PLAYWRIGHTS’ REVOLUTION 2025

Website

Deadline: March 7, 2025
Only the first 350 submissions will be accepted

Complete the online submission form (https://bit.ly/PREV25) to provide Capital Stage with information about the playwright and the play, and to upload your submission.

Plays must be full-length in any genre: comedy, drama, etc. Musicals, translations, collections of one-acts, children’s plays and any play that has received a full-scale, professional production prior to submission are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading or non-professional production are still eligible. Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year.

Preference will be given to those plays that are aligned with Capital Stage’s mission to bring cutting-edge and thought-provoking plays to our community, constantly pursuing an artistic vision that explores the very core of what it means to be human.

The Selection Process

Capital Stage’s competitive selection process consists of two rounds. During the first round, up to 350 play excerpts submitted are reviewed. Then, selected playwrights are asked to provide a full manuscript of their play. Finally, Capital Stage invites 4 to 6 playwrights to have their work included in PLAYWRIGHTS’ REVOLUTION staged readings.

How to Apply 

• In order to be accepted, your script sample must be submitted as a single PDF file that meets the following requirements.File name must be “Author Last Name_Title of Play” (ex: Miller_Death of a Salesman)
• The first page(s) of the file must include: Title of play, character breakdown and descriptions, synopsis of the play
• The following pages must be a 10-page sample of the play
• DO NOT include the name of the author on any pages

Please note: Agents submitting on behalf of a playwright may submit full-length manuscripts following these same instructions.

Some recommendations from our literary manager: Make sure that your synopsis sets the reader up to understand what is going on in your sample. Remember that the reader only has this synopsis and the ten pages that you provide to get to know your work, and that is difficult to do if they are confused about the plot. Also, make sure you are submitting the best ten pages of your work! The sample does not need to be the first ten pages of the play; you should select whichever 10-page section you think presents the best argument for why we should want to read the whole thing.

2025 Deadline: Submissions will be accepted only from January 6 – March 7, 2025. Local, national, and international playwrights are encouraged to submit. 

Water’s Rising Festival of New Climate Action Plays

Website

Deadline: January 13, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

Gloucester Stage was built on lifting up new plays through first productions and staged readings. Since our founding, we have had an accessible play submission process for playwrights and have produced 39 world, 7 national, and 35 New England premieres with critical success. We are built on fostering new work.

The theater’s home in Gloucester has more than 62 miles of shorelines, with the building itself located in FEMA’s high-risk flood zone. What makes this location a beautiful destination contains an equally foreboding future as we see sea levels rise year after year. Our stage door looks out to Smith’s Cove along Rocky Neck, so we want to celebrate this location while creating avenues for awareness and continued conversation about our future.

Gloucester Stage is seeking full-length plays with themes concerning climate change. Coastal climate change is at the top of mind here, but we are open to all plays tackling any theme of climate action.

Unproduced plays will take priority, but fully-produced work can also be submitted. We will be giving priority to playwrights who live in New England or have a connection to the coasts of New England. At this time, we cannot accommodate plays featuring more than 6 actors. Three plays from the submitted pool will be selected by the Literary Team for the weekend of performances. Once selected, we will find a local director who shares a similar interest and aesthetic for the piece. Casting will be decided amongst the director, playwright, and GSC’s Artistic Director.
By pairing art with advocacy, we can deepen our connection to our earth’s future.

Last year we created conversations between art and climate action by pairing each reading with a climate expert, activist, and researchers in the area for a post-reading discussion. We found these conversations deeply insightful and will continue this effort moving forward. This pairing allowed the playwright to deepen their work and see how the themes impacted the local community of Gloucester as well as the global landscape.

Play Submission Form

Submissions are due Monday, January 13, 2025. You will be notified by Friday, March 7 as to whether or not your play has been chosen for a reading.

The readings will take place between Thursday, April 24 – Sunday, April 25, 2025. We would love to have the playwrights participate in the festival weekend, either virtually or in-person, so please note your availability when applying.

Gloucester Stage is committed to upholding the work of local authors and stories from under-represented communities. Learn more about our action steps on Equity Diversity and Inclusion.

 

PERSUASION: 2025 NEW PLAY COMMISSION

Website

Deadline: February 3, 2025

Or until they receive 150 submissions

SUBMISSION FORM

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

This year, we are exploring the concept of persuasion — a theme that explores how people make decisions and which information ecologies they trust. We are particularly interested in stories that ask:

• How do individuals or groups influence others’ beliefs or actions?
• What factors influence an individual’s decision-making?
• How do competing messages shape how we see and experience the world?
• How do we figure out what’s true when people see things so differently?
• What helps us talk and connect when we’re not starting from the same place?

