Open: Journal of Arts & Letters seeks drama submisisons

Website

Deadline: December 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

 Submissions must be made in PDF file format only.

Open: Journal of Arts & Letters will consider fee-free submissions of drama whose effects can be experienced either on the page or in production.

Submit a file with up to 5000 lines, including title, byline, dramatis personae, and stage direction.

O:JA&L will consider several formatting options for drama: 1) conventions of formatting published by Gordon State College, 2) suggestions for formatting published by The Dramatists Guild, or 3) play formats in specialized software programs for writers like Final Draft or Movie Magic. Submissions which deviate by degrees of magnitude from these conventions of form will be declined.

Submitters should include a cover letter. This cover letter should contain, in the manner of a screenplay, a HEADER for the work, a LOGLINE of up to 30 words, and a SYNOPSIS of the work (without spoilers) of up to 150 words. This cover letter should also include a third-person professional biography of the playwright in 100 words, more or less.

OTHER THAN YOUR NAME, DO NOT INCLUDE PERSONAL INFORMATION ON THE SUBMITTED PDF. IT IS THIS PDF THAT WILL BE LINKED TO THE PUBLISHED POST.

Open: Journal of Arts & Letters will only consider plays that have never before been produced or published. Submissions must be made in PDF file format only.

The International Human Rights Art Festival seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: September 30, 2026

Seeking 10-minute, 2-character (only) plays, on any human rights concern, to be a part of a special event at this year's International Human Rights Art Festival (December 12, 2026).

Five playwrights will receive $50 each and two comp tickets to see their play produced.

The International Human Rights Art Festival is pairing with And Scene to present a unique evening of theater on Saturday, December 12, 2026, 7 pm at the Wild Project, as part of a yearly Festival. The show will be followed by a party.

Specifically, And Scene Producer Mick Szal will bring together New York's top improvisers and actors from Broadway, TV and beyond perform scenes. The catch: one of the actors will be "on (your) book," while the other will be completely improvising. The actors will know their lines and the improvisers will improvise with no prior knowledge of the scenes. (The format was inspired by Stephen Rudy and was originally performed under the name "Gravid Water" at UCB.)

Please send your 10-minute, 2-character play WITH NO ATTRIBUTION (BLIND SUBMISSIONS ONLY) to hello@humanrightsartmovement.org, with the subject line of your email with your last name_play title (Beckett_WaitingForGodot) for consideration.

Deadline September 30, 2026. All decisions by November 1.

Eclectic Full Contact Theater Company 6th Annual Patchwork Play Festival - A One-Act New Play Festival

Website

Deadline: October 31, 2026

Email submissions to: Patchworkplayfest@gmail.com

To be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL.
Feb. 26, 2027 - March 7, 2027

We are currently accepting submissions of New One-Act Plays that embody this years theme of: Alienation

Nine finalists will have their play produced in our festival.

A $250 Award will be presented for best production as adjudicated by a panel of Chicago Theater professionals.

​A $250 Audience Award will also be presented to the festival favorite as determined by our audiences.

Submission Requirements:​

• Play must be previously unproduced. (Staged Readings are fine)
• Play length not to exceed 30 minutes.
• Play must reflect the yearly theme. This years theme is: Alienation
• Play must be received by October 31, 2026
• Playwrights cannot submit more than 2 scripts per year for Patchwork. If more than 2 scripts are submitted by the same playwright, we’ll pick 2 at random. Only one play per playwright may be featured per Patchwork Festival per season.
• Scripts cannot contain copyrighted music unless the playwright owns the music’s copyright, or has written permission from the music’s copyright owner.
• We are not accepting musicals at this time.

10th Annual New Play Lab 2027 at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival

Website

Deadline: After they receive the first 100 submissions

Application Guidelines

• All scripts must be submitted in PDF format and emailed to submissions@ingecenter.org.
• Give your script file the name 2027 + Title (for instance, 2027 Bus Stop).
• Limit script length to a 30 minute read-time – not page count. (Submissions longer than 30 minutes will be disqualified).
• Character list must include character description as well as any descriptions relevant for casting.
• Applicants must enter a short synopsis of their play as it might appear in the Play Lab program. (Maximum 75 words. Please include any content warnings.)
• Applicants must send a brief bio with their submissions.

