The Playwrights Group

Web Site: www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 

ONLINE OFFERINGS

Script Consultations

Have a script you want feedback on?  Just send a PDF of your script and you’ll get the answers you’re looking for via email, phone or video conference. 

Richard Caliban has worked with  individuals on their scripts from all over the world — Indonesia, China, Greece, Australia, Serbia, as well as right here in New York. A script consultation will provide you with feedback on the structural soundness of your story, the dramatic arc of your protagonist, thematic unity and much more.

Online One-on-One Courses

If you’re looking for more, check out our One on One Online Playwriting Courses:

•       The Art of Playwriting

•       Write a Play in 10 Weeks

Both are One on One with instructor Richard Caliban, who has spent his life in rehearsal rooms getting words on a page up onto a stage. And since it’s One on One, the courses can be adjusted to fit your level of experience. 

Weekly Zoom Workshop

During the current crisis, the weekly workshop has moved online to a Zoom meeting. We read everything from a one page scene to a full length. Plays, musicals, film scripts — whatever it is you’re working on. This is a great opportunity for those not in the NYC area. 

We meet (virtually) Thursdays from 7 - 9:30pm EST. Check out the website for more details. 

Contact us at scripts@theplaywrightsgroup.com or visit our website for further info at: 

www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

The Rose Theatre Co is seeking short comedic monologues

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No deadline provided.

The Rose Theatre Co., a DC-based professional organization, is seeking short comedic monologues for the creation of a curated digital film series titled IN CHARACTER. Selected monologues will be produced and released by The Rose for use across digital platforms, including Instagram and You Tube. Writers may make multiple submissions. This is an open-ended project. Writers will retain all rights to their words. The Rose Theatre Co. will retain all rights to the audio-video content and their production of the monologues submitted. Please note that all submissions are voluntary and unpaid.

GUIDELINES:

1. For the first round we’re looking for pieces that are COMEDIC (light-hearted) in tone but all genres welcome.

2. Scripts should run 2 to 4 minutes

3. Should require no more than one actor

4. The submission should be devoid of all stage directions and settings. An optional explanatory paragraph of the piece may accompany the submission but should not be a part of the script itself.

5. Your script should be a standalone piece where the audience loosely experiences an entire arc of story ... a sense of a beginning, a middle (turning point, change, revelation) and a sense of resolution.

6. Your script will be assigned to a professional actor contracted by The Rose Theatre Co. and will be performed in one pass. Be advised that scripts may not be assigned according to age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

7. We’re looking for compelling, well-told and entertaining first-person stories. Non-traditional pieces (stand-up, literary, poems, spoken-word) are welcome provided they meet the guidelines.

To apply, or learn more about The Rose Theatre Co, please go to www.rosetheatre.net/submissions To help us reduce our environmental footprint, please make your submission online. Only digital submissions will be considered at this time. Printed or mailed submissions will not be accepted, read or returned. Thank you for your support.

Virtual Theater Festival seeks 10-minute plays or musicals

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Deadline: August 13, 2020  Midnight Pacific Time

SUBMISSION FORM

BROADWAY THEATRE STUDIO, creators of the long-running IMBIBLE series of Off-Broadway musicals, will produce its first VIRTUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL for live-online productions. BTS has partnered with theatre media icon PLAYBILL to host the festival, which will run exclusively on Playbill.com. BETERRIFIC, industry leaders in live-streaming productions, to provide the cutting-edge technology and experience necessary to successfully translate the live theatre experience to live-online. BTS is assembling a distinguished panel of judges to choose a winning production, and there will also be an Audience Choice winner selected by festival viewers. 

Each winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize. PLAYBILL VTF LIVE is currently scheduled to run October 23-25, and Theatre fans looking to view the festival will be able to purchase an All-Access Virtual Festival Pass for only $2.99 with $1 from each ticket going to THE ACTORS FUND.

Please READ CAREFULLY before submitting your application.

• Seeking ten-minute original, fully-produced plays or musicals. Submissions must be no shorter than eight (8) minutes, and no longer than ten (10) minutes.
• Submissions may have been previously produced, as long as you or your company created the work and it has not been published or licensed.
• You may submit more than one production, simply complete a separate application for each work.
• Accepted productions will be given a broadcast time during the festival in which to present their live show on VTF.Live.
• Productions will be asked to demonstrate that their broadcast is live, though it is not necessary that all, or even any, actors/crew be in the same place -- we’re looking for creativity here.
• At this time, we are only able to accept submissions from the U.S.
• There is no fee to submit or present in the festival.
• All submissions are due by midnight Pacific Time on August 13th.

PRIZES
Two prizes will be awarded:
-$1,500 for Judges’ Choice
-$1,500 for Audience’s Choice

CHALLENGE
Each season, Playbill VTF Live presents participants with a unique production challenge to overcome, selected based on real-world theatre production trends and priorities. The Fall 2020 Production Challenge is:

Each member of your cast, crew, and production team must be in separate locations. Actors may have one (1) stagehand on location with them, but all other production team members must be individually isolated.


