Thanks to Katie at Blake Friedmann for sending me these… For you theatre writers out there, there’s quite a treat in store! Lots of opportunities here for you. But hurry, some of the deadlines are 31st December 2010.

Not a theatre writer… yet? On this blog before about theatre “Research Or Die: Writing Plays”. Get going!
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New Vision Theatre Free Playwriting Course

Are you over 25 and living in the London Borough of Lewisham? Do you want to write your first play?

New Vision Theatre will deliver an introduction to playwriting course for over 25’s within the London borough of Lewisham. This is an opportunity to be supported in writing your first play, beginning in January 2011.

The course will comprise of weekly evening classes run over a 6-9 week period. You will be guided through ways to develop your creative ideas, and will learn the basics of dialogue, character development and setting scenes. You will also build your skills through writing exercises and developing your first short play. At the end of the course scripts will be selected for readings which will be performed in a Lewisham venue.

For further information, visit http://newvisiontheatre.weebly.com/

Creative Assistant Bursary Scheme

The Federation of Scottish Theatre is a membership and development body which advances the interests of professional Scottish theatre and dance at home in Scotland and abroad. Their Creative Assistant Bursary Scheme is designed to support and nurture the professional creative development of emerging individual theatre artists by supporting an attachment to an established Scottish theatre company or Director.

Applications for an attachment for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 12 weeks full-time equivalent are jointly submitted by applicant and host.

More information is available from www.scottishtheatre.org or by contacting Kirsty Bailey, FST Training Officer attrainingATscottishtheatreDOTorg or by calling 0131 248 4842. The deadline for applications is 21st January 2011.

COMMISSIONS, COMPETITIONS, AND CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Soho Theatre: Verity Bargate Award 2011

The Verity Bargate Award is Soho Theatre’s national competition for the best new play by an emerging writer. Soho Theatre are looking for a new play that will stand out from the crowd – it might be your first script, it might be set in a kitchen or on the moon. The only limit is your imagination. Be bold, brave, and entertaining.

Recent VBA winners have included In-Sook Chappell for This Isn’t Romance, Matt Charman for A Night at the Dogs and Shan Khan for Office. Writers may submit one unproduced, unpublished full-length play (not shorter than 70 minutes). There is no restriction to subject matter. The winner of this year’s award will receive £5000 and a residency at Soho Theatre. The prize money is in respect of an exclusive option for Soho Theatre to produce the winning play according to the Company’s standard license agreement.

The following are not eligible: playwrights with three or more professional productions to their credit (defined as those produced under ITC/TMA/WGGB contracts), plays commissioned by Soho, previous Verity Bargate Award winners, plays that have already been rejected by Soho ’s literary department.

Please send submissions to: Verity Bargate Award, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street , London W1D 3NE . The deadline is 11th March 2011.

For more information, and full details on how to enter, visit the Soho Theatre website.

Call For Scripts for 24:7 2011

The 24:7 Theatre Festival is a showcase for original and stimulating theatre. Season 8 of 24:7 will run from 21st – 29th July 2011 in severalManchester city centre venues. There will be nine days of productions, including a full-to-bursting Big Weekend.

Submissions should be be less than 60 minutes long, never produced before, in the English language, and capable of being staged in a non-theatre space. A non-refundable fee of £30 (incl VAT) will be charged for each individual submission. This year you can submit your script online, if you wish, and pay by bank transfer.

You can read information on all aspects of the 24:7 process on the website and in the updated online application area. Please email any enquiries to: info@247theatrefestival.co.uk. Scripts will be accepted until 10th January 2011.

Re:play Festival 2011: Pitch Party

Re:play Festival are offering one artist in Greater Manchester the chance to bring their idea for a great piece of theatre to life with the help of Contact and Library Theatre Company.

This year Library Theatre are joining forces with Contact to create their most diverse and interesting re:play Festival to date. Building on the festival’s history of showcasing and developing new playwrights throughout Greater Manchester, the Pitch Party will be an opportunity for theatre makers of alternative artistic backgrounds, based in Greater Manchester, to showcase and develop their work.

Six artists will be selected to pitch live at Contact on January 28th, 2011 to a live audience and Contact, Library Theatre Company, Northwest Playwrights and BBC Writersroom. The winner will receive artistic support and development from Contact and Library Theatre Company.

For more information and to submit an idea visit www.replaypitchparty.com.

Deadline for submissions is January 7th 2011.

Theatre Trail Writers Competition

The Arundel Festival Theatre Trail, conceived and presented by Drip Action Theatre Company, is now in its eleventh year. It performs at the end of August, on each of the Festival’s eight days, eight short plays at eight different venues all over Arundel – last year, for example, in a living room, a kitchen, an art gallery and a pub.

Writers are invited to submit plays for next year’s Trail. Plays should be about 30 minutes long, suitable for day-time performance, with practicable casting and props. One play only per entrant, in hard copy (not e-mail). Please enclose SAE if you’d like your play returned. A reading committee will select the plays that will be performed, with the best submitted script receiving the Joy Goun award of £200 at the Theatre Trail launch in May 2011. Each successful playwright will receive a £150 writer’s fee.
All entries should be submitted to:

Drip Action Theatre Trail 2010
1 Norfolk House
28 High Street
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 9AB

For further information call 01903 885250 or e-mail dripactioninfoATbtinternetDOTcom. The deadline for entries is 31st December 2010.

Red Bull Theatre: New Short Play Festival

Red Bull Theatre, New York, seeks new 10-minute plays for their Spring short play reading day.

