The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature seeks one-act and full-length plays from current or former citizens of the Philippines

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026

ONE-ACT ENTRY FORM

FULL-LENGTH ENTRY FORM

In the ONE-ACT PLAY/DULANG MAY ISANG YUGTO categories, an entry must be of sufficient length to approximate a performance time of forty-five (45) minutes and must include a separate one-page synopsis.

The theme is open and free.

7. In the FULL-LENGTH PLAY/DULANG GANAP ANG HABA categories, an entry must consist of two (2) or more acts and must include a separate one-page synopsis.

All entries MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE through the official CPMA website: www.palancaawards.com.ph –

please follow the instructions under the Contest page. Printed and/or email submissions WILL NOT BE

ACCEPTED.

F. ENTRY CONDITIONS

1. Authors may submit only one (1) entry per category; however, they may submit entries across multiple categories, provided that each entry is distinct.

2. An entry or excerpt thereof, may only be submitted in one (1) category and may not be entered in any other category.

3. A translation of an entry submitted in one (1) division shall not be eligible in any other division.

4. A work which has been awarded a prize in another contest before 12:00 M.N. of 30 June 2026 is not qualified for the awards.

5. Published/produced works which were first published or first produced between 01 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, and/or unpublished/unproduced works, may be entered in the contest. However, for the Novel and Nobela categories, which are opened every other year, authors may submit either published or unpublished works, provided that published entries were first published between 01 June 2024 and 30 June 2026. 

AWARDS

One-act plays

First prize 18,000
Second prize 12,000
Third prize 9,000

Full-length Plays

First prize 21,000
Second prize 14,000
Third prize 9,000

The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Palanca Awards) was established in 1950 to commemorate the memory of Carlos Palanca, Sr. through an endeavor that would promote education and culture in the country.

The Palanca Awards aims to develop Philippine Literature in the following manner:By providing incentives for writers to craft their most outstanding literary works;
By being a treasury of the Philippine’s literary gems from our gifted writers; and
To assist in their eventual dissemination to our people, particularly students.

In 1950, the Palanca Awards called on Filipino fictionists to weave their best short story in either English or Filipino.

MORE CONTEST RULES

2027 Open Stage Space Grant

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

2027 Open Stage Space Grant Application Form.

For over 100 years, EAG has provided emergency financial aid and career support to New York City’s professional performing artists. We take pride in our ongoing effort to find new ways to support our vibrant performing arts community. Understanding how challenging it is for emerging theatre companies to find affordable space for creating work in NYC, we introduced the Open Stage space grant in 2017. With Open Stage, we can support theatre companies by giving them an opportunity to create and present work without the challenges that come with finding and maintaining affordable space.

When a NYC theatre company is awarded an Open Stage grant, they will receive:

• a $6,000 credit to be used towards booking up to 80 hours in our historic theatre space at our EAG member rate of $75/hour during a two-month residency at Guild Hall (1 East 29th Street, NYC 10016),
• $1,000 from EAG's Teri Black Performance Fund to be used towards performer/director stipends, AND
• limited additional funding (amount TBD) for some specific line items in their production budgets thanks to NYSCA and NYC's DCLA. 
• During a grantee's residency, they can use their time booked in Guild Hall to meet, develop, devise, rehearse, tech, and perform the piece of their choosing. Each residency must culminate with 4-8 ticketed public performances in Guild Hall. The gross proceeds from these performances will be split evenly between the grant recipient and the charitable programs of EAG. 

All applicants are highly encouraged to familiarize themselves with our unique space before applying (www.actorsguild.org/rent-our-space). If you have not been to Guild Hall before and would like to see it in person, please call or email us and we will be happy to schedule an appointment for a walk through.

This year, we are accepting applications for ONE Winter 2027 (January/February) Open Stage grant and ONE Summer 2027 (July/August) Open Stage grant.

For our 2027 Open Stage grants, EAG is specifically looking to support NYC theatre companies that are seeking a residency to present:

• a staged reading of a new/original work with a larger cast,
• a developmental workshop of a new/original work with a smaller cast, OR
• a more fully realized production of a new/original solo show or two-hander.
• After several years of offering Open Stage grants, we believe that these options for the scale of a piece/presentation provide the most flexibility to grantees to successfully develop and explore a new work in our unique space while making mindful use of everyone's time and paying everyone equitably.

What makes for a successful Open Stage application?

A strong mission,
A demonstrated need,
A commitment to equitable pay for artists, AND
A demonstrated ability to achieve stated goals for the project (appropriate levels of staffing and funding to see the proposed project through, etc.)
You can preview the questions asked on this year's application here. All applications must be submitted online through this form in order to be considered for this opportunity.


TIMELINE
Application due: Sunday, May 31, 2026. No applications will be accepted after the deadline.
Finalist Interviews (in person at Guild Hall): The week of July 6, 2026.
Announcement of grant recipients: The week of July 13, 2026.

Unstaged Magazine is seeking experimental 1-minute plays, monologues

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 at midnight

To submit, send your work and a short bio to submissions@unstagedmagazine.org

Unstaged Magazine is seeking experimental 1-minute plays, monologues, poems, stories and other theatrical moments for publication in our upcoming themed-edition.

On the Theme: Burn This Script

The theme is fire. What do you see when you stare into it? Fire in the landscape, and the ghost stories we tell while burning our marshmallows.

Erasure. Censorship. The melting of ICE.

I read somewhere that pamphlets used to fall from the sky. Ironically, these were missives from the underground. Reading them could get you expelled from any decent school. What was in those pamphlets?

When my mother was just a child, their apartment on Main Street was caught in a terrible fire. I think about this more often than necessary. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Fires happen. Once, I showed up to the aftermath of a house fire with another Red Cross volunteer. It was this family standing in the street and their life had turned to carbon and all we could give them was a blanket, a stack of phone numbers, and a few hundred dollars cash. That one was somebody’s fault. Actually, it was the son’s off-brand hoverboard that had basically exploded. This is a true story.

You can’t fire me, I quit.

Remember HTML message boards, back when the internet wasn’t trying to kill everybody? Submit something anonymous if you want. Submit something.
The Finer Details


We only publish unproduced work, but will consider a piece that's been workshopped or read. We prioritize short-form originals but will consider excerpts on a case-by-case basis.

