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Script Submission Guidelines for Mainstage Productions
Submission Guidelines for PPTCO’s 2024 Theater Festival in Black and White
Opportunities for directors and stage managers
Script Submission Guidelines for Mainstage Productions
PPTCO accepts full-length plays by Pittsburgh playwrights year round. Playwrights should email their bio, synopsis, page length, and a 10 page sample of the play to msouthers@pghplaywrights.org.
Submission Guidelines for PPTCO’s 2024 Theater Festival in Black and White
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company presents the Theatre Festival in Black and White, also affectionately known as the Black and White Fest.
Same Name, New Purpose: This festival has made its mark in Pittsburgh by creating an environment where theatre artists from different backgrounds can come together to create a great theatrical experience. Historically the festival has paired Black and White playwrights and directors, designed to bridge the gap of racial divide in the region. As our scope and industry has changed since the inception of the festival, we have expanded our vision to include all Pittsburghers. We also encourage those of various identities to apply including, but not limited to, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, religious communities, ethnicity, gender and those with access needs or disabilities. The essence of the festival will remain the same; to specifically pair artists with cultural differences to learn and grow together through the new play development process.
New Venue:
This year’s festival will be performed at Madison Arts Center from October 5th – 27th, 2024 Postponed, new dates TBA.
Familiar Guidelines:
We are now accepting scripts of one-act plays for our festival. The criteria for script submissions are listed below:
- Playwright must have spent a minimum of two years living in western Pennsylvania at some point.
- Playwrights must submit their own scripts. Only one script per playwright will be accepted.
- The script submitted may not exceed twenty pages and must be performed in twenty-five minutes or less.
- The script cannot have more than four characters.
- The script should not be heavily involved with props or set pieces. The play is a part of a festival and will have to be able to switch out quickly.
- Scripts should tell a complete story.
Submissions must be submitted with:
- Page numbers
- A synopsis must be submitted with each submission.
- The playwrights’ name should not appear on the script itself.
- A separate cover page with the title of the play, the playwrights’ name and contact information (email address and phone number)
- A current color photograph of the playwright must be submitted.
- Script submissions should be emailed to festival@pghplaywrights.org no later than 11:59 PM on May 15th, 2024.
- Script submissions emailed after May 15th, 2024 will not be accepted.
- All scripts must also be submitted in printed hard copy format. Hard copies of scripts should be mailed to:
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company
c/o Black & White Festival
3401 Milwaukee St
Suite One
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
A panel will review all scripts; you will be notified if your script is being produced or not. If you have any questions, please email Festival Co-Coordinators Ashley Southers and Monteze Freeland at festival@pghplaywrights.org.
Additional Opportunities:
PPTCO is also accepting submissions for positions of directors and stage managers. We encourage people of all backgrounds, both culturally and as it pertains to experience, to submit. The festival is designed to give budding and emerging artists an opportunity to learn in a real time, high impact- low stakes environment.
Please email your resume and photo of yourself to festival@pghplaywrights.org . If you do not have a resume, please provide us with a description of your work background and your connection to live performance.