrical elements. (2,000 characters or less)
• Central Dramatic Question: Articulate the central dramatic question you would like to explore with this commission, understanding that it may evolve through the process. (2,000 characters or less)
• Playwriting Sample: Provide 10 pages from your body of work best showcase your voice and style.
• Artist Statement: How does your artistic approach align with the goals of this commission? (2,000 characters or less)
• Résumé or CV: What experience and achievements highlight your qualifications for this opportunity?
• References: Provide the contact information for three professional references.
• Artificial Intelligence Policy: No part of the commissioned script may be AI-generated. The play must be entirely the work of the commissioned playwright. Playwrights may use AI tools for proposals, research, administrative tasks, or other aspects of their process, but the script itself must be authored by the human we commissioned.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Submissions will be evaluated based on these questions:Does the proposed concept align with Thrown Stone’s mission and values?
• How original and theatrical is the idea?
• How well does the playwriting sample demonstrate the playwright’s craft and artistic voice?
• Does the proposed concept have a strong central dramatic question?
• How well does the concept align with the theme of escape?
• How feasible is the development of this work within the commission timeline and budget?

ABOUT THROWN STONE THEATRE COMPANY

Thrown Stone Theatre Company is the only professional theatre in Connecticut exclusively dedicated to new work from commission to development to production. Learn more and book tickets at thrownstone.org.

We look forward to discovering your unique vision and collaborating with you on this exciting project.

Masque & Spectacle seeks short plays for its March 2026 issue

Website

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Send drama submissions to masqueandspectacle@gmail.com. Attach written submissions in a single Word doc or docx file, and include the word “DRAMA” in the email subject line.

Masque & Spectacle reads submissions for its bi-annual issues November 1 – January 31 and May 1 – July 31. Submissions received outside of this time period will be automatically deleted. Responses can be expected within a month. Acceptance rate is around 10%. Submissions not titled/tagged or formatted or properly under the Submissions Guidelines will not be considered for publication. We only consider one submission per author/format during any given reading period. We generally avoid publishing authors in consecutive issues.

The theme for our March Issue is storms.

We do not accept previously published work, and we ask for First Electronic Rights and Non-Exclusive Archival Rights upon acceptance. Unfortunately, we are unable to pay contributors at this time.

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Additionally, we do not typically publish the same authors in back-to-back issues.

For any queries, please contact us at masqueandspectacle@gmail.com.

Drama
We welcome 10-minute plays (up to approximately 10 pages in length). No full-length plays will be considered at this time. Shorter plays are also welcome.

While traditional plays are welcome, we are particularly interested in innovative and/or interdisciplinary texts that break new ground, either in relation to their subject matter, or in how the text itself is performed/written/represented on stage.

Playwrights may submit one previously unpublished 10-minute play for consideration. The script should be accompanied by a cover letter, which includes your name, address, phone number, and email address. Proper playwriting format should be used. If you are uncertain about this format, several examples can be found online.

BLACK WOMAN GENIUS ~ HARRIET POWERS by Grace Cavalieri

 Grace Cavalieri had her first theater production in 1968 when Ellen Stewart opened a Baltimore branch of La Mama; 26 plays have been produced since then on American stages. She’s written libretto for two produced operas with composer Vivian Adelberg Rudow; and also two song cycles (CDs.) Cavalieri is Poet’s tenth Poet Laureate. She’s transformed three books of her poetry into plays about women in history including Anna Nicole Smith (BLOND GLORY;) Mary Wollstonecraft (HYENA IN PETTICOATS) and others. The Harriet Powers play is QUILTING THE SUN, commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution. Grace is the author of 32 books, and produces THE POET AND THE POEM for public radio, now celebrating 29 years on air. She is a painter and website is below.

Gracecavalieri.com

Wikipedia: Grace Cavalieri

Grace Cavalieri Art - Google Sites

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE

From my house to the Wings Theater in New York City was only a few hundred miles, but it took years to reach the destination.

Preparing a play for a professional reading takes longer than training for the Olympics. With my play “Quilting the Sun,” the writing took ten years. It took an additional two years, 2000-2002, to get the play mounted so that producers could see it.