We’re looking for a page or two, maybe 500 words max. The shorter the piece, the better the chances of publication, but feel free to send longer work if you truly can’t help yourself and we’ll see what we can do.

We can’t pay contributors yet, but we’re working on it. We’d be happy to offer other forms of support for contributors like beta reading or promoting your other projects on social. Let’s talk.

Submission Deadline: when the clock strikes midnight on May 31st, 2026 our submission window turns back into a pumpkin.

Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence 2027

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

The Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence is awarded annually to one outstanding, early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes in the broad sense. This award is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a 2 - 5 week stay at Oak Spring. While at OSGF, the Fellow will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit our rare book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art.

OSGF intends to award the Fellowship to an exceptional artist whose works show remarkable promise to contribute to a deeper understanding of the natural world, and humankind’s place in it. The Fellow will be scheduled to visit when there are other Interdisciplinary Residents or Fellows on-site. This scheduling will allow the Fellow to join in communal meals, and optional activities and field trips with other artists, ecologists, researchers, or scholars working on projects related to OSGF’s mission. Beyond time devoted to their projects, a Fellow’s typical day at Oak Spring might include a walk to enjoy the landscape or birds; an appointment to visit the Oak Spring Library; and/or a morning spent volunteering at the BCCF or in the formal garden. These optional activities provide Fellows time to learn from, and interact with our staff. None of these activities are required, and we understand that some Fellows might want to spend most of their time in their writing or working independently. We support and enable Fellows to use their time as they best see fit.

At the culmination of their stay, we encourage, but don’t require, Fellows to give a 20 – 30 minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other Fellows, Residents, or program participants who might be on site.
Application Process

The application portal will open on February 14, 2026 and close on May 31st, 2026. Please note that there is one application for all of our 2027 Residency and Fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:

A resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages);

200 - 300-word statement describing your current body of work, creative projects, scholarship, or research.

200 - 300-word statement explaining why Oak Spring Garden Foundation and why now. Please consider how your work aligns with our mission.

200-word or less statement describing a time when you were part of a community. What role did you serve in the community, and what aspects of being in community did you enjoy the most?

Work samples.

For visual artists: 5 - 10 images, please include the dimensions, year, medium, and title of each work sample. 

For creative non-fiction, fiction, essayists, or other writers: 7 - 10 pages total that demonstrate your current interests. Please use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and double-space your writing sample. Do not include photocopies of published work, title pages, tables of contents or HYPERLINKS. Please be sure to state the genre of the work sample.
For time-based artists, including: filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and performance artists: 10 minutes cumulatively of work samples. OSGF encourages video files to be uploaded directly to Submittable, but when necessary, we also accept links to vimeo or other external sites as long as the appropriate passwords are provided.

For poets and playwrights: you may submit 7 - 10 pages total. Poetry may be spaced as needed, and scripts should follow standard script formatting.

NOTE: When applying to this Fellowship, you will be asked if you are interested in being considered for one of our other residencies, if you are not selected for the Fellowship. To learn more about our residencies, visit www.osgf.org/residencies.

Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2027. We will consider individuals with a proven track-record of professionalism, but who are yet under-recognized, as early-career. Eligible early-career applicants will have some recognition in the form of exhibitions, commissions, performances, grant awards, residencies, Fellowships and/or publications.

Individuals who have participated in an extensive number of solo exhibitions, or who have published a significant number of books will be considered established or late career, and are not eligible for the Eliza Moore Fellowship. We encourage those who are not eligible for this Fellowship to apply to the Interdisciplinary Residency.

The successful Fellow must be self-directed and able to work independently while on site. Applicants are expected to show dedication to their artistic practice, clear connection to the natural world in their work, exceptional promise, and good communication skills.
Dates

The $10,000 individual grant associated with this award can be put towards travel to and from OSGF, materials and supplies purchased for their residency, and other items that will support their work, before or after their stay at OSGF.

The selected Fellow should make travel arrangements to Dulles International Airport, where Oak Spring will arrange ground transportation for them to our estate in Upperville, VA. The Fellow will be housed in nicely appointed shared accommodations. The Fellow will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen with 1 – 3 other Residents or Fellows.

BREAK A LEG PRODUCTIONS annual One-Act Slam

Website

Deadline: June 1, 2026

Email scripts to plays.balproductions@gmail.com with the subject line "[PLAY TITLE] – [PLAYWRIGHT'S NAME]." 

This year's theme is NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: New York City (or tristate area) writers writing plays about the New York City experience. 

PLEASE INCLUDE ON THE COVER PAGE OF YOUR SCRIPT A SHORT PARAGRAPH ABOUT YOUR CONNECTION TO NEW YORK CITY.

Plays should run 15-20 minutes. The Slam will be on September 26th. 

The audience votes on their favorite short play, and the winner receives $100.

Only one submission per playwright, please. 

TIGER’S HEART PLAYERS' Mark McQuown Memorial Short Play Literary Competition seeks short plays

Facebook group

Deadline: when they receive 150 submissions

DO NOT SEND - THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR SUBMISSION LIMIT

Please submit your 10-15 minute plays (one only per playwright)


There is no theme.
There is no Submission Fee.
Be certain to paginate.

The file attachment should read: play title—whatever follows is unnecessary. (This conforms to our filing system).

Subject Line: SUBMISSION: THP/MARK
Please follow Dramatists Guild formats.

Please do include all your contact info on the title page. No need to “blind” the script. We intend to support playwrights, not simply plays.

If you’d like to submit a bio or cv in a separate attachment please feel free to do so.

1st Place Winner is Awarded $150
2nd Place Winner is Awarded $100
3rd Place Winner is Awarded $50

And there will be one or two Honorary Mentions

All will Receive Public Readings

On Zoom at a time TBD.

THP reserves the right not to award any prizes.

We would like to add that THP is seeking Readers for the Competition.

Please let us know if you are interested. At: Tigersheartplayers@gmail.com More details to follow]

Thank you.
Tiger’s Heart Players

Syracuse University New Voices/New Works 2027 seeks musicals for residency

Website

Deadline: June 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

SUBMISSION FORM

The Syracuse University Department of Drama is seeking submissions for its Spring 2027 New Works/New Voices (NW/NV) initiative.  NW/NV supports the development of musicals by writers and composers whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon. 