RESPONSIBILITIES
If your show is accepted to Playbill VTF Live, you will be given a slot in which to produce your show, virtually. We are NOT producing your show, but are merely presenting it. You or your producing organization must hire your own cast, crew, and staff, run your own rehearsals, record your own live performance, etc. Your show must be produced in accordance with your place of residence’s COVID-19 guidelines.


SCHEDULING
Accepted shows will be scheduled into a single time slot for a LIVE performance during the festival broadcast. All shows must demonstrate that they are performing live by opening from a designated Starting Line shot of actors holding cell phone clocks visible to the judges (this shot will not be considered part of the performance). Any show that is prerecorded, or contains prerecorded portions, will be disqualified.

There will be a strict one-minute grace period allowed on either end of the time requirement to allow for the inherently unpredictable nature of live theatre. To maintain fairness, shows that run under or over the required times with the grace periods (under 7 or over 11 minutes) will not be eligible for prizes.


TECHNICAL/PRODUCTION
BeTerrific, the technology partner for Playbill VTF Live, will provide the technical elements to present your video stream live during the festival broadcast. All recording equipment will be up to the production company to provide – BeTerrific will ONLY be broadcasting your fully-produced and uploaded live video stream. We are working with BeTerrific to have equipment available for rental upon request, though this is not required to participate and we can’t guarantee the equipment you need will be available.


ACCEPTANCE
Playbill VTF Live will select 12 Participants and 6 Alternates. In the event a Participant is unable to present their work, an Alternate will be selected to participate. All applicants will receive acceptance status notification (i.e. Participant, Alternate, or Declined). Notification of acceptance status will be sent on or about August 24th, and confirmation is due from Participants by August 31st. At that time, if you are accepted and confirmed, you will receive a Participant’s Packet. Applicants may be asked to speak with our Technical Director to confirm production capabilities prior to final acceptance into the festival.


JUDGING CRITERIA
For the Judge’s Choice Award, productions will be evaluated on:
–General Audience Appeal – Does the production appeal to a wide range of audiences?
–Theme – Does the production have a clear concept?
–Execution – Does production effectively communicate its concept?
–Effective Use of “Live Online” – How well does the production make use of live online theater?
–Overall Performance – How well are all elements of the production presented?

The Audience Choice Award will be given to the production that receives the most votes from ticketed festival attendees.

The Storefront Theatre 8th annual 10-minute play festival

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Deadline: August 15, 2020 Midnight

Open to playwrights with U.S citizenship or Permanent Residency

The Storefront Theatre is accepting submissions for our 8th annual 10-minute play festival. Like all theatres at this time, we are uncertain as to the future but we’re going to take a chance that by next March, we will be able to present the plays on stage as live concert readings. If that isn’t possible, then we will present online as a video recording or live-stream.

A blind panel of judges with broad theatre experience will select 8-10 plays to be presented as concert readings and will choose a first place winner who will receive a cash award of $75.00.

Guidelines:

• Recently read plays are acceptable; published or produced plays are not
• No musicals
• No plays requiring children or teens in the cast
• No more than 2 characters with minimal set up and few stage directions
• Plays should be intended for a general audience
• Please use a standard format and font size no smaller than 12 point and no color other than black
• One submission per playwright in Word or PDF

Please submit by email as follows:
The subject line should contain ONLY the title of the play – no other words, letters, numbers, or symbols:
• Example subject line: Pedro’s Revenge
The body of the email must include the title of the play and the playwright’s contact information:
• playwright’s name
• mailing address
• phone(s)
• email
Do not send contact information as an attachment to the email.

Attach the play to the email:
The title of the play must match the title in the subject line.
• Example subject line: Pedro’s Revenge.
• Example attached play title: Pedro’s Revenge
The attached file should include cast and script
Do not include your name and/or contact information on the attached play. These are blind submissions. If your name appears on the title page or any other page of the script, it will be disqualified

By submitting, you are agreeing to all terms described above. Submissions that fail to meet these guidelines will not be accepted.

Submissions deadline:
Midnight – Saturday, August 15

Award-winning playwrights and all playwrights to be included in the festival reading will be notified by December 31, 2020.

SEND SUBMISSION

Radcliffe Institute Fellowship 2021

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Deadline: September 10, 2020

Cambridge, MA

Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, practitioners, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world.

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

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

Our online application for the 2021–2022 fellowship year is now available.

The deadline for applications in humanities, social sciences, and creative arts is September 10, 2020.

The deadline for applications in science, engineering, and mathematics is October 1, 2020.

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

The Crossroads Project: 2021 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative

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Deadline: August 15, 2020 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time

Normal IL

The 2021 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative welcomes submissions for full-length, unproduced plays by playwrights of color in accordance with the mission statement of the Crossroads Project (see below). A diverse panel of judges comprising of faculty, staff, and students will select one playwright as the winner of the contest.

The winning playwright will receive:

• An invitation to Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, IL for a one-week new play development workshop, culminating in a public staged reading. The playwright may also be invited to offer guest lectures and colloquia. The Crossroads Project will cover costs for travel, housing, and meals during the workshop.
• An honorarium of $500 for the workshop.

