Zoo playwriting?
Polar Bears
The coolest.
Michael R. McGuire is one of the playwrights whose opinion I trust. He's a theater artist working within his community as a major contributor to the local arts scene in New London, Connecticut. He is a self-taught self-starter who also helps other theater-artists see their work produced. I've know Mike for a few decades, and we've worked together to co-produce new-play festivals and full-up productions. He founded a playwrights group that meets regularly throughout the year where members bring new work to have it read and discussed (then we all go out for food and beer). He's the kind of guy you want to have around when you're trying to get a new piece on its feet. Everybody should have a friend like Mike.---------------
---------------
Michael R. McGuire has written plays for the past 16 years. His play SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I MISSED THE TRAIN was part of The Lark's 2004 Playwrights Week and showcased by The Planning Stage at The Golden Street Gallery in 2006. He was awarded a CT Artist Fellowship in 2005 for his play THE NEW GIRL with which he produced a showcase at the Avery Point Playhouse. His plays PERSEPHONE RULES! and THE MISJUDGMENT OF OENONE are published by Brooklyn Publishers.
McGuire founded the playwrights reading group Writers' Roundtable in 2000.
The interview:
Michael R. McGuire - why the "R"?
There is another playwright in America named Michael McGuire. We were getting one another's rejection letters returned. The other McGuire has been around longer so I added my middle initial. Plus, it sounds cooler.
You're a playwright based in Southeastern Connecticut. What are some of the challenges to you as a playwright not being in a big city?
The biggest challenge is the lack of opportunity to network with theater professionals. Literary managers have no face to put with my name. Of course this might also be an advantage...
What are the benefits?
I enjoy being an outsider. Because so many playwrights live in NY, they tend to have a New York sensibility. My New London, CT sensibility is a bit different and informs my writing.
Living in a small arts community like New London County, how essential to you and your work has been the acquisition of production skills?
I have produced, directed and also acted in many of my own productions. It is essential for a playwright to see the work in front of an audience. If opportunities do not present themselves, you must create them.
What makes you want to produce the works of others as well as your own?
I sometimes come across a script that I simply must see on stage. Your play TO DIE FOR WANT OF LOBSTER was one of these. (That it had a great role for me had nothing to do with it)
I do not consider myself an especially skilled director of the works of others and prefer to leave that to others when I can.
Being outside of the mainstream loops and circles that life in New York or another theater hub could offer, how do you get your work out there? Do you have a marketing plan? If so, how does it work?
I wouldn't call it a plan so much as a dogged tenacity to submit my work to every theater I can find that might be appropriate. In addition to Dramatists Sourcebook, I also search online and scour the resumes of playwrights I admire for theaters they began in.
I keep a database of all my submissions and mail frequently. How does it work? I'm not so sure it does!
While the stereotype of the struggling playwright places him/her in a room, alone, flushing out genius across pages, waiting for discovery - how does it really work from your experience? Are you alone or do you depend on others?
I write in coffee shops. I need a bit of hubbub to write. Silence is deadly to me. I read a great deal and consider all writing as part of a larger conversation. Nothing is created in a vacuum. Our playwrights group Writers' Roundtable has been a valuable resource for feedback and inspiration.
How did you find other artists in your small-town community to work on your plays?
Mine is a theater-heavy small-town due, in part, to our proximity to The O'Neill. New London has an artistically thriving if financially struggling community. I am also fortunate to have an actress girlfriend, Heidi Harger, who has inspired imagery for more than one of my plays.
What resources are do you use to expand your knowledge of writing? What's available when you're off the beaten path?
Given Amazon.com everything that is available elsewhere is available here. The works of Gary Garrison, Jeffery Sweet and Stuart Spenser have been valuable, especially early on. Reading the works of current playwrights has also been important. I have to travel a bit to see professional theater, but every playwright should watch live theater.
You recently participated in a 24-hour play experiment, which was the first of it's kind in the New London area - what was that like? What was unexpected?
We were given an assignment in the evening and had to have a 10 page play written by morning. The plays were handed off to randomly selected actors and director who rehearsed and had the play before an audience that night. It was fun for me because I didn't have to direct it myself, a rare treat.
Unexpectedly my director, unknown to me before the project, is interested in an on-going collaboration on future plays.
