Compiled and updated by David Fairhurst and B.L. Rice
American Theatre of Actors, Inc.
314 W. 54 St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 581-3044
James Jennings, artistic dir.
[Ongoing submissions; one-act festival performances June 5-Sept. 25, 2003; no application fee; 30-45 mins. in length; 27th year]
(Special interests: prefer naturalistic drama and comedy)
Actors Theatre of Louisville
National Ten-Minute Play Contest
316 West Main St.
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 584-1265
Website: www.actorstheatre.org/10minute_plays.htm
Tanya Palmer, literary mgr.
Amy Wegener, dramaturg/dir. of new play development
[Deadline: postmarked by Dec. 1; no fee; manuscripts no more than 10 pages long; only one script per playwright; winner is announced the following fall]
(Special interests: cast size of three or more, age range 18-28, minimal sets, props, and costumes)
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Bailiwick Arts Center
1229 West Belmont
Chicago, IL 60657-3205
(773) 883-1090
Email: bailiwickr@aol.com
Website: www.bailiwick.org
[The one-act program for the Bailiwick is its Directors Festival; directors submit new pieces to showcase their work; while writers can submit one-acts directly to the company, those most likely to be produced are submitted by the directors; for details on submission guidelines, visit the website]
(Special interests: Directors Festival themes include: "Kids of All Kinds" [Aug.]; "With Music/Without Words" [short musical or movement pieces in Sept./Oct.]; "Chicago Works" [new works by Chicago writers, Jan./Feb.]; "Translations/Adaptations" [March/April]; and "GLBT Briefs" [July])
Broad Horizons Theatre Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 2197, Times Square Station
New York, NY 10036
Website: www.bhorizons.org
Lewis Magruder, artistic dir.
Mark Dundas Wood, dramaturg
[Accepts submissions year-round; $15 processing fee; company develops one-act plays through on-going reading series and produces workshop productions of selected scripts; playwrights must be able to attend casting and rehearsal sessions; honorariums offered to playwrights selected for readings]
Camino Real Playhouse
ShowOff! Ten-Minute Playwriting Festival
31776 El Camino Real
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 248-0808
Website: www.caminorealplayhouse.org/festival.html
Tom Scott, dir.
[Deadline: June 15; $5 entry fee; plays must be able to be performed in 10 minutes; scripts will not be returned; include contact information on script; all submissions acknowledged]
(Special interests: any subject matter; musicals and plays specifically for children are not considered)
City Theatre
444 Brickell Ave., Ste. 229
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 755-9401
Email: info@citytheatre.com
Website: www.citytheatre.com
[Deadline: Sept. 30; plays should be 15 minutes or less; limit two scripts per playwright; must be typed in standard format and stapled; the company notifies playwrights only if it is interested in producing; for more details on submission guidelines, visit website]
(Special interests: multicultural acting company; short musicals welcome; bilingual plays encouraged)
CollaborAction Theatre Company
Sketchbook 2003
2046 W. Carroll
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 226-9633
Website: www.collaboraction.org
[Deadline: May 15; for detailed guidelines and web submission form, go to www.collaboraction.org/sk_submission/writer_guidesx.asp]
Cunningham Productions
c/o Readers Stationery
61 Fourth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 802-4955
[Deadline: July 15; no fee; 10-15 min. play length]
The Drilling Company
107 W. 82 St., #1A
New York, NY 10024
(212) 414-7717
Email: DrillingCompany@aol.com
Website: www.drillingcompany.org
Hamilton Clancy, artistic dir.
Karen Kitz, producing associate
[Accepts submissions year-round; primary mission involves commissioning playwrights to create new short plays for theme-related projects that are presented throughout the year; the company is in residence at the 78th Street Theatre Lab]
Emerging Artists Theatre Company
518 Ninth Ave., Suite 2
New York, NY 10018
(212) 627-5792
Website: www.eatheatre.org
Paul Adams, artistic dir.
[Deadline for fall: July 15; open submissions; fall fest, 10-20 min. plays, and spring fest, 20-50 min. plays; only plays not yet produced in NYC]
(Special interests: one-acts 20 pages or less)
Ensemble Studio Theatre
Literary Department
549 W. 52 St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 247-4982
Website: www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org
Curt Dempster, artistic dir.
Tom Rowan, literary mgr.
[Deadline for Marathon of One-Act Plays: Nov. 8; no fee; plays should be 10-45 mins. long; enclose SASE for reply; for additional guidelines, visit the website]
(Special program: Annual Marathon of One-Act Plays presented in May)
First Stage
PO Box 38280
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 850-6271
Email: firststagela@aol.com
Website: www.firststagela.org
Dennis Safren, literary mgr.