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

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

SUBMIT 

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

ELIGIBILITY

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

SUBMISSION TIMELINE

Submissions Open: January 3, 2025
Proposal Deadline: February 3, 2025
Selection Notification/Execution of Agreement: By March 3, 2025

SUBMISSION PROCESS

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

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Playwrights should submit the following materials via our submission form:Proposal Narrative: 

• Provide a detailed concept for your play, including its themes, characters, and theatrical elements. (2,000 characters or less)
• Central Dramatic Question: Articulate the central dramatic question you would like to explore with this commission, understanding that it may evolve through the process. (2,000 characters or less)
• Playwriting Sample: Provide 10 pages from your body of work best showcase your voice and style.
• Artist Statement: How does your artistic approach align with the goals of this commission? (2,000 characters or less)
• Résumé or CV: What experience and achievements highlight your qualifications for this opportunity?
• References: Provide the contact information for three professional references.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

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

Feels Blind Literary welcomes plays for Issue #11

Website

Deadline: none provided 

The submission fee is always waived on Mondays.

Feels Blind Literary welcomes submissions of short fiction, creative nonfiction, plays, and art from new and emerging creatives who are women, nonbinary, trans, genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, etc. 

Submissions for Issue #11 should be sent to feelsblindliterary@gmail.com. 

Please include a short bio written in the third person.

​​We are adamant about not creating a barrier in terms of who can submit and how often, which is why every Monday is a free submission day during opening reading periods. On other days, we have decided to start collecting fees. Here's why—we've noticed many literary magazines and organizations expressing solidarity with social justice movements and we've been considering how to do the same. Feels Blind Literary is committed to speaking out against social and environmental injustice, police brutality, and unconstitutional attacks on our bodies and the free press. With that being said, we didn't feel just saying we're committed to these causes was enough. Rather, we knew we needed to demonstrate that commitment in tangible ways, both by continuing to elevate marginalized voices in the work that we publish and by raising money for causes we believe will help directly combat the -isms in this country.

​As such, all non-Monday submissions must include a $3 submission fee through the donation tab below. A portion of the fees for this reading period will go directly to a nonprofit addressing these issues in a tangible way. 

For this cycle, we are donating to Aid Access, submission fees for Issue #11 with go to Aid Access, one of the largest suppliers of abortion pills in the country. 

The site enables women to pay on a sliding scale based on need and other women can donate to help offset costs for those in need. They also ship abortion pills discreetly to all 50 states. They reported receiving 10,000 requests for the medication in the first 24 hours after the election was called, so they could use all of the help they can get. If you include a $10 donation, we will guarantee a 10-day or less response time to your work. If you include a $20 donation, we will guarantee a 24-hour or less response time to your work.

Artistic New Directions Theatre Company seeks short plays and monologues

Website

Deadline: January 30, 2025

Or when they receive 200 submissions

Submit scripts in PDF format only to andsubmissions1984@gmail.com Subject: ILL/CON 

ANDTheatre Company, NYC, seeks submissions of original, unpublished short plays and monologues that elicit a revelatory surprise to the audience or characters or both where what seems real is illusion when the truth is revealed. We are seeking the comic, dramatic, diverse, scintillating, edgy, quirky, spellbinding, gritty, mesmerizing, risky, whimsical, scandalous, and beyond.

Examples: Saki's "The Open Window" (feigned innocence), EAPoe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (escalating madness), Twilight Zone's "To Serve Man" (horrifying truth), Maxwell Anderson's The Bad Seed (parental nightmare)

NYC, Tristate, National, and Global submissions (English language only) are accepted. ONE submission per playwright.

ILLUSION?CONFUSION! runs from April 20 to April 23, 2025, in conjunction with the AND Short Play Festival (April 14 through April 27, 2025) at the American Theatre for Actors, NYC. All participants chosen must commit to tech and performances. All selected pieces will Tech as fully rehearsed and staged with prepared sound and light cues.

ILLUSION?CONFUSION! Guidelines for Submissions (maximum 200):

*Short Plays: MAXIMUM 30 minutes, two to five characters in real-time.

*Solos: MAXIMUM 7 minutes, single character.

*Excerpts from longer works are acceptable only if they can stand alone.

1) SIMPLE sets and costumes, minimal technical requirements, all at no cost to the company. Basic furniture is available. Any requirements and costs beyond these minimums are the responsibility of the playwright.

2) Limit to ONE submission by each playwright.

3) Production will be an Equity Approved Showcase. Non-Equity performers are welcome.

4) There is NO submission fee or acceptance fee.

Playwrights selected are responsible for staffing the director, cast, SM and/or ASM, and design team; rehearsal time and place; and any special requirements for set pieces, props, costumes, etc. AND is providing the theatre, tech team, box office personnel, limited stage crew (volunteers welcome), and marketing and advertising support for ILLUSION?CONFUSION!

Submission deadline: January 30, 2025. Notices: February 22, 2025 by email.

Theatre For All Short Play Readings 2025

Website

Deadline: January 20, 2025 at midnight

Queens Theatre is seeking submissions for Theatre For All Short Play Readings to be held in the Spring of 2025. These submissions will also be considered for BIRD Festival readings in Japan in the Fall of 2025.

