Free to Enter: The Valley Repertory's 4th LabWorks 15-Minute New Play Contest (2 winners of $150 | US/ worldwide)

Deadline: 15 September 2012

The Valley Repertory Company (Enfield, CT, www.ValleyRep.com) is seeking short scripts for its 4th LabWorks 15-Minute New Play Contest.

In its first three LabWorks contests, Valley Repertory Company (VRC) produced 36 plays chosen from more than 700 submissions by playwrights from all over the United States and from several foreign countries. In our 2012-2013 Season, we are again producing 12 plays.

For those who submitted to our prior contests, please read our submission guidelines closely, as significant changes have been made.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPETITION:

1) To provide opportunities for writers of new, unproduced plays to gain recognition for themselves and their work.

2) To give VRC the opportunity to present unique productions not yet seen by any of its patrons.

3) To provide opportunities for new and aspiring directors at VRC.

4) To provide opportunities for actors new to VRC as well as VRC veterans.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

You may submit either one or two plays. Please follow the process described here to enter the contest:

1. Format your script using no smaller than 12-point type. Use 1” margins on top, bottom, and sides. Please number your pages. (Click see Sample Script Format to for a properly formatted page.)

2. Page one should start with the title of the play at the top of the page (as seen on the Sample Script Format). If you consider your play to be a comedy, please follow the title with “A Comedy”. If you do NOT consider your play to be a comedy, follow the title with “A Drama”. And yes, you must label your play as either one or the other.

3. Your play must be limited to 15 pages total. Any script 16 pages or longer will be rejected.

4. The plays we produce are chosen blind, so do not include ANY author information on the script itself.

5. Save your script(s) in .pdf format. You can submit your script(s) until Sunday, September 15th, 2012 via the online form found at www.Valleyrep.Com. Do not attempt to submit the script in any other format or to any other destination. Snail mail submissions are NOT being accepted this season.

The contest Play Selection Committee does not see any playwrights’ names until the final selections for production have been made. Therefore, if you put your name on the script so that a member of the Committee sees it, it will be rejected. A VRC member who is not on the Play Selection Committee keeps the playwright contact info until the final 12 plays are selected for production.

SUBMISSION RESTRICTIONS

Please read the following carefully so that your script can be considered:

1. Playwrights are limited to two (2) submissions each. Members of VRC are eligible to submit plays to the contest, but if their script is chosen as one of the 12 semifinalists, they will be prohibited from working on the production of the contest in any capacity.

2. Submissions require 2 to 5 actors. Scripts requiring more than 5 actors will be rejected. Please note that a play can include more than 5 characters, as long as they can be played by 2 to 5 actors.

3. We are not seeking, and will not consider for competition, one-man or onewoman shows, musicals, or children’s theatre.

4. Entries must be original plays. Scripts may be co-authored, based on factual material, or an adaptation. Legal clearance of materials not in the public domain is the full responsibility of the playwright.

5. All scripts must be those that have not been staged in full production for a paying audience as of the date submitted. VRC is seeking new plays which can be produced as world premieres. Plays which have been produced in staged readings, so long as no admission was charged, are acceptable.

6. Submissions are restricted to plays that have not been published in any form, and they must be royalty-free to VRC for this contest.

7. Scripts previously submitted to VRC’s LabWorks 15-Minute New Play Contests cannot be submitted again. VRC will NOT accept repeat submissions.

8. We’re seeking plays, not skits or sketches. Plays should have a beginning, a middle, and an end (though not necessarily in that order) and feature character development. Above all, make the script compelling.

9. VRC is a community theatre. If VRC foresees difficulty producing a play due to unusual script requirements, the play may be rejected.

10. While VRC is a family-friendly theatre, adult content is acceptable. Profanity, if it is fully justified by the script and for the character, will not be cause for outright rejection; however, profanity is no replacement for good writing. VRC will reject any script that requires nudity.

11. Keep set, lighting, sound, costume, and prop requirements to a minimum. The contest will feature 6 plays per night, with quick changeovers. A script with complex technical requirements will probably lead to its rejection. Keep the following in mind: VRC has an open stage. The playing space will be 26 feet wide by 12 feet deep. The stage has no curtain and no off-stage wings (in other words, no true proscenium). All lighting is projected from the rear of the house.

PLAY SELECTION PROCESS AND CONTEST FORMAT

1. Plays which do not meet submission requirements will be disqualified. A play selection committee of 5 VRC members will read those plays which meet the submission requirements.

2. The play reading committee will select 12 plays for competition: 6 comedies and 6 dramas. Six plays will be presented on the first semifinals night (3 dramas and 3 comedies) and six plays on the second (again, 3 dramas and 3 comedies).

3. An audience vote on each semifinals night will select the finalists—four dramas and four comedies. The audience of the finals night will select a winner in the drama category and a winner in the comedy category, who will receive a prize of $150 each. A detailed explanation of the performance format and of the audience voting system will be made available to the playwrights whose plays are chosen as semifinalists.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. By submitting your script you are agreeing to the following:

a. You have read, understand, and agree to all of the contest rules and guidelines as detailed on The Valley Repertory Company’s website.

b. You understand that VRC reserves the right to change any contest rules as needed (VRC will attempt to keep any such changes to a minimum).

c. You attest that your submission is an original piece, and that you are the author of said submission.

d. You attest that your play has not had a full production for a paying audience as of its submission to the contest.

e. You understand that VRC reserves the right to reject any submission for reasons including, but not limited to, length, quality, content, or for otherwise not meeting submission requirements.

f. You give VRC non-exclusive permission to perform your play as part of their LabWorks Play Contest, free of any royalties, as well as to record any performance of your play for archival purposes (not for resale or profit).

2. No playwright revisions will be accepted once a script has been submitted; VRC reserves the right to request changes to any script.

3. No written or oral critique will be given on plays submitted.

4. VRC will post the names of the semifinalists and their plays on its website once the selections have been made.

5. VRC will promote your play, but you should too.

6. Complimentary tickets will be made available to participating playwrights; those playwrights will be informed of our comp policy at a future date.

7. Playwrights must agree to allow VRC to record their plays for archival purposes (not for resale or profit). A DVD copy of your play only will be copied for all semifinalist playwrights. You may use the footage of your play for self-promotion purposes, e.g. on your own website, if desired.

A FINAL NOTE

In our first 3 contests, we asked playwrights to submit 3 hard copies via snail mail, and received an average of 225 plays per contest. With electronic submissions we expect even more…so make your plays compelling from the very first line of dialogue!

Audiences will choose the two prize winning plays from only 12 semifinalists, so once you’re in the contest, your chances are pretty good…the tough part is getting a play into the semifinals. Write a great script that grabs us, makes us laugh or makes us think, or both.

Download: sample script

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries: VRC-Info@ValleyRep.com

For submissions: via the online submission form (scroll down)

Website: http://www.valleyrep.com/