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• REGION II FESTIVAL • NATIONAL FESTIVAL • STAGE MANAGEMENT |
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PLAYWRIGHTS
IMPORTANT NEWS
Dear Playwrights:
Welcome! NPP, The National Playwrights Program, exists for you and your development as writers, so take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. The more you write, the more you send, the better your chances of developing your voice and making a real impact on the theatre. And that's why we exist-for you to have your voices heard. So we invite you to take advantage of the opportunities to be found here.
And we look forward to meeting you at the regional festival.
Ruth Childs (SUNY Brockport) the Regional Chair of NPP andScott Frank (Washington Jefferson College) the Regional Vice Chair of NPP
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE REGIONAL FESTIVAL
This is an opportunity for a playwright to hear his/her play read. Yes, there are award opportunities but what everyone involved can take from the concert reading process is a shared sense of community and ensemble: a crazy hectic 5 days to come together for an artistic purpose. You will meet and work with faculty and students from around the region. You will have your play responded to by professionals from across the county. A few hundred people will celebrate your writing.
A concert reading is a reading of your script using chairs and maybe music stands. Actors are allowed one entrance and exit, to stand or sit but no blocking other than that (no crossing to mime opening a door or answer a telephone, for instance). With script in hand (or on the music stand) the actors and directors are able to focus the reading on the text so that you, the writer can hear what you have written. We follow the Actors' Equity Staged Reading Guidelines which are the same rules followed at the KCACTF National Festival in Washington DC. All NPP scripts are given a concert reading at the end of the regional festival.
Casting is done the second day of the regional festival. You and your director will see about 160 actors audition and then, following the Region II tried and true system, you will cast your reading and meet with your cast that night.
Rehearsals are set in the schedule and we ask that all writers and directors stick to the hours listed for each reading. Each NPP cast will be assigned a rehearsal space.
Awards are based on readings before the concert readings (public presentation). No award is decided after the scripts receive the public concert reading. The respondents (all from outside of the region or not affiliated with a Region II participating school) plus a professional reader from outside of Region II (three people total) will select the award winners. All winners are announced at the final ceremonies.
SELECTION PROCESS FOR ALL REGIONAL READINGS
All scripts are read by three readers (outside the region for the ten minute and one act plays) who read the script without your name and contact information. These readers rank the scripts and send the results to me. The writers invited to have their scripts read will be contacted around December 1. You will be given director contact information by December 23. If your script has been selected you must attend the Region II festival January at IUP.
SUBMISSIONS
Once again, Region II in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is pleased to sponsor a series of playwriting competitions and readings for new 10-minute, one-act, and full-length plays.
Regional Festival: Every year Region II invites a number of 10-minute, one-act and full- length plays to be performed in concert readings at its regional festival. There two 10-minute and two one-act plays will then be selected as National Semi-finalists to be considered for an invitation to the national festival in Washington, D.C. in the spring. For details, see "Submission Information" below.
Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards: KCACTF is also pleased to offer a number of playwriting awards for one-act and full-length plays based on a variety of themes. Information on these awards can be found here: Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards
Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship Award: This NEW AWARD celebrates a playwright and his/her body of work. Information on this award can be found here: Ken Ludwig
Eligibilty: To be eligible for the festival and/or any of the awards, a playwright must be a student at a university or college within Region II. Additionally, an undergraduate student must carry a minimum of 6 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours); a graduate student must carry 3 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours). Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing part-time student playwrights must be matriculating, degree-seeking students. Students pursuing degrees on-line are also eligible provided they meet these same enrollment guidelines. It is expected that work on the new play will have begun during the period the student is so enrolled, and the production must be presented during that period or within two years after his or her enrollment ends.A student that meets these eligibility requirements and that attends a school that has entered at least one Associate and Participating Production, may enter 2 ten-minute plays, 2 one-act plays, and 2 full-length plays for the festival and/or Michael Kanin awards.
NOTE: There are some Michael Kanin awards for which FACULTY and WORKING playwrights are eligible.
Student playwrights are invited to submit plays ranging in length from 4-10 minutes (10 pages or less, 12pt. font), with no restriction on subject matter, style, or intended audience. Please, read the following definition and let it be your guide before submitting your ten-minute plays. The Kennedy Center defines the ten minute play as follows:
A Ten-Minute Play is a play with at least two characters that is not a scene, skit or sketch. Structurally, it should have a beginning, middle and end--just like any good one-act or full-length play. Reaching beyond the surface, the text should be enriched with subtext. Since we only have ten minutes to bring the story full circle, a dramatic conflict should be posed as quickly as possible. The resolution of that conflict is what plays out across the remaining pages. The true success of a Ten-Minute Play is reliant on the writer's ability to bring an audience through the same cathartic/entertainment experience that a good one-act or full-length play accomplishes--i.e., sympathetic characters with recognizable needs encompassed within a resolvable dramatic conflict.
While not wanting to oppress anyone's creativity, recognize that a Ten-Minute Play will undoubtedly be presented in an evening of Ten-Minute Plays. Therefore, elaborate settings, multiple characters, extravagant productions values, etc., could conceivably eliminate your play from consideration.
Finally: Do your readers a favor: ten-minutes means eight or nine pages, but certainly no more than ten pages. READ YOUR PLAY OUT LOUD to see how it times out using standard playwrighting format, 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
A panel of readers from outside our region will select up to six scripts from those submitted. The playwrights whose scripts have been selected for the Region II festival will be assigned a faculty director and together will cast the play from onsite festival auditions. These teams will work on the scripts throughout the KCACTF Regional Festival. The festival will culminate in a public, concert reading of the plays. Following the readings, two of the plays will be selected as National Semi-finalists to be considered for an invitation to the national festival in Washington, D.C. in the spring.
