Theatre Workshop Offered over Spring Break

Just saw this on Facebook and thought I should share... 

A DEVISED-THEATER WORKSHOP TO CREATE A NEW PLAY
Spend Spring Break creating theater
Sponsored by Patrick DuLaney and Chris Okiishi
When: Monday - Friday, March 16-20, Noon- 4 pm
Where: The Nolte Academy, 1619 2nd Street, Coralville
How Much: Pay what you can! Open to all! (Suggested fee $50.00 to help cover transportation cost)
Age range: 14 - 22

Reserve your place NOW—contact Patrick.DuLaney@gmail.com 602-369-0588

VSA Young Playwright Discovery Program

Iowa City - The Young Playwright Discovery Program is continuing this year.

A VSA instructor comes to your classroom for a minimum of five hours, scheduled at your request. There is no charge to the school, and the program is endorsed by ICCSD’s director of curriculum and instruction.

City Circle New Play Festival Seeking Submissions

Coralville - "City Circle is seeking new, original, unpublished plays for inclusion in its bi-annual New Play Festival. Any author is welcome to submit up to three original plays or musicals, but priority will be given to submissions that are created by a local author or an author with strong Iowa ties; are able to be performed with simple set, costume and technical demands; are approximately 10 minutes in length; are receiving their debut performance at this festival.

Theatre Cedar Rapids Accepting Submissions for 2014 Underground New Play Festival

Cedar Rapids - Continuing an annual tradition, TCR will hold the Underground New Play Festival during the fall of 2014. The Festival is currently accepting submissions of new plays written by playwrights residing in Iowa, or who have strong Iowa connections. TCR is looking for a wide variety of original plays which have never been produced or published.

Submissions can be ten-minute pieces, one-acts, or full-length plays. We welcome a wide variety of genres, from comedies to dramas to musicals, and pieces can appeal to a family audience, a strictly adult audience, or may be pieces geared specifically to a child audience.

Both established and experienced playwrights, as well as those new to the craft, are welcome to submit work.

Submissions for Davis County Player's Summer Play Festival

Bloomfield - "Iowa writers are invited to submit work for the 2014 Davis County Players’ Short Play Festival, “Summer Shorts,” presented by the Davis County Fine Arts Council. The festival of short plays will take place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1-2, 2014 at the Iowa Theatre in Bloomfield, Iowa.

Playwrights from anywhere in Iowa are eligible. Writers are asked to submit unpublished material by May 15, 2014. Several plays will be selected for stage production, with one “Best In Show” -- selected by the audience -- to receive the $100 grand prize. There will also be $50 prizes to the best play written by a resident of Davis County and the best play written by a Davis County student aged 18 or younger.

The theme of this year’s contest is “The Phone Call.” Plays should be in a standard play script format and be between 5-15 pages in length. They should be the author’s original material and not an adaptation. Comedy, tragedy, or somewhere in between – it doesn’t matter, but we are not looking for musicals.

TCR Accepting Applications for Underground New Play Festival

Cedar Rapids - "Continuing an annual tradition, TCR will hold the Underground New Play Festival during the fall of 2013. The Festival is currently accepting submissions of new plays written by playwrights residing in Iowa, or who have strong Iowa connections. TCR is looking for a wide variety of original plays which have never been produced or published.

Submissions can be ten-minute pieces, one-acts, or full-length plays. We welcome a wide variety of genres, from comedies to dramas to musicals, and pieces can appeal to a family audience, a strictly adult audience, or may be pieces geared specifically to a child audience.

Writer's Joust Submissions Due December 1

Iowa City - Dreamwell Theatre continues its tradition of producing original work through its annual playwriting contest, the Writers’ Joust. The winner will receive a $100 cash prize and a full production of his or her play in July, 2013. Two runner up playwrights will receive a staged reading of their plays.

The theme for Dreamwell’s 2012-13 season is “OVA-tion!”, featuring all female playwrights. Dreamwell is looking for full length plays that demonstrate women’s impact on some aspect of life (for example, but not limited to, family, society, politics, religion, or art). Note that for the Writers’ Joust, men are encouraged to submit plays as well.