To be eligible to win the contest, a playwright must be available for a one-week workshop in late March 2021 (exact dates TBD). Due to funding limitations, the Crossroads Project can only cover costs for travel within the United States.

The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2020, 11:59 p.m. (central daylight time). There is no entry fee. We only accept electronic submissions in PDF format. Because our staff and resources are limited, we can only consider the first 100 submissions.

Please include in your submission:

• A sample from your play up to 15 pages. This does not have to be the first 15 pages of the play.
• A playwright’s statement (max. 250 words) describing your inspiration for writing the play, as well as how you believe a workshop in a university setting will further your development process.
• A synopsis of the play (max. 250 words).
• A character list with short descriptions for each character (age, ethnicity, gender, occupation, family relationships, etc.)

Please follow these guidelines when submitting your play:

• A playwright may only submit one play per contest. The writer of the play must submit their own work.
• Plays that have been previously fully produced or published are ineligible for the contest. Plays that have previously had workshops or staged readings are eligible.
• Submissions must be the original work of the playwright, which may include adaptations of fictional or factual material. Translations of other playwrights’ work are not accepted.
• The submitting playwright must either be the owner and controller of the copyright or provide written proof that they have acquired the legal right to use copyrighted material in their work.
• Submissions must be full-length plays.
• Musicals are not accepted. However, plays with limited music requirements are accepted.
• The primary language of the play must be English.
• There are no other restrictions in subject matter or style.
• The Crossroads Project reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted play for any reason.

To submit your play, use the play submission form . Please try the link first to check if the contest is still open.

We will contact semi-finalists by the end of October 2020 and ask them to submit the full play.

The winning playwright will be notified by mid-January 2021.

Inquiries about the Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative should be directed to:

Kee-Yoon Nahm, D.F.A.
Assistant Professor in Theatre Studies
Chair, The Crossroads Project

Email: knahm@ilstu.edu

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company Announces 2020 Emerging Playwrights’ Contest

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Deadline: August 15, 2020

NYC

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company is honored to announce a call for original plays, for its 3rd Annual Dr. R. J. Rodriguez Emerging Playwrights’ Contest.

But this year (in keeping with the earth-shaking events we are living through), PCTC is waiving entry fees. 

In lieu of the $35 fee, please consider donating to PCTC’s goal of bringing food supplies to our community partner Nazareth Housing. You may do so at: www.playhousecreatures.org. Your gift is tax-deductible.

Nazareth Housing is a community-based nonprofit serving vulnerable families of the LES. For almost 40 years, NH has helped families and individuals unlock their potential, build pathways out of poverty, and avoid homelessness. Since 2011, PCTC has provided the NH community with FREE theatre camps (“Little Creatures Act Out”), for over 1200 LES youth

PCTC Producing Artistic Director, Joseph W. Rodriguez, stated, ”PCTC stands with our brothers and sisters of color in seeking justice and structural, societal, change. There is no justice, until there is justice for ALL.

“We, as artists, are privileged to pursue our passions and dreams. It is our responsibility to seek change and justice actively, through our art. In pursuit of that understanding and justice, we are asking playwrights to create and share work that is malleable, fluid, and that will be accessible to traditionally underserved communities. “Therefore, given the fact we can’t share the winner’s work in a traditional theatre space, we are asking writers to create plays that will initially be shared on-line, but (adhering to social distancing guidelines) can easily be performed live—especially to underserved audiences. We are asking playwrights to follow these guidelines:”

A 30 minute play (or less), with a cast of 4 (or fewer);

A play that may be performed via internet, phone, or live (we’d love to bring it to the community—at a safe distance—when we are able to);

And, most importantly, a play that deals with the un-dealt-with racial divide we have been suffering through since 1619; and, how the Covid-19 pandemic has served as a pressure cooker of a catalyst. They are distinct, but certainly not unrelated. Our streets are filled with righteous anger, frustration, and indignation. As artists, what is OUR response? What is the message of hope we can bring? What is the vehicle we can create to give voice to the voiceless?
Please open your hearts and share your stories, the world wants and needs to hear them.

Submit to: 2020PCTC@gmail.com by August 15th

The winner will receive a Zoom workshop production, and $100 will be donated to the Nazareth Housing Food Pantry in their name.

Again, there is no entry fee. Submissions are accepted FREE. Donations are accepted at: www.playhousecreatures.org.

Almost Adults Productions is looking for 10-15 minute LGBTQ+ themed plays

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No deadline given

Almost Adults Productions is looking for 10-15 minute LGBTQ+ themed plays for an ongoing reading series to be presented on Zoom starting this summer. Writers do not have to be LGBTQ+ identified, but their material should be thematically relevant to the queer community. There is no requirement for premiere status. Writers will be asked to participate in the production of their reading but Almost Adults can help out wherever needed. At least one rehearsal will be required prior to each reading.

There is no deadline for submissions as they will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Send plays as Word or PDF documents to Aaron Leventman at writingcoachsf@gmail.com. Questions may be sent to this address as well. Writers may send up to three plays and will be notified within one month of submission.