Plays on all subjects by writers with disabilities will be considered, as well as plays by any writer which feature a character or characters with a disability. Please note that plays with disabled characters do not need to focus on disability as the topic. Along with your submission, include the following information:

I identify as a person living with a disability.
     or
I do not identify as disabled. One or more of the characters in my play have a disability.

Submissions should be no less than 5 minutes, and no longer than 10 minutes.

QT is seeking diversity in genre, including comedy, drama, satire, etc. Submissions can feature roles for seniors, children and young adults.

With the New American Voices Theatre For All Short Play Readings, Queens Theatre seeks to continue its mission to reflect perspectives on immigration, race, ethnicity, culture, nationality, religion, sexuality and gender.

Please email your play to roburbinati@gmail.com with Theatre For All Submission in the subject line. The deadline is Monday, January 20 at midnight.

The New Voices Theatre Festival of The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance

Website

Deadline:  January 31, 2025 at 11:59p Central Time

 Play submission form. 

The New Voices Theatre Festival of The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance is seeking stories from underrepresented communities.

The New Voices Theatre Festival is accepting submissions of unpublished and unproduced full-length plays to develop during a summer residency that will culminate in a staged reading. One new work from the festival will be chosen to be mounted as a fully-produced production during the upcoming season at The University of Alabama.

During the summer residency, plays may be collaboratively developed in the rehearsal space.

*The playwright must own all rights to their script.

How to Submit a Script

To submit a play for the 2025 New Voices Theatre Festival, please fill out the play submission form.
 

Submissions entered after the deadline will not be considered. 

Please submit scripts as PDF documents only. 

Please submit scripts with no identifying information about the playwright. 

With the script, include a brief plot synopsis, cast size, and character list with description.

At this time, all play submissions must be for full-length plays. Submissions may not exceed 90 minutes. Cast size is preferred to be between six to twelve characters.

Musical submissions are allowed. Please submit digital version of score.

***Musical submissions are allowed but must also include a digital version of the completed score for the entire piece.***

For any questions, please reach out to Asterilla Monteiro at amonteiro@ua.edu.

Who is Eligible to Submit

Any individual who has a unique story to share/tell that meets the submission requirements is encouraged to apply. Only one submission per individual.

All submissions will be reviewed blindly and chosen by a script selection committee.

Your selection status will be revealed no later than March 15, 2025.

Mixed Bag performance event seeks short plays in development

Website & Instagram

Deadline: January 13, 2025

Submit your in-development short piece (~10-15 min) on this short google form: 

GOOGLE DOCS SUBMISSION FORM

If it’s easier to send a PDF or Doc of the draft, you can email us at 46mincollective@gmail.com

Mixed Bag is a variety show for first drafts. We provide artists with a low-tech space and audiences to further develop their early works. We hope this will be a space to learn about your piece and discover the next steps in your process. If you are an artist in any medium with new work you want to test out, apply using the form below! We look forward to seeing what you have been working on!

Seeking  ~10 minutes, specifically in-development plays. This will be a low-tech staged performance of “in-progress” work to inspire further development for the artist 

Eligibility Restrictions:

Must be able to make it to the performance - (March 12, 2025 at The Brick Aux in Brooklyn, NY)

Yes, a playwright can submit more than one play

Playwrights and other artists can submit whatever they’d like - however, Mixed Bag is meant to be a a low tech //low stakes opportunity specifically for in-development new works 

Submitter will be notified on their submissions status TBD

The playwright must self-cast and self-produce their rehearsals. This event is meant to provide artists of all mediums a stage to present new works in progress to audiences in a low tech space

The 46 Minutes Collective is a non-hierarchical performance collective founded by artists committed to nurturing and producing boldly original, interdisciplinary time-based work. We aim to bolster emerging artists in their pursuit to push the limits of form, challenge the purity of medium, and foster collaborative processes. Our works exist in the in-between and the surreal; they tap on the fourth wall in a quest to make art that is accessible and creatively adventurous. 

Learn more about us on our website or follow us on Instagram @46mincollective.

Glass Ceiling Breakers 2025: A Festival of Short Plays and Films by Women Artists

Website

Deadline: January 17, 2025 at  11:59 PM

Plays must be submitted here: https://forms.gle/ieLvz8pZbwpQUgz68

GCB 2025 is scheduled for June 6, 7 and 8, 2025 at the Philipstown Depot Theatre in Garrison NY.
Submission guidelines for plays:

Plays must be written by female or female identifying playwrights.

They can be produced or unproduced plays. Feel free to send us plays that were produced years ago that you'd like to revisit! Plays that are currently being workshopped are also welcome.

Plays should be no more than 10 minutes (we mean it!) 12 pages max (excluding the title page) in standard play format. Type size (12) with 1” margins.

If the play is 12 pages but longer than 10 minutes (lots of text) playwright may be asked for revisions if selected.