The New Play Lab at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival is a partnership between the Kansas Arts Commission of the Kansas Department of Commerce and the William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College, Kansas

The 10th Annual New Play Lab seeks to connect national established and emerging playwrights to participate at the 44th William Inge Theatre Festival, April 29-May 1, 2027. Each year, Playwrights are connected with professional playwrights, directors, dramaturgs and actors.

Selected New Play Lab playwrights receive:A professional staged reading of their play before an audience on the main stage of the William Inge Theatre
Feedback on their play facilitated by national theatre professionals.
Additional playwriting classes and seminars exclusive to New Play Lab participants, including a masterclass with William Inge Theater Festival guest playwrights.
Networking opportunities to meet with theater professionals from across the country.
Entry to all festival events, including two meal events.
Meal vouchers to enjoy local restaurants in William Inge’s Hometown of Independence, Kansas.

Applications Period

Those chosen will be notified in January 2027. Note: the receipt of applications will be limited to the first 100 to apply. Only the first 100 applications will be reviewed. Therefore, applicants are urged to submit early, as the number of applicants may reach its limit quickly.

The submitted plays will be reviewed by a panel of national theatre professionals.

Playwrights may submit either a 10-minute play or one-act play, no more than 30 minutes read-time. Plays that are longer than 30 minutes will be disqualified.

Plays should require no more than 6 actors. The play may be designed to have actors play multiple roles. If that is the case, doubling must be indicated in the character list.
Character list must include character breakdown (age, race and gender identity for the purpose of casting).
Playwrights may only submit one play per cycle.

Attend

Playwrights are required to attend the Festival. If you cannot attend, you are ineligible to apply.

Each playwright is required to attend the New Play Lab Masterclass and Workshops taught by professional playwrights during the Inge Festival.

Each playwright is required to attend the reading of their play during the Play Lab. More details will be sent out to those accepted.

Travel, transportation, and lodgingFor pre-planning purposes, selected playwrights should at least plan to attend Wednesday evening April 28, 2027, through Sunday morning May 2, 2027.

Each playwright is responsible for their own travel, transportation, and lodging needs.

Local lodging information will be shared with those accepted. (Complementary transportation to and from the Tulsa Airport is available upon prior arrangement.)

Conference Fees

There are no fees for the application process. Selected Playwrights will be responsible for their travel and lodging.

Benefits

Professional Public Reading: Playwrights will receive a professional public reading of their play, as well as feedback from national theatre artists.

Opportunities to Network: Each year the New Play Lab creates a new cohort of playwrights, in addition to opportunities to network with our professional Guest Artists
Exclusive Seminars and Masterclass: The New Play Lab Playwrights receive at least two masterclasses exclusive to New Play Lab playwrights.

Festival Celebration: New Play Lab Playwrights will have full access to three days of all public and private Festival events, including the other play lab readings, productions, social events, workshops, panels, meals and much more.

If you have any questions, feel free to email ahovell@indycc.edu.

46 Minutes Collective Mixed Bag show

Website

Deadline: September 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

Brooklyn NYC

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. 

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 - 628 Metropolitan Ave Brooklyn

One, 20-minute spacing rehearsal/tech 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).

A $100 stipend for your work and time.

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.

The Greenhouse seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Seeking 10-minute plays on the theme of "Lovely and Temperate."

• Submissions should be inspired by the current quarter's theme. 
• Submissions must be original works. 
• Scripts must be free of identifiers of the author (e.g., headers, footers or a title page with author's name) for the purpose of anonymous selection. Your name will be attached to your submission via the submission form, and you will be fully credited for your submission if selected. 
• Script should included a list of characters on the first page. 

Selections will be made on two major criteria:

1. Strength of storytelling 

• Clear beginning, middle, and end 
• Obvious conflict and climax 
• Does the story grab you quickly? 
• Are the characters interesting? 

2. Format appropriateness 

• Approximately 10 minutes 
• No more than 5 characters 
• Minimal technical needs

Swan Dive Theater Collective seeks submissions of 10-minute plays by women, non-binary, and trans playwrights

Facebook
Instagram

Deadline: September 1, 2026

DO NOT SEND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR SUBMISSION WINDOW

The NJ-based Swan Dive Theater Collective seeks submissions of 10-minute plays by women, non-binary, and trans playwrights from New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area for its Third Annual Short Play Festival, to be held on March 7, 2027.