[Note: While all selected plays will be invited to the workshop and will receive a concert reading, the two that will be selected for consideration at the national level will not be judged by the concert reading but by a reading of the plays, which will be done by our out of region readers prior to festival.]
Students may submit 2 plays in this category. Each script that is submitted must be accompanied by a COVER SHEET. Please, read the cover sheet carefully; it contains important submission instructions.
In order to make the evaluation process as easy as possible for our readers, we ask that scripts follow uniform formatting practices. See SCRIPT FORMATTING for details.
Scripts are to be submitted to tenreg2@gmail.com. Every effort will be made to handle submissions with care. However, neither KCACTF nor Region II will be responsible for misdirected or lost submissions. Within one week after you submit your script, you should receive an email confirmation stating that we have received it. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact Scott Frank (email address below). We will not begin accepting scripts until September 30, 2009. Please, do not submit before this date.
DEADLINE: All scripts must be received by October 31, 2009.
No application fee is required from students attending schools that have entered either an Associate or Participating entry for the current year's Regional Festival, productions playing between January 1 and December 1, 2009. A $10.00 script-handling fee is required for any script entered by a student from a school without an Associate or Participating entry in the current year's festival.
For additional information contact:
Scott Frank
KCACTF NNP Vice-Chair, Region II
sfrank@washjeff.edu
One-act plays are plays that are more than 10 pages long (12pt. font) but that are less than one hour in playing time.
Students may submit 1-2 one-act plays for any Michael Kanin awards for which they are eligible. Each script that is submitted must be accompanied by a COVER SHEET. Please, read the cover sheet carefully; it contains important submission instructions.
In order to make the evaluation process as easy as possible for our readers, we ask that scripts follow uniform formatting practices. See SCRIPT FORMATTING for details.
Every effort will be made to handle submissions with care. However, neither KCACTF nor Region II will be responsible for misdirected or lost submissions. Within one week after you submit your script, you should receive an email confirmation stating that we have received it. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact Ruth Childs (email address below). We will not begin accepting scripts until September 30, 2009. Please, do not submit before this date.
No application fee is required from students attending schools that have entered either as Associate or Participating entry for the current year's Regional Festival, productions playing between January 1 and December 1, 2009. A $10.00 script-handling fee is required for any script entered by a student from a school without an Associate or Participating entry in the current year's festival.
For additional information on the John Cauble competition and award contact:
Ruth Childs
rchilds@brockport.edu
Student playwrights are invited to submit full length plays, with no restriction on subject matter, style, or intended audience and a running time of over sixty minutes. A panel of readers from outside our region will select one to two scripts from those submitted. The playwrights whose scripts have been selected for the Region II festival will be assigned a faculty director and together will cast the play from onsite festival auditions. These teams will work on the scripts throughout the KCACTF Regional Festival. Their work will culminate in a public, concert reading of the plays. Following the readings, the scripts are eligible for the national Michael Kanin awards.
SUBMISSION: Full length entries are to be submitted to Ruth Childs at fulreg2@gmail.com and must be received by October 31.
Students may submit 1-2 full length plays. Each script that is submitted must be accompanied by a COVER SHEET. Please, read the cover sheet carefully; it contains important submission instructions.
In order to make the evaluation process as easy as possible for our readers, we ask that scripts follow uniform formatting practices. See SCRIPT FORMATTING for details.
Every effort will be made to handle submissions with care. However, neither KCACTF nor Region II will be responsible for misdirected or lost submissions. Within one week after you submit your script, you should receive an email confirmation stating that we have received it. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact Ruth Childs (email address below). We will not begin accepting scripts until September 30, 2009. Please, do not submit before this date.
No application fee is required from students attending schools that have entered either as Associate or Participating entry for the current year's Regional Festival, productions playing between January 1 and December 1, 2009. A $10.00 script-handling fee is required for any script entered by a student from a school without an Associate or Participating entry in the current year's festival.
D. Stage Management Opportunities
1. Stage Managers for National Festival Scholarship see: Design, Technology and Management. NPP does work with the student stage managers who are competing for the National Scholarship but we no longer oversee the application or registration process.
2. Stage Managers for Regional Participation Only (not in competition for national festival). If you are interested in just helping out with the NPP readings or Directing Institute scenes, please sign-up at the NPP/Directing Institute registration table on registration day. The table will be open from 12:00-5:00 p.m. Or come by the auditions the next day and let us know you want to help!E. Student and Faculty Actor Auditions at Regional Festival
We encourage all student and faculty interested in participating in the NPP and Directing Institute auditions to come by the registration table open from 12:00-5:00 p.m or to the auditions the next day to be given an appointment time and have a Polaroid taken ($1.00 charge and not required). PLEASE, audition only if you plan to commit to the rehearsal schedule as listed in your festival program and on the audition form. Do not audition "just for fun" and then back out after you've been cast.
F. Faculty Director Opportunities
If you are interested in directing one of the NPP Concert readings, please contact Ruth Childs at rchilds@brockport.edu. I use a mix of directors from previous years and directors I've never met so, please, let me know that you are interested! However, I do ask that you have an interest in the development of new plays.
G. Guerrilla Dramaturgy
1. To sign-up see: Dramaturgy
2. Guerrilla Dramaturgs work with writers, directors and actors involved with the NPP readings. This is a terrific opportunity for anyone (writer, technician, designer, actor...) who loves research, working on new plays, or wants to learn about the development of new plays. All sign-up and other information can be found in the Dramaturgy section.H. Workshops
If you are interested in giving a playwriting or new play development workshop please contact Debra Otte, our Workshop Coordinator at otted@mail.monclair.edu or visit the workshop section of this website.