NW/NV is seeking completed musicals or musicals-in-progress from teams who are interested in developing their work with undergraduate BFA students.  One musical will be selected, to receive a two-week developmental reading in the Spring 2027 semester, directed and music directed by SU Drama faculty and performed by SU Drama students.  NW/NV is open to any writers and composers who feel their perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the musical theater canon.

All creative team members must be 18 years of age or older.

Applicants may submit more than one musical work for consideration.

Applicants may re-apply with works submitted in previous years but must include an explanation of any development and/or changes that have occurred since the prior year’s submission.

All creative team members must indicate their availability for an in-person residency in Syracuse from January 10-17, 2027, on their application.

Questions? Please email Kathleen Wrinn, artistic director of NW/NV and assistant professor of musical theater in the Department of Drama (kawrinn@syr.edu).

• The 2027 NW/NV selection will be developed and presented as part of the New Works/New Voices Festival of New Musicals.
• The work will be directed and music directed by Department of Drama faculty and performed by students in the B.F.A. musical theater and acting programs.
• Rehearsals begin January 5, 2027, with writing team members in residence beginning January 10, 2027.
• The work will receive two public staged reading presentations during the weekend of January 16-17, 2027, at the festival.
• Each presentation will be a maximum of 90 minutes to accommodate the festival schedule; for works exceeding this length, a 90-minute curated version will be developed during rehearsals.
• Presentations will be followed by facilitated audience talkbacks.

Creators must be in residence in Syracuse from January 10–17, 2027, and may be asked to participate virtually in rehearsals prior to arrival.
Travel to-and-from Syracuse and lodging in Syracuse will be provided.
Writing team members will be housed in a shared apartment with kitchen and laundry facilities, located just down the street from the Department of Drama, with off-street parking available.

The script doctor is in the house! 🩷

Award-winning bicoastal playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering her coveted script doctoring services online, for a limited time.

Whether you are a producer with a screenplay/series that needs reworking, a fiction writer in need of inspiration, or a playwright with a new play, Sarah is here to help you take your script to the next level. Many clients that have worked with Sarah have won major awards in film festivals as well as prestigious theatrical opportunities.

Visit Sarah's website to connect with her.

Script Services: 

• Help clients get “out of their own way” and fully realize their work and writing potential
• Offer rewrite suggestions 
• Punch up jokes and humor
• Improve confidence 
• Fine-tune material to hook a reader’s interest
• Assist in finding submission and publication opportunities as needed
• Marketing strategy help

Bio

Sarah Congress is a playwright and script doctor with LA representation. Her play "Last Sunrise" was produced by Nylon Fusion for their Gilded Age/Cage Festival at TADA Theatre (June, 2025). "Last Sunrise" was presented with writers John Patrick Shanley, Lyle Kessler, and Migdalia Cruz. Sarah’s play “Delulu” was a semifinalist for Centre Stage's 23rd Annual New Play Festival (1 of 40 plays from 800 submissions). "Delulu" was read at the Episcopal Actors' Guild October 2025 and published by Feels Blind Literary and read at AWP 2026. She co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You!" which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival. Her play “Overdose” won 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwrights Horizons.

Teaching Experience

Sarah has taught writing classes for the Hoboken Historical Museum, Project Write Now, The Knowledge Project, RTA and the Hudson Valley Writers Center - as well as private teaching.

Testimonials - many clients find that working with Sarah is like "therapy"

"Sarah Congress is a wonderful teacher. She's supportive, intuitive, knowledgeable about writing and the landscape of theatre, film and TV. She asks the right questions, gives great notes and the sessions are enjoyable and productive. If you want to take your writing to the next level I can't think of a better coach/script doctor. The sessions fly by but the lessons you learn endure. She's great."

~ Jeff Perlman, Playwright & Non-profit CEO

"I had a breakthrough in my playwriting after working with Sarah. Her coaching made me realize I had the bad habit of undermining the power of my words.. I saw that after she pointed out one line in my play BIG FAT BABY IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS which I went on to rewrite immediately and submitted for a serious Playwrights Fellowship. Just yesterday I heard from the UCROSS Foundation that I am the Alternate Fellow in the event one of the winners cannot attend in Spring 2025. I am honored to be acknowledged for the Fellowship and thank Sarah for her important coaching. Sarah will have you grow as a playwright/screenwriter in front of her eyes." 

 

~ Tino Juarez, Playwright

"Sarah is a wonderful coach and mentor. She is tough and challenging and fun and really pushes me as a writer into places I didn’t know I was able to go. I have learned so much working with Sarah, not just as a writer, but also as a teacher, as I transition from novelist to playwright. I could not give a higher recommendation working with her. But I assure you, if I could, I would."

~ Jon Papernick, Novelist and Assistant Professor at Emerson College

49th Annual One-Act Playwriting Competition at the Little Theatre of Alexandria (LTA)

Website

Deadline: May 30, 2026

Or the first 200 scripts

SUBMISSION FORM

All plays must be sent as a PDF file. Any other electronic format will not be accepted.

To participate in the 49th Annual One-Act Playwriting (Alexandria Virginia) competition, you must follow all of the guidelines on the following pages. Any questions can be directed to the One Act Chairs at oneactslta@gmail.com.

Entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, up to the first 200 scripts. If an entry is found ineligible, additional entries will be accepted in the order they were received.

Prizes of $350 for 1st place, $250 for 2nd place and $150 for 3rd place will be awarded.

For the play to be considered for this competition, the submission(s) must be original, unpublished, and unproduced — it cannot have been staged or be scheduled to be staged for a paying audience (including ticketed festivals) as of the date of entry and up to the end of the submission period on May 30, 2026.

LTA will perform the winning scripts as staged readings with paid tickets during LTA’s Night of One Acts on January 18, 2027.

LTA shall have the right to produce winning scripts without payment of royalties. Shows that receive a paid production during the submission period must be withdrawn, with another play allowed for substitution through May 30th. All production and publication rights remain the property of the playwright.

How to Submit Your Show

Please submit your show via our submission form. You will be asked for some information about yourself and your show and to upload your show directly to the form.

If you have any issues submitting your show, please email us at oneactslta@gmail.com. Please note that the form will only allow you to upload a file if you are using a gmail account. If you do not have one, please email us for additional instructions.

Script must be in blind copy formatting (meaning, no identifying information about the author should appear in the script, including name, address or contact information).