Previous contest winners were Tom Deiker’s Innocence and Amy White's World's Teeniest.

Writers’ Joust Rules

Writers must currently live in Iowa or explain their connection to the state. Judges have the right to disqualify a playwright without adequate connection to Iowa.

Keep the set and production value simple.

Only full length plays will be considered.

Plays cannot have been performed (except for readings) or published.

Manuscripts should be 12 font, double spaced, 1 inch margins and page numbered (starting with cover sheet).

Include a cover sheet with: Name, e-mail, phone, title of play, brief statement of how your play fits the contest theme, and a character breakdown.

Do not include your name on the script itself – only on the cover sheet. Scripts are judged anonymously.

Email submissions to: joust@dreamwell.com or by postal mail to: Dreamwell Theatre, Writers’ Joust, PO Box 2903, Iowa City IA 52244.

Deadline is December 1, 2012 for e-mailed entries. Mailed manuscripts must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2012.

Mailed manuscripts will not be returned.

Only one submission per playwright.

All playwrights submitting by the stated deadline will be sent a confirmation e-mail.

All playwrights will be notified of winning plays through an e-mail by March 31, 2013.

Call for Submissions: City Circle New Play Festival

Coralville - City Circle is accepting submissions for its biannual New Play Festival. Preference will be given to plays that have not been produced, are written by Iowans or those with ties to Iowa, are ten minutes or less, and have simple/minimal technical requirements. No writer may submit more than three plays. The deadline is October 1.

The New Play Festival will take place March 8 - 10, 2013, at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Contact CityCircleNewPlay@gmail.com with any questions.

Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre Calls for Submissions

Mt. Vernon - Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre is looking for submissions for its annual "Slices of Life" production, which opens March 7. Submissions are due September 1.

Rules 
Send 2 hard copies to PO Box 294, Mount Vernon, IA, 52314.
Submissions must be postmarked by September 1, 2012. (Local submissions may be delivered to the Lisbon Public Library, care of Amy White).
Scripts must be family friendly (i.e. PG-13).
Props and costumes should be kept to a minimum.
Scenes should be written for a black box setting.
Plays should run approximately 10 minutes.
Slices will be performed March 7-10, 2013.
MVLCT will only consider royalty free scripts.

Call Amy White at 319-899-1399 or email mvlcommunitytheatre@gmail.com with questions.

Riverside Accepting Walking the Wire Submissions

Iowa City - The next Walking the Wire at Riverside, themed "TMI," will be performed beginning March 1, 2013. Submissions are due by September 15; accepted entries will be announced on November 1.

Walking the Wire is Riverside's annual evening of ten-minute-or-less monologues; each year Riverside asks writers to submit monologues centered around a particular theme. Contest guidelines below.

"Riverside Theatre is seeking original monologues with the theme of TMI (too much information): moments of startling revelations…wince-worthy weirdness…and hilarious personal habits (that didn’t really need to be shared)."

Rules

Up to two submissions per author of original, unpublished and unproduced monologues less than ten minutes length (please read it aloud and include the approximate performance time on the first page of your submission; all lengths of up to ten minutes will be considered, with the objective of choosing monologues of varying lengths).

Selection considerations: Monologues should have strong forward action and a clear dramatic event or moment.

Copy requirements: double spaced in a minimum 12 pt. font, and including the playwright's name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

Simple is best. Since Walking the Wire typically includes 10-12 monologues, it is important that each one require as little production as possible; set-pieces, props or effects needing set-up, strike, or special technical support may disqualify an otherwise excellent submission.

Email submissions (Word or PDF document attachment) must be dated by midnight CST September 15, 2012. Final selections will announced November 1, 2012, on Riverside Theatre’s website, www.riversidetheatre.org.

Writers will be credited in all marketing and playbill materials; no royalties will be paid. Walking the Wire will be produced March 1-10, 2013. Playwrights are entitled to two complimentary tickets to any single performance; tickets are not transferable.