We are also looking for actors and directors for this series. Please send an email if interested in participating.

Click here to read more about us or find us on Facebook.

Ten-Minute Musicals Project Annual Competition Guidelines

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Deadline: August 31, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

SUBMISSIONS SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEND TO:

The Ten-Minute Musicals Project

Michael Koppy, Producer

P.O. Box 461194

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fast-paced comedy material has an advantage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

WARREN MILLER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER/ MONTANA REPERTORY THEATRE INDIGENOUS ARTIST COMMISSION

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Deadline: August 31, 2020
The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and Montana Repertory Theatre seek proposals for a new theatrical work to premiere at Montana Repertory Theatre in its 2021/2022 season, followed by a statewide tour.

We seek proposals from Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations theater artists, with a particular interest in supporting a new work by an artist with a personal or ancestral relationship or association with Montana or a tribe in Montana.

While there are no restrictions as to content, we hope the commissioned work will speak directly to Montana and its people. We are especially interested in reviewing proposals for works that attempt to address the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

The commissioned artist will receive a fee of $10,000; development support in the form of an artist’s retreat in Big Sky and a workshop in the Bitterroot Lab at Montana Repertory Theatre; and research support from the University of Montana School of Law, the Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic, and the Payne Native American Center.

Commission parameters: The commissioned work could be a play; a piece of dance theater; an interdisciplinary performance event; or any work meant to be performed live for/with an audience.

Project timeline and process: The commissioned artist will have access to an artist retreat at Big Sky, hosted by the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, and to a workshop in the Bitterroot Lab at Montana Repertory Theatre. The timing of these development activities will remain flexible, pursuant to ongoing social distancing advisories. The project will culminate in a premiere production at Montana Repertory Theatre in April, 2022, followed by a statewide tour of Montana.

Proposals should include:

• An introduction to you and your previous artistic work. This could include a biography or brief personal statement; a resume or CV; and/or links to websites/media.
• A sample of previous artistic work: for playwrights, a full-length play (60+ pages); for dancers/choreographers, performance artists, and others, documentation of a full-length work (including but not limited to script, music, and/or video).
• A one-page proposal describing the project you would like to make.

The commissioning theaters are eager to receive proposals from any artist who feels called to this opportunity. Artists without formal resumes or CVs or documentation of their previous work are encouraged to apply. Please tell us about yourself and what you would like to make.

How to submit: Proposals will be accepted via Submittable (https://montanarep.submittable.com/submit) until August 31st. If you are not able to submit online, please call Michael Legg at 406-243-5288 to discuss other options.

‘Hear Me Out’ New American Monologue Competition Festival

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Deadline: August 15, 2020 Noon EDT
‘Hear Me Out’ New American Monologue Competition.
Labor Day, 2020. Festival Theme: ‘Me & My Masks’

All writers who consider themselves American are invited to submit one monologue on this year’s festival theme ‘Me & My Masks’ to compete for $5,000 in prizes and a shot at being named one of the 12 Finalist Winners which will premiere in a special Labor Day event open to the public and held entirely online via Zoom. The top cash prizes will be selected and awarded by an elite panel of judges including playwrights Kia Corthron, Gary Garrison, Julie Jensen, Kate Snodgrass and Doug Wright.

On Monday, September 7th, 2020, Roland Tec and Pinkplot Productions will host an online festival of monologues on the theme ‘Me & My Masks.’ All writers considering themselves American are invited to submit one monologue on this subject, not to exceed 4 pages or 2,000 words in length. Only one submission will be accepted from each writer.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Saturday, August 15th at Noon, EDT.

Monologues will be judged by a circle of theatre professionals on the following criteria:

Does the character speaking feel fully realized and authentically human?

Is this a monologue rather than just a story, the distinction being that in a monologue, the speaker’s intention drives the language from beginning to end. The person speaking is speaking for a reason, beyond the simple telling of a story.

Does the monologue relate in some way to the theme of the festival, “Me and My Masks?” Please note: The festival theme is intentionally open-ended. You may use the word “mask” literally or figuratively. Please consider the festival theme to be a point of departure, provided as your inspiration for your own wholly original creation. There is no need to incorporate any specific words or language into your entry. Please remember: the best monologues are born of a specific character in a specific situation speaking to a specific person or group of people.

Selection and Public Presentation:

Twelve monologues will be selected for online presentation at the September 7th Festival Event. From these twelve, three prizes will be awarded: The Golden Mask, The Silver Mask and the Bronze Mask. A Special Prize for the Most Daring Monologue will also be announced at the event. Audience capacity at this Labor Day Zoom Event will be capped at 250. Monday, September 7th at 6PM, EDT via Zoom.

In the tradition of so many great playwrights who began as actors, you are strongly encouraged to perform your own monologue. However if you’re absolutely terrified of this, you may bring your favorite actor friend to perform it for you or if that’s not feasible either you may indicate that you prefer we cast your monologue. (If you choose to leave the casting to us, monologues will be assigned to seasoned professional actors who will work on the material alone. If you wish to give notes to your actor before the presentation on September 7th, you may request a private YouTube video of your actor reading the monologue after which you may email notes. But actors who are generously giving their time to this experiment will not be allowed to enter into a formal rehearsal process.)