Producer/Filmmaker William Gilcher conceived of this project and did pioneer work to uncover Harriet Powers. In 1990, the Smithsonian Institute and Gilcher’s Visual Press of the University of Maryland commissioned me to write a television screenplay inspired by a magnificent quilt, made by the former slave Harriet Powers. This hangs in the Smithsonian Institution. Harriet Powers’ quilts are closer in appearance to Picasso’s work than to the story quilts of the post Civil War South. (Another Powers quilt is owned by the Boston Museum of Art.)

Although we knew little of Powers’ life, we felt that her story should be told. The facts we knew were these: She lived from 1837 to 1911. She was married to Armstead Powers and had children. She sold her quilt to Jennie Smith, a white schoolteacher from Athens, Georgia for five dollars, half the asking price. Not enough, perhaps, to fill a 90-minute program for public television, but it was an intriguing start.

Initial research was conducted in Sandy Creek, Georgia and Athens, w producers and I unpacked mildewed boxes in the courthouse basement, beat down bushes to find the Powers’ shack and pored over Miss Jennie’s letters at the University of Georgia Library. We were guided by Gladys-Marie Fry, the scholar who brought Harriet Powers to notice in her book, Stitched from the Soul.

For two years I met with the principles of the production team, submitting draft after draft. My task was to imagine reasons Harriet might have sold her quilt. It was her lifelong project and, after all, she had always lived in poverty. Why did she need money at this particular time, and need it so badly that she relinquished a “spelled quilt,” one that (I imagined) God told her to make? The only reason I could believe was that she did it to save the life of her child. Essentially, she sold one baby for another.

 

This quilt by Harriet Powers hangs in the Smithsonian.

The need to buy white man’s medicine would be the reason for conflict, I decided. I would build the universe around this and populate it with characters. Five of them truly existed: Harriet Powers, her husband Armstead, her son Alonzo, Jennie Smith and the headmistress of the school where Jennie taught art, Miss Millie Rutherford. The rest I would imagine.

One crucial bit of information uncovered was that Harriet showed her quilt at the “Colored Fair” in Athens in 1886. This might have been where Jennie Smith discovered it. I narrowed my time frame to a three-year time period and began to create the world of Georgia in the South during the years 1883-1886.

 

When the play was complete, the search for funding began. Ten years ago, a 90-minute period piece on public television would have required at least a million dollars; we couldn’t find that amount. The producers began to spin off documentaries, hoping to recover the hard-earned material for television use.

In 2000, the copyright, according to the contract, reverted to me as the author. I did not stay up late at night waiting for this to happen, but I noticed the fact with interest, and spoke to Shela Xoregos, a New York director who had previously directed a play of mine. She suggested that I rewrite the screenplay for the stage.

Plays rarely come from film scripts, although it is common to go from theater to film. But going from film to stage presents problems in scope, point of view and the expansion of time. I didn’t know where to begin. The screenplay had a large cast of characters. It could take advantage of aerial views and panoramic scenes help tell the story. Now I needed to think vertically, not horizontally, compressing the story to fit a specific space with only the characters necessary to tell the story. I felt like Harriet might have felt ripping stitches out of her quilt.

The preliminary reading was scheduled for September 12, 2001. I approached the city on September 11 and, of course, immediately returned home. That reading was rescheduled for November 7 at the Columbia Branch Library on Tenth Avenue. This was in preparation for the showcase reading on March 15, 2002 at the Wings Theater on Christopher Street in the West Village, NYC.  

For the November reading, I had whittled down the play to twelve characters and removed all material but the basic story of Harriet’s life. I thought I needed every single character on stage, and couldn’t believe it when I was told that a play with twelve characters wouldn’t find production at this time in history. Somehow I was able to kill off three, but I held the line at nine.

I don’t consider my wastebasket a holy receptacle, but it was becoming a character bigger than the others. In my office is a trunk where I had 2,000 versions of this play in its various guises. There were to be more.

The Xoregos Performing Company, which had originally encouraged me was hired to stage my reading. We sent invitations, wrote personal notes, and made phone calls. On March 15, the small theater in the West Village was filled for a showcase reading. The audience liked what it saw and heard that day, and showed its appreciation in a heartwarming way.

What did I learn? That there is more writing to be done: Two of the professional pundits at the viewing claimed the play was too episodic. (I thought it was a patch-work quilt; I liked that quality.) I had to rewrite to develop a “through-line of narration,” stitching it even more closely. Even more rewrites would occur during rehearsals.