Submissions should be emailed to: artistic@riversidetheatre.org

TCR Seeks Writers & Directors for New Play Festival

TCR - This year's Underground Festival at TCR will feature entirely new plays to be performed in the Grandon Studio in November. Submissions are open until June 15; plays of any length will be considered as long as they have not been produced before.

Directors are also asked to apply for the Festival. There will also be a special Youth portion, open to directors and writers in grades 6-12.

Applications and other details here.

Submissions Being Accepted for Summer Show in Bloomfield

Davis County Players - The Davis County Fine Arts Council is accepting submissions for the Third Annual Davis County Players' Short Play Festival. The show goes up August 3rd; submissions are due May 15th.

Playwrights must be from Iowa; scripts must be unpublished. Several plays will receive a stage production and one play will receive a $100 prize. There are also $50 prizes for the best play written by a Davis County resident and the best play written by a Davis County student (18 or younger).

The plays should be 5-15 pages and on the theme "It's Over." No adaptations, musicals, or plays with "excessive profanity, sex and violence."

To submit a play, e-mail jg4horsemen@yahoo.com with the subject line "Summer Shorts." For additional information, click here.

Children's Play Competition at UU Children's Theatre.

Playwrights! UU Children's Theatre is hosting a contest to create a new show for teens, to be performed by teens. Rules after the jump...

1. Only original, unpublished full-length plays may be submitted. Plays must not have been previously produced or won awards. Readings are acceptable if no admission was charged and actors read from the script. Musicals and non-musicals will be accepted.

2. At least fifteen characters ages 12-16 years old with at least ten being girls or androgynous.

3. The play should center around at least one social awareness or moral issue including, but not limited to, those dealing with bullying, the environment, self-image, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, homosexuality, abortion, drugs, technology, politics and/or religion.

4. All submissions should be made in standard manuscript form. All author information must be on a title page separate from the body of the manuscript and no reference to the author is permitted in the body of the script. The title page should list the play's title and the playwright’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and page count.

5. Also please include a second title page listing the title of the play; a 1-2 paragraph synopsis; a list of characters followed with a list of acts and scenes. No reference to the author should be on this sheet.

6. By submitting the manuscript to the UUCT New Play Contest, the playwright agrees that UUCT will have exclusive rights to produce the winning play(s) and/or a reading of the play(s) during the 2012- 2013 season. Plays will be judged and selected by a 4 person panel of accomplished local artists.

7. Entries can either be emailed to info@uuchildrenstheater.com or submitted by mail and postmarked no later than June 01, 2012. Due to the volume of mail, manuscripts cannot be returned.

8. A hard copy of your script can be sent to:
Des Moines Performing Arts
UUCT New Play Contest
2124 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312

9. One or two winning plays will be selected and will be produced as part of the UUCT 2012-2013 season. UU Children’s Theater reserves the right to use the names of the winning plays and its author(s) in all publicity and promotions.

10. The winner(s) will be announced by August 31, 2012 on our website and the winner(s) will be notified directly by email.

11. UU Children’s Theater reserves the right to accept or reject any play submitted. UUCT reserves the right to declare no winner. Decisions of the judges are final.

Writers Skirmish Deadline Extended

Iowa City - Dreamwell Theatre has decided to extend this "Writers Skirmish" playwriting competition deadline to December 15. Interested playwrights who email their play to joust@dreamwell.com have a chance to win $100.

This contest is for Iowa playwrights. Unlike last year’s "Writers Joust," which called for full length shows, this time Dreamwell is looking for one act plays. Shows should be connected to our season, "Here I Stand," a program of plays about taking a stand for one’s identity, despite the consequences.

Last year’s "Writers Joust" winning play, Tom Deiker’s Innocence, was produced to much acclaim.

Winner receives a $100 cash prize and a full production of his or her play July 13 – 21, 2012. Runners up will also receive full productions of their plays at that time.

Rules/Guidelines

-Writers must currently live in Iowa or have a strong connection to the state.

-Keep the set and production value simple.