Save File as follows in PDF only: LAST NAME_TITLE OF PLAY_GCB25

Monologues are accepted but we prefer plays. Monologues should not be more than 3 pages.

BIPOC playwrights are strongly encouraged to submit.

Theatre and/or Playwrights will be informed in Early March.

If selected, playwrights and/or theatre companies are responsible for producing their play. There is no compensation for plays. Theatre Revolution may provide some production assistance (not financial) by connecting producers to possible actors, directors, and props. Only non-union actors may be cast in plays.

In all cases, Theatre Revolution will provide limited set pieces, lighting and sound equipment, and production staff. There will be a mandatory pre-production meeting via ZOOM for all playwrights or their representatives in March 2025. Questions? Email us. theatrerevolution1@gmail.com We are looking forward to reading your work!

The Hunter College MFA Playwriting Program

 The Hunter College MFA Playwriting Program is accepting applications through January 15th! Please visit https://theatre.hunter.cuny.edu/mfa for more information.

Trinity Theatre Company New Works Festival 2025

Website

Deadline: January 17, 2025 at 11:59pm PST

Or the first 250 plays that meet the guidelines

The New Works Festival is designed to bring living playwrights and their words to the center of conversation. All plays are presented as Staged Readings, as to keep the words first.

Held in sunny San Diego, our annual New Works Festival solicits global submissions for new works, but uses the talents of local actors and directors, which allows for local and international discourse.

Seeking all lengths - the festival will feature 3 full length and 6-9 one acts OR 10-minute plays over the weekend.

In preparation for the weekend of readings, participating playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, actors, and TTC artistic staff gather remotely to read and discuss the plays, supporting the playwrights development of their work. The New Works Festival culminates in a 3-day event of readings, discussions, and social events.

The Theme -- the theme is intentionally vague, as we really just want to see what's "fun" to each playwright. It's one criteria that we use, out of many. So, please don't feel discouraged if it doesn't feel like an "exact" fit.

Target Audience -- this program is a part of our GUS initiatives, which is adult-based. Historically, the new works festival is most popular for our local theatre scholars and most frequent patrons (usually college aged OR 50s+)

Pay -- we do offer all actors, directors, and playwrights involved a modest honorarium (usually $50-100/performance, depending on length of play). First year, each event was hosted once. The second, we did each selection 3 times (with fewer shows). I believe we are aiming to do the same as year one -- a different set of shows each day.

Location - we make a point of selecting at least a couple San Diego plays, out of the dozen we will select. However, that has been between 33-66% of all selections the past two years. That said, we really do want to see what's out there both in our immediate community, as well as our more national (and international) communities. Last year, one of our selected plays from the Mid-West was not only selected, but also given a full commission to be mounted this season!

The 2025 New Works Festival will be presented for a public audience April 25-27, 2024.

TTC’s submission process is open to all playwrights, though priority may be given to those residing in San Diego, CA. Please review carefully:

• Plays must not have yet had a full professional production, nor be currently contracted for a full professional production.
• TTC will only accept one play by each playwright for consideration
• TTC will only accept plays submitted directly by playwrights. Agents, theatres, and fellow artists are encouraged to share the word with playwrights, but no third party submissions will be accepted.
• TTC will not accept musicals for the 2025 New Works Festival

To Submit Your Play:

• Send your play as an attachment in an email to sean@trinityttc.org with “NWF PLAY SUBMISSION” in the subject line.
• Scripts must be sent as a PDF and named in this manner:
• [YourLastName], [YourFirstName], [TitleofPlay], TTC2025
• (Example: Boyd, Sean, The Play, TTC2025)
• Please include the play's title and your name, email, and phone number on the cover page of the script and in the body of the email. Please also list your city and state of residence.
• If there’s any information you’d like to share with us about your play, please include it in the body of the email.

We will accept the first 250 plays we receive that meet our guidelines. We are now accepting submissions. The application process will remain open until 11:59pm PST, Friday, January 17, 2024.

Each applicant will be notified by the end of January 2025 whether or not their play has been accepted into the evaluation process. By February 15, each playwright whose play has been accepted for consideration will be informed of our final decision.

We very much appreciate your interest. Please address any questions to sean@trinityttc.org and we will get back to you as soon as we’re able.

NYLon Fusion seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: February 15, 2025

(Other deadlines see below)

All submissions should be sent to nylonfusion@gmail.com email address. 

NYLon Fusion is back and so is “This Rounds on Us”! 

We’re excited to present: LIFE IN TRANSITION. 

Please submit any scripts that speak to the following themes (each will have a separate festival within the 2025-26 season)

• The Gilded Age/Cage
• The New Deal 
• The Great Society 

Each submission should be no longer than ten pages or approximately 10 minutes in length. Not have been previously produced. 

We will notify those selected by the end of February/ March 2025. 