After the March reading, four viewers requested scripts. One year later the phone still had not rung, the mailbox was empty and the clock on the wall was ticking. But I heard the voice of Harriet in my ear, telling about selling her quilt: “I didn’t lose anything. I can begin again.”

In 2003 QUILTING THE SUN was presented at the Smithsonian Institution  by its NYC cast, directed by Shela Xoregos. In 2007 the play received its premiere production, Center Stage, S.C. receiving a key to the City of Greenville. The play is slated for production, 2009, in Harriet Power’s birthplace, Athens, Georgia.

And, like Harriet, I have not “lost” anything, not one moment of my life writing this. As Harriet Powers said, “God tole me to make this one.”

If you enjoy a monologue published in the BLACK WOMAN GENIUS project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

EXCERPT FROM HARRIET POWERS

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

                

HARRIET 

 

See this?  (Quilt in process. The Adam and Eve cutouts are pasted up on the wall.)  These from Big Mama’s mama (shows stars and sun cutouts worn and bent.)  But THESE are mine.  My own and (shows patch 1 of quilt.)  See this?  Here Adam, Eve and the snake. Well, once there was no world.   

And God say to Adam and Eve, “I give you everything fine.  I give you this big garden.”  God says “Only one tree you can’t eat from, and that is that one over there.  The apple tree.”  

 

The snake come and beguile Eve and whisper inside her ear.  He act real nice, but he’s really mean.  He say to Eve.  “Eve, LISTEN TO ME AND NOT GOD.”  

He say it again.  “Eve, listen to me and not God.”  He act real nice, and say “You are pretty, Eve.”  He turns her head.  She believes him.  He say “GO AHEAD.  Don’t listen to God, go ahead.  You eat that apple if you want to.  You don’t listen to God.”  So she wakes up Adam. 

 

She say “We don’t have to listen to God.  I’m gonna eat that apple.  You want some?  Here.”  She give him some and she eats a bit. 

Surfside Readers' Theater seeks 10 Minute Plays & Musicals about Love & Connection

Website

Deadline: February 2, 2026

Please submit to NancyMaticanBock@gmail.com

This February, Surfside Playhouse (Cocoa Beach, Florida) invites playwrights and composers to celebrate LOVE in all its forms with short plays and musicals that capture the spirit of love and connection.

If you’ve ever dreamed of hearing an audience laugh, gasp, or hum along to something you wrote… this is your moment. Your work could be part of a joyful, community-fueled evening that brings fresh voices to the stage — and your name into the spotlight.

Here’s your chance to:
• See your original 10 minute play or musical performed during Readers’ Theater at Surfside Playhouse
• Connect with local actors and director Nancy Matican-Bock, who brings scripts to life
• Share your creative voice with an audience that loves new work
• Be part of a feel-good celebration of love and connection, creativity and community


What to Include:

• One 10 minute play or musical on the theme of love and connection
• 6 characters or fewer
• Title page with your name, email, and city
• Short synopsis & character descriptions
• For 10 minute musicals, please include the scores and demos with and without vocals
• Please submit to NancyMaticanBock@gmail.com

Every submission will be acknowledged, and selections will be announced shortly after the deadline.

Note: The Readers’ Theater program accepts and performs scripts pertaining to any and all genders, colors, religions. races etc. We are an inclusive theater and program.

Submission note: To ensure every script receives the attention it deserves, the Readers’ Theatre director may close submissions once capacity is reached.

Ivo Review 10-minute monologue contest

Website

Deadline: January 30, 2026

Send submissions to editorivoreview@gmail.com. 

The subject line should be the THEME of the issue for which you are submitting work and the CATEGORY of the submission. (Example: LOST - POETRY) Please include a short cover letter with a short 3rd person author's bio in the body of the e-mail and attach submissions in a single .docx attachment.

For this contest we are looking for ten minute monologues for stage performance.

Please do not send us previously published works for this contest, as we are looking for new pieces.
These monologues can be on any theme - Winners and Honorable Mentions will be published in Issue Three of the review.


The deadline for the contest is January 30, 2026. There is no monetary cost for the contest and our general rights statement applies (see our Submission Guidelines for more details!) Any questions about the contest can be sent to editorivoreview@gmail.com.


Token payment prizes subject to our budget in January will be provided to winners and honorable mentions.