Past festivals have sold out and featured two performances in the event space of a lively Montclair Tavern, offering food, drinks, and an intimate, festive atmosphere. Selected playwrights will receive a dinner stipend.

Swan Dive is a Montclair theater collective dedicated to advancing the stories of women and other marginalized gender identities by introducing new works and fostering community.

• Plays must be 10 minutes or less.
• Cast size must be between 2 and 4 actors.
• All plays should follow the Samuel French Standard Playwriting Format.
• Page One should include a cover sheet with title, name, contact info and pronouns. 
• Eligible playwrights must identify as women, non-binary, or trans and reside in New Jersey or the New York City metropolitan area.
• Submissions will be accepted through September 1, 2026 and be capped at the first 100 entries received.
• The subject line must read: Short Play Submission 2026–2027.
• Previously produced or published plays are welcome.
• Plays should require minimal set, technical, and production elements.
• Limit one submission per playwright.
• Accepted playwrights will work collaboratively with the director and cast throughout the rehearsal process.
• Plays that do not meet the submission requirements will not be considered.
• Plays written with AI assistance will not be considered.

Vidalia Theatre Company seeks 10-minute plays for Summer Harvest

Website

Deadline: September 7, 2026

The Vidalia Theatre Company in Atlanta, is accepting submissions for its annual Summer Harvest show of 10-minute plays to be produced in July 2027.

The theme for this show is “Dating… the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.” We’re looking for plays that explore the full gamut that is the world of dating. Stories that deal with the fun and the pain in trying to find a romantic partner. We are only seeking plays that fit this theme at this time.

Submissions should contain 2-4 characters, simple set and prop requirements, and provide opportunity for diverse casting.

Adult language and content are permitted as long as it is relevant to the story and not gratuitous.

Submissions cannot have been previously produced in the Atlanta Metro Area.

Limit 2 submissions per playwright.

PAY: A $30 stipend is paid to the playwrights whose plays are selected.

***PLEASE READ THE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY***

If submitting two plays, send each submission in a separate email

Email submissions to: vidaliatheatre@gmail.com

In the subject line type: Playwright Name - Title of Play - WY27

Be sure to include the following information in the body of the email:

your email and telephone
city, state (or country if outside USA) in which you reside
Number of characters
Comedy or Drama
A brief synopsis
All scripts must be attached as a PDF. No other file types will be accepted.

Note: *We do not utilize blind submissions in our review process*

**ANY SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED**

OPEN TO ALL NORTH AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS

(with special consideration for those who reside in Georgia)

Somerset Community College seeks short plays

Facebook page

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Email submissions to: scctheatre@kctcs.edu 

Script CANNOT exceed ten pages

Plays can be any genre or setting, but must implement fairytale or medieval fantasy elements

Onstage/Offstage Podcast 2026 seeks short plays for Halloween

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

Or when they receive 100 submissions

SUBMISSION FORM

Onstage/Offstage Theatre Podcast s looking for 10-minute plays to produce and air on its podcast.

It's a HALLOWEEN theme! And it must be a COMEDY.

Please read all requirements below, especially noting the dates and times during which submissions will be accepted. If you send a submission outside this timeframe, it will not be read!

By submitting, you agree to all the following:

1. Selected plays will be cast and produced by Onstage/Offstage Theatre Podcast artists. If selected, you agree that performances of your play will be broadcast on WRFI 88.1 Ithaca Community Radio, podcasted at www.onstageoffstage.org and Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify (and others). Your name as playwright will be prominently displayed. We will also share a link to your website and other pertinent URLS, if you like.
2. **Playwrights agree to do a short interview to accompany the episode airing their play.**
3. ****SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME BY THIS FORM ONLY FROM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, TO MONDAY, AUGUST 31****. OR WHEN WE REACH 100 SUBMISSIONS. 
4. Remember this is audio! Don't submit plays that require extensive reading of stage directions. The work should be overwhelmingly dialogue.
5. Comedies BETWEEN 8 and 10 MINUTES. **THREE (3) characters maximum.** **No monologues.**
6. No excessively offensive language. Not that we are against strong language in a work, but we have to bleep it for broadcast and that's more work for us. The recording remains au naturel for the podcast.
7. Format: Submit your play IN PDF FORMAT ONLY with playwright contact info, synopsis/teaser, cast info on cover page, and pages numbered. (You'd be surprised. No, really, you would.)
8. ONE PLAY PER PLAYWRIGHT. 
9. Follow this format for file names: LAST NAME Play title: SHAKESPEARE Hamlet Goes Camping
10. NO FEE TO APPLY.