You've also participated in the now defunct Local Playwrights Festival at the O'Neill Theater Center, which was produced and performed by all Connecticut and Rhode Island based volunteers to present workshops of plays by local authors - how relevant was that earlier experience for you?
Having an early play (WHAT'S GONNA SET YOU FREE?) selected for that festival was the encouragement I needed at that time to let me know I might be in the right business. It also introduced me to other playwrights and the local theater community at large. It is impossible to overstate the importance of that event. You may blame them for all my subsequent scribbling.
Any plans for the short play that came out of that?
I'm not much of a short play writer in general, but I may send it out here and there.
What are some recommend reads for playwrights?
I mentioned some writers above, and of course read any play you can get your hands on, but also read magazines, novels, comic books, essays and everything else. Ideas are everywhere. I could live ten lifetimes and not run out of ideas.
What do you recommend a playwright order from the bar when being taken out after a showing of one of his/her plays?
If the show went well, have a Guiness or two. Remain sober enough to absorb the praise. If the show went poorly, start pounding whiskey. I accept no responsibility for anyone who follows this advice.
Anything else?
Learn the rules and then break them with style.
The Monkey House
Musings on the state of theater-arts
A Playwright & Web Forums: How to Use Them for the POWER OF GOOD(your good & others)
from the mind of Kato McNickle
There are a lot of playwright specific forums, groups on Facebook or MySpace, and other web-based cyber-groups floating around. One thing I've noticed from participating in these forums and groups is that about 1 outta 50 playwrights actually knows how to interface, interact, and maximize the potential of these virtual porticoes. How savvy are you when it comes to participation thru posting? Are you that one or the other 50?
If that forum your a member of was a theater -- what would you do with it? Would you really only tap on the mike once our twice, see if it was on, and only leave a brief calling card -- or would you do more? Can you do something more memorable, more lasting, more significant with your stage-time?
I think sites such as these are like stage-time. How can you do more than leave a calling card? How can you use this forum to make a statement -- to leave an impression? From impressions come connections. The connections are what we seeks as artists.
Visit the Playwright Zoo Archive.
Creative Creatures
Workshops for the writer @ Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
Writing Programs @ KripaluWriting as a spiritual practice, a creative path, or as a way to re-vision your life story helps you access the thoughts behind your thoughts and experience a new intimacy with yourself. Writing helps us make friends with our inner critic, freeing us to create and express without inhibition.
Kripalu provides a welcoming environment in which to turn inward toward the words that are calling you-and offers you a variety of skilled teachers to guide you on the next step of your writing journey.
Check out the calendar for ongoing workshops and retreats.
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FastLinks to theaters
These theaters accept unsolicited plays
- Actors Theatre of Louisville
- Louisville, KY. National 10-minute play contest.
- Act II Playhouse
- Ambler, PA. Full length plays, musicals, and solo pieces.
- African Continuum Theatre
- Washington, DC. Multicultural work relevant to African-American community.
- Alabama Shakespeare Festival
- Montgomery, AL. Plays from Southern writers with Southern or African-American themes.
- Amas Musical Theatre, Inc.
- NYC. Multicultural casts and themes.
- ART Station
- Stone Mountain, GA. Full-length plays, musicals, solo pieces that describe Southern experience.
- Asian American Theatre Company
- San Francisco, CA. Innovative rendrings about the Asian American experience.
- Bristol River Theatre
- Bristol, PA Cutting-edge works, plays that experiment with form.
- Celebration Theatre
- West Hollywood, CA. Plays not previously produced that provide a prgressive gay and lesbian voice in contemporary theatre.
- Centre Stage-South Carolina
- Greenville, SC. Full-length, unproduced plays.
- City Theatre
- Miami, FL. One acts only that represent a diverse mix of subjects and themes.
- Columbus Children's Theatre
- Columbus, OH. Social issue one-acts acceptable for audiences in grades K-5.
- Dad's Garage
- Atlanta, GA. Full-length nontraditional plays, comedies.
- Detroit Repertory Theatre
- Detroit, MI. Full-length issue oriented plays.
- East West Players
- Los Angeles, CA. Plays by or about the Asian American experience.
- El Centro Su Teatro
- Bilingual and/or Spanish language plays, plays dealing with the Chicano/Latino cultural asthetic or political experience.