What We Look For

We are looking for prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, hybrid works, and dramatic works from emerging and established writers from around the world, particularly writers from historically underrepresented communities. We love the concept of narrative - we want to read storytellers telling stories in whatever form that takes for you.

Works should be primarily in English.

We consider simultaneous submissions but if a work is accepted elsewhere please let us know. We will be thrilled for you! We consider reprints but please indicate the original publication so that it can be credited - with a link to the work if possible so that we can also link to that publication.

We love visual art submissions and are always looking for cover art.

We will not consider AI generated work. At this time we are also not considering translations.



How to Submit

For art, please submit one piece that you would like considered for our cover art.

For poetry and flash or micro-fiction, please submit up to five (5) pieces of up to 100 lines for poetry. We consider micro-fiction to be up to 350 words, and flash to be 351 - 1000 words.

For longer works of fiction, non-fiction, or dramatic works please send up to two (2) pieces of up to 3000 words.

For dramatic works, we consider works that would be able to be produced as a 10 minute play or shorter. We love long dramatic monologues, but will also consider ensemble pieces.

Send submissions to editorivoreview@gmail.com. The subject line should be the THEME of the issue for which you are submitting work and the CATEGORY of the submission. (Example: LOST - POETRY) Please include a short cover letter with a short 3rd person author's bio in the body of the e-mail and attach submissions in a single .docx attachment.

Submissions that do not follow these simple guidelines will not be read.

The Spotlight New Works Fest

Website

Deadline: February 3, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

We provide the venue, festival staff, and the opportunity to present your work;
participating companies are responsible for producing and staging their own readings.

The Spotlight New Works Fest is a curated festival dedicated to showcasing exceptional new plays written for the secondary theatre market—including high schools, colleges, and community theatres.

Each year, educational and community stages produce hundreds of thousands of performances. The Spotlight New Works Fest exists to help new work find a place within that ecosystem by highlighting plays that balance strong craft, theatrical vitality, and real-world production potential for these stages.

This is not a competition. Instead, the festival brings together a selected group of plays that demonstrate both artistic excellence and a clear understanding of how theatre is made and shared in educational and community settings.

Please carefully review the information below before submitting.

Eligibility

We are seeking complete, original scripts that feel ready to be produced and shared.

Previously produced works are welcome, provided they are not currently licensed by another publisher.

Full-length plays (60-100 pages)

Full-length plays with music (60-100 pages)

Full-length musicals (60-90 minutes)

10-20 minute musicals

No fewer than six / no more than eight performers required, except for short musicals (doubling is encouraged)

Musical either needs only one keyboard or will include tracks.

Our readers consider:

• Dramatic structure and momentum
• Character development and ensemble potential
• Dialogue and theatrical voice
• Staging feasibility for educational and community theatres
• Overall clarity, craft, and production readiness

Who Should Submit

The Spotlight New Works Fest is for playwrights who are intentionally writing for educational and community production.

You may be a good fit if your work:

• Is designed to be produced by high schools, colleges, or community theatres
• Offers meaningful opportunities for student or community performers
• Demonstrates strong dramatic structure, clear storytelling, and theatrical imagination
• Balances artistic ambition with practical staging considerations
• Previously produced works are welcome, provided you hold the rights to submit the script.

Review & Selection Process

Submissions to Spotlight New Works Fest are evaluated by a committee of readers using a shared scoring framework developed specifically for the festival.

Each script is read and assessed across multiple criteria, including suitability for educational and community stages, dramatic structure, ensemble value, theatrical imagination, and audience resonance. Scores help ensure consistency across readers while supporting thoughtful editorial judgment.

Spotlight New Works Fest is a curated festival, not a developmental workshop. While we are unable to provide individualized feedback or critiques on submissions, every play receives careful consideration through the committee review process. Final selections reflect both cumulative scoring and the overall balance of the festival lineup.

Finalists will be notified around March 15, 2026. All selection decisions are final.

A Note on Rights and Future Productions

Spotlight New Works Fest does not claim ownership, royalties, or future participation rights in submitted works. We do not require acknowledgments, producer points, or revenue participation for future productions. Playwrights retain full rights to their work.


How to Submit

Submissions must be original works. If a piece is based on previously copyrighted material, writers must provide proof of rights ownership or documentation confirming the work is in the public domain.

