Award-winning comedic playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering 1x1 private coaching

Award-winning comedic playwright and screenwriter Sarah Congress is offering 1x1 private coaching — online/from the comfort of your own home!

Whether you need help writing your very first play, are a seasoned writer struggling to finish a TV pilot, need some edits on a commercial script, or just want some fun writing prompts and a burst of intuition, Sarah can help.

"Writing a play was always a dream but as a fiction writer and journalist, I couldn’t figure out how to make it work. In just a few sessions, I’ve experienced several “a-ha” moments with Sarah. I always leave my time with her excited by my project and its potential. The skills I've learned have made me a better writer all around. I don’t think I would have ever written a play without her input."

---Leah Eichler, award-winning short story writer and publisher of Esoterica magazine

Visit Sarah's website here: https://sarahcongress.com/
Or shoot her an email at sarah.congress@gmail.com to learn more

Nomad Theatre seeks new unproduced short plays

Website

Deadline: see below

Nomad Theatre seeks new unproduced short plays to be a part of our upcoming season! Our mission is to provide an immersive theatre experience by exposing audience members to eclectic and moving stories, taking theatre outside of a traditional theatre space and into site-specific locations.

This year, we have three opportunities for playwrights to submit their original new short plays:

The Polling Place

Submissions close on 7/15/24 and selected playwrights will be notified by 9/1/24
bit.ly/writeforpolling

The Fireside Plays
Submissions close on 9/15/24 and selected playwrights will be notified by 1/8/25
bit.ly/writeforfireside

The Garden Plays
Submissions close on 1/15/25 and selected playwrights will be notified by 4/15/25
bit.ly/writeforgardens

Open to US playwrights, selected plays in our mainstage season receive a $15 honorarium ($40 for one-acts selected for By The Fireside) full production and a ticket to attend. Selected plays must be unpublished and unproduced at time of submission. We encourage anyone to submit, even if you’ve never written a play, especially underrepresented playwrights, including women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, etc. Nomad will not produce theatre that is derogatory.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• How well it meets the theme.
• Overall writing quality (Plot - we like different or quirky, weird, out-of-the-box theatre; Character Development; Dialogue)
• Suitability for our actors and space - low tech, 1-4 characters, flexible casting

Submission Guidelines:

One submission per playwright per opportunity (three submissions total)

We suggest formatting similar to the Dramatist Guild Guidelines

A cover page should include the title, the playwright’s name, contact information, a brief synopsis, and character descriptions
Pages should be numbered
Minimum of 1, maximum of 4 characters
No musicals

If you have questions or need any accommodations for submission, please email Nomad Theatre at nomadtheatresubmissions@gmail.com

The 15th Annual Northport One-Act Play Festival

Website

Deadline: June 1, 2024

Submission form to print and fill out here

The 2024 Northport One-Act Play Festival will be held at St Paul’s United Methodist Church, 270 Main St, Northport, NY 11768.

We request that you be available to attend your play’s performances if possible. An Open Discussion with the playwrights, directors, and cast may follow each performance if time allows.

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR SCRIPT:

1) Please make sure your script pages are numbered;

2) On the cover of your script, please include a.) Name of Your Play, b.) Your Name, c.) Your Contact information [Address, Telephone Number & Email];

3) Include the character breakdown on the second page of your script;

4) Include the Setting that your play occurs (i.e., an apartment in NYC.) and the Time (i.e. the Present.) on the second page. This information will be used in the program.

5) Note: Ease of production is also considered as part of a play’s possible selection for the Festival. We recommend one simple set and no complicated props, sound or lighting requirements. You will bepermitted to have opening and closing music which is in the public domain: no music which requires a royalty. We suggest no more than 4 characters.

6) Also submit a digital copy of your script, either on a CD included with the script, or by email to NorthportPlays@gmail.com.

7) Please include a Self Addressed Stamped Postcard if you would like notification that we have received your script.

PRODUCING YOUR PLAY:

1.     REMEMBER: If you do not produce your own play, a group from the local theater community will be doing so. That group must find space to conduct their own rehearsals. The Northport One-Act Play Festival will provide for One (1) cue-to-cue technical rehearsal, which will last no longer than 20 minutes in the theater during the weekpreceding the Festival. There will also be One (1) tech and one

(1) dress rehearsal on the stage. All rehearsals are scheduled in the order that plays will be presented in the Festival.Each program consists of up to 7 plays. A mandatory preview on Sep 14^th will be scheduled and must be attended by Director and actors. Half-hour time slots will be offered between 11:00am and 5:00pm.

2.     LIGHTING AND SOUND: There will be a basic lighting plot that all plays in the Festival use. Any additionalequipment (i.e., microphone, musical instruments, etc.) must be provided by the Directors of the play. Any music/sound effects must be on CD or sent as an MP3 file and supplied by preview day, Sep 14^th, along with stage manager, sound and lighting cue scripts (3 separate notated scripts).

3.     SETS: We will assist in any way possible to provide basic sets but keep the scenery and props to a minimum. Any plans to use a large set piece to support the production must be mentioned to the producers of the play before Sep 14^th. Your cast will be asked to help clear your set after each performance.

4.     RUNNING TIME: It is very important that you give us the running time of your play so we can accurately puttogether the running time of each Program. The maximum running time for a play in the Festival is 20 minutes. Any play going longer in rehearsal will require some editing. The minimum running time is 7 minutes.

5.     REHEARSALS: Directors and cast must be available to present their play to Festival producers

Sep 14^th (time to be determined) so that the producers are aware of its current running time and readiness for theFestival. Note: Producers may request the directors to have playwrights make edits to reduce the running time of the play at this point if it is determined that it will run past 20 minutes.

Directors and cast must attend tech and dress rehearsals on the dates assigned during the week preceding the Festival.

6.     ACTORS: If asked, management can assist in casting by providing contact information to appropriate actors and publicizing your auditions. Director must send descriptions of open roles, e.g. age, sex, etc.

7.     PERFORMANCES: All plays will be assigned to either Program 1 or Program 2. Program 1 will be performed the evening of Friday, Sep 27^th and the matinee of Saturday, Sep 28^th. Program 2 will be performed on the evening of Saturday, Sep 28^th and the matinee of Sunday, Sep 29^th.

8.     No Royalties or other monetary compensations are given for these performances.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: You will need to keep the technical requirements for your show very simple. There willbe a general light plot, with specials that everyone involved in the Festival will use. Sound is basic. Directors should submit their sound and music on a CD or MP3 file before Sep 14^th. Directors will have a chance to discuss tech with the staff at this Preview Day. Storage space is limited so you should keep your props and set to a minimum. Each play will have onecue to cue technical rehearsal for 20 minutes in the theater during the week prior to the Festival and one dress rehearsal.

PUBLICITY: Northport Plays, Inc will publicize the Northport One-Act Play Festival and coordinate overall press relations, including interviews and media attendance at performances. The directors will be asked to submit publicity photos & PR materials so that we can send complete press packages to print, broadcast and social media. A copy of the flyer/poster will be emailed to all parties. You are responsible for publicizing your own show through your own pressreleases, Facebook, and other means. The more you promote your show, the larger your potential audience. Northport One-Act Play Festival will produce a playbill for both Programs.

EXCLUSIVITY: Whether or not your play is accepted in the Northport One-Act Play Festival, Northport Reader’sTheater will try to include your script in their monthly hybrid readings. You will be invited to attend the reading of your play if it is scheduled. The readings are followed by a discussion of the play. If you are unable to attend, a video will be made of the reading and the link sent to you.

NETWORKING: The Northport One-Act Play Festival is a wonderful place for talent to network and be considered for new projects. Just think, at every performance your work will be seen by other playwrights, directors, and actors. In addition,there will be an opportunity for the playwrights and casts to meet the audience following each Program. The Northport One-Act Play Festival is a great place to be seen and be heard. Several Festival plays have gone on to runs on Long Island and in New York City.

PLEASE NOTE: The goal of the Northport One-Act Play Festival is to provide a nurturing environment to develop and showcase new plays. We pride ourselves in providing a platform to present diverse, exciting, new works that capture the pulse of innovative theatre. We enjoy the wide range of talent that we have been able to provide and a stage and for artists to present new work. We take several factors into consideration when deciding to accept a play into the Festival. Subjectmatter, creativity and freshness are important factors. Tell us in your cover letter why you feel you need to be a part of the Northport One-Act Play Festival.

ACCEPTANCE: All applicants will receive acceptance status notification (i.e. accepted or declined). Notification of acceptance status will begin to be mailed on or about July 1, 2024. If your play is accepted, you will receive a Release Agreement to participate in the Festival. You will have until July 15, 2024 to sign the Agreement and mail it to us along with your $75 participation fee. If your play is accepted into the Festival, you will be told in which Program your play will be performed. If you have a conflict with any of the dates, please note it on your submission form. You will receive two complimentary tickets to each performance of your play and a DVD of or link to the performance.

TICKETS: The Northport One-Act Play Festival tickets will be available for sale online beginning in September 2024. Information will be available at www.NorthportPlays.com or 631-223-8053.

NY THEATER FESTIVAL SPRING/SUMMER and FALL/WINTER 2024

  NY THEATER FESTIVAL

SPRING/SUMMER and FALL/WINTER 2024

25TH CONTINUOUS SEASON

 

THE NEW YORK THEATER FESTIVAL COMPETITION 

for PLAYS and MUSICALS

 TOTAL PRIZES $8,000 • FIRST PRIZE $3,500 • FULL LENGTHS • ONE ACTS • SHORTS • SOLOS

Producing your play or musical is the best way to review and develop your work.

 

TESTIMONIALS

https://newyorktheaterfestival.com/testimonials/

 

ALL PRODUCTIONS CAN OBTAIN A VIDEO RECORDING OF THEIR SHOWS

 

 

WE MAKE A VIDEO RECORDING OF THE PRODUCTION AVAILABLE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS – WE USE FOUR CAMERAS SO PARTICIPANTS HAVE FOUR CAMERAS ANGLES WITH WHICH TO EDIT INTO A COHESIVE CUT.

 

THE FESTIVAL OFFERS RAW FOOTAGE FROM 4 CAMERAS OR CAN SIMPLY DELIVER THE RAW FOOTAGE FROM THE CENTRAL CAMERA’S WIDE ANGLE WHICH CAN FUNCTION AS A RECORDING WITHOUT ANY EDITING REQUIRED.

 

PARTICIPANTS CAN USE THE RECORDING OF THEIR SHOWS AS AN ASSET FOR FUTURE MARKETING AND TO PROVIDE REEL MATERIAL FOR FUTURE INDUSTRY MANAGERS 

 

FURTHERMORE, FILMING THE SHOW MEANS THAT FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN PURCHASE TICKETS TO ATTEND OVER ZOOM - SPECIFICALLY THOSE WHO CAN'T TRAVEL TO SEE THE PERFORMANCES. THIS MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO ANYONE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY OR THE WORLD

 

When you stage your work, you discover ways to enhance and improve your presentation and story.

This is a unique opportunity to invite people from the industry to see your production! People are more likely to go see a show than to read an unsolicited script - some industry people receive on average thousands of submissions per month. They understand that the journey for a show to be successful often goes through several productions and this is your chance to show that you can start that process! 

Our dedicated team is here to help you get your work out. We are with you from the moment you begin tech rehearsals, all the way through to your closing performance.

You will never be left alone during the process. We will help you choose from the 85 set/furniture pieces we offer to dress your stage for your run, and we will give you a complete crash course on how to use the audio/light/video system in just 3 minutes, which are intentionally designed to be very user friendly. 

 

After we show you how to use the tools we provide and how to best utilize the space, The Festival’s team will provide prime responses to every inquiry, as well as a telephone # you can call anytime during relevant hours throughout the run of your show

 

In 12 years and 22 seasons we have successfully hosted 1,400 plays and 300 musicals, as well as rewarding over 300 participating artists cash prizes.

 

Yours could be the next production onstage!

 

AMERICA'S LARGEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS PLAYWRIGHT-MUSICAL FESTIVAL-COMPETITION

 

To submit to the Festival, go to:

https://NewYorkTheaterFestival.com/ 

Send your submissions now – we only accept submissions from playwrights who lives within 30 miles of Manhattan.

 

The Garden State New Play Festival: Bridging Art and Community

Website

Deadline: June 30th, 2024

Submissions via Google Docs Form

The New Jersey Play Lab is thrilled to partner with Jersey City Theatre Center (JCTC) and the Department of Theatre and Dance’s BA Theatre Studies Program at Montclair State University on The Garden State New Play Festival, an innovative model that reimagines the approach to new play development and festivals, fostering a supportive environment for playwrights while actively engaging audiences and communities.

Submissions are now open for the inaugural festival which will take place in the spring of 2025. Submissions will be accepted through June 30th, 2024

Plays in all styles and traditions that center around social justice (locally, nationally, or globally) will be considered. Social Justice can mean many things so we encourage playwrights to think broadly, individually, and personally around this topic. 

There are no residency restrictions on submissions, but playwrights will be expected to be in-person in Jersey City on a number of occasions between October 2024 and May 2025. There is assistance with housing but travel costs are not included and will be the responsibility of the playwright.

Playwrights must submit and will be chosen for this new play festival in one of the following categories:Working or Career Playwrights (This category is for writers who consider playwriting to be their primary career path.) 

Beginning or Non-Career Playwrights (This category may include writers who are relatively new to the full-length format, or writers who have been creating plays for years but have opted for an alternative professional career path).

Playwrights should submit:

• a cover letter
• a resume
• a synopsis of the play
• the first 20 pages of the play

Other participants in this multi-faceted festival will include community members from Jersey City-based advocacy groups, student playwrights from local universities and high schools, and an international artist either from abroad, or from one of the area’s thriving immigrant populations.

All of these artists will engage in a 6 month (October-March) development and exchange program under the dramaturgical guidance of The NJPL, with assistance and mentored participation from Dramaturgy Students and Alumni from The BA Theatre Program at Montclair State University .

This new approach to new play development aims to bring artists of all career levels together without barriers of hierarchy, and to blur the lines between artist and audience, while still respecting the integrity of each individual artist’s craft and experience. It aims to frame the art of playmaking as a means of expression and advocacy, and as a tool for deeper understanding of self and one’s surroundings. It aims to detract from an emphasis on quality and viability and place the focus on intention and communication. It aims to serve as a model for how to truly bring audiences into the process of playmaking through cultivating and honoring their own artistic impulses, thus simultaneously inspiring more people to create art and fostering an audience with an appreciation and appetite for new work on the stage.

For more information please contact info@njplaylab.org.

Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence 2024

Website

Deadline: May 31, 2024

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

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

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

The application portal is now open and will close May 31st, 2024. Please note that there is one application for all of our 2024 Residency and Fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:

a resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages),

a 200 - 300-word statement on your artistic practice,

a statement of 200 - 300 words stating how your work relates to Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s mission to “perpetuate and share the gifts of Rachel (“Bunny”) Lambert Mellon, including her residence, garden, estate and the Oak Spring Garden Library, to serve the public interest. OSGF is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being,”

work samples

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

For creative non-fiction, fiction, essayists, or other writers: 7 - 10 pages total that demonstrate your current interests. Please use 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and double-space your writing sample. Do not include photocopies of published work, title pages, tables of contents or HYPERLINKS. Please be sure to state the genre of the work sample.

For time-based artists, including: filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and performance artists: 10 minutes cumulatively of work samples. OSGF encourages video files to be uploaded directly to Submittable, but when necessary, we also accept links to vimeo or other external sites as long as the appropriate passwords are provided.

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

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

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2025. We will consider individuals with a proven track-record of professionalism, but who are yet under-recognized, as early-career. Eligible early-career applicants will have some recognition in the form of exhibitions, commissions, performances, grant awards, residencies, Fellowships and/or publications.

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

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

Fellows should arrive on the same start date of an Interdisciplinary Residency, or Botanical Artist Residency, and the Fellow will complete their introductory tours with other Residents. In 2025, these dates are:

Monday, March 3, 2025

Sunday, April 13, 2025 (only available for a 3-week residency)

Monday, May 19, 2025

Monday, June 30, 2025

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Monday, September 8, 2025 

Award

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

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

Fellows are carefully selected through a multi-round review process in which OSGF staff, residency alumni, and external jurors review and score applications. Fellows are ultimately selected by panels of external reviewers who are established and working in fields or practices relevant to OSGF’s mission. The primary criteria for scoring applicants include: an applicant’s current work’s relationship to the OSGF mission; potential of applicant; and quality of work samples.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unfortunately not able to provide individualized feedback to applicants who are not selected for a residency.

Left Edge Theatre seeks 10-minute plays for Hindsight Festival

Website

Deadline: May 17, 2024

Left Edge Theatre is calling for submissions of new short plays for its annual Hindsight Festival, now in its fourth year. Left Edge is located at The California Theatre in downtown Santa Rosa, Sonoma County - the heart of wine country and just an hour’s drive north of San Francisco.

Playwrights from around the world are invited to send in submissions. Winners will have the opportunity to meet and discuss their work with the director and cast before the performance, online or in person.

The Theme: INTELLIGENCE

Hindsight plays focus on events happening now or within the last 12 months. Our theme this year is intelligence in all its forms - human, artificial, emotional, secret, divine, perhaps more. Your play can be in any genre, but it must be new, current, and demonstrate the theme “Intelligence” in creative and imaginative ways.

The Rules:

Your play must be no longer than 10 minutes.

Your play must not have been previously performed in Sonoma County, CA.

Playwrights may only submit up to two plays each.

Small casts preferred.

Stage directions will be read aloud during performance and are encouraged to help set the scene and explain the action.

Playwrights must include a brief explanation of why the play fits the theme “Intelligence.”


Why you should apply:

10 winning plays will receive a live staged reading by Left Edge actors at The California Theatre, a performing arts venue in downtown Santa Rosa.

Winning plays will be published in a print collection.

The performance will be filmed and a free link of the recording made available to you.

Winning playwrights will gain exposure and new relationships with the Left Edge artistic community and Sonoma County audiences.


How to apply:

In fewer than 100 words, tell us how your play addresses the theme “Intelligence.”

Email your answer together with your play (in Word or pdf format only) to: jenny@leftedgetheatre.com

Deadline: May 17, 2024

Questions? Email: jenny@leftedgetheatre.com

22nd Annual New Play Festival

Website

Deadline: July 1, 2024 11:59 PM

SUBMIT VIA SUBMITTABLE

• Submissions are open to any playwright whether from South Carolina, the region, country, or from around the world! 
• Multiple entries per playwright/playwright’s representative is permitted.
• Playwrights must submit a cover letter along with their script that includes a brief summary of the play, a description of the playwright's connection to South Carolina, and a suggestion of the unique perspective or experience provided by the playwright's body of work.
• NO entries may be previously published.
• Likewise, NO entries may have previously fully realized, regionally produced performances through the dates of the Centre Stage New Play Festival 2023 (previous readings and workshops are acceptable).
• Entries may have NO more than seven (7) actors required.
• All entries must be no more than 120 pages, but one-act and full-length plays are welcome.
• Scripts must be in the Traditional or Modern format for plays as defined by the Dramatists Guild. 
• While screenplays and 10-minute plays will NOT be accepted, musicals and plays with music may be submitted.

The Playwrights Group ~ Weekly Workshop

 Web Site: www.theplaywrightsgroup.com

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 EDT

 

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

 

Both 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