- Express Children's Theatre
- Houston, TX. Plays for young audiences.
- 5th Avenue Theatre
- Seattle, WA. Adventure Musical Theatre: ongoing program that commissions original musicals performed for K-6 students.
- Foothill Theatre
- Nevada City, CA. Seeks full-length plays. New Voices of the Wild West: annual spring series of plays about the rural American West.
- Growing Stage Theatre
- Netcong, NJ. Accepts plays with a production history suitable for family audiences.
- Hangar Theatre
- Ithaca, NY. Accepts one-acts for for young audiences only.
- Huntington Theatre
- Boston, MA. Accepts plays from Boston area playwrights only; agent submission all others.
- Jewish Theatre of the South
- Atlanta, GA. Works on Jewish themes.
- Jobsite Theater
- Tampa, FL. Topical, politically and socially relevant theatre; plays appealing to 20- and 30- somethnings.
- Kitchen Dog Theater Company
- Dallas, TX. Plays from Texas and Southwest playwrights.
- Kuma Kahua Theatre
- Honolulu, HI. Plays set in Hawaii or dealing with Hawaiian experience.
- Merry-Go-Round Playhouse
- Auburn, NY. Plays for young audiences.
- Mill Mountain Theatre
- Roanoke, VA. Accepts unsolicited one-acts for CenterPieces reding series only.
- Miracle Theatre Group
- Portland, OR. Hispanic playwrights, plays that deal with the Hispanic experience.
- Mu Performing Arts
- Minneapolis, MN. Asian-American expeience, plays combining traditional Asian performance with Western theatre styles, short plays suitable for school tours.
- New Georges
- NYC. plays by women only, works with vigorous use of language and heightened perspectives on reality.
- New Jersey Repertory Company
- Long Branch, NJ. Work not produced professionally, social or humanistic themes.
- A Noise Within
- Glendale, CA. Translations or adaptations of classical material only.
- Oldcastle Theatre Company
- Bennington, VT. Accepts musicals and plays.
- OpenStage Theatre & Company
- Fort Collins, CO. Accepts full-length plays.
- Oregon Children's Theatre
- Portland, OR. Plays and musicals for young and family audiences.
- Playhouse on the Square
- Memphis, TN. Full-length plays and musicals.
- Playwrights Horizons
- NYC. American writers only, works with strong sense of language that take theatrical risks.
- Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
- Chicago, IL. Full-length and one-act musicals.
- Sanctuary: Playwrights Theatre
- Brooklyn, NY. Accepts playwrights with at least one professional production only; prefers plays with unusul structure, radical core ideas, epic form, work that's off the map or otherwise seen as impractical.
- Seattle Children's Theatre
- Seattle, WA. Accepts unsolicted plays for Drama Summer School season only: one-act plays suitable for young actors.
- Seem-To-Be-Players
- Lawrence, KS. Plays for young audiences.
- Soho Repertory Theatre
- NYC. Accepts unsolicited scripts for Writer/Director Lab only, deadline: May.
- TADA! Youth Theater
- NYC. Plays for young audiences.
- Thalia Spanish Theatre
- Sunnyside, NY. Plays with Hispanic themes.
- Theater by he Blind
- NYC. Works by and about being blind.
- Theater for the New City
- NYC. Experimental American works; plays with poetry, music, and dance; social issues.
- Trustus Theatre
- Columbia, SC. One-acts for late night series - 45-75 minutes in length. No topic or experimental structure is taboo.
- Two Chairs Theater Company
- Grand Junction, CO. Full-length, one-acts, 10-minute plays. Annual short play fest, deadline Jan. 31.
- Unicorn Theatre
- Kansas City. MO. Full-length contemporay social issues.
- Victory Gardens Theater
- Chicago, IL. Accepts plays from Chicago residents only. All others submit 10-page sample and letter of inquiry.
- VS Theatre Company
- Los Angeles, CA. Accepts unique and edgy full-length unproduced plays with submission form.
- West Coast Ensemble
- Los Angeles, CA. Plays not previously produced in Southern California.
- Wings Theatre Company, Inc.
- NYC. Gay themed musicals and plays only.
- The York Theatre Company
- NYC. Small cast musicals.