Before beginning the submission form, please be prepared to provide one complete PDF that includes a cover page, artistic statement, play synopsis, production and casting information, and the full script—formatted using standard script conventions.

For musical submissions, you’ll also be asked to share a single link to demo materials, including at least three song demos reflecting the style of the show, along with either a representative musical track or a piano/vocal score.

Before you submit, please read all of the information in our FAQ Page.

Accepted Scripts

Accepted participants are responsible for casting and rehearsing their reading and covering any presentation-related costs.

Participants will be provided with a list of local suggested directors and rehearsal spaces.

Participants will also receive direct, hands-on mentorship in self-producing their work—valuable professional development at no cost.

If selected, participants will be required to sign a participation agreement. You may review the agreement here.

Selected participants will be asked to submit a fully refundable $100 commitment deposit to confirm participation.

Submissions are open January 3–February 3, 2026 for the Spotlight New Works Fest. Please review the submission guidelines before beginning the form.

BLACK WOMAN GENIUS ~ MY NAME IS CATHAY WILLIAMS: THE RIGHT AND TRUTHFUL GENIUS NARRATIVE OF CATHAY WILLIAMS (1844–1892) by Cornelia Weiss

Knowing that history is often used as an excuse to exclude women, Cornelia Weiss (a former US military colonel) excavates erased history while proactively seeking to create transformative policies and practices. Cathay Williams is her first foray into the world of writing for theater. The opinions and views expressed are her personal views and are not intended to represent in whole or in part the opinions of the US government, military, or any of its components.

ABOUT THE MONOLOGUE

In February 2025, the current US military administration ordered the removal of “DEI” materials. The order resulted in history deleted, from Tuskegee airmen to the first female fighter pilot General Jennie Leavitt. (For an incomplete listing of known erased materials, see smh-hq.org/archivedresources.html.) The present erasure highlights that past military administrations erased the history of military service by Black women through a strategy of omission: electing to not task military-funded historians to excavate, write, and publish histories of Black women. Cornelia Weiss originally wrote this piece in 2014 for Arena Stage’s “Our War” (Civil War) monologue competition. While Arena Stage did not select it, current visible efforts to honor Cathay Williams include a 2016 statue at the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum in Leavenworth, Kansas (womenofthe688th.org/monuments) and reenactments by storyteller Donna Madison (910hcav.org/about-us-2/photo-gallery/).

Links to examples of Cornelia Weiss’ work available online: 

• 2023 “Civil Dispute Resolution: An Ignored Winning Strategy for Afghanistan,” Military Review (January/February edition), Awarded third prize: 2022 General William E. DePuy Special Topics Writing Competition on “Insights from Two Decades in Afghanistan https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/January-February-2023/Weiss/ 
• 2022 Review of Sara Bertotti, Gina Heathcote, Emily Jones, and Sheri Labenski
• “The Law of War and Peace: A Gender Analysis, Volume One,” Journal of Military Learning, 89-91 
• Banned/removed/erased in 2025 under the current U.S. Secretary of Defense/War women/gender policies; see removed/erased “update” version at https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/journal-of-military-learning/PDFs/October-2022/update/JML-Oct-22-Book-update.pdf;  for original Table of Contents, see Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20230608090445/https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/journal-of-military-learning/PDFs/October-2022/JML-Oct-2022-TOC-UA.pdf and for review, see Wayback Machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20221017120500/https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/journal-of-militar-learning/PDFs/October-2022/Weiss.pdf 
• 2022 “Gender in International Law Syllabi,” European Journal of International Law, Volume 33, Issue 1, 1-2, ejil.org/pdfs/33/1/3245.pdf 
• 2021 “Creating UNSCR 1325: Women Who Served as Initiators, Drafters, and Strategists” in Rebecca Adami and Dan Plesch (eds.), Women and the UN: A New History of International Human Rights, Routledge, https://taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003036708-9/creating-unscr-1325-cornelia-weiss    
• 2021 “Twenty Years After UNSCR 1325: Equal Access to Military Education in the Western Hemisphere?” (with Eva María Rey Pinto), Revista Científica Estudios en Seguridad y Defensa, 15(30) 303-325, https://doi.org/10.25062/1900-8325.280
• 2020 “The Nineteenth Amendment and the U.S. ‘Women's Emancipation Policy’ in Post-World War II Occupied Japan: Going Beyond Suffrage,” Akron Law Review: Vol. 53: Iss. 2, Article 4, https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/akronlawreview/vol53/iss2/4/ 
• 2020 “Discrimination Against Women, Rule of Law and Culture of Peace: Colombia’s ‘Peace’ Agreement,” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Vol 44:1 Winter 2020, 97-120, https://jstor.org/stable/48599282
• 2020 “The State of Civil-Military Relations Education: Falling Short?” Hemisferio Vol 6, https://publications.iadc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/hemisferio/volume6/Civ_Mil_Weiss_22-July.pdf
• 2015 “Dismantling the arguments against women in combat,” The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com/opinion/dismantling-the-arguments-against-women-in-combat/2015/12/16/98071b8a-a349-11e5-8318-bd8caed8c588_story.html
• 2012 “Respecting Human Rights and the Rule of Law: The New Zealand Defence Force,” Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowship in Public Policy, http://www.fulbright.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/axford-weiss.pdf