Script must include a list of characters with descriptions, a brief synopsis of the show, and numbered pages. See sample here

There are a number of acceptable formats and writing programs available. An improperly formatted script is difficult to read and may be rejected. If you are unfamiliar with proper formatting, please keep in mind the following guidelines:

All text should be single-spaced, in a readable font, such as 12 point Times New Roman.

Text should be double-spaced between speaking parts.

Speakers' names should be isolated from their dialogue in some manner.

A page showing only the title of the play must cover the manuscript. The title page should never be numbered.

Include a list of characters before the first page of dialogue. When separating characters’ lines or longer stage directions, double space.

Page one should be the first page of the play

Ideally, scenes will also be included in the pagination.

Script Content

The run time of the show must be 20 to 50 minutes.

Shows cannot include nudity. However, strong themes and language are welcome.

The submission must be a stage play. Film, TV or other scripts will not be accepted.

The show cannot be a musical or a play with live instrumentation. Incidental music cues or musical numbers that are a small part of the show are acceptable.

The show cannot be the same submission from the year prior unless significant

re-writes have been made to the script. For more information, email the chairs at oneactslta@gmail.com.

Scripts that do not meet the above guidelines will not be scored.

Judging

Scripts will be judged on the following categories:

Concept and quality of show
Production Elements
Dramatic Action
Characterization
Dialogue

Finalists will be notified in September 2026, and final winners will be selected later that month . All playwrights will be notified of their final status by October 1, 2026.

LTA is proud to offer feedback to authors who request it. Feedback will be provided to all authors who request it by the end of January 2026.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the submission process, please email oneactslta@gmail.com.

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.

Dappled Things magazine seeks fiction and drama

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

You may submit one fiction piece at a time. 

Please wait until you have received a response before sending more work. We recommend that you look through previous editions of the journal to get a sense of the type of work we tend to favor. You may use this category to submit short stories, flash-fiction, and drama. 

Dappled Things pays $100 per published piece in this category.

Please include a byline in your cover letter that we can use in our contributor notes if your piece is selected for publication.

Dappled Things is a Catholic magazine of ideas, art, and faith, and this raises the question of what Catholic culture is in the first place. Rather than give you a pat answer, we invite you as a contributor to help us explore that question. You should, however, keep in mind the following:

• Catholicism has a profoundly rich history; we tend to favor pieces that seriously engage and are informed by those riches. At the same time, we seek work that does not simply put old wine into new wineskins. Rather, we encourage innovation that is in reverent creative conversation with the riches of Christianity’s tradition in art, thought, and practice;
• We cherish wit, but have little patience for pretentiousness, cynicism, or sneering. We expect that, at their core, pieces published in the magazine will grow out of a love and understanding of the cardinal virtues of wisdom, justice, temperance, and fortitude; the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; and the redemptive theme that transpires from the Nicene Creed.
• At the same time, we value work that is truthful through and through, meaning that it explores reality honestly and unflinchingly, without whitewashing or sugarcoating. To unveil the truth about the beauty and goodness of the world, one must not hide the facts of the Fall;
• Pieces need not be overtly religious to be eligible for publication. Remember that Catholic means universal;
• Whatever else your piece succeeds in doing, quality of craftsmanship is a sine qua non.

Once Upon a Crocodile seeks short plays for the next issue

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 by 11:59 PM GMT

Send your play pasted into the body of an e-mail with “Submission” in the Subject line, to: onceuponacrocodile@gmail.com

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Humorous Fantasy (high, dark, low, light, wet or dry, we don’t mind, so long as it’s funny)
• Humorous Sci-Fi
• Dark humour / tongue-in-cheek horror
• The Absurd
• Funny animal stories
• Parodies
• Pastiches
• Short funny plays / vignettes
• Funny poems of any form (limericks, senryu, haiku, etc)

• DO NOT send us stuff written with AI.

As long as it makes us laugh, we will be interested to read it.

SHORT PLAYS
2000 words maximum.
Black, 12pt Times New Roman font, please. Make sure to proofread your work before flapping it at us.

Theater for the New City Free Memorial Day Weekend Festival

MAY 22-24, 2026

Memorial Day weekend

Artistic output of this fabled neighborhood will be showcased in three days of free showings for live audiences.

In and around Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave. (at E. 10th Street)

FREE (donations accepted)

Info: www.theaterforthenewcity.net, (212) 254-1109

Lineup of performances: http://www.jsnyc.com/season/LES-2026.htm

More information here.

Theatre Off the Square 2026 New Works Contest

Facebook page

Deadline: May 31, 2026

Send scripts to: info@theatreoffthesquare.org

Please submit scripts without identifying information (Playwright's name, address, etc.)

Each entry must be an original, unpublished work.

Final work must be submitted by May 31. No additional edits can be submitted for consideration after this date.

We are not considering works commissioned by another theater.

Playwrights must be willing to travel for a staged reading (Weatherford Texas) and, if selected, will be recognized as a special guest on opening night.

Scripts must be between 30 minutes and an hour in length and able to be performed in one act. 

Genre and theme open to the playwright.

The theme does not have to be overt; it can be symbolized throughout.

Community standards will play a role in selecting shows for the staged readings, so please keep content in mind.

The person responsible for the submissions will ensure total anonymity and will not be a reader in the first round of judging.

Please ensure that your name is not on your script

Plays will be judged in two separate categories-Youth for playwrights 17 and under and Adult for playwrights 18+. The category is based on age as of July 3lst, when submissions are due. 

Up to 6 plays will be chosen for staged readings on October 4th, where final judging will occur. This group will include one show from the Youth category and up to 5 from the Adult category. In the event that there are no qualifying Youth participants, all readings will come from the Adult category.
The top two plays will be performed together as a single production at Theatre Off The Square in 2026. The playwright may or may not be consulted for production. 

If interested and approved by the Directors Selection Committee of Theatre Off The Square, winners may also be involved in the production up to directing. 

Winners will each receive $200 and 5 comp ticket

Discount tickets - $10 student tickets available at the box office.

Join us for a series of short comedic plays on May 22. Work from Matthew Moore, Madeleine Brigman, Madison Fargo, and Kimberly Alu; directed by Anna Item, Hee-Young Shin, Lillie Wojcik, and Joshua Folsom ~ Company Instagram  

Second Annual International Human Rights Art Festival Queens seeks 10-20 minute productions

Website

Deadline: June 15, 2026

Send submissions to: costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org 

The performances must be fully produced by you; IHRAF is a presenting platform.