FastLinks to more theaters
These theaters accept samples & queries
- About Face Theatre
- Chicago, IL. Queer scripts only; particular interest in lesbian plays; material that breaks traditional ideas about dramatic form.
- Actor's Express
- Atlanta, GA. Contempory, socially relevant material; minority and gay themes; works with poetic dimension; multiethnic works.
- Actors Guild of Lexington
- Lexington, KY. Full-length and solo pieces.
- ACT Theatre
- Seattle, WA. Northwest playwrights only; plays theatrical in imagination and stirytelling; multicultural themes.
- Algonkuin Theatre Company
- Bellingham, MA. Native American plays.
- American Theater Company
- Chicago, IL. Distictly American; language oriented plays that utilize heightened theatrical reality; social and political themes.
- Arden Theatre Company
- Philadelphia, PA. New adaptations of literary works.
- Arena Stage
- Washington, DC. Plays of the Americas with emphasis on living writers; American themes, culture, history and literary traditions.
- Arizona Theatre Company
- Tucson, AZ. Special programs: National Latino Playwriting Award.
- Artists Repertoty Theatre
- Portland, OR. Special program: Play Lab staged reading series.
- Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities
- Arvada, CO. Plays for preschool thru grade 6.
- Asolo Repertory Theatre
- Sarasota, FL.
- Atlantic Theater Company
- NYC. Small cast plays and musicals.
- Attic Theatre and Film Center
- Los Angeles, CA. Simple sets, no wing or fly space.
- Aurora Theatre Company
- Berkeley, CA. Plays emphasizing language and ideas.
- Barrington Stage Comapny
- Pittsfield, MA. Cast limit of 4-8 for plays. 15-16 for musicals.
- The Barrow Group
- NYC. Special programs: Short play festival.
- Barter Theatre
- Abingdon, VA. Social issues, current events; works that expand theatrical form; nonurban oriented material.
- Berkeley Repertory Theatre
- Berkeley, CA. Accepts unsolicited scripts from Bay area residents only, all others professional recommendation.
- The Black Rep
- St. Louis, MO. Works by African-American and Third World playwrights.
- Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble
- Bloomsburg, PA. New translations of classics; rural themes; plays suitable for small acting ensemble.
- BoarsHead Theater
- Lansing, MI. One-act plays for young audience and late night theater; social issues; comedies; plays that make use of theatrical conventions or create new ones.
- Brat Productions
- Philadelphia, PA. Material that connects with audiences in new and unique ways.
- Burning Coal Theatre Company
- Raleigh, NC. Accepts unsolicited scripts from NC playwrights only, all others submit inquiry via e-mail.
- The Cape Cod Theatre Project
- NYC. Contempory American works.
- CenterStage
- Baltimore, MD. Plays about the African-American experience.
- Center Theatre Group
- Los Angeles, CA. Formerly Mark Taper Forum/Kirk Douglas Theatre.
- Cincinnati Playhouse
- Cincinnati, OH. Previously unproduced works that take linguistic and/or theatrical risks.
- City Garage
- Santa Monica, CA. Nonrealistic, experimental work only; no family dramas or confessional plays.
- City Theatre Company
- Pittsburgh, PA. Plays of substance and ideas; unconventionl approach to form, content, and/or use of language.
- Clarence Brown Theatre Company
- Knoxville, TN. Contemporary American plays.
- Cleveland Playhouse
- Cleveland, OH. Special programs: The Next Stage Festival of New Plays.
- The Colony Theatre
- Burbank, CA. Full length plays.
- Contemporary American Theatre Company
- Columbus, OH. Special interests, Ohio and midwestern playwrights.
- Conetemporary American Theater Festival
- Shepherdstown, WV. New American plays with contemporary issues.
- The Coterie Theatre
- Kansas City, MO. Ground breaking works for family audiences; plays with culturally divers casts and themes.
- Court Theatre
- Chicago, IL. Translations and adaptation of classic texts only.
- Curious Theatre Company
- Denver, CO. Plays with cultural, social, and/or political emphasis; plays with challenging design elements.
- Dallas Children's Theater
- Dallas, TX. Works for family audiences.
- The Dell'Arte Company
- Blue Lake, CA. Physical theatre; new adaptations of classics; physica plays for young audiences.