If you enjoy a monologue published in the BLACK WOMAN GENIUS project, we encourage you to reach out to the playwright to tell them so. If the playwright has not included an email address or website, let us know at info@nycplaywrights.org and we'll pass along your message.

EXCERPT FROM MY NAME IS CATHAY WILLIAMS: THE RIGHT AND TRUTHFUL GENIUS NARRATIVE OF CATHAY WILLIAMS (1844–1892) 

     ~ Excerpt published by permission, all rights held by the playwright.

                

CATHAY 

 

When the Civil War ended, there was not work for all the freed people. The only living I knew was military. The military prohibited women from serving. But the military paid more for a Black male cook than a Black female cook was ever paid. So I disguised myself as a man and became a Buffalo Soldier in the 38th US Infantry, Company A. Only thing was, my fellow soldiers knew me by the name of William Cathay. Yep, I enlisted in the military as a man. Strange as it sounds, the military, which was fighting for the end of discrimination, discriminated against women. The Regulations forbade the enlistment of women. Does the military still discriminate against women?   

Door is a Jar literary magazine seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: none listed

SUBMISSION FORM 

Following the Standard American Format 

Submit up to 2 short plays. Each play can range between 1 and 10 pages in length as a .doc or .docx.

Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine is looking for well-crafted poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, artwork, and book reviews for our print and digital publication. Please read over these submission guidelines carefully and look at our current and archived issues before submitting your work.

Our publication steers away from academic writing and publishes short, conversational works that use familiar language. Each new issue features artists and writers and works that are accessible for all readers.

Our issues are don't have specific themes, and we accept all genres and literary styles.

Submit all work in Times New Roman font size 11

We only accept new, unpublished work. If you have posted something to your website or social media, this counts as being published.


For book reviews please include the following information: the title, author, publisher, year of publication, page count, ISBN, and price.

Under the "Title(s)" section, please list all the titles of the pieces you are submitting, and not something general like "My Poems". Make sure you are consistent with how you present the titles in your attached document and in this space.

If you are unable to fit all the titles into the "Title(s)" section, please list them in your cover letter section of the submission form.

Please provide your name as you would like published, email, mailing address, and a fun 3-sentence bio. (We're not as interested in how many degrees you have, or how widely you've been published. Instead, we want to hear about the real you. We want to know about the little things that spur you along.)

Contributors can submit to multiple categories; however, only submit once to each category until you have received our decision about your piece.

You will receive an acceptance or rejection letter from our editorial staff within 6 months from the day of submission.​


We accept simultaneous submissions; however, please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. If accepted, please withdraw the piece from other publications.
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We reserve first initial publishing rights, and the rights reprint right to use quotes or pieces for promotional use. We do not pay contributors at this time, but we will send out a contributor copy.

Submissions are only accepted through our website. Any submissions sent directly to our email will be deleted without response.

Please note that submissions that exceed word counts or maximum amount of material will be disqualified from consideration.

Do not send in writing or art that was created using Artificial Intelligence. Submitting work generated by A.I. technology will be considered as plagiarism.

Be the sole author/ creator of your work. We do not publish collaborative pieces.

We do not publish translations.

We do not publish craft essays.
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If you have trouble uploading your file, the problem could have been an issue when saving, which corrupted the file, or your computer could have virus. Some people have had issues when downloading files from Google Documents. The best way around this is to copy and paste the document into a new .docx and trying to submit again.