Considering performances 10-20 minutes long.

We accept just one proposal for each application.

***This is an open call for Queens-based artists only***

Send:

• A brief description of your piece, including approximate running time - we’re accepting 10-20 mins works.
• A cover letter, including details regarding the piece’s discipline, issue of concern treated and a brief summary of your artistic goals
• Your bios or resumes and the names of any collaborators already on board
• A sample of work (scripts, pics, videos, songs, any other links or file that could help us to know more about your project)
• As email subject, please type IHRAF Queens 2026, then add Association-Company-your name (i.e. IHRAF Queens 2026, Joan Doe)

Please note: Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of September 20, 2026. 

Also, let us know if you already had part of our previous festivals as a performer or in the audience.

We are jurying work with the following interests, for performance blocks:

• QUEENS-oriented stories
• Climate Change Action
• Immigration
• LGBTQIA
• Celebration of Women/Women in Power
• Celebration of Black Men/Undiscovered Women
• With Love from Africa
• Any other social justice concerns you might have

All accepted performers will receive:

Performance stipends of $200 total (per project)

PR and marketing support

30-minute tech rehearsal

Festival TD and SM

Free photographic documentation of the performance

Any questions, email our Festival Assistant Producer Costanza Bugiani at costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org

Veterans' 10 Minute Playwrighting Contest 2026

Website

Deadline: June 30, 2026 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Designated a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs, a Top College and University by Military Advanced Education, and a Best for Vets College by Military Times, Salem State values our military connected students and their families and the sacrifices they have made for our country. Salem State is committed to supporting Veterans’ voices on and off campus. The arts create unique and powerful opportunities for individuals and groups to share experiences and constructive dialogue. As such, Salem State is proud to announce its seventh annual Veterans Playwriting contest which will culminate in staged readings of selected plays in November 2026.

All playwrights, regardless of military affiliation, are invited to enter Salem State University’s 10-Minute Playwriting Contest. However, preference will be given to those with a direct military connection. This includes active-duty military, reservists, National Guard, Veterans, and direct family of any of these.

The theme of the play should directly touch on military service and/or how military service affects a community. The contest and festival look to recognize and celebrate those that have served and currently serve. We are looking to bring together a variety of voices exploring both the challenges and the victories and positive influences that Veterans have on our community.

Judges will select finalists, whose plays will be part of a series of staged readings in November 2026.

Important Dates

June 30, 2026 - Entry deadline

August 15, 2026 - Notification of finalists

November 2026 – Staged readings with post-performance discussions. Additional details forthcoming.

Contest RulesOnly submissions through Submittable will be considered.

• One submission per playwright.
• Only original plays, not-yet produced or published, are eligible.
• All plays are judged blind. Do not include any personal, identifying information anywhere on your submission.
• Musicals and adaptations are not eligible.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed. If your play is accepted elsewhere, please let us know immediately. If your play is chosen to be performed, you agree to withdraw your play from all other places where it is under consideration.
• By submitting, you agree to allow Salem State University to produce the first staged reading of your play.
• Scripts meeting the rules and submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by judges.
• Judging will be done by SSU faculty and members of the SSU Veterans’ community.

Judging Criteria

StoryPlot seems fresh, intriguing and original
Something happens; sufficient conflict and tension throughout the play
Plot is active, vital and dramatic on stage
Story moves along; pace is engaging

VoiceStrong, interesting writing style
Clear viewpoint that’s well integrated into the play

CharactersInteresting and compelling characters
Characters seem credible and real
Main character evolves or develops through the course of the play

DialogueDialogue suits the characters
Dialogue sounds natural and credible for the plot and location
Each character has own unique voice
Dialogue seems fresh and compelling (not dull, boring, or generic)

AppropriatenessThe play can be staged in the 10-minute time allotment in a black box theatre with limited set, sound, and design.

Overall effectPlay is transformative and memorable

Submitting Your Work

The script must be in standard playwriting format with 12-point Courier font. Use double spacing when changing from one character to another. Use single spacing everywhere else. If you are unfamiliar with standard playwriting format, please check out this example.

PLAYS THAT FAIL TO MEET THESE CRITERIA WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Questions: email arts@salemstate.edu

Lolwe Magazine seeks one-act plays from the African diaspora

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 7:00 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

Lolwe: From Nam Lolwe, the original or traditional Luo name for Lake Victoria meaning “endless lake/water body”. Therefore, Lolwe meaning endless, meaning “having or seeming to have no end or limit”.

Lolwe is a Pan-African literary arts platform that publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid writing, orature, drama, translation, and visual art. Founded in January 2020 by Troy Onyango, the magazine has a focus on amplifying the work by writers, poets and visual artists from Africa, Caribbean and the Black diaspora. Lolwe aims to publish more work by Black creatives as this is a way to ensure greater visibility for stories by Black people and to give a platform and space for the “Black imagination.”

Lolwe is looking for work that is bold, different, and pushes boundaries: play with form and language, ignore limitations and classifications, send in your fears and joys, your doubts and faiths, your curiosities and silences.

General submissions from the public are open once a year across all genres.

Lolwe Academy alumni and solicited contributors may submit at any time of the year across all genres.

We accept submissions in English and French across all categories.

We also accept translated fiction from any language used in Africa and the Caribbean.

Please read the submission guidelines carefully and submit your work to the appropriate category via Submittable. Any work sent via email or to the wrong category will not be read and will be automatically rejected.

While not mandatory, we recommend that you read our past issues before submitting.

For queries, please email info@lolwe.org.

Submission Guidelines Length: 1,000-10,000 words for prose. 3 – 5 poems contained in a single document. 5 – 10 images/artworks in one document alongside 200-500 words about the work. (If you’d like to submit an image for the cover, just submit a single high resolution file).

Format: Word document, Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced.

Payment: At the moment, Lolwe is not funded so we will offer a £50 voucher redeemable towards a Lolwe Academy course or at Lolwe Books.

Award submissions: Lolwe nominates work for awards such as Caine Prize, Pushcart Prize and The Best Short Stories: The O. Henry Prize.

Bio: Send a brief bio alongside the submission.
Queries: Send any queries to info@lolwe.org. Only queries sent to this email will be replied to. Please don’t send social media DMs.

