If there’s one piece of advice I could give to every playwright in the world, it would be this: Never stop writing, and never stop submitting your plays.
The only way you’re going to make it, and to be successful, is if you keep doing those 2 things.
Now, it may come as no surprise that most playwrights are better at task #1 (writing) than they are at task #2 (submitting). Playwrights write– that’s what they do.
But make sure not to neglect submitting! You can start now by submitting to some of these play submissions opportunities w/ March 2018 deadlines.
Name | Length | Nature of Opportunity | Deadline | Location | Add’l Info |
| Broom Street Theater | max 10 mins | Plays should somehow revolve around the theme of the American Presidency. Previously published / produced works ok. | 3/1/18 | Madison, Wisconsin | No Fee |
| 60-90 mins | Plays must be suitable for children to perform and for an audience of children. Original, unpublished, unperformed. Musicals ok. | 3/1/18 | Mesa, Arizona | No Fee Prize: $500 | |
| Luna Stage | See right. | New Jersey playwrights of all career levels. Short plays 5-10 mins, or monologues of up to 5 mins. | 3/1/18 | West Orange, New Jersey | No Fee, |
| 10 mins | Original works. Previous prods ok. Playwrights must produce and have to pay $100 for production of their play if selected. | 3/1/18 | NYC | Fee: $20 “cash prizes” | |
| Mass Rhetoric | One Act (max 90 mins) | Unpublished, previously unproduced plays/musicals. Theme: #RESIST | 3/1/18 | NYC | No Fee |
| Full Length | New England playwrights. Original works. Hard copy submissions only. | 3/1/18 | Portland, Maine | Prize: $3,000 | |
| Renaissance Theaterworks | max 10 pages | Women playwrights residing in the Midwest. Plays must be original and unproduced. Theme/Prompt: “Perseverance is Stubbornness with a Purpose.” | 3/1/18 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | n/a |
| 5-15 mins | No theme and no restrictions on content. | 3/1/18 | Newburyport, Massachusetts | $5 optional donation | |
| The Bridge Award | Full Length | US residents who currently serve or have previously served in the US military. Unproduced or unpublished plays. | 3/1/18 | Brooklyn, New York | Prize: $10,000 |
| One Act, Full Length | 4 or 6 weeks residency. | 3/1/18 | Long Island, New York | n/a | |
| Theatre Oxford | max 10 pages | Original plays, unproduced. | 3/1/18 | Oxford, Mississippi | Fee: $10 |
| Full Length | Two-year lab with bimonthly meetings. Applicant must be a female-identified or trans artist living within 90 minutes of Women’s Project Theater via car or rail. | 3/1/18 | NYC | “stipend” | |
| Barter Theatre | Full Length | Plays written by an Appalachian playwright OR plays set in the Appalachian region. Must be unpublished and unproduced. | 3/3/18 | Abingdon, Virginia | Prize: $250 |
| 15-30 mins | Documentary play. Must be original. | 3/3/18 | Chicago, Illinois | n/a | |
| Series | If you like these blog posts, you’ll LOVE members-only access to our 400+ play submissions opps (including the ones missing from this blog post)…
As one of our member-playwrights says:“Play Submissions Helper is THE go-to resource tool for playwrights everywhere.” | n/a | |||
Writing Fellowship | $3,000 Award | ||||
Forum | Prize: $100 | ||||
Festival | Prize: $150 | ||||
Fringe | Prize: £500 | ||||
Competition | Fee: $14.99 | ||||
Prize | $15,000 grant | ||||
Contest | Prize: $100 | ||||
Festival | Prize: $50 | ||||
| 6-20 pages | Emerging playwrights in the Chicago area, preferably in the northern suburbs. The plays must deal with 2nd Acts in characters’ lives, particularly 2nd Acts that see them confronting and rising above harassment, discrimination, marginalization and abuse. | 3/15/18 | Evanston, Illinois | n/a | |
| 5-15 mins | Florida playwrights. Family-friendly plays. Never produced in the Tampa Bay Area. | 3/15/18 | Gulfport, Florida | No Fee | |
| INNER VOICES Social Issues Theatre | 10 mins | US playwrights, 18+. The play must be original and unproduced. Theme: Social Justice as Environmental Justice | 3/15/18 | Champaign, Illinois | Prize: $700 |
| 40 mins | US playwrights, 18+. The play must be original and unproduced. Theme: Social Justice as Environmental Justice | 3/15/18 | Champaign, Illinois | Prize: $1,500 | |
Contest | If you like these blog posts, you’ll LOVE members-only access to our 400+ play submissions opps (including the ones missing from this blog post)…
As one of our member-playwrights says:“Play Submissions Helper is THE go-to resource tool for playwrights everywhere.” | Fee: $150 | |||
Festival | Fee: $8, $10 | ||||
Publication | Fee: $2 | ||||
Fellowship | $7,500 grant | ||||
Contest | Fee: $15 | ||||
Festival | No Fee | ||||
Competition | Prize: $200 | ||||
Festival | n/a | ||||
Festival | n/a | ||||
| 10-30 mins | Short plays from playwrights in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa. | 3/28/18 | Lawrence, Kansas | No Fee Prize: $50 | |
| The Lark | Full Length | Development opp w/ public staged reading. Int’l submissions ok. Housing and travel will be provided for all out of town writers. | 3/30/18 | NYC | n/a |
| Full Length | Plays having up to three previous productions are welcome. | 3/30/18 | Fort Myers, Florida | Fee: $10 Prize: $700 | |
| Elite Theatre Company | One Act (max 30 mins) | US or Canadian playwrights only. The play must be original and unpublished. Comedy, drama, mystery, thriller or a monologue. | 3/31/18 | Oxnard, California | n/a |
| 10-min play or 10-page scene/excerpt | Two-month play development program that will conclude with a masterclass led by Stuart Spencer + two evenings of script-in-hand performances. | 3/31/18 | Concord, New Hampshire | Participation Fee: $125 | |
| Pittsburgh New Works Festival | One Act (15-45 mins) | Plays that have never before been produced. | 3/31/18 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Fee: $15 |
| One Act (5-15 mins) | Novice, emerging or accomplished playwrights. Original plays only, not previously staged within 75 miles of the Tampa Bay area. Prefers comedies. | 4/8/18 | Tarpon Springs, Florida | Fee: $5, “cash prizes” | |
| Playwrights Offering Free Feedback | Full Length | Full-length trade program. You must read a play and give feedback, and in return will have an opp to send a play and get feedback from other playwright. | Year Round | n/a | n/a |
| 10 mins | Send in 10-min play and get same-day feedback. You must also read another playwright’s work and give feedback. | Year Round | n/a | n/a | |
Want to see more opps, just like those listed in this blog post?? Click here to secure your full-membership now!
Remember, as a member you’ll get all sorts of extra benefits, including:
- The full, up-to-date listing of 400+ theaters that are looking for new plays
- Regular emails of new play submission opportunities with year-round and hard deadlines
- Access to over $10,000 in prize & content money
Here’s what your fellow playwrights have to say about their membership:
“Many playwriting groups recommended you! Thanks for the good work.”
-Jack Peterson, Playwright
“The best source I’ve found for contests & information about new play opportunities.”
-Leroy Clark, Author of Practical Playwriting and Writing for the Stage
“What a terrific bargain and time-saver. If you write, you need PSH. Simple. Just do it. It prompts you to keep circulating your labors of love, talent, and insights.“
-F. Lynne, Playwright & Actor
“My membership has been a tremendous help.”
-Tom Parks, Playwright
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