- Denver Center Theatre Company
- Denver, CO. Residents of Rocky Mountain states may send sample and query.
- Diversionary Theatre
- San Diego, CA. Plays about lesbian, gay, transgendered people only; prefers cast limit of 6.
- The Empty Space Theatre
- Seattle, WA. Plays unique to the event of live theatre.
- Express Children's Theatre
- Houston, TX. 40-minute plays, multicultural, bilingual, for young audiences.
- FirstFlights
- Eugene, OR. Full-length plays, adaptations, translations.
- First Stage Children's Theater
- Milwaukee, WI. Works for young audiences.
- Ford's Theatre
- Washington, DC. Small scale musicals and works that celebrate the American experience from a historical perspective.
- Furious Theatre Company
- Pasadena, CA. Edgy, innovative, and original theatre.
- GableStage
- Coral Gables, FL. Full-length plays.
- Gala Hispanic Theatre
- Washington, DC. Plays by Spanish, Latino or Hispanic-American writers in Spanish or English; plays that reflect these sociocultural realities.
- George Street Playhouse
- New Brunswick, NJ. Plays that present a fresh perspective on society; one-acts for school touring.
- Germinal Stage Denver
- Denver, CO. Adaptations that use both dialogue and narration.
- Geva Theatre Center
- Rochester, NY. Special programs: American Voices New Play Reading Series.
- Goodman Theatre
- Chicago, IL. Full-length plays, translations, musicals.
- Goodspeed Musicals
- East Haddam, CT. Musicals.
- Greenbriar Valley Theatre
- Lewisburg, WV. Regional plays.
- Greenway Arts Alliance
- Los Angeles, CA. Large casts, current poltical themes.
- Harbor Theatre
- NYC. Character driven works.
- Harwich Junior Theatre
- West Harwich, MA. Intergenerational casts; plays for family audiences or young adult themes.
- Hedgerow Theatre
- Wallingford, PA. New plays by NJ, DE, & PA playwrights; mysteries; comedies.
- Hip Pocket Theatre
- Fort Worth, TX. well-crafted stories with a poetic, mythic slant that encorporate ritual and ensemble; works utilyzing masks, puppetry, music, dance, mime, and strong visual elements.
- Honolulu Theatre for Youth
- Honolulu, HI. Contemporary themes for preschool thru high school audiences; small cast adaptaions; new works based on Pacific Rim cultures; socially relevant to people of Hawaii.
- Horizon Theatre Company
- Atlanta, GA. Contemporry issues; plays by woman and African-Americans; southern urban themes; comedies.
- Hyde Park Theatre
- Austin, TX. Special programs: Annual reading series developing new work.
- Illinois Theatre Center
- Park Forest, IL. Full length plays and musicals.
- Illusion Theater
- Minneapolis, MN. Emerging writers, woman writers, issue plays.
- Imagination Stage
- Bethesda, MD. Innovative treatment of children's classics.; culturally diverse material.
- InterAct Theatre Company
- Philadelphia, PA. contemporary plays that theatrically explore issues of political, social, and cultural significance.
- Irondale Ensemble Project
- Brooklyn, NY. Ensemble driven work, developed with company that explores political and socially relevent ideas.
- Jewish Theater of New York
- NYC.
- John Drew Theater
- East Hampton, NY. Comedies; plays with contemporay setting.
- Jungle Theater
- Minneapolis, MN. Full-length plays.
- LAByrinth Theater Company
- NYC. In residence at The Public Theater. Unproduced works.
- Live Bait Theatrical Company
- Chicago. IL. Chicago-area playwrights only. Non-realistic plays; performance art, multi-media.
- Losta Nation Theater
- Montpelier, VT. Small casts; no "spectacles."
- Lyric Stage Company of Boston
- Boston, MA. Special programs: developing new writers; commisioning MA playwrights.
- Magic Theatre
- San Francisco, CA. World and American premiers; plays with a sense of urgency, original voice and wit.
- Main Street Theater
- Houston, TX. Plays dealing with multicultural issues; plays by women.
- Ma-Yi Theater Company
- NYC. Works by Asian-American and non Asian-American playwrights.
- MCC Theater
- NYC. Full-lengths, one-acts, musicals.
- MetroStage
- Alexandria, VA. First Stage reading series every fall. Full-length plays.