The 12 Competition Finalists’ entries will be assembled into a PDF and will be distributed to university theatre departments and conservatory training programs.

Regardless of whether your submission is chosen for the Labor Day presentation, all writers are encouraged to submit a video recording of their entry. All writer-created videos will be posted on a designated YouTube channel along with a link to the writer’s website or agent/representative email.

If you submit a monologue to the competition you’re strongly encouraged to attend the Labor Day Festival.

If your monologue is selected as one of the 12 Competition Finalists, your attendance at the September 7th Premiere (held online via Zoom) is mandatory. Any writer failing to attend the September 7th event will forfeit their position as one of the 12 Competition Finalists.


SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 15, 2020, Noon, EST.

Broadway Bound seeks scripts from Black playwrights

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Deadline: September 6, 2020

NYC

Recognizing that existing theatre is inherently exclusionary and holds detrimental biases, Broadway Bound Theatre Festival is changing its mission statement and creating a plan of action that is explicitely anti-racist. As Andre Lorde has claimed: "it is not difference that immobilizes, but silence."

We would like to invite Black playwrights, theatre-makers, and composers to submit their new scripts to BBTF for a spot in our 2021 Winter Festival at Theatre Row in Manhattan. 

We’ve waived both our $25 Reader Fee for all submissions and the $1000 Acceptance Fee, if your play or musical is selected. 

Musicals: Max 120 minutes plus a 10 minute intermission. 

Straight plays: Max 90 minutes in length; min 60 minutes with no intermission. 

This is an opportunity EXCLUSIVE TO BLACK ARTISTS. Submissions close Sept. 6, 2020 at midnight EST. You will be notified within 2 weeks of that date and receive a short critique of your work. Submit your finished script and complete the application on broadwayboundfestival.com.

No justice, no peace. The theater community needs to dismantle its system. BBTF is officially committed to lifelong plans of action and advocacy for Black lives. We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Four Walls Theater call for scripts

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Deadline: August 7, 2020

Four Walls Theater is a grass roots socially responsible theater that produces new plays through online readings, working with diverse artists from around the country. Four Walls Theater honors people of all backgrounds and works to create a safe and supportive community for our artists and audiences.

For our next show which will be in October, 2020, we would like to boost voices of playwrights who are BIPOC and/or who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you do not fall in these categories, please do not send work at this time. As we are performing a reading virtually, we have learned to ask for a few things with our scripts technically:

-Between 60-75 pages (no more than 75 pages)
-Between 4-7 actors (can be double cast)

-Diversity in the actors 

-Realistic capabilities for virtual readings

-Trans visibility/rights -weird illness
-health stories
-human rights

As a socially responsible theater, each show that we do chooses its own charity or non-profit that it will spotlight. A portion of all donations from the show will go to support that charity or non-profit. As a result, the topics that we are looking for are rather relevant to today’s world and we ask that playwrights consider this carefully:

- Trans visibility/rights

- political rights

- immigration/ICE

- weird illness

- unemployment

- education reform

- health stories

- gun control

- human rights

- voting rights

We are open to other stories as well but you have to make sure that we will think it is relevant to what audiences will be interested in hearing today as we traverse our current upside down world and barrel towards an election. We are open to biography, drama, comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, magical realism, adventure, historical drama, etc.

Here are a few things to avoid:

-horror
-a lot of violence
-scripts that require a lot of physicality
-TYA scripts
-scripts that require people to be talking simultaneously

To date, Four Walls Theater, founded in March, 2020, amidst the corona virus crisis, has produced three shows: Ageless by Bridgette Dutta Portman, Ghosts of Bogota by Diana Burbano, and Rights of Passage by Michelle Tyrene Johnson.
Submit your play by Friday, August 7 2020 to fourwallstheater@gmail.com. Put “Script Submission” with the title of your play in the subject of your email.

Raise Your Voice Playwright Competition

web site

Deadline: August 7, 2020

WINNERS WILL RECEIVE:

1) $200 cash award from Inclusion Media Group.
2) $200 cash award from Hosting Theatre.
3) A commitment from hosting theatre to host an online reading of the show.
4) A commitment from the hosting theatre to have a diverse production team (director, music director, etc).
5) A commitment to consider the show for future placement in an upcoming season.
6) If the reading is put on as a benefit, the hosting theatre commits to pay the winner 10% of the proceeds from the reading.

***Each theatre will choose their own winner. Therefore, there will be multiple winners since we have a lot of participating theatres.