[For One-Act Play Contest, deadline: Sept. 15; plays 30 mins. or less; required tax-deductible $10 donation to First Stage; winner and two runners-up receive a staged reading with judges from the L.A. area. For Playwrights Express festival, deadline: March 1; annual fundraiser of 100-plus plays of less than 15 mins. each; performances last two weekends in April, Sat. and Sun.; $40 tax-deductible required donation; guaranteed a one-hour rehearsal and script-in-hand performance. For each program, email, visit website, or send SASE for entry guidelines]
(Special programs: annual One-Act Play Contest and Playwrights Express festival)
Gallery Players
Black Box New Play Festival
199 14th St.
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Attn: Heather Curran, prod?r
(718) 595-0547
Email: galleryblackbox@hotmail.com
Website: www.galleryplayers.com
[Deadline: Feb. 1; Black Box New Play Festival held four weeks in June; previously unproduced one-act plays between 10 minutes and one hour long; playwrights must be from tristate area and available to attend several workshop sessions and rehearsals; send SASE for submission guidelines and also SASE for script returns]
Lamia Ink! One-Page Play Competition
PO Box 202
Prince Street Station
New York, NY 10012
(212) 978-4413
Cortland Jessup, artistic dir./founder
[Deadline: March 15; finalists will have a staged reading of their plays; presentations late Jan. or first week of Feb.; send SASE for guidelines]
(Special interests: one-page plays)
Love Creek Productions
c/o 162 Nesbit St.
Weehawken, NJ 07087
(212) 714-9686
Cynthia Granville-Callahan, festival literary mgr.
Host of Off-Off-Broadway (Samuel French) Original Short Play Festival
[Also has own festival, the Love Creek One-Act Festival, ongoing throughout the year; submissions accepted as well throughout the year; send SASE for guidelines]
(Special interests: unpublished plays featuring women, especially ages 18-30, in major roles; 40 minutes or less)
Mill Mountain Theatre
1 Market Square SE
Roanoke, VA 24011
Attn: Literary coordinator
(540) 982-0596
Website: www.millmountain.org
[Has a monthly one-act staged reading series, "Centerpieces"; no fee required]
Muse of Fire Theatre Company
Sirens Festival
PO Box 20875
Columbus Circle Station
New York, NY 10023
(212) 397-2757 or (212) 977-9611
Website: www.museoffiretheatreco.org/main/sirens.html
Glenn English & Vivian Paxton, co-artistic dirs.
[Deadline: Feb. 1; application fee: $10; one-act plays, no more than 60 mins., no more than eight characters; include SASE and cover letter on author and play?s development; for more info, visit website or email musevfire@aol.com]
(Special interests: original works by American women only; also accepting other one-act scripts for rest of season)
Off-Off-Broadway Original Short Play Festival
Samuel French
45 W. 25 St.
New York, NY 10010
Attn: Kenneth Dingledine
(212) 206-8990
[Nominations must be made by May 16 by a producing company or organization; no fee; performances begin July 27 at the Chernuchin Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors, NYC]
(Also see Love Creek Productions)
Perishable Theatre
PO Box 23132
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 331-2695
Website: www.aboutwpf.com
Maythinee Washington, festival coordinator
[Deadline: postmarked by Oct. 15; $5 entrance fee; International Women?s Playwriting Festival selects three scripts; accepts only unproduced plays, 10-30 mins. in length, by women playwrights; visit website for additional submission guidelines]
(Special interests: plays by women)
Pittsburgh New Works Festival
231 Race Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Attn: Play Selection Manager
(412) 881-6888
Website: www.pittsburghnewworks.org
Jeff Leonard, festival dir.
[Deadline: April 6; festival takes place in Sept.; $10 submission fee; submit three copies and cover letter; scripts will not be returned; plays must run no longer than 40 mins.; 12 one-acts will be produced; for additional guidelines, visit website]
(Special interests: new one-act plays for both adult and young audiences)
Pulse Ensemble Theatre
Open Pulse Arts Lab
432 W. 42 St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 695-1596
Website: www.pulseensembletheatre.org
Brian Richardson, prod?r
[Ongoing submissions; no fee; accepts scripts 25 mins. or less in length; include SASE with submission; OPAL held for a week once a month; send inquiries about the OPAL Playwrights? Lab to the above address]
Riant Theatre
Strawberry One-Act Festival
PO Box 1902
New York, NY 10013
Attn: The Strawberry One-Act Festival
(646) 623-3488
Website: www.therianttheatre.com
Van Dirk Fisher, artistic dir.
[Deadline for Winter Festival: Oct. 30; deadline for Summer Festival: April 30; no fee; 30 min. maximum running time; visit the website for an application and complete submission guidelines]
Rocky Mountain Playwrighting Festival
PO Box 1724
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
Email: owenperk@aol.com
Website: members.aol.com/Owenperk/Festival.html
Owen Perkins, executive dir.