Dear US.: One-Acts to Bridge the Divide

Website

Deadline: June 20, 2026

SUBMIT VIA SUBFOLIO

Dear US is a compilation of solicited plays, performed as staged readings near Tampa, FL, followed by a facilitated conversation with audience, actors, and any playwrights that may be present.

Blind Submission

Anonymity: Your name, address, or any identifying information must not appear anywhere on the script, including the title page, headers, footers, or filename.

Filename: Name your file only with the title of the play. (e.g., Title_of_Play.pdf)

Identification: Any identifying marks will disqualify the script. Please, please, remove it all -- even initialed page numbers -- so that the process remains entirely blind.

General

Length: No more than 10 pages, excluding title and character pages. Run time less than 10 minutes. Monologues are welcome: ideally, 3-5 minutes run time. No musicals.

Format: Upload as a single PDF file.

Originality: Work must be original and not previously published. PLAYS USING AI WILL NOT BE READ.

Script Formatting

Font: 12-point 

Margins: at least 1- inch margins on all sides.

Pagination: Start with "1" on the first page of the dialogue.

PDF Document Order 

    1. Title Page: Do not include your name or contact information.    

    2. Character/Setting page: brief descriptions and time/place.

     3. The Script: Max 10 pages, not to exceed 10 minutes playing time.

To submit, you'll need to make a free account with Subfolio, which will walk you through the entire submission process. Art of Freedom LIVE uses Subfolio to guarantee that the process is blind and fair. 

Questions? Feel free to contact me, but do not share with me the title or other identifiers of your play/monologue: mary@artoffreedom.live

CHESTNUT STREET PLAYHOUSE 6TH ANNUAL PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Facebook page

Deadline: June 15, 2026

Please email a summary and sample of your script (first or best 10 pages ONLY) to submissions@chestnutstreetplayhouse.org

Be sure to number your pages and submit your document in PDF format. 

This festival is designed not only as a performance opportunity, but as a collaborative workshop experience focused on helping writers develop the next best version of their piece.

Selected scripts will receive:

-A staged reading/performance as part of the festival
- Dedicated rehearsal and workshop time with directors and actors
- Facilitated feedback sessions
- Audience response opportunities
- Post-festival support and guidance for future development/submissions

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

Original plays (finished drafts only)
Works in any genre
Pieces with strong storytelling, compelling characters, and developmental potential

HOW THE PROCESS WORKS:

Reading & Selection

A panel of readers which include theater artists, directors, actors, and playwrights will review submissions. The panel will read each summary/submission anonymously. Selected pieces will be chosen based on voice, theatricality, storytelling, and potential for development. If selected, you will be asked to submit your entire script for final review. 

Workshop & Rehearsal Process

Each selected playwright will collaborate with a director and cast through a workshop-style rehearsal process focused on exploration, discovery, and refinement. Additionally, Connecticut playwright Scott Stephen Kegler will be participating as our Dramaturg for the festival working with each selected play to help with script analysis and development.

Festival Performances

The selected works will be presented before live audiences as staged readings. The CSP PlayFest will be held Sept. 11-13 (TBD based on selections)

Audience Feedback

Following performances, audiences will have opportunities to provide guided feedback and participate in post-show discussions designed to support the playwrights’ ongoing development process.

Continuing the Journey

Chestnut Street Playhouse hopes to help playwrights continue developing their work beyond the festival by providing resources, festival recommendations, and encouragement for future productions and workshops.

We can’t wait to discover and help develop new voices and new stories.
Scott Stephen Kegler, Co-Chair & Dramaturg
Derek Corriveau, Co-Chair & Coordinator
Lisa Bono, Managing Artistic Director & Festival Administrator

Perlberg Festival 2027 seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

The 2026 Perlberg Festival of New Plays at Palm Beach Dramaworks is accepting submissions through May.

What are we looking for?

• Comedies and Dramas (no musicals)
• Cast sizes between 2 and 5 (doubling is okay)
• Plays that really explore relationships/deeper ideas/the human condition
• Plays between 70 and 120 minutes (full-length but not epically long)
• One submission per writer -- if you're trying to decide which to send, send the one that seems like the best "fit" for Palm Beach Dramaworks
• UNPRODUCED, with no productions scheduled before April of 2027

Great Commission Theatre seeks short plays and monologues

Website

Deadine: June 26, 2026

Email a PDF copy of your script to scripts@greatcommissiontheatre.org
Include a brief synopsis of the play/monologue

Provide us insight into who you are with a personal biography

The Great Commission Theatre invites writers, artists, and storytellers to explore holiness through the power of theatre.

Saints for Today is an intimate evening of staged readings featuring original short plays and monologues

inspired by the lives of the saints and the human journey toward God. Through story, voice, and guided reflection, this experience seeks to create space for encounter, renewal, and meaningful dialogue within today’s world.

Theme
How do the lives of the saints help us live our holiness today?

We are seeking stories that are:

Human and honest
Spiritually resonant
Reflective and emotionally grounded
Rooted in themes of struggle, grace, conversion, hope, or encounter with God

Submissions may include:

Stories inspired by the lives of the saints
Contemporary stories reflecting saintly virtue today
Defining moments of faith, doubt, surrender, or transformation
Monologues or scenes exploring the human journey toward holiness

What is a Staged Reading?

A staged reading is a simple theatrical presentation where actors perform with scripts in hand and minimal staging.

Rather than focusing on elaborate production elements, staged readings emphasize:

The power of the written word
Authentic performance and storytelling
Imagination, reflection, and audience connection

This format creates an intimate experience that invites audiences to listen deeply and engage personally with the stories being shared.

Call for Submissions

Length

Works should be approximately 8–10 minutes in length (about 8–10 pages in standard play format).
Format

Submissions may be:

A short play
A monologue

Cast Size

Pieces should be written for 1–5 performers.

Staged Reading Format

Selected works will be performed as staged readings with scripts in hand and minimal movement.

Technical Requirements

Please keep technical needs simple and avoid complex staging or production elements.

Original Work Only

Submissions must be original, unpublished works that are free of copyright restrictions.

Important dates
Submission deadline: June 26, 2026
Staged Reading Showcase: August 15, 2029

Performance will be held at Whitley Event Center in San Antonio, TX

46 Minutes Collective seeks short works for Mixed Bag

Website

Deadline: May 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

SUBMISSION FORM

Mixed Bag Application - July 13, 2026 Performance

Description: 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.