We are accepting new works for our 2025/ 2026 This Round’s On Us festivals, each of which will focus on certain broad eras.(see below). But the plays do not necessarily have to be set in these time periods, but they should at least be informed by the social, cultural and/or political happenings of the time. Whether you find inspiration in the movies, music or theater of a particular era, the major events that formed the historical narrative or which have been ignored by history, or the everyday lives of people in the bygone days of the not-so-long-ago, you can send your 10-minute play to NyLonFusion@gmail.com

#1: The Gilded Age/Cage Deadline: February 15th, 2025. (Festival June 27-28)

#2 The New Deal Deadline: June, 1, 2025 

#3 The Great Society Deadline November 12, 2025 

Geneva Theatre Guild seeks 10-minute plays

Website

Deadline: February 7, 2025

Or when 150 plays have been received

THEY HAVE REACHED THEIR 150 play cut-off and are no longer accepting submissions.

The Geneva Theatre Guild is now accepting submissions of original one-act play scripts with a running time of 30 minutes or less for the annual Playwrights Play Readings event. Submissions will be accepted from January 1, 2025 through February 7, 2025 or until 150 plays have been received.

This year, the Guild plans to present the readings live and in-person at local venues, scheduled for April 25, 26, &27, 2025. All selected playwrights will be invited to attend and participate in a talk-back session after each play.

Every play that meets our guidelines will be given a blind review by our play selection committee which will choose the plays to be presented this season. Following this procedure, playwrights of those plays chosen for the 2025 season will be notified. This will occur in mid-March.

· Include a brief synopsis of the plot, setting, and a list of characters before the first page of dialogue.

· All pages must be numbered.

· Human-generated only, no AI.

· Limit - One play per author.

· Plays should be unpublished (at the time of submission) and not previously submitted to the Geneva Theatre Guild's Playwrights Play Readings.

PLEASE NOTE: The number of submissions accepted will be cut off after the first 150 have been received.

Auditions for Playwrights Play Readings are scheduled for March 24 & 25, 2025. Further information about auditions will be released at a later date.

Please email info@genevatheatreguild.org with questions.

Heartland 2025 10-Minute Play Competition

Website

Deadline: February 1, 2025

SUBMISSION FORM

When next summer comes around there are two things you can count on—Heartland Theatre’s long-running annual 10-minute Play Festival and people having sales to get rid of stuff. In 2025, Heartland brings these summertime staples together on stage for “The Rummage Sale”.

We’re inviting playwrights to send us short plays that answer a simple question–if one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, what happens when those people come together? Well, that’s for playwrights all over the world to figure out. The Rummage Sale—Heartland Theatre’s 10-minute Play Festival for 2025. Now we’re accepting scripts and we’re looking forward to reading yours.

PERFORMANCES: May 29, 30, 31 & June 5, 6, 7, 8 | 12, 13, 14 – 2025

1. Your play must fit the theme – THE RUMMAGE SALE– or it will not be considered.

2. Your play must fit our theater and its performance space.

3. We require internet submissions in MS Word or PDF.

4. When formatting your play, we ask that you follow our style sheet.

5. We are looking for NEW plays. Please do not send us anything that has previously been produced.

6. Your play must contain at least two (2) characters, but no more than four (4).

7. Heartland Theatre Company has a pool of actors ranging in age from 18 to 80. Make sure that your characters can be played by actors within that range.

8. Your play should consist mainly of dialogue, not monologues.

9. No children’s plays, musicals, or plays which were previously chosen as winners in any Heartland Theatre playwriting competition will be considered.

10. Do not put your name on the play itself, as submissions are judged blind. Make sure your title and page numbers appear on every page of the play, however.

11. Please read and consider the Judging Criteria.

12. Those plays which win and are staged will be videotaped for archival purposes.

13. No contracts beyond the guidelines mentioned here will be offered.

14. Only one entry will be accepted from each playwright.

15. Your play must be written in English.

16. Keep your play under ten minutes in length.

17. Remember that something has to happen in those ten minutes.

18. MAKE IT GOOD!

Almost Adults Productions seeks short plays

Website

Deadline: January 30, 2025

They closed their submission window early.

Almost Adults Productions is open for submissions for their next production April 11 and 12th at Teatro Paraguas in Santa Fe, NM. 

People Have the Power will be a short play staged-reading program with the theme of social activism; individuals who make an impact on their communities and in the world at large. This is inspired by the Patti and Fred Smith song by the same name.

Plays must be under 13 minutes and can be based on real people or fictitious characters and situations. Deadline to receive plays is January 30th. 

"LOVE IS QUEER" play festival

Website

Deadline: January 7, 2025

VILLAGE PLAYWRIGHTS is accepting 10 minute plays for their "LOVE IS QUEER" play festival.

Plays should be submitted with the author's name only in the subject line of the email. 

The plays are selected by a committee.

Please submit to villageplaywrights@gmail.com 

Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC Performance Grant Winter 2025

Website

Deadline: February 5, 2025 at 9AM ET

or as soon as we receive 40 applications.