Has your play been produced before? Good for you!!. Send it anyway!!

I'd love be able to remunerate you for your creativity, talent, and efforts in writing and submitting your work, but I am a very small operation (me, that's it) and my funding is nil. Best I can offer is a chance to talk about yourself as an artist and a audio recording of your play produced on air.

**We exuberantly encourage playwrights from historically marginalized communities to submit!**

Eighth Annual International Human Rights Art Festival

Website

Deadline: August 23, 2026

Please email our Festival Assistant Producer Costanza Bugiani at costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org with the following, and any questions:

• 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 Festival 2026, then add Association-Company-your name (i.e. IHRAF Festival 2026, Joan Doe)

December 7th - 13th, 2026
The Wild Project
195 E. 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009

Results announced by September 15, 2026

Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of December 13th, 2026.

Please note:

• 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.
• Submit all work to costanza@humanrightsartmovement.org

New York and Tri-state area based artists Call - The submission window is now open for live performance work in any form - every discipline.

International Human Rights Art Festival

December 7th - 13th, 2026

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

• Climate Change Action
• Immigration
• LGBTQIA+
• Celebration of Women/Women in Power
• Celebration of Black Men/Undiscovered Women
• Shalom/Salaam
• With Love from Africa

Plus:  Ten Minute Play Festival and a Ten Minute Performance Festival

… Any other social justice concerns you might have

All accepted performers will receive:

• Performance stipends of $250 total (per project)
• PR and marketing support
• 30-minute tech rehearsal
• Festival TD and SM
• Free photographic documentation of the performance
• Free video documentation of the performance

We are encouraging New York and Tri-state area based artists. Unfortunately we cannot cover any travel/lodging expenses.

The 29th Magazine seeks short plays for February 2027 issue

Website

Deadline: October 1, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

We're drawn to writers and artists who came up on their own — no formal training, no mentors greasing the wheels, no built-in network. We'll never ask where you studied, or if you did.

We prioritize women, the queer community, the mentally ill, the chronically ill, and the neurodivergent. If you belong to any of these groups, we want to hear from you first.

Submission Guidelines

• Plays: Short plays, one act, intended to be read in a single sitting (Up to 20 pages - soft limit).
• Formatting: 12 pt Times New Roman or Courier. Single-spaced dialogue, with a line break between speeches. Character names in caps above their lines; stage directions in parentheses or italics. PDF/doc/docx formats.
• Please include your name, the piece's title, and page count on the first page.

Note: We don't store your personal data beyond your submission. We will only use your email to contact you about the status of your submission.

2027 Lamoise New Works - MOXIE Theatre seeks plays by women

Website

Deadline: August 25, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

San Diego, California

Seeking 

- Four (4) ten-minute plays

- Two (2) full-length plays that will receive a workshop and undergo a short development process with the actors and creative teams.

- And one (1) full-length play that will be performed as-is, will be selected for a staged reading.

- All playwrights of full-length works will be provided travel and housing for the duration of the festival weekend (not including the workshop process).

Play must be written by women+ playwright(s).

Works submitted must be unpublished, unproduced, and available for production.

Only one (1) submission is allowed per playwright.

Character/Casting Limit:

Festival selections are limited to works that can be performed by a maximum of six actors total: five actors covering principal roles and one actor covering stage directions and/or minor cameo roles. Plays with larger character lists are still eligible, provided the material can reasonably be performed within this casting structure through doubling or multi-role casting. If you are considering multiple works for submission, we encourage you to keep this limitation in mind. Writers are still welcome to submit works that exceed this structure if they feel strongly the piece should be considered.

Every playwright who submits to the festival will receive a response by email, regardless of the outcome.

We anticipate notifying playwrights of their semi-finalist status by September 2026, with final festival selections informed in November 2026.