DATES:

Submission Deadline: August 7, 2020
Notification Date: September 25, 2020
Reading: TBD (Each theatre will contact their winner with the production schedule between September 25 - October 2)

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

1) There is no entry fee. It is free to enter!
2) Plays and Musicals submitted before August 7, 2020 are eligible for consideration.
3) This competition is open to anyone who holds legal residence in the United States of America and/or are U.S. Citizens.
4) A signed Acknowledgement of Official Rules.
5) Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry to the competition and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.
6) Limit: Each participate can submit as many complete entries as one desires.
7) Theme: Plays and musicals may (a) tell a story that centers around BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ people or (b) feature characters of color.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

A) Musical Submission Guidelines

1) On the cover page of your script, please include a working link to the musical demos for the songs in the musical so that we can review the songs.
2) Please include the sheet music in the document submitted with your script.
3) Scripts should be in 12-point Courier font, written in English, and formatted using industry-accepted standards, available through software such as Final Draft, Celtx, etc.
4) Please submit a synopsis of 250 words or less, which includes a plot summary; description of major characters, setting, and time period; and the most important conflicts in the story. Please also include a link to your music demos at the end of your synopsis.
5) New drafts, substitutions or corrected pages will not be accepted after initial submission of each submitted work. Producer will not be responsible for submissions that are incomplete, lost, unintelligible, misdirected, or damaged while in transit.

B) Play Submission Guidelines

1) Scripts should be in 12-point Courier font, written in English, and formatted using industry-accepted standards, available through software such as Final Draft, Celtx, etc.
2) Please submit a synopsis of 250 words or less, which includes a plot summary; description of major characters, setting, and time period; and the most important conflicts in the story.
3) New drafts, substitutions or corrected pages will not be accepted after initial submission of each submitted work. Producer will not be responsible for submissions that are incomplete, lost, unintelligible, misdirected, or damaged while in transit.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

A) Plays and musicals should be the original work and sole property of the Participant(s) submitting them. Plays and musical that are collaborative works of no more than two writer(s) will be accepted so long as (i) each writer of the team submits an application and e-signs these Official Rules; (ii) the names of both writers are included in each application with one writer identified as the primary contact; (iii) each writer satisfies all Eligibility Requirements set forth in Section A, above, and is otherwise in compliance with and agrees to these Official Rules.

B) Plays and musicals may be in any genre, but should be intended for a live stage production.

C) Plays and musicals should not have been previously optioned, sold, licensed or produced as a live stage production, theatrical motion picture, television or online program.

D) Plays and musicals should not include material that: (i) defames any individual or entity; (ii) invades the privacy or misappropriates publicity rights of any third party; (iii) infringes the copyright of any third party or is otherwise unlawful or infringing; or (iv) is harmful to users of the Site or could adversely impact the Competition, Site, other Participants.

E) Participant acknowledges that Sponsors and Competition Entities may have motion pictures, television programs, live stage productions and other creative materials in development or production that include ideas, concepts, plots, characters, settings, and themes similar to Participant’s Submitted work and that Participant will not be entitled to any compensation or right to negotiate with Sponsors because of any such similarities. Nothing in these Official Rules or related materials shall create an implied or express contract to compensate Participants for their scripts, except as specifically described in these Official Rules.

F) Producer reserves the right to notify any Participant of Producer’s interest in negotiating directly with Participant to develop and potentially produce a work based on the Play or Musical submitted. If Participant agrees to move forward with such negotiation, Participant’s submitted Play or Musical will not move forward in subsequent rounds of the Competition.

G) Producer recommends that Participants register their Play or Musicals with the U.S. Copyright Office. Participants should retain all rights in their works throughout the Competition, so that if the Participant wins the Competition, Participant can assign rights in and to the work to Producer for production of the winning work, free of any limitations, restrictions or third party obligations.

COMPETITION PROCESS:

1) Initial Submissions that do not conform to technical requirements in these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2) Each Initial Submission that satisfies all the requirements in these Rules will be reviewed by a team of diverse judges assembled by the participating theater and ranked based on the following criteria (“Criteria”) on a scale from 1 (poor) to 10 (outstanding), with each evaluator assigning a number score for each of the listed criteria that will be added together to arrive at a total score for the Submission:

a) Originality/Creativity b) Structure c) Plot d) Pacing e) Character Development f) Diversity g) Music (if applicable) h) Lyrics (if applicable)

3) Each participating theater will choose one (1) winner each. Please note that it is possible that your project could be chosen by more than one participating theater.

PRIZE/WINNER’S OBLIGATIONS:

A) Each participating theater will choose one (1) winner. Each winning play and musicals will be awarded a $200 award from Inclusion Media Group and another $200 award from Hosting Theatre. Please note that it is possible that your project could be chosen by more than one participating theater. In the event that this happens, you will receive the GRAND PRIZE listed above from each participating theater.

B) Each participating theater commits to the following:
1) A commitment from hosting theatre to do an online reading of the show.
2) A commitment from the hosting theatre to have a diverse production team (director, music director, etc).
3) A commitment to consider the show for future placement in an upcoming season.
4) If the reading is put on as a benefit, the hosting theatre commits to pay the winner 10% of the proceeds from the reading.

