Playwriting Contest Fees and Literary Journals

Dear All:

As we continue our focus on submission, etc., I thought I would reprint the following in regards to Third Coast Literary Journal and its charging of fees for our contests. Rachel, the editor, and the journal were flamed on a couple of playwriting blogs and newsgroups for our fees (though we also received a few positives notices for including drama, as well as submissions). Though, remember, any playwright (not at Western) can submit something which is not to the contests without a fee). Before the letter I would say the following:

Submitting to contests, publications or developments programs with fees is a very difficult and personal choice for every playwright. While in principle, I am against reading fees, my own experience has taught me that it is not possible to have a blanket response that covers every situation. I have learned this not only from submitting (I have and continue to submit to a few places with fees), but from working with a number of different arts organizations. In some cases fees have allowed opens submissions to remain a possibility. In other cases, the contest involves either affiliations or some such that make fees a necessity for non-member participation. I submitted to the O'Neill when it had a small fee, and it is now a larger fee, and it was the biggest break I had as a playwright. I do have more of problem with university contests submitting fees, unless it's clear what such fees cover and why, and even then it makes me nervous knowing the expenses college students have. Again, this perhaps sounds a little hypocritical knowing ACTF has fees, but this has a lot to do with affiliation and knowing the huge theatre festival productions and professionals involved in it that the plays which are submitted become eligible for. We are beginning a contest (more later) and we will not charge a fee. I don't believe legitimate theatres are getting rich from contest fees, as some have proposed, and it's easiest enough to discern a legit theatre from a scam when they are.

I am certainly available for individual consultation on this issue.

Best,
Steve

Dear All (Plays and Playwrights Group):

I am the faculty advisor of THIRD COAST literary journal and one of
the full-time playwriting faculty members of the MFA, PHD and
undergraduate playwriting programs in the Creative Writing/English
Dept. at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI that publishes
the journal.

In principle, I agree with you about fees for playwriting contests,
which is why I also feel compelled to comment on the THIRD COAST
playwriting contest. As a playwright, I am fairly new to literary
journals which I know are most frequently NOT playwright friendly
venues. Our twelve year old journal publishes major new and
established poets and prose writers, and in the past two years or so
in an effort to provide another opportunity for playwrights, THIRD
COAST has begun to publish short plays, including a wonderful new ten
minute play by OyamO that he gave to us and has never been published
anywhere else. We also have a recommended book section that now
covers dramatic publishing. This contest was a means to generate
awareness about our journal's commitment to publishing new plays and
the value we place on playwrights and playwriting as a part of our
journal and creative writing program.

As I am learning being the new advisor for this literary magazine, the
practice of charging a contest fee to a literary journal for fiction
and poetry contests--that is essentially the cost of a subscription
and includes a subscription�is fairly routine. Again, I am not saying
that this entirely justifies such fee decisions, but I also wish to
stress the ways that funding such a non-profit journal differs from
funding a theatre, etc., while also recognizing that it is not the
only way.

Again, I certainly appreciate why a playwright would not submit
because of the fee, but I also hope that you might appreciate our
efforts to provide another opportunity for playwrights in a venue that
has traditionally not been so open to us.

If you do not wish to submit to our contest, I hope in the future that
you will submit your short plays to the THIRD COAST drama editors, as
we are continuing to actively seek drama submissions and have been
very excited by the quality of work we have received and published.
Our submission link is http://www.thirdcoastmagazine.com/submissions.

Sincerely,
Steve Feffer

Nov. submission opportunities

Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation Gay-Positive Playwriting Competition Palm Springs, CA Nov 30

http://www.aabbfoundation.org/playwriting.htm

The Foundation is pleased to announce a Playwriting Competition for the Foundation’s 2008 writing grants. All works must present the gay and lesbian lifestyle in a positive manner and be based on, or directly inspired by, a historic person, culture, work of art, or event. You may think your affair with the dancer from the Russian ballet was historic, but it doesn’t count. One work per author, please.
All works (Drama or Comedy or Musical) submitted must be unpublished, original, and in English. Adaptations or translations of other works of fiction are not acceptable. Plays may be full-length, a long one-act, or an evening-long collection of related one-acts. All works selected by the judges will be announced the following May and will receive a cash award of $1,000 (not limited to a single winner).
All submissions must be postmarked by midnight November 30, 2008. Mail manuscript, including author’s name, address, phone number, and a note on the historical inspiration for the work to our new address. Because of the large number of submissions expected, NO manuscripts will be returned.