SUBMIT ONLINE HERE

Sometimes a specific work of art created by a dancer, a musician, an actor, a writer, is unfinished unless it has one more added and important piece: an audience. Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC awards performance grants to individuals focused on the production of theater, music, dance, and performance art.

Description: Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC will award a Performance Grant to individuals focused on the production of theatre, dance and performance art. (All of which can be accompanied by music)

Submission Capacity: To ensure that each submission receives the attention it deserves we will be only accepting 40 applications.

Deadline: Our Winter 2025 Grant cycle opens on Tuesday December 3rd, 2024 and closes on Monday February 3rd, 2025 or if we reach our limit of 40 applications, which ever comes first.

Amounts: Up to $10,000.00

Eligibility:

Performer(s) of theatre, dance and performance art (All of which can be accompanied by music).

Grants awarded in this category do not fund costs associated with the creating/composition of new work.

Performer(s) applying must be a current United States Citizen or Resident Alien and a current resident of New York City and have lived in New York City for a minimum of one year prior to applying and plan to be a resident through the completion of their project.

If your performance is a play, it must be a full production. Readings will not qualify.

We would prefer that the performance of your project take place in New York City’s five boroughs, or in a location in close proximity to New York City that has been discussed and approved by Café Royal Cultural Foundation. Email caferoyaldigital@gmail.com for inquiries.

Applicants can only apply with the same project twice.

Application Requirements: Up to and no more than 5 videos links of works/performances for the Café Royal Cultural Foundation Selection and Executive Committees to view or download. Please make sure your links are correct and not password protected. If they are not correct or have password protection your application will be declined and not reviewed by the Selection Committee.
If available, letter of intent from the venue with a date of planned performance. Please note that you do not have to have a commitment from a venue to receive a grant.
A short description of the performance / project.
A short artistic biography of the person(s) involved.
Budget must not exceed the amount of $10,000.00.
List of costs of how you plan to use the grant funds.
(Please review our lists of Approved and Ineligible Budget Items for Performance Grant Funds, in the application)

More information on Website link above.

Email caferoyaldigital@gmail.com for inquiries.

The Playwrights Group ~ start the New Year off right!

 The Weekly Workshop

Start the New Year off right! 

Join our nationwide community of playwrights on Zoom. 

It’s a great way to stay connected and motivated.

 

Participating in a weekly workshop can give you the kick you need to see your script through from beginning to end.  You can bring in anything you’re working on — a full length script, a musical, a TV pilot, whatever. And when your script is ready — we’ll present it in a Public Reading. We also bring in Guest Speakers, like Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret Edson (Wit). 

 

 

Sit in on a session and see for yourself!

Tuesdays or Thursdays 7 - 9:30pm EST

 

Check out our website for more details and rates. 

 

Script Consultations

 

If you don’t have time for the workshop but have a script you’d like some feedback on — just send a PDF of your script and you’ll get a critique via email and/or video conference. See website for rates.

 

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

•       3 Hour Short Course

 

All are with instructor Richard Caliban, and since it’s One on One, the courses can be adjusted to fit your level of experience. 

 

Please visit our website for further Info and Rates: 

 

www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

 

Contact us at 

scripts@theplaywrightsgroup.com

Second Annual Emerging Voices: A New Play Festival

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Website

Deadline: January 15, 2025

Once 25 have been reached no more will be accepted.

Submissions of one act/ two act plays begin January 2 midnight. 

Submit to fullcircleplayers1@gmail.com

We are looking for new, never been produced plays from Southern California playwrights only (prior staged readings are ok, but no full productions )

We are accepting the first 25 plays submitted. January 2 at midnight until January 15 or until filled.

1st place will be our fully produced feature play the next year.
1st  $200 plus featured in next season.
2nd  $100
3rd  $50

1.Play cannot have been a semi finalist, finalist or winner from a previous year.

2. In order to accommodate more playwrights, only one play per playwright will be accepted, unless all slots are not filled by January 10 then we will open for 2nd submissions.

3. One acts and two act plays accepted.

4. Plays not formatted correctly will not be accepted until formatted correctly or until slots are filled.

5. We will vet all semi finalist playwrights to see if the play has been produced, plays cannot be produced from time of submission January2- May 2025 if selected to move forward in the festival.
-* plays discovered to be produced, staged reading or otherwise January 2, 2025-Finals in May will be disqualified. 

6. We will select six semi finalists based on a rubric for a staged zoom reading, 4 will move to finals for an in person staged reading at The Box Theatre in May.

7. Every play submitted will be read two times by qualified writers and theatre practioners.

8. Early submissions will be sent back to the playwright.

9. Play readings will occur from January 8-March 1. Semi finalists will be contacted March 15.

Happy New Year 2025

Happy New Year to all the playwrights and non-playwrights all around the world!