Performance Date: July 13, 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.

Go Try Play Write May 2026

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026

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 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 are always 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 $100 and a subscription to Bamboo Ridge Press. Woo!

The prompt for May 2026 is an incitement prompt:

Write a 10-page maximum scene of the moment a bully loses their effect / power over their victim. Kids, adults, chimpanzees, protozoa, roses, any group where bullying can occur. Also, the effect / power the bully has over their victim can be physical, mental, spiritual, social, monetary, whatever you can imagine.

SEEKING MONOLOGUES FOR VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN SHOWCASE

Facebook page

Deadline: June 10, 2026 at 11:59pm PST 

Please send your submissions to rainydayrevue@gmail.com. 

Rainy Day Artistic Collective is planning our fall monologue showcase - this year it will be Halloween themed (like our very first monologue showcase was) and we're looking forward to bringing that back. 

It will have one livestreamed performance in October (exact date TBD) and be 100% Virtual.

Though we will be putting out a call for actors this summer, we need some monologues to work with first!

If you're interested in submitting a monologue to be considered for this showcase, please review the guidelines below:

Submission Guidelines:

Submissions can only feature one speaker.  

We have included poetry and short stories in past showcases, but typically prefer to feature theatrical monologues. 

Each monologue must be approximately 2-5 minutes in length.

Piece(s) must be inspired by Halloween in some way - scary or cute, happy or sad, dramatic or comedic, let your imagination run wild!

Excerpts from longer works are acceptable, but they should be able to be performed as standalone monologues with minimal to no additional context required for the audience.

Tech needs should be simple - keep it livestream friendly. Some sound cues are okay (even encouraged, if it fits the mood). We can also use virtual backgrounds to enhance/suggest the setting. 

No more than two pieces submitted per playwright, please! Joint authorship of a piece counts towards all contributing playwrights.

Please list any content warnings in your submission.

We are not able to offer stipends for selected playwrights/pieces, but this event is also 100% free for any audience member to watch.

The deadline for submissions will be June 10th, 2026 at 11:59pm PST - no pieces submitted after that will be considered. Please send your submissions to rainydayrevue@gmail.com. 

Our mission at Rainy Day Artistic Collective is to "make the theatre you wish to see." We are an inclusive; LGBTQIA+, minority, and disabled-run; hybrid company  headquartered in Seattle, Washington. We ally against racist, sexist, classist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and otherwise bigoted practices. As such, we will never consider submissions that contradict our values. 

The script doctor is in the house! 🩷

Award-winning bicoastal playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering her coveted script doctoring services online, for a limited time.

Whether you are a producer with a screenplay/series that needs reworking, a fiction writer in need of inspiration, or a playwright with a new play, Sarah is here to help you take your script to the next level. Many clients that have worked with Sarah have won major awards in film festivals as well as prestigious theatrical opportunities.

Visit Sarah's website to connect with her.

Script Services:

• Help clients get “out of their own way” and fully realize their work and writing potential
• Offer rewrite suggestions 
• Punch up jokes and humor
• Improve confidence 
• Fine-tune material to hook a reader’s interest
• Assist in finding submission and publication opportunities as needed
• Marketing strategy help 

Bio

Sarah Congress is a playwright and script doctor with LA representation. Her play "Last Sunrise" was produced by Nylon Fusion for their Gilded Age/Cage Festival at TADA Theatre (June, 2025). "Last Sunrise" was presented with writers John Patrick Shanley, Lyle Kessler, and Migdalia Cruz. Sarah’s play “Delulu” was a semifinalist for Centre Stage's 23rd Annual New Play Festival (1 of 40 plays from 800 submissions). "Delulu" was read at the Episcopal Actors' Guild October 2025 and published by Feels Blind Literary and read at AWP 2026. She co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You!" which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival. Her play “Overdose” won 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwrights Horizons.

Teaching Experience

Sarah has taught writing classes for the Hoboken Historical Museum, Project Write Now, The Knowledge Project, RTA and the Hudson Valley Writers Center - as well as private teaching.

Testimonials - many clients find that working with Sarah is like "therapy"

"Sarah Congress is a wonderful teacher. She's supportive, intuitive, knowledgeable about writing and the landscape of theatre, film and TV. She asks the right questions, gives great notes and the sessions are enjoyable and productive. If you want to take your writing to the next level I can't think of a better coach/script doctor. The sessions fly by but the lessons you learn endure. She's great."

~ Jeff Perlman, Playwright & Non-profit CEO

"I had a breakthrough in my playwriting after working with Sarah. Her coaching made me realize I had the bad habit of undermining the power of my words.. I saw that after she pointed out one line in my play BIG FAT BABY IN HIS MOTHER'S ARMS which I went on to rewrite immediately and submitted for a serious Playwrights Fellowship. Just yesterday I heard from the UCROSS Foundation that I am the Alternate Fellow in the event one of the winners cannot attend in Spring 2025. I am honored to be acknowledged for the Fellowship and thank Sarah for her important coaching. Sarah will have you grow as a playwright/screenwriter in front of her eyes."

~ Tino Juarez, Playwright

"Sarah is a wonderful coach and mentor. She is tough and challenging and fun and really pushes me as a writer into places I didn’t know I was able to go. I have learned so much working with Sarah, not just as a writer, but also as a teacher, as I transition from novelist to playwright. I could not give a higher recommendation working with her. But I assure you, if I could, I would."

~ Jon Papernick, Novelist and Assistant Professor at Emerson College

Playwrights Round Table seeks full-length plays

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2026 at midnight

Please email all submissions to submissionsprt@gmail.com

Playwrights' Round Table of Orlando, Florida is seeking original, unproduced full-length plays for its PREMIERE production.

For this call, Central Florida's longest-running theater company focused solely on the development of playwrights and their new work is seeking a new full-length play of roughly two acts/two hours' length for its Premiere Series in 2027. The selected play will receive a yearlong full development program with our professionals and receive a full production with us.

This script call is open to ALL playwrights. We STRONGLY encourage Black, female, and LGBTQIA+ writers to submit their work, and are especially interested to see plays from Florida-based playwrights.

Plays MUST be unproduced and unpublished in order to be eligible; however we will accept submissions by Central Florida writers that have not been performed in Orlando and have not previously received more than 1 production (staged readings are fine).