Summer Play Festival (SPF) plays and musicals NYC Nov 15

this is an absolutely amazing opportunity for full-lengths and musicals check the website out for big names that are on the advisory board

http://www.spfnyc.com/

Tennessee Williams Literary Festival's One-Act Play Contest

amazing One-Act Contest NOV 1st

http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/index.php?topic=contests

Forward from Steve:

NPC and NMTC now accepting submissions

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to let everyone know that the National Playwrights Conference (NPC) and the Nation Music Theater Conference (NMTC) are now accepting submissions. Tis the season.

As you know, all are welcome to apply. I hope all of you will help spread the word to your playwriting and composing friends. The submission window for NPC is September 15th to October 17th, 2008. NMTC will be accepting submissions until December 1, 2008.

Each conference has specific requirements for submission, so please check our website for details and applications. (There are links in press release at the bottom of this email.) Each conference does require the script to be submitted by mail and in triplicate - as well, each conference has a $35.00 submission fee. This fee covers the cost of the selection process, and allows us to consider the large number of applications we receive each year.

Please do contact me with any questions. Looking forward to reading many wonderful works. Best to you all,

Martin

--
Martin Kettling
Literary Manager
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT 06385

Phone: (860)443-5378 ext.227
Fax: (860) 440-3161
www.theoneill.org
________________________


September 15, 2008

Contact: Martin Kettling
Literary Manager
860-443-5378, x227
mkettling@theoneill.org


NEWS FROM THE O’NEILL

EUGENE O’NEILL THEATER CENTER NOW ACCEPTING
OPEN SUBMISSIONS FOR 2009 SUMMER CONFERENCES

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford,
Connecticut, is now accepting submissions for projects to be included
in its June – August 2009 national new works conferences. Applicants
are invited to submit projects for the O’Neill’s National Playwrights
Conference and National Music Theater Conference. National
Playwrights Conference submissions will accept submissions from
September 15, 2008 through October 17, 2008. National Music Theater
Conference began accepting submissions on September 1, 2008 and will
continue through December 1, 2008.

The O’Neill’s open submission process is unique in the field of
developing works for the stage. It is a key element in its Conference
mission to encourage creativity and develop diverse voices and new
works for the American stage. Applicants may submit work for
consideration through a multi-tiered selection process involving
multiple readers and a panel of theater professionals who consider
projects based oneach writer’s voice as presented in the script and
not on a recognizable name or previous accomplishments. This process
enables the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center to continue to seek and
develop new voices for the stage. Selected artists receive a
developmental residency at the O’Neill during the summer of 2009.

The O’Neill also continues to build its endowment to support the open
submissions process, begun in 2006 and named in honor of O’Neill
playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Income from this permanent endowment
will be used to defray costs associated with the Submissions and
selection process. Please call 860-443-5378 x217 for more information
about making a gift to the Wendy Wasserstein Fund

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the National Playwrights
Conference, noted, “This Conference belongs to the playwrights, and I
believe that it is imperative to allow the playwrights who submit
their work the opportunity to have their plays read and considered
seriously for the conference. I remain committed to the open
submission process and it is a priority for the Playwrights Conference
to seek out the best writers through this endeavor.”

Paulette Haupt, co-founder and Artistic Director of the National Music
Theater Conference describes the open submission policy as “the heart
of our mission since the inception of the Conference in 1978. We look
forward to hearing from the next generation of writers and composers
who seek to explore their projects with peer professionals in the
field and gain a clearer perception of the work still needed to be
done to complete their vision.”

Submissions for the National Playwrights Conference must be postmarked
from September 15, 2008 through October 17, 2008. Details of
submission requirements for the National Playwrights Conference are
available at the O’Neill’s website:
www.theoneill.org/prog/plays/playapp.htm. Submissions for the Music
Theater Conference must be postmarked from September 1, 2008 through
December 1, 2008. Details of submission requirements for the Music
Theater Conference are available at the O’Neill’s website:
www.theoneill.org/prog/music/submit.htm.