 

Theatre Now Soundbites seeks 10-minute musicals

Website

Deadline: January 3, 2025 at midnight

SUBMISSION FORM

Theatre Now defines a 10-minute musical as any piece that can be performed in 10 minutes or less; has a beginning, middle, and end story arc; and includes music. Having produced nearly 100 pieces, we want musicals that are diverse and current, that test the musical form and communicate a well-crafted story. We accept musicals across all styles and genres and are happy to consider foreign language and/or bilingual scripts. We strongly encourage submissions from female writers, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers.

As Theatre Now is an artist service organization and the producer of SOUND BITES, we cover the majority of your expenses and costs. We're the only short musical theatre festival that offers artists honorariums and rehearsal reimbursements for each piece. That being said, there are some out-of-pocket costs depending on your show's requirements (cast & creative team size, number of rehearsals, size of rehearsal space, etc.) and personal choice. Most of these costs relate to specific set-dressing, props and costumes for your show and additional personnel such as musicians.

Please review the following criteria thoroughly before sending your submission:

Ten-minute musicals will be accepted from September 1st, 2024 - January 3rd, 2025 at midnight.

Submissions won’t be considered before or after the deadline.

Musical theatre writers can only submit up to two scripts.

The story must have a beginning, middle, and end.

We accept submissions in foreign languages or that are bilingual. Although the application process is in English, the work itself may be submitted and performed in any other language if selected.

Each piece must include music.

All submissions must be submitted via this website. No physical copies.

Each musical must not exceed ten minutes when performed. If accepted, cuts may be required.

Longer one-acts or full-length musicals will not be considered, although the submission may be a 10-minute portion of a longer piece as long as it tells a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end story arc.

A musical may be a previously-produced work with a production history.

We have no formal script formatting guidelines, but all scripts should be easy to read.

The volume of submissions prevents us from providing feedback on all submissions.

If your piece is visual (i.e. choreography-heavy), please include video footage or detailed descriptions.

We expect to contact all writers by mid-February, 2025 on the status of their submission with one of the following emails:

An acceptance email into the festival that will include additional information to confirm their involvement. 

A waitlist email. In the event an accepted musical declines their participation, a selected waitlisted musical will be notified to serve as a replacement.

The remaining musicals will receive a "not selected" email and are encouraged to submit again next year.

WINTER 2025 Online Class in Writing the Ten-Minute Play

Winter online classes in Writing the Ten-Minute Play are now open for enrollment.

Award-winning playwright and musical theatre writer Arianna Rose is offering two online sessions in Writing The Ten-Minute Play.

Arianna has taught this course for the Dramatists Guild Institute, Delray Beach Playhouse and the Creative Arts School, and other playwriting and creative writing courses both online and in-person in NY and FL.

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

Eight Sessions, 3 hours each session: choose one section

1. Tuesdays, 1 – 4 pm EST (January 21 – March 11)

2. Thursdays, 6:30 - 9:30 pm EST, (January 23 – March 13)

Tution: $ 320

Discount: $20 discount for members of The Dramatists Guild, Playwright Binge, or South Florida Theatre League

Minimum of 4 participants per section; maximum of 8.

Course Description:

Ten-minute play festivals continue to grow in popularity around the world, with readings, productions, and publications at every level of theatre. While short-form plays share some similarities with full-length storytelling, the dramatists who excel in this form have learned how to write into the differences. I can help you join their ranks and give you the tools to write to the highest level of craft.

This eight-session course is a combination of lecture, reading, discussion, and most importantly, in-class sharing of your work for feedback. Whether you’re a new or seasoned dramatist, Writing The Ten-Minute Play will assist you in your craft. Topics include the elements of a successful 10-minute play, generating ideas, character development, giving and receiving constructive feedback, effective rewrites, formatting your play, submissions, and log-keeping.

Please contact Arianna Rose at rockawayrose@gmail.com, or via her website where there is more course information: https://ariannarose.net/playwriting-classes-and-other-workshops

Arianna Rose is the Dramatists Guild Ambassador for South Florida, a Dramatists Guild Institute Instructor and Pip Mentor, professional dramaturg, Theatre Professor, and an award-winning playwright and musical theatre writer. Recipient of the MAC Song of the Year Award, the York Theatre NEO, and numerous best short play awards. Her work has been produced in 36 states and ten countries. Published: Smith & Kraus, Applause Books, Theatre Odyssey Publications & Gemco Publications Australia. 2019-2021 Miami-Dade County Playwright Development Program, moderated by Kia Corthron. She created and moderates the weekly Plays on Purpose/Miami New Musicals stage writers group, in its sixth year. M.F.A., NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing; B.A. Theatre, Bucknell University; BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. Memberships: ASCAP, LMDA, MAESTRA, Musicians Union, New Play Exchange, South Florida Theatre League, Dramatists Guild of America  http://www.ariannarose.net

Interested but not available?

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

One-on-One Private Dramaturgy

If you prefer one-on-one coaching, I have been a member of the Dramaturg and Literary Managers Association of the Americas (LMDA) for the past three years and have helped many writers with their work. I specialize in short plays. More information here: http://ariannarose.net/dramaturg-for-hire

Hugo Burge New Writing for Theatre Residency - April 2025

Website

Deadline: January 9, 2025 7:00 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

This is a residency for a writer at any stage of their career who is writing a new piece of work for theatre.

The successful applicant will receive private use of the Tower Studio, on-site accommodation in one of our cosy Hobbit Pods, and a weekly stipend of £350.

In addition, this residency is part of a partnership with DunsPlayFest who have kindly offered to work with the successful resident to stage a scratch reading or rehearsed reading as part of PlayFest 2025.

DunsPlayFest was established in 2019 as a nine day-long celebration of brand-new theatre and dramatic writing, all staged in the historic Borders town of Duns.

You will be able to spend time with other artists and makers on site, along with another visiting artist also on residency. Our Creative Director, Dr James Fox will provide mentorship during your stay.

Greenwood Lake Theater New Works Series seeks full-length, one-act plays

Website

Deadline: January 7, 2025

New Deadline: January 1, 2025

Please send script submissions to info@greenwoodlaketheater.org

Greenwood Lake Theater is seeking submissions for their upcoming New Works Series, which will be produced in spring of 2025. Each selected play will receive a short workshop and produced staged reading at our home theater in Mountain Lake Park (Warwick, NY). This project is made possible by a grant through Arts Mid-Hudson.

Both full-length and one-act length (of at least approx. 40 minutes) plays/musicals will be considered. We are not considering any shorter scripts- such as 10-minute plays- for this particular project.

We are only considering submissions of new works that have not yet received any kind of public presentation. If your piece has had a public reading or workshop, it will not be considered for this particular project.

While all submissions will be considered, we particularly encourage BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ playwrights to submit their work, as well as any playwrights local to the Hudson Valley region.

The dates listed represent the full time frame for the project. The time commitment for each project is 2 days, plus 2 virtual production meetings.

Selected plays will receive two days of workshop/rehearsal time, followed by a public presentation staged reading. There will be a Q&A/talkback after each staged reading, so that both the playwright and Greenwood Lake Theater may gather thoughts and reactions from the audience. While these will not be full productions, we would like to give them enough staging/basic technical design to suggest what a full production may look like.

Each play will have a director and designer, hired by Greenwood Lake Theater. The playwright will have the opportunity to meet with them in the weeks leading up to their workshop so that they may collaborate on a vision for the piece.

Each playwright selected will be paid an honorarium for their participation in this series. All directors, designers, and actors will be paid as well. The public presentations of these works will be free for the public to attend, and will take place at our home theater at Mountain Lake Park in Warwick, NY.

Selected playwrights will be notified by January 31, 2025.

We anticipate presenting these works from March to May 2025

One of the aims of this series is to help foster dialogue between playwrights and theater producers. We have received many script submissions over the years, and are rarely able to produce any of them. Not because they aren’t wonderful scripts, but because they are in some way unscalable for a small Equity regional theater. We will provide feedback for every submission received. We are not looking to influence what anyone writes. But for playwrights who are seeking to have their plays produced and seen, we hope to offer greater insight into the logistics of what smaller companies can/can’t do, so that their plays are sent to companies that best align with the needs of their work.

CURTAIN RISING Mini Reading Festival

Website

Deadline: January 10, 2025 

or upon reaching 25 accepted entries

SUBMISSION FORM

CURTAIN RISING is a Mini Reading Festival dedicated to uplifting early-stage playwrights and their untold stories. This initiative creates an inclusive platform for diverse voices, fostering dialogue on themes of alienation, reconciliation, and humanity. Through thought-provoking theater, we aim to inspire empathy, compassion, and social change.

Open to playwrights whose work has not been staged in a total production, including festivals and showcases.
Length: Plays must be under 90 minutes.
Characters: Limited to six (6) characters.
Location: Playwrights must be based in or have access to NYC.

Content: This should align with our mission, reflecting social impact themes:

" Develop and produce new plays and musicals that inspire and compel
social change by telling stories that expose our humanity. By illuminating social and
ethical questions through art, we strive to create provocative theater that promotes empathy, compassion, and inclusion."

Awards & Benefits
Development of the two winning plays through a 29-hour Equity developmental
presentation, including full creative teams.

The Gayle Waxenberg Award and financial stipend.

Exposure to theater patrons and industry professionals.

Festival Details
Venue: Sea Dog Theater at St. George's Episcopal Church.

Event: Two staged, developmental readings, separated by an intermission, performed
before an audience of industry professionals and theater patrons, followed by a
celebratory award ceremony.

Join Us in Spotlighting Emerging Voices!
Playwrights, universities, and creative communities are encouraged to participate. Together,
we’ll shape stories that challenge perspectives, celebrate diversity, and inspire change.

Winners Announced: March 10, 2025

Rehearsals: April 21–26, 2025

Final Presentation: April 26, 2025

For more information: curtainrising@newyorkrep.org