MORE INFORMATION ON THEIR WEB SITE

HERE WE GO FESTIVAL

web site

Deadline: August 15, 2020

NYC

HERE WE GO: A Site-Specific Production Company, LLC is seeking submissions for our Summer 2021 Site-Specific Bi-Annual festival

We are a New York City-based production company that seeks to work with emerging and early-career artists! If you feel that you and your work fit this description, please fill out the form provided below to submitfor our festival.

International submissions are accepted, although please keep in mind that if selected for the festival, you may have to travel to NYC.

Submissions are open from August 1st, 2020 through August 15th , 2020.

Submissions must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Page Limit: Max 20 pages and 2 entries per writer
• Submissions must have a resume attached or a paragraph explaining career history if a resume is not available
• Please specify if the piece submitted has a director attached or if you will need to be paired up with one
• We do not accept plays/pieces that have been produced in NYC before (the exception in the case of staged readings)
• Script and resume must be submitted in PDF format
• Video submissions are allowed
• Run time of either submitted scripts and/or videos MUST be no longer than 20 - 25 minutes

Please note: No more than one piece per writer will be admitted to the festival.

Submissions Form: https://forms.gle/K9VTHjDMZQZLjVwo8

If you have any questions, please email herewegosubmissions@gmail.com.

Any submissions not submitted through this form, or submissions filed past the deadline will not be considered. We look forward to reading your pieces!

To learn more about the company, check out our website at herewegofestival.com or follow us on Instagram and Like us on Facebook @herewegofestival

Gallery Players 24th Annual Black Box New

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Deadline: August 15, 2020

The Gallery Players in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, is seeking plays for its 24th Annual Black Box New Play Festival to be held in January 2021.

We are specificallv seeking plays from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) playwriting community.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the upcoming festival will be performed over Zoom. Accordingly we are seeking plays that have been specifically written for the Zoom format. Each play selected will be performed with non-equity actors. Playwrights must be available for rehearsals and use this as an opportunity to continue work on their play.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: POST MARKED BY August 15th, 2020.

Submission guidelines:

• Plays must be un-produced in any format (readings are ok).

• Length may be from 10 minutes to 15 minutes MAXIMUM. Longer plays will not be considered.

• You may submit a maximum of 2 plays. 

• Pages must be numbered

• A cover page with Title of the play and the playwright’s contact information is required, along with a plot synopsis of the play, a character breakdown and a copy of your resume

• Send two copies of your play(s), along with your resume, to: 

The Gallery Players
Black Box New Play Festival
199 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215.

We will only contact you if your play has been accepted into the Festival. If you want confirmation that your mailing was received by us, please include a self-addressed stamped return postcard. We do not accept email submissions. We do not return scripts. Any scripts not chosen for the Festival will be destroyed to protect the copyright.

New Voices 2020 call for scripts

web site

Please note that we only accept submissions written for the stage or theatre by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations artists.

Deadline: August 10, 2020

Los Angeles CA

Native Voices is currently accepting submissions of full-length plays (60+ pages) by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations playwrights addressing all themes and topics.

2021 Playwrights Retreat and 27th Festival of New Plays

The Retreat and Festival bring artists to Los Angeles to work on 3–5 plays through a rigorous directorial and dramaturgical commitment for 8–10 days in May/June. The retreat culminates in public staged readings of the plays at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. Selected playwrights receive artistic support as well as an honorarium; out-of-town artists receive roundtrip airfare plus lodging in Southern California.

Selection Process: Full-length plays (60+ pages) received by August 10, 2020 will be read and evaluated. A select number of playwrights will be invited to submit formal proposals detailing their developmental goals should their play be chosen for the short list. Scripts will then be sent to a committee of nationally recognized theatre artists for further evaluation. With their help, Native Voices selects up to five plays for the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays. Playwrights will be notified in January 2021.

2021 OPEN Submission for Production Consideration

We accept scripts all year long. Do you have a full-length script that has been developed and produced that you’d like us to consider for a future Native Voices production in Los Angeles? Please follow the Checklist for All Submissions below and in the Native Voices Script Submission form check the box for 2021 General Submission for Production Consideration.
A Note About the Native Voices Distance Dramaturgy Process

Months prior to residencies at the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays, selected playwrights participate in dramaturgical conversations with an assigned director and dramaturg. Workshops with these creative teams and a cast of professional actors commence once the playwright arrives on-site. It is important to note that these conversations and workshops are playwright driven, allowing the writer to shape their own developmental path. Selected playwrights should be prepared to dedicate adequate time to this process prior to arriving on-site.

Checklist for All Submissions

• Please label script attachment as follows: PlayTitle_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc).
• All submissions must conform to a standard play-script format (one-inch margins, #12 Times or Courier font, all pages numbered).
• Include a title page with full contact information (mailing address, phone numbers, e-mail address) and a draft or revision date.
• Include a character breakdown at the beginning of your script.
• Provide a biography of 75–100 words. Please label attachment as follows: Bio_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: Bio_Doe, J.doc).
• Provide a press ready photo of at least 300dpi. Please label attachment as follows: Photo_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: Photo_Doe, J.doc).
• Provide development history for the play. Label attachment as follows: DevHistory_PlayTitle_Author’s Last Name, First Initial (Example: DevHistory_MyNewPlay_Doe, J.doc).