- Mixed Blood Theatre Company
- Minneapolis, MN. Political, issue-oriented comedies; contemporry plays set in the USA; world theater; plays about people living with disabilities.
- Montana Repertory Repertory Theatre
- University of Montana. Full-length plays, one acts, musicals.
- Moving Arts
- Los Angeles, CA. Dramas and comedies not previously peoduced in LA area.
- National Theatre of the Deaf
- West Hartford, CT. Culturally diverse plays; deaf issues.
- New Conservatory Theatre Center
- San Francisco, CA. Gay plays for adult audiences.
- The New Group
- NYC. Challenging and risk-taking plays that explore character and emotions in a contemporary context.
- New Repertory Theatre
- Watertown, MA. Plays of ideas that center around pressing issues of our time; mulicultural themes; intimate, interpersonal themes.
- New Stage Theatre
- Jackson, MS. Eudora Welty New Play Series for full-length plays.
- New Theatre
- Coral Gables, FL. Theatrical, laguage-driven plays and plays with socio-political themes.
- New York Stage and Film
- NYC. Unproduced full-lengths for readings and workshops.
- New York State Theatre Institute
- Troy, NY. Works for family audiences only.
- New York Theatre Workshop
- NYC. political and historical events nd institutions that shape contemporary life.
- North Coast Repertory Theatre
- Solana Beach, CA. Full-length plays.
- Northeast Theatre
- Scranton, PA. Small cast plays and musicals.
- Northlight Theatre
- Skokie, IL. Plays of ideas; heightened realism.
- North Shore Music Theatre
- Beverly, MA. Musicals only.
- Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
- Los Angeles, CA. Culturally iverse works; works with innovative or provocitive subject matter; works explorng the enduring questions of human existance.
- Old Globe
- San Diego, CA. Strongly theatrical material.
- Open Circle Theater
- Seattle, WA. New works and adaptations that speak to the human condition through fantasy and mythic stortelling; language oriented plays; site specic renderings.
- Open Eye Theater
- Margaretville, NY. Plays for multigenerational audiences; culturally diverse themes; ensemble plays.
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival
- Ashland, OR. Plays of ideas; language oriented.
- Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
- NYC. Asian or Asian-American themes only.
- Pangea World Theater
- Minneapolis, MN. Adaptations of world literature; multiethnic works.
- Pasadena Playhouse
- Pasadena, CA. Full-length plays and musicals.
- PCPA Theaterfest
- Santa Maria, CA. Small cast plays and musicals; annual stage reading series; electronic inquiry only.
- Pearl Theatre Company, Inc.
- NYC. Translations (not adaptations) of classical plays.
- Pagasus Players
- Chicago, IL. Full-length plays, musicals and solo pieces.
- Pendragon Theatre
- Saranac, NY. New Directions play reading series and development workshops.
- Penumbra Theatre Company
- St. Paul, MN. Works that address the African-American experience and the AFrican diaspora.
- People's Light and Theatre Company
- Malvern, PA. Intelligent, original scripts for a family audience.
- Performance Network Theatre
- Ann Arbor, MI. Full-length plays and musicals.
- Perserverance Theatre
- St. Douglas, AK. Alaskan playwrights; Native-American themes and playwrights; ensemble-based works, documentary theatre.
- Phoenix Arts Association Theatre
- San Francisco, CA. Plays about women, especially mature women's issues; plays in French and English.
- Phoenix Theatre
- Phoenix, AZ. Plays suitable for a general audience.
- Pillsbury House Theatre
- Minneapolis, MN. A multi-cultural company of artists; plays that provoke examination of the world around us; synopsis & letter of inquiry.
- Pittsburgh Public Theater
- Pittsburgh, PA. Full-length plays, translations, adaptations.
- Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey
- Madison, NJ. Full-length & one-act plays of substance and passion.
- Portland Center Stage
- Portland, OR. Just Add Water West Fest.
- Portland Stage Company
- Portland, ME. Little Festival of the Unexpected.
- Primary Stages
- NYC. Highly theatrical American works for NYC premiere.
- Public Theater
- NYC.
- Purple Rose Theatre
- Chelsea, MI. Plays that speak to a middle-American audience.
- Queens Theatre in the Park
- Queens, NY. Mainstream theatre, and plays that reflect the diverse population of Queens.