Submitting is free and playwrights are not required to self-produce. Production of selected works happens in-house with MOXIE, and there are no participation fees for festival selections.

See the FAQ for more information.

Wicked Cat Productions is seeking short plays for a new evening of work exploring kink, fetish, and/or desire

Instagram

Deadline: Monday, August 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

SUBMISSION FORM

We are looking for plays that are bold, curious, theatrical, and respectful of the communities they engage with. The hope is to build an evening that surprises the audience, subverts expectations, and treats desire as something complex, funny, strange, tender, powerful, awkward, joyful, dangerous, sacred, unserious, deeply serious, or all of the above.

Plays may be any genre: comedy, drama, horror, romance, fantasy, or something harder to name. We are especially interested in work that moves beyond cliché and refuses easy assumptions about kink, fetish, fantasy, and the people who participate in them.

Come for the fantasy. Stay for the humanity inside it.

We are seeking:

• Short plays between 10 and 15 minutes
• Plays up to 20 minutes may be considered, but longer pieces may affect how many plays we are able to accept
• Plays with 1 to 4 characters
• Plays centered on or meaningfully engaging with kink, fetish, and/or desire
• Any genre or tone
• Newly written work
• Work that can be staged with minimal technical needs

Content and Representation

Because this evening centers kink, fetish, intimacy, and desire, we ask that submitted plays engage with their subject matter thoughtfully and respectfully.

We are not looking for work that treats abusive relationships as healthy BDSM, presents consent violations as romantic, or uses kink/fetish communities only as a punchline or shock device. Conflict, discomfort, danger, bad behavior, and complicated power dynamics can absolutely exist in the work, but the writing should understand the difference between consensual kink and abuse.

In short: no Fifty Shades of Grey. No Joker/Harley Quinn dynamics presented as aspirational kink. We are more interested in work that approaches kink with curiosity, specificity, humor, care, and complexity, closer in spirit to pieces like Secretary or Bonding, where kink can open the door to character and vulnerability.

Nudity and intimacy are welcome, but anything staged must be something that can be rehearsed and performed safely with appropriate coordination. This will be a consent-forward rehearsal process.

No performer will be asked to do anything intimate or physically exposing that has not been clearly discussed, choreographed, and agreed upon.

Due to venue restrictions, submitted plays should not require:

• Glitter
• Confetti
• Fire
• Haze/fog
• Smoke
• Sand
• Open flame
• Any unsafe or difficult-to-clean materials

If your play includes a restricted element that could be adapted or suggested theatrically, please feel free to note that in your submission.

Production Details

Selected plays will be produced as part of a three-performance short play evening at The Tank in New York City.

Performance dates:
Thursday, December 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, December 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.

The evening will likely include four to six plays.

There is no submission fee and no participation fee.

Wicked Cat Productions is committed to paying artists whenever possible. Selected playwrights will receive a guaranteed $50 stipend, with the hope of increasing stipends depending on the production budget and fundraising.

Scripts will be read without playwright names attached during the first round. Please remove your name, email address, bio, and any other identifying information from the script PDF and file name. You will still provide your contact information through the submission form, but that information will be kept separate from the script during the first round of review.

‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: August 23, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

Anybody can submit work - the performance is in London, UK

‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night - 27th October; 7pm to 8pm

Five writers. Five ten-minute scripts. One very haunted evening.

Flame Tree Publishing is stepping off the page and onto the stage. This is our first foray into live theatre, and we're kicking things off exactly how you'd expect: with a Halloween scratch night.

We want short, sharp, spooky original work that can hold a room in ten minutes flat. Ghosts, curses, folk horror, cosmic dread, the thing under the bed. If it unsettles us, we want to see it. This is a scratch night, which means we're looking for early-stage, low-tech, high-impact writing. Think fewer props, tighter casts, bigger scares.

We will select five pieces to be performed live on 27 October at Etcetera Theatre in Camden, London.

