Page to Stage Festival seeking 45-60min scripts for production in Liverpool (£30 entry fee, £295+ production fee if selected, must self-produce)

Playwrights are invited to submit unpublished (in script form)* and unperformed one-act plays for the 2016 Page to Stage Festival (P2S II) to be launched in Liverpool in spring 2016.

Ten scripts will be selected for a number of performances during the festival. Plays will be adjudicated by audiences and judges and prizes will be awarded in a special awards ceremony on the closing night. Prizes are yet to be determined.

Submission window will open in July and close on Midnight 30 October 2015 (This date may change without notice so please check regularly)

What to submit:  Each one-act play should be no shorter than forty-five minutes and no longer than sixty minutes. “The emphasis should be on the dialogue and action not on effects; a variety of venues will be involved in the production of the successful plays and few, if any, will have the facilities that professional theatres will offer so the emphasis is on the Script. The words should carry the story not effects. Think about Shakespeare – he produced his plays with no scenery, no lighting and very little in the way of props, and most have been produced on radio with no change of dialogue.”

Additionally: “Writers are free to write in any genres, in any tone and on any subject matter. However, violence, excessively bad language, nudity and sexual content must be justified by the script. Bear in mind that you will have to persuade actors to perform your script. You will be asked to rate your script in a similar way to film classifications so that they can be scheduled appropriately. We also ask you to indicate if your script is specifically aimed at a young audience.”

Cast size:  “Since you will be operating as a profit share company in small venues, it would make sense to limit the number of characters. We recommend no more than eight. Cast size will be taken into account during the selection process. Of course, many characters can be played by the same actor; if this describes your script, you can indicate this in your submission.”

How to apply:  Submissions will only be accepted electronically in pdf format. Most scripting and word-processing software will be able to convert to this format but you can contact them if you have difficulties. They will be able to make the conversion for you but there will be a fee for this and it means that your deadline for completion would have to be earlier.

Submissions will be anonymous and so the script must not contain any details that will identify the author; details of the application process will be published nearer to the submission date. Submissions will only be accepted electronically in pdf format.

Application fee:  There is a non-returnable entry fee of £30, payable via PayPal, to cover admin costs and