- Red Barn Theatre
- Ket West, FL. Full-lengteh plays, musicals, cabaret/revues, cast limit 8.
- Repertorio Espanol
- NYC. Plays dealing with hispanic themes. Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition.
- Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
- St. Louis, MO. Full-length non-naturalistic plays, contemporary social and political themes.
- Riverside Theatre
- Vero Beach, FL. Full-length plays, translations, adaptations, cast limit of 10.
- Riverside Theatre
- Iowa City, IA. Full-length plays, translations, adaptations, cabaret/revue.
- Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre
- Pawtucket, RI. Full-length plays, translations, adaptations.
- Santa Monica Playhouse
- Santa Monica, CA. Full-length plays, translations, adaptations, plays for young audiences, musicals, cast limit of 8.
- Seaside Music Theatre
- Daytona Beach, FL. Musicals for young and adult audiences, cabaret/revue.
- Second Stage Theatre
- NYC. Heightened realism, sociopolitical issues, plays by women and minority writers.
- Serendipity Theatre
- Chicago, IL. Work that provides a social dialogue; work by early career and lesser-known playwrights.
- Shakespeare & Company
- Lenox, MA. Full-length plays, adaptations. Special interests: pays based-on or adapted from works by Edith Wharton and other women authors or autors with a Berkshire or olde New England connection.
Blasting Womprats
--------- Luke Skywalker, taking on a skeptic regarding the rebel's chances of destroying the Death Star.
Gunning for womprats
by Kato McNickle
Sending out your play to a theater and getting a production out of it is a lot like the chances the Rebel Alliance had in destroying the Death Star, but they had to try. For them it was a life or death battle. For you and me it's a matter of credibility and identity. Will my life as a playwright survive? Without that production coming along, the answer is "no."
How do you get that production? First you have to bullseye a whole lotta womprats in your T-16 back home.
Where are these elusive creatures? They take on a variety of forms, from reading books on playwriting, to taking a class, to going to the theater, to reading new plays, to local readings of your latest play, to 10-minute play festivals, to concert and staged-readings of your work. Womprats are everywhere. So why can they be so hard to see?
Read the rest
FastLinks
Places to go for info
- The Playwrights Foundation
- A Bay Area project developing new works by American playwrights.
- Playwrights Binge
- A group for playwrights interested in periodic marketing binges: exchanging information and reporting progress to the group.
- National New Play Network
- An alliance of not-for-profit professional theatres that foster new work.
- En Avant Playwrights
- An EZ-Board for playwrights, including opps and convo.
- The Playwrights Forum
- An international online community of playwrights hosted by Stageplays.com.
- Women's Theatre and Arts Groups
- An online resource with clickable links.
- The Drama Workshop
- Articles about the "nuts-and-bolts" of dramatic writing.
- Atlantic Center for the Arts
- Artist residency community.
- Sundance Institute
- Film, performance, and theater.
- The Loop
- Garry Garrison's monthly posting for playwrights people who support playwrights.
- Playwriting Opportunities for the E-Merging Writer
- Playwriting contests, competitions, retreats, workshops, theatre links, ongoing submissions, year-round deadlines for playwrights
- Write Angle
- Looking for ten-minute plays.
- Dramaturgy
- On-line list serv of Dramaturgs
- Original Works
- On-line play publisher.
- Playwrights Center
- Opportuniities board.
- US Copyright Office
- Page for the Performing Arts.
- Burry Mans Writer's Center
- Play submission and contest page.
- Broadway Play Publishing
- Specializes in full-length, contemporary, American plays
- New Dramatists
- The NYC playwrights organization.
- The Dramatists Guild
- The only professional association which advances the interests of playwrights, composers and lyricists writing for the living stage. The Guild has over 6,000 members nationwide, from beginning writers to the most prominent authors represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theaters.
- An Eclectic Guide for Submissions
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Backstage.com, that's what.
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From NYTimes.com Theater
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OnStageLighting wrote...
Hey, I've just started a Stage and Theatre Squidoo Group and would love you to join me. See you there.
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ProCW wrote...
Hey. I am new to squidoo! So SQUIDOO to you! I like this article!! Great for playwrights! What else ya got? :-)