For further information about either conference, please contact Martin
Kettling, Literary Manager, at 860-443-5378, x227 or via e-mail at
litoffice@theoneill.org.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene
O’Neill, America’s only Nobel Prize-winning playwright and four-time
Pulitzer Prize winner, is America’s pre-eminent organization dedicated
to the development of new works and new voices for the American
theater. It has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage
and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the
O’Neill have gone on to full productions at other theaters around the
world, including Broadway, off-Broadway and major regional theaters.
The O’Neill is itself the winner of a special Tony Award, the National
Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theater Excellence and the Arts
and Business Council Encore Award.

Opportunity - caveat: reading fee

This courtesy of Steve, who notes "there is reading fee, that I'm not sure is a good precedent for a university student prize--you may note that. Further editorial: I think that's different than the THIRD COAST prize fee which is standard for a literary journal and is the cost of a subscription--I did an editorial on this point for the "plays and playwrights" group blog, which I can further add to our blog."


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To: The New Plays Editor
From: Karen Berman, Chair of Theatre

and Artistic Director of Theatre Programs

Georgia College & State University
Porter Hall
CBX 066
Milledgeville, GA 31061
Email: kbermanth@aol.com
What: Pillars Playwriting Prize
Presenter: Georgia College & State University Theatre Department in collaboration with the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, Speech, and Journalism.
Deadline: December 1, 2008

Georgia College & State University Pillars Playwriting Prize

We are now accepting full-length scripts for a playwriting festival prize for 2009-2010. The competition is open to all playwrights. All scripts entered in the contest must remain unpublished and unproduced. Produced is defined as any production to which tickets are sold. Translations, adaptations and musical texts are not eligible. Scripts submitted will not be returned. The winning script will be produced as a part of the Georgia College & State University, Department of Music and Theatre, mainstage season. An honorarium of $2000.00 will be awarded for a short residency and presentations of workshops early in the rehearsal process. Submitting playwrights should be open to some minor revisions and to working in an educational setting during the 2009-2010 school year. Playwrights will return to the campus for the opening. Travel expenses will be included. A $20.00 reading fee is charged in order to pay the reading teams a stipend for their work. Checks should be made payable
to the GCSU Pillars Playwriting Prize. Please submit the complete script in the standard format along with a cover letter and brief biography, resume or CV of no more than two pages by the deadline of December 1, 2008 to the following address:

Georgia College & State University
Department of Music and Theatre
Pillars Playwriting Prize
Karen Berman, Theatre Chair
478-445-1980
Porter Hall
CBX 066
Milledgeville, GA 31061

October Submission Deadlines

This, courtesy of Kris Peterson:

OCTOBER SUBMISSIONS

Santa Cruz link is defunk

10 Minute Playwriting Festival San Juan Capistrano CA Oct 15

Takes top three plays. $10 fee. International Competition. About 200 submissions last year. 2008-2009 Season doesn’t look particularly exciting. That’s the kindest way I can say it.

**** Humana – Louisville

Reading period ends Oct. 31st - http://www.actorstheatre.org/humana_submission.htm

Full Lengths - letter of inquiry along with a synopsis and a 10-page selection from the script or agent submission

10 minute guidelines - http://www.actorstheatre.org/humana_contest.htm

FRIGID New York Sep 3 to Oct 31 submission; sort of a mini-fringe $700-$900

This is primarily a company based competition. $35 reading fee. They do accept individual playwright submissions but it doesn’t seem like a great gamble for $35.

****FutureFest from the Dayton Playhouse July-Oct 31

Well established Theatre

The winning playwright must recognize the Dayton Playhouse if/when the script is published.

The winning playwright awards the Dayton Playhouse the option to produce the winning play on its main stage in Dayton, OH at no cost.

Groundswell Playwright’s Unit new work by women Toronto Oct 15

must be Canadian citizen or resident or good at forging documents – Good program

Jewish Ensemble Theatre Festival of New Plays West Bloomfield, MI

Full lengths will consider one-acts: to deal with issues of community and humanity from a Jewish perspective; to provide a platform for new voices and a bridge to the larger community. Not professionally produced. Full Staged reading with consideration for full production. Couldn’t find an exact deadline date on the site.