To submit, fill out our online form and upload your submission materials here: Native Voices Script Submission Form

Please do not send treatments or outlines. Previously submitted plays should only be resubmitted if the play has undergone significant dramatic changes. Previously produced plays should be submitted under the 2021 General Submission for Production Consideration. Plays that are not selected are kept on file for consideration for future opportunities. Playwrights are encouraged to make multiple submissions (up to three per event), but selection will be limited to only one play per playwright, per event.

Where to Send Submissions

We now only accept electronic submission (preferably PDF format).

To submit, fill out our online form and upload your materials here: Native Voices Script Submission Form

For More Information:

NVLiterary@theautry.org

Facebook.com/NativeVoices

Twitter.com/NativeVoices

Fleas on the Dog Open 4 Submissions

web site

Deadline: August 30, 2020

We’re the site your teacher warned you about! The no frills brown bag in your face thumb your nose online psychotropolis for the literarily insane. Get committed today! The infamous dude sextet is bustlin’, hustlin’, itchin’ and twitchin’ for QUALITY short fiction, nonfiction , poetry, plays and screenplays that smell ripe and kick ass for our cage-rattling upcoming Issue 7.

If we like what you submit we’ll be all over you; if we don’t we promise to be gentle, especially if it’s your first time.

There is no submission fee.

 There is no remuneration for work we publish, either, but what the heck, you're going to be famous! 

We'll get back to you in about 30 days, hopefully sooner. (Why should it take months?)

Fiction/Nonfiction: Up to 5000 words. Length is less important than quality. For works longer than 5000 words query the editors about possible serialization.

Submissions should be on a Microsoft Word doc or docx file. Use a sensible font. Double space format. Stuff like grammar and sentence structure  is important unless your work deliberately exploits bad grammar and lack of structure. (We can tell the difference.) 

Include a brief bio with your submission and publishing credits, if any.

Send your submission as an e-mail attachment to editors@fleasonthedog.com (or type in the link in the email address).

 Include the genre (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or play) and title of your work in the subject bar.  Simultaneous submissions are okay, just let us know when your work is accepted elsewhere. 

Multiple submissions are not okay unless solicited.

Submit to only one category per issue. 

If you have been published by us please do not resubmit for six months unless solicited. 

We retain the first rights of your work for a period of three months. After this time rights revert back to the author. If you should republish the story/article please acknowledge that it was first published by www.fleasonthedog.com

Diez Minutos 2021 seeks 10-minute plays

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Deadline: August 31, 2020 - midnight U.S. Central Standard Time

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Players Workshop seeks plays for its Ninth Annual International 10-Minute Play Festival. This fully-staged festival will be in English and will take place in March of 2021 in the international arts center of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico — a World Heritage Site brimming with charm, history, and culture. San Miguel was recently voted Conde Nast Traveler Magazine "Best City in the World.” In 2017, readers of Travel – Leisure Magazine voted it the #1 city in the world to visit.

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

Submission Guidelines

Players Workshop may delete, without reading, any submission that does not comply with these rules.

Only one play may be submitted per entrant. Send us your best!

Only the first 100 plays entered are guaranteed to be considered.

Scripts are not limited in subject matter or content. However, there must be no nudity, and suitability for performance before a general adult audience will be a factor in selection.

No musicals or children’s plays, please.

The play must be submitted by email, as an attached PDF file, with a separate PDF listing playwright information. No Word files or other formats will be accepted.

We’re asking for blind submissions again this year; your name must not appear on the script. The second PDF shall include all contact information for the playwright, including name, address, telephone number and email address on a separate title page.

The script must be in standard play format, with a title page, a character listing, the setting, props, and any technical requirements or other production considerations. The two PDF files should be titled "Submission [Name Of Play]” and "Title Page [Name Of Play].”

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

Submission period opens on August 1, 2020. Entries must be received prior to midnight U.S. Central Standard Time, August 31, 2020. No late submissions will be accepted because of transmission problems.

The play must be unpublished, but may have had previous productions. If the play has had previous productions, a production history must be included with the submission of the title page. The submitting playwright must own all rights to the play.

Selection of plays will be at the absolute discretion of the judges.

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

Notification is expected to be made no later than December 1, 2020. Only playwrights whose plays have been selected for performance during the festival will receive notification of acceptance.

Playwrights whose plays were received in the first 100 submitted will receive first-round notification. Producers reserve the right to consider additional plays not received in the first 100.

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

Entering playwrights grant the producers of Diez Minutos permission to perform the play a maximum of twelve times during the Diez Minutos festival (March 10 – 21, 2021), and to make as many copies of the script as are necessary for production. All other rights remain with the playwright.


Submitting Your Play

Please email your submission to: diezminutosfestival@gmail.com. Any inquiries should be sent to the same address.

Thanks, in advance, for helping us to make Diez Minutos 2021 a great success. We look forward to reading your entry.

Players Workshop San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Producer of Diez Minutos 2021