Important Notice about Submissions and Guidelines:Ten minutes scripts, max, per piece
4 characters maximum

• Minimal tech - no elaborate set or lighting cues 
• Genre: horror, gothic, folk horror, supernatural. Anything that fits a Halloween night of storytelling 
• Performance date: 27th October. Venue: The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU
• Please provide your legal name (and pen name if applicable) to help with quick contracts/acceptances
• If providing an author bio or pitch/synopsis for your story, we strongly advise against using AI to write these

Terms:

• All selected writers (directors and actors) will be paid a participation fee of £50 
• This is a stage performance. If you would like to direct your piece or have a company that wants to perform your piece please mention it in your submission. In that case we will not have a call-out for director/actors for your piece
• The event will be at The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU. No travel or accommodation provided 
• Submission does not guarantee selection; all pieces will be read and shortlisted by our team 
• Stories that use AI for planning, editing, modifying or generating text will not be accepted. Please confirm in your submission email that you have not used AI in these ways. The contracts for accepted writers all require signatures declaring AI has not been used
• We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 2 weeks of the submission deadline
• Payment for the chosen works will be made within 30 days of the performancea

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.
​
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.
​


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.

Go Try Play Write - August 2026

Website

Deadline: August 31, 2026

SUBMISSION FORM

August 2026 prompt An aftermath prompt. Write a ten-page maximum scene about neighbours coming together after a hurricane. It's hurricane season here in Hawai‘i. They could be long-time friends. They could be estranged. They could have been fighting before the hurricane. And when I say “coming together” I don’t necessary mean cooperating. How do people interact after a catastrophe?

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!

UMBRELLAS FOR FISH seeks one-act plays, monologues and dramatic scenes for the September issue

Website

Deadline: August 25, 2026

We are now accepting submissions for our September 2026 Issue.
Website: https://ufjournal.wixsite.com/umbrellas-for-fish/submissions

Email: ufjournal@aol.com

Umbrellas for Fish is an international literary journal devoted exclusively to absurd and existential drama. We publish work that wrestles with the irrational, the unexplainable, and the darkly comic—plays, monologues, and dramatic scenes that invite audiences to sit with uncertainty rather than resolve it neatly.

We believe theatre is a space where logic can be bent, time can fold back on itself, and a fish might, against all reason, carry an umbrella. We welcome voices from around the world and across all career stages, from debut playwrights to established dramatists.

We seek dramatic work that is bold, strange, and alive—pieces that take risks with form, voice, and theatrical logic.

We are particularly interested in work featuring:

• Absurdity, existential tension, or cosmic indifference
• Innovative dramatic structures and theatrical experimentation
• Strong, stageable writing and memorable dialogue
• Meaningful ambiguity rather than simple confusion
• Themes exploring meaning, identity, freedom, mortality, and the human condition

We are not seeking conventional realism without a twist, shock value without purpose, or work that resolves its contradictions too neatly.
Accepted Categories

• Absurd Plays
• Existential Drama

• Experimental Theatre
• Playwriting Essays

Length:

• One-Act Plays (up to 10 pages)
• Flash Drama (up to 2 pages)
• Monologues (up to 2 pages)

• Dramatic Scenes (up to 10 pages)
. Playwriting Essays (up to 5 pages)

Submission Guidelines

• Submit manuscripts in DOC or DOCX format only
• Use a readable 12-point font
• Number all pages
• Include a title page with the title and author's name
• Include a third-person author bio (50–100 words) at the end of the manuscript
• Scripts should follow standard dramatic formatting
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome; please notify us if accepted elsewhere

Prepare your manuscript according to the guidelines above.

• Include a 50–100 word third-person bio.
• In the body of your email, include:Your name
• Title of the work
• Genre category
• A brief 1–3 sentence description of the piece
• Attach your manuscript as a DOC or DOCX file.
• Name your file: TITLE_LASTNAME.docx
• Send your submission to ufjournal@aol.com

Subject Line Format:
SUBMISSION — [Title] — [Genre]
Key Dates

Submissions Open: Now Open
Submission Deadline: August 25, 2026
Response Time: 4–6 Weeks

Issue Publication: September 2026

Fee:
There is no reading, submission or publication fee.


Rights
If a work is selected for publication, the playwright retains all intellectual property, copyright, and performance rights to the work. By accepting publication in Umbrellas for Fish, the author grants the journal non-exclusive permission to publish the work as part of the September 2026 issue. All rights revert to the author upon publication, and the author remains free to reproduce, perform, or republish the work elsewhere, provided that first publication in Umbrellas for Fish is acknowledged where appropriate.