New plays of no more than ten pages, written in heightened language, in verse, with classic themes, adaptations of classics, or that otherwise fit their mission and history are welcome. The deadline for entries is 31st December 2010.

For submission guidelines, visit www.redbulltheater.com/Collaborate or email wendyATredbulltheaterDOTcom.

The Last Frontier Theatre Conference – Call for Plays

The Last Frontier Theatre Conference has released a call for plays for the 2011 Play Lab. The Conference takes place in June 2011 inAlaska . Selected plays receive public readings at the Conference, with both public and private feedback sessions led by theatre professionals. Authors must register for the Conference and be in attendance for their reading.

This Play Lab will feature plays from twenty minutes to two hours in length. Accepted writers will also have an additional opportunity to present their work in the 10-Page Play Slam, the Monologue Workshop, and the late-night Fringe Festival. The deadline for submissions is31st December 2010.

For further details, visit www.pwscc.edu/conference

To submit applications, please contact Dawson Moore at dmooreATpwsccDOTedu

ScriptSpace – New Writing Workshops

ScriptSpace is a new writing initiative brought to you by SpaceWorks, the resident theatre company at The Space, Mudchute, London . Writers are invited to submit their new work to be read by professional actors and receive valuable feedback from fellow writers and other industry professionals.

ScriptSpace offers an opportunity to hear your work out loud and network within the theatre community as well as accessing advice on how to proceed both on the page and in the practical world of theatre.

Interested parties should email their work to Lucy Fredrick at info@space.org.uk marked SCRIPTSPACE. For more information about Spaceworks, visit http://space.org.uk/?page_id=37

Script This – Call for Script Extracts

The Broadway are looking for ten pages of your script – whether you’re a new writer, established playwright or looking for some invaluable feedback on your script. Script This… is the bi-monthly new writing event held at the Broadway providing a platform for London ‘s writers, giving them feedback from audiences and an opportunity to see their work developed.

A panel selects four scripts and these are given a professional, rehearsed reading by actors and a director in front of a live audience. The audience vote for the script they would like to see more of. The writer of the winning script will have the opportunity to come back to the following Script This evening and show a longer developed piece of their play to the always eager audience.

Send 10 pages (about ten minutes worth) to scriptthisATthebroadwaybarkingDOTcom

For more details, visit http://www.thebroadwaybarking.com/joinin/artists/script-this/

The Script Readers

The Script Readers aim to connect talented writers with professional actors, and invite talented writers to submit scripts to their reading panel. The panel assess these submissions and then invite selected writers to hear their work at one of their monthly sessions. After the reading, members, who include actors, writers and directors, share their feedback in an open discussion.
For more information on The Script Readers and to submit your work: www.thescriptreaders.co.uk

The Good Ear Review: Call for Monologue Submissions

The Good Ear Review, a dramatist’s literary journal, is a website dedicated to publishing stand-alone monologues that share a moment in time with the reader (and, eventually, the audience). They are committed to posting original and quality writing from both established writers and emerging playwrights.

Monologue submissions should be sent, in the body of the email, to: submitATthegoodearreviewDOTcom by 31st December 2010. Visitwww.TheGoodEarReview.com to read posted monologues and get a sense of the layout and the work that The Good Ear Review publish. For submission guidelines, visit http://thegoodearreview.com/submission-guidelines/

Second Round of TippingPoint Commissions

With a focus on the performing arts, artists are invited to submit projects that stimulate audiences towards the radical and imaginative thinking necessary to comprehend and successfully navigate a world shaped by climate change.

There are up to seven awards on offer this year, with one commission for outdoor work on offer as a co-commission between TippingPoint and Without Walls.

Visit www.tippingpoint.org.uk for more information and to download an application form. The deadline for applications is 31st December 2010.

Fuse Script Reading Service

Fuse is a unique Scotland wide initiative that makes information about new plays available to the artistic directors at the country’s top theatre venues. Plays submitted to Fuse will be read and critiqued anonymously by theatre professionals. This feedback is made available free of charge to the playwright.

For more information on how to submit a play to Fuse please visit www.playwrightsstudio.co.uk/fuse.html

The Drama Association of Wales : One Act Playwriting Competition

The Drama Association of Wales Playwriting Competition is now launched. The competition aims to encourage the writing of plays for amateur theatre in English and Welsh. In addition to cash awards, prize-winning plays will be considered for publication.

Plays must be 20-50 minutes in length, with a minimum cast of two. Entries will be accepted from anywhere – they do not have to be from Wales.

Prizes will be awarded for Best Play for a Youth Cast (16-25 years), £250; Best Play in the Open Category, £250; and Best Play in the Welsh Language, £250.

More information can be found at http://www.dramawales.org.uk/showArticle.php?ArticleID=53 and for application forms, please contact Teresa on Cardiff +44 (0) 29 2045 2200 or email teresa@dramawales.org.uk.

The deadline for applications is 31st January 2011.

The First 20 Minutes – Scripts Wanted

Every two months Writer’s Avenue will choose three contrasting plays by new writers, to be shown as works in progress in a fringe venue in central London. The first twenty minutes of each play will be performed in front of an audience that will give written feedback which will be given to the writer. The plays with positive feedback will go on to have a rehearsed reading.

In 2011 Writer’s Avenue will select up to six writers from the 2010 series of The First 20 Minutes to compete for the chance to have their full length play produced at a London fringe venue. This will be another chance for the writer to receive feedback from the audience and gain industry exposure. Script submissions are accepted throughout the year.

Send submissions to submissionsATwritersavenueDOTcoDOTuk with your name and the name of your play in the subject heading. For more information, visit http://www.writersavenue.co.uk/The-First-20-Minutes.php