Please send TWO (2) PDF or Word copies of your script – one with full name and contact info, optional personal info (gender/pronouns, ethnicity, etc.), and an acknowledgement that the play is new and unproduced; the other “blind” – this copy will go to the readers. 

Please also indicate that your play was not written using AI.

There is no submission fee; however, the selected playwright must join PRT for a one-year membership term. The base level is free, with priced tiers with member benefits above that. You may only submit 1 play per writer.

Please keep your set minimal, preferably a unit set – we perform in a small black box. Please also limit the number of characters – no more than 6.

The selected playwright will receive a stipend of $250 and a full production in spring 2027.

We look forward to reading your submissions!

New Musical Monday Season 5 Submissions

Instagram

Deadline: none listed

SUBMISSION FORM

WE ARE BACK AGAIN and seeking submissions for the fifth season of our digital series New Musical Monday!

Do you have a new musical that you want to share with our global audience? Do you have a musical that you wrote that you think needs more exposure? Do you want to have a digital way to present your musical to producers/directors for consideration?

New Musical Monday is a series that features new and lesser known musicals from around the globe. Launched in 2021, NMM was born as a spin-off of our New Musical November event in 2020. The episodes feature selections of songs from the musical as well as some insight from the creators. 

NMM is presented on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and a podcast version available on Spotify.

Questions: Send us an email at thornhilltheatrespace1@gmail.com

Free theater: LOCUST by Daniel S. Park

 

TYPE! Open for short plays

Website

Deadline: none given

SUBMISSION FORM

Thank you for considering sharing your work. TYPE! is free to read — we cannot pay for submissions or chosen work, but we will work with authors to promote the piece and their other writing. We also require written confirmation that submissions are original work.

Please note – due to the high number of submissions we receive we will only respond to those we wish to publish, however we do read EVERY submission. Submission also carries no guarantee of inclusion or feedback. Read this to find out what happens when you submit.

Seeking  Micro-plays - 1-2 pages long

Please send in your writing via the submission form.

Germ Magazine open for submissions

Website

Deadline: none given

Send to germ@germmagazine.com.

Send us your self-contained play excerpts or short films (original movies, documentaries, public service announcements, student films, etc). Attach your work to the body of your email. Include a short note and your bio in the body of your email, including your preferred pronouns. Plays should not exceed 2,000 words.

Films should not exceed 10 mins. in play time. You may submit up to three projects at one time.


Please attach all pieces of work to one email. Do not send multiple emails.

OUR MISSION

Germ’s goal is to provide young people—high school age and beyond—an inclusive space to share their experiences on a wide variety of topics: love, life, health, home, the world, school, career, the future, all things safety, the lighter issues—and the harder ones.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Please write us at germ@germmagazine.com if you’d like to:Say hi, propose a topic, or ask a question.
Submit your writing. See our Literary Submission Guidelines for all the details.
Submit your own works (music albums, books) to be considered for review.
Pitch us a piece for one of our categories, including the Daily Germ, which can be an inspiring/funny/memorable quote or word of the day.
Add some of your Bucket List items to our Before I Die page. Please send no more than five (5) items.
Send a suggestion for our How To…, Be Lovely, or Truth About… categories.

Other submission options:Write a Dear Me letter to your high school or future self.
Show us where you’re Wandering.

Whether you’re wandering in your hometown or traveling, if the place is big or small, we want to see it. You can record your journey via video, pictures, drawings, or words. Please use Google Drive and share your file(s) with germ@germmagazine.com.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

While we value your work very highly, we are unable to offer payment except publication at this time.

Although you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram, please do not pitch us ideas or send submissions there. Contact germ@germmagazine.com.

If you are pitching ideas, please know that we’ll respond as soon as we’re able. Unless it bounces back to you, we’ve gotten your email and will be in touch.

What to include in your email:Your nameYour hometownYour preferred pronounsA short (fewer than 100 words) description of your pitch/idea
The name of the category/subcategory/column where you think your piece belongs

We do not accept attachments. Please cut and paste your written work into the body of the email, directly following your short description of the work.

Word CountLove, Life, and Daily Germs category submissions: 10–250 words.Other article submissions: between 500–800 words.

We can’t wait to hear from you! ♥

Love,

The Germ Staff

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Half price tickets: HEY, I HEARD YOU'RE BLACK! by Alicia Whavers

A new play by Alicia Whavers presents black couples, strangers, neighbors, and co-workers discussing the intricacies of everyday life.

What began as a monologue titled “Busted Tailight,” accepted to the Columbus Black Theatre Festival in Ohio, has expanded into a full-length play featuring an anthology of interconnected monologues and scenes that explore the day-to-day aspect of being black in America. These are the stories that never make the headlines, but constantly affect black Americans. 

 

Act in the next week, and get tickets at half-price!

Tickets can be bought at:  

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hey-i-heard-youre-black-tickets-1985065944677 

 

Location: The Burgdorff Center For The Performing Arts, 10 Durand Rd, Maplewood, NJ 07040.

The Trans History Project Residency & Commission

Website

Deadline: May 29, 2026

The Trans History Project is a revolutionary national initiative created by Bo Frazier, Baltimore Center Stage’s Artist-in-Residence. Led by Baltimore Center Stage and Breaking the Binary Theatre, this project aims to commission, develop, and publish 10 new plays about the real history of gender non-conformity which has existed across all cultures since the beginning of time. There will be 10 Trans and Gender Nonconforming playwrights (TGNC) commissioned by BCS who will subsequently be placed into 2-year development residencies at theaters across the country in 2 cohorts.

Each Selected project will receive:

• $10,000 Commission Fee (per project)
• Dramaturgical/Research Support
• A 2-year residency at a theatre that will include:
• 1 Reading in the 2026/27 Season
• 1 Workshop in the 2027/28 Season
• Travel/Housing to our Annual Summer Convening beginning Summer 2027
• Regular Share-Out/Support Zoom Meetings with fellow cohort members throughout 2-year residency

ABOUT TRANS HISTORY PROJECT

MISSION: 

• Tell the history of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming people across all cultures who have existed since the beginning of time 
• Commission and pay 10 TGNC playwrights/creators/writers
• Create a cohort of theaters to develop and program TGNC stories in their seasons 
• We hope to publish a TGNC canon/anthology of the 10 plays
• Enable Regional Theaters to engage, uplift and empower their local TGNC Communities