Kansas City Women’s Playwriting Festival scripts not less than 10 minutes and not more than 20 minutes from women playwrights; Oct 1

Six to ten plays chosen must not be previously PUBLISHED

****New Theatrical Works for Young Actresses 10-minute plays Baltimore, MD

Postmark Oct. 1st. 1000 prize. As the cornerstone for our IN10 FESTIVAL, the UMBC Department of Theatre seeks 10-minute plays written for female characters age 16 to 30 that feature clearly defined roles for young women. We are most interested in scripts that explore relationships between women through roles that are not widely available in contemporary play texts. Female protagonist and antagonist but doesn’t have to be all female cast.

New Works Winter Festival from Acme Theatre, MA 10-minute plays, Sept. 30 deadline

Have to search through this link to get there. Community Theatre very specific about certain limitations.

One-Act Playwriting Competition from the Little Theatre Alexandria VA Oct 31

Info incorrect stopped accepting Aug. 31st but it looks like they may start accepting applications again in Nov.

****Panowski Playwriting Competition Marquette, MI Oct 31

Must be RECEIVED by OCT. 31st. 2000 dollars. Full Production.

Phare Play Productions one-act erotica plays NYC

Exactly what it sounds like. Spicy content necessary. There will be cabarets in between.

****PlayPenn New Play Development Conference Philadelphia, PA Oct 8

This is a great contest they don’t have 2009 Conference Submission guidelines up yet but check back on this because they have the July dates scheduled for next summer just no guidelines.

****Reva Shiner Full Length Play Competition from Bloomington Playwrights Project Oct 31

$10 fee. $500 prize and full production. Unproduced/published full lengths. Oct. 31st.

rock.paper.sistahz Festival Toronto Oct 30

Site says guidelines will be posted soon.

****Short+Sweet Sydney Oct 13

Good ten minute international competition.

Sky Cooper/Marin Theatre Company New American Play Prize subs start July 1-Oct 31; Mill Valley CA

really good contest. No up to date info on site though. I emailed to see if it was being held this year.

TNT's Production of Original Plays (POPS) emailed and Postmarked by midnight, October 15 Fort Worth TX

sounds like a money maker to get you to pay to go to their conference but feel free to check it out yourself.

Zeitgeist Theater New Play Competition London. Oct 20

priority given to writers living or working in South London.

Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Deadlines November 1

Playwrights, please note this very important deadline.

The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival offers three categories of awards to playwrights, including ten minute plays, one acts and full lengths. Winning plays have the opportunity to be presented at the regional or national festivals. For more information, please go to our regions website at http://www.kcactf3.org/playwrights.htm

As some of you know I have been selected to serve as the vice-chairperson of the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival's New Play Program (KC/ACTF) for Region Three (Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana). KC/ACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents.

The KC/ACTF New Play Program provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate playwrights to present their work in readings, workshops and full productions at their universities or in regional and national festivals.

As vice-chair, I travel the region responding to new student plays, contribute to the organization and content of the regional festival (this year in Saginaw Michigan), and mentor student playwrights.

I am really hoping that we will have a much more active participation in all the KC/ACTF really fine new play programs, and that begins with you submitting your excellent work.

Gay American at Whole Art Late Night

Ph.d. playwriting student Kristian O'Hare's play THE GAY AMERICAN will have its premiere full production this weekend (12 and 13, 19 and 20) and next at the Whole Art Theatre's 246 North Kalamazoo Mall space at 11 PM.

O'Hare's play tells the story of former New Jersey governor, James McGreevey, who on August 12, 2004 committed what many called political suicide when he came out of the closet as a homosexual man. Soon after, he resigned when an extramarital affair with a male state employee surfaced. In THE GAY AMERICAN, O’Hare puts his own darkly comic spin on what happened and how he sees McGreevey’s life and scandal unfolding.

The play was first presented as a staged reading at WMU as part of Western's collaboration with Theatre Kalamazoo.

Tickets are five dollars and include all the donuts you can eat and coffee you can drink.