[Deadline: usually in May; $5 processing fee; mainly for high school student playwrights; plays are produced professionally; not limited to one-acts; festival held in Telluride, CO; visit website or write for guidelines]
Source Theatre Company
Washington Theatre Festival
1835 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 462-1073, ext. *814
Website: www.sourcetheatre.com
Keith Parker, literary mgr. and festival dir.
[National deadline: Jan. 15; DC deadline: March 15 (for one-acts), May 15 (for 10-minute plays); nonprofessionally produced scripts only; include synopsis, resume, and letter-sized SASE for response; scripts are not returned; accepts scripts year-round]
Southwest Theatre Association
Contests for plays for young audiences, and full-length and one-act plays for adults
(405) 946-9380
Email: swtajimmyv@theshop.net
Website: www.southwest-theater.com
Jimmy Vaughn, SWTA exec. dir.
National New Play Contest
c/o Dr. David H. Fennema
7311 NW Crestwood Dr.
Lawton, OK 73505-1271
[Deadline: postmarked by March 15; entry fee: $10; unproduced one-act or full-length plays only; no musicals, adaptations, or children?s plays; include one-page synopsis and 100-word-or-less author bio; visit website for additional guidelines or send inquiries to davidf@cameron.edu]
Coleman Jennings Children?s New Script Competition
c/o SWTA
3000 Pershing Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
[Deadline: June 1; entry fee: $10; unproduced children?s plays (for child or adult actors) no more than 90 mins. long; include a brief synopsis]
Also, the SWTA Undergraduate and High School One-Act Play Contest; see website for details
Theatre by the Blind
306 W. 18 St.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-4337
Email: gar@panix.com
Website: www.tbtb.org
Ike Schambelan, artistic dir.
[Accepts one-acts (no festival); no fee; interested in a variety of themes]
Theatre Rhinoceros
2926 16th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 552-4100/fax (415) 558-9044
Email: mail@therhino.org
Website: www.therhino.org
Doug Holsclaw, co-artistic dir.
[No fee; submissions must include a one-page synopsis, production history, author?s resume, tape or CD of original music (for musicals), and SASE; see website for additional submission guidelines]
(Special interests: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender work only)
The Theatre-Studio Inc.
750 Eighth Ave., #200
New York, NY 10036
(212) 719-0500
Email: arayche@attglobal.net
Website: www.theatrestudioinc.org
A.M. Raychel, artistic dir./prod?r
[Playtime Series is an ongoing one-act festival; five to 60 min. length; no fee; also holds a bicoastal playwrights? festival from Sept.-Oct.]
Trustus Theatre
PO Box 11721
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 254-9732/fax (803) 771-9153
Email: trustus@trustus.org
Website: www.trustus.org
John Tuttle, literary mgr.
[Open submissions]
(Special interests: one-acts for Late Night series; performances held quarterly)
Vital Theatre Company
432 W. 42 St., 3rd fl.
New York, NY 10036
Attn: Literary Dept.
(212) 268-2040
Email: scripts@vitaltheatre.org
Website: www.vitaltheatre.org
Stephen Sunderlin, artistic dir.
[Ongoing submissions; no application fee; for submission guidelines, visit website and click on "Get Involved"; Vital Signs New Works Festival is held semiannually; electronic submissions are encouraged?include "Vital Signs Submission" in subject line of email or on outside of envelope]
Voice & Vision
520 Eighth Ave., Suite 308
New York, NY 10018
(212) 268-3717/fax (212) 268-5462
Email: vandv@vandv.org
Jean Wagner, artistic dir.
[Deadline for "Envision," a 14-day retreat at end of July at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY: usually mid-April or first week of May; important to first obtain guidelines for submissions via phone or email (see above); no application fee; decisions made in early June. Also has student theatre intensive; two-week retreat; deadline May 30; college age or post-grads; multidisciplinary; for more info, call above number or email lahutchison@vandv.org]
(Special interests: theatre projects initiated by women; multidisciplinary collaborations; plays for young audiences)
West Coast Ten-Minute Play Contest and Festival
PO Box 18438
Irvine, CA 92623-8438
Website: www.employees.org/~jillkat/upnt.htm
Jill Forbath, artistic dir.
[Deadline: Nov. 1; no fee; no returned scripts; 10-page limit; no more than two entries per playwright; no musicals or children?s plays; see website for additional requirements]
Women?s Project and Productions
Tandem Acts
55 West End Ave.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 765-1706
Website: www.womensproject.org
[Does not accept unsolicited manuscripts; Tandem Acts presents works by members of the Playwrights Lab, admission to which is by invitation only; if interested, send a letter of inquiry, a one-page plot synopsis/character breakdown, and 10 sample dialogue pages to Karen Keagle, literary mgr.]
Word of Mouth
Seth Kramer
Email: wordofmouth@verizon.net
[Ongoing submissions; readings seven months out of the year and summer show; contact for submission details]