-Play run times should be a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum of 60 minutes.

-Play cannot have been performed (except for readings) or published.

-Manuscripts should be 12 font, double spaced, 1 inch margins.

-Include a cover sheet with: Name, email, phone, title of play, brief statement of how your play fits the season theme, and a character breakdown.

-Do not include your name on the script itself – only on the cover sheet. They judge scripts anonymously.

-Email submissions to joust@dreamwell.com or mail to Dreamwell Theatre, Writers Skirmish, PO Box 2903, Iowa City IA 52244.

-Mailed manuscripts will not be returned and must be postmarked December 15 if you're going that route.

Please direct all questions to joust@dreamwell.com.

Walking the Wire selections announced

Iowa City - Riverside Theatre announced the playwright selections for Walking the Wire, their annual evening of original monologues centered around a specific theme. Walking the Wire: This Will Never Work will be performed at Riverside Theatre March 2-11, 2012.

“Double Barrel” – Brent Boyd, North Hollywood, CA

“Bert, One Year Later” – Dave Carley, Toronto, Ontario

“Third” – Ron Clark, Iowa City, IA

“Nicole” – Mark Harvey Levine, Pasadena, CA

“The Cowboy” – Deborah Magid, Cleveland Heights, OH

“Shakytown” – Gordon Mennenga, Iowa City, IA

“In Hank’s Brain” – Mike Moran, Mt. Vernon, IA

“Lost in the Flood” – Amanda Petefish-Schrag, Maryville, MO

“Toots” – Gwendolyn Rice, Madison, WI

“A Pigeon in a Dress” – Janet Schlapkohl, Iowa City, IA

“Mia” – Jen Silverman, Astoria, NY

“Inner Child” – Amy White, Mt. Vernon, IA

Combined Efforts Looking for Spooky Writers

Iowa City - Combined Efforts Theatre is seeking scripts or original music to be performed as a part of an evening of Halloween related theatre. Scripts may be scary or comical. Or both! The event is Things That Go Bump in the Night.

Dare to walk the path of deliciously fearful performances, haunting music and ghostly comic scenes. Experience the winning entries of our writing competition. The different paths will be age appropriate and there will be refreshments and stories around the campfire.

One night only - 7:00 PM, October 29 at 3418 Osage SW, Iowa City. Tickets available at the door and are only $5.

If you would like to submit a piece to this event, get all the details of the contest here.

Riverside Accepting Walking the Wire Submissions

Iowa City - Riverside Theatre invites playwrights to submit monologues for performance in Walking the Wire. This annual celebration of original work features monologues of ten minutes or less by both established and up-and-coming playwrights. The focus for this season’s monologues is: This Will Never Work. Submissions must be emailed as a Word document and dated by midnight CST September 15, 2011; final selections will be announced on Riverside Theatre’s website (www.riversidetheatre.org) on November 1, 2011. The monologues will be performed March 2-11, 2012 at Riverside Theatre.

Submission Guidelines

1) Riverside Theatre is seeking original monologues with the theme of This Will Never Work (tales of round pegs in square holes. . .hare-brained schemes. . .and skeptics proved wrong). Up to two submissions per author of original, unpublished and unproduced monologues less than ten minutes length (please read it aloud and include the approximate performance time on the first page of your submission; all lengths of up to ten minutes will be considered, with the objective of choosing monologues of varying lengths). Selection considerations: Intentionally paired monologues that present two voices or points of view on the same moment will be considered. Monologues should have strong forward action and a clear dramatic event or moment. Copy requirements: double spaced in a minimum 12 pt. font, and including the playwright's name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

2) Simple is best. Since Walking the Wire typically includes 10-12 monologues, it is important that each one require as little production as possible; set-pieces, props, or effects needing set-up, strike, or special technical support may disqualify an otherwise excellent submission.

3) Email submissions (Word document attachment) must be dated by midnight CST September 15, 2011. Final selections will announced on Riverside Theatre’s website, www.riversidetheatre.org on November 1, 2011.

4) Writers will be credited in all marketing and playbill materials; no royalties will be paid. Walking the Wire will be produced March 2-11, 2012. Playwrights are entitled to two complimentary tickets to any single performance; tickets are not transferable.

5) Submissions should be emailed to: artistic@riversidetheatre.org

Prepare to Skirmish!

Iowa City - Dreamwell Theatre announces a contest for Iowa playwrights. Unlike last year’s “Writers Joust,” which called for full length shows, this time Dreamwell is looking for one act plays. Shows should be connected to our season, “Here I Stand,” a program of plays about taking a stand for one’s identity, despite the consequences.

Last year’s “Writers Joust” winning play, Tom Deiker’s Innocence, was produced to much acclaim.

Winner receives a $100 cash prize and a full production of his or her play July 13 – 21, 2012. Runners up will also receive full productions of their plays at that time. The deadline is November 1, 2011.

Rules/Guidelines

• Writers must currently live in Iowa or have a strong connection to the state.
• Keep the set and production value simple.
• Play run times should be a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum of 60 minutes.
• Play cannot have been performed (except for readings) or published.
• Manuscripts should be 12 font, double spaced, 1 inch margins.
• Include a cover sheet with: Name, email, phone, title of play, brief statement of how your play fits the season theme, and a character breakdown.
• Do not include your name on the script itself – only on the cover sheet. We judge scripts anonymously.
• Mail submissions to Dreamwell Theatre, Writers Skirmish, PO Box 2903, Iowa City IA 52244
• Manuscripts will not be returned.
• Entry must be postmarked November 1, 2011.

Power up your laptop and get writing! Let the skirmish begin!

For more information, email joust@dreamwell.com.

Rage Seeks Plays for Combat Show

Iowa City - Local action theatre company Rage Theatrics is now accepting submissions for their next showcase of action theatre scenes. Playwrights and directors are invited to submit scripts and/or scene proposals by July 15, 2011 for consideration. Scenes should be no longer than 20 minutes in length, and feature stage combat/action. Submissions should be emailed (preferred) to jkbeadle@gmail.com or mailed to Submissions, 1310 Yewell Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Directors who are interested in this production but who do not have a proposal may request to be paired with an existing project. This is an excellent opportunity for directors to work closely with experienced fight choreographers. Contact Producer Josh Beadle at 319-621-0024 or jkbeadle@gmail.com for more information.

This production will be similar in format to past Rage Theatrics shows - including Love and Rage in 2007 and Hero Stories in 2008 - featuring scenes coordinated by several directors from throughout the Iowa City/Coralville area. The show will be presented October, 2011.

SCENE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

1. Proposals should be submitted by July 15 and include the proposed script, or a detailed proposal of an action-based theatrical piece.

2. Scenes should last no more than twenty minutes in performance.

3. Scenes should contain elements of ACTION THEATRE. (This can be defined as fighting or violence, chase scenes, stunt work, slapstick, or any combination of similar elements.)

4. Proposed projects should be original OR fall within the public domain.

5. Preference will be given to projects with few or minimal technical requirements (set pieces, props, costumes, lighting, etc.)

6. Submissions should be appropriate for a show taking place near Halloween. Themes may include horror, suspense, monsters, etc. Both humorous and dramatic submissions are welcome.

Although submissions that diverge from these guidelines will be considered, preference will be given to projects that meet these requirements.

Rage Theatrics will provide a fight choreographer and training for approved projects.

Selections will be announced in early August. Auditions will take place later that month. Rehearsals will take place throughout September and October.

City Circle accepting submissions for New Play Festival

City Circle - City Circle is now accepting original scripts to be performed in their New Play Festival in March 2011. Scripts will be accepted now through October 1, 2010. A final list of chosen plays will be announced November 1, 2010. Ideal plays would be roughly 10 minutes in length. They are always looking for new and upcoming playwrights. Please send your submissions to megan@citycircle.org. Submissions will be read and selected anonymously by a play selection committee.

The last time City Circle produced a new play festival, it was call City Circle Shorts. Here's a link to our coverage of that event.