Payment

Umbrellas for Fish is a non-paying market. As an independent journal operating without grants, institutional funding, or regular donations, we are currently unable to offer royalties, honoraria, or other forms of monetary compensation to contributors.

Authors whose work is selected for publication will receive publication credit and worldwide exposure through the journal.Editorial Vision

Umbrellas for Fish takes its name from the absurdist spirit that animates the work we publish: the belief that theatre can illuminate issue. the mysteries of existence through contradiction, imagination, humor, and uncertainty.

We welcome playwrights from all countries, backgrounds, and career stages and are especially interested in amplifying voices that have been underrepresented in the dramatic canon.

We look forward to reading your work.

Warm regards,

Editorial Team
Umbrellas for Fish: An International Journal of Absurd & Existential Drama
Email: ufjournal@aol.com

Savage Wonder seeks 10-minute plays or musicals

Website

Deadline: July 3, 2027

SUBMISSION FORM

Savage Wonder (Beacon, NY) prides itself on opportunities for veteran writers. Savage Wonder offers on-going playwriting competitions as well as the Savage Wonder literary blog. You may select which opportunity interests you below.

Savage Wonder is accepting submissions for our 10-minute playwriting competition. 

Submissions may include plays or musicals. 

Playwrights must meet one of the following criteria:

Current or former: US military, law enforcement, fire service, EMS, foreign service, intelligence service, DoD employee, DoD Contractor; or Immediate family of the service member.

We are looking for work that is whimsical, intimate, absurd, and surprising. Unlike some past competitions, we are not looking for straightforward dramatic realism or non-fiction storytelling. Bring us something that takes a risk — something that could only have come from you.

The competition winner will receive a $1,000 grant.

The second-place finalist will receive a $750 grant.
The third-place finalist will receive a $500 grant.

All winners and finalists also receive feedback from the panel of judges. In addition, winners and finalists may be invited to become Savage Wonder Resident Artists where they will have the opportunity to develop and submit plays and musicals for commissioning and production at Savage Wonder.

Plays and musicals can be any genre and any subject matter. 

Playwrights may submit more than one work. 

Submissions should not have been previously produced and/or published. 

Winners and finalists will be notified via email no later than Sunday, July 4, 2027 (note: we will make every effort to have results back to submitters ASAP; however, in order to ensure fair treatment of each submission and to plan for any contingencies which may arise, we are providing a worst-case scenario for our timeline). 

There is no participation or submission fee. 

There is no guarantee that winners' or finalists' work will be produced by Savage Wonder. 

Winters Theater Company 10-minute 2027 Play Festival

 Website

Deadline: August 15, 2026, 5:00pm PDT 

Submission form on the bottom of the page

The popular annual 10-Minute Play Festival returns to Winters Theatre Company for the 2027 season! To submit your original 10-minute play to be considered for the 2027 Festival, please review the festival requirements and then complete and submit the application form below.

Rules and Requirements: 

Any play submission must come directly from the original playwright/author of the play. 

Every play must be fully performed in 10-minutes or less.

Script should not rely on more than minimalist props.

You must be 18 years of age or older to submit an application for the 10-Minute Play Festival. 

There is a limit of 1 play submission per author for the 10-Minute Play Festival.

If the selected play runs over 10 minutes, the director and producers reserve the right to edit the script to meet the 10-minute requirement.  Author will be contacted in advance. 

General Information: 

There is NO THEME. 

There is NO FEE for the author to submit a play or to participate in the 10-Minute Play Festival.

There is NO COMPENSATION for author/director/cast member(s).

The festival will consist of 8 play selections (all 10-minutes or less) in 2 acts.

The festival performance dates will be weekends in late February / early March 2027

We will announce the plays selected for the festival by 11/01/2026.  Given the volume of submissions, we will only contact the authors whose plays have been selected. 

 Winters Theatre Company will select directors for each selected play.

Winters Theatre Company will advertise for the 10-Minute Play Festival via their website, social media, printed media, and press releases.  The website will include a short synopsis of each play, author bio and link to author website and/or social media.

 Plays will be selected, in part, based on their portability, overall length, transition time, and the ability of the script to tell the story without excessive reliance on props or costumes.

We're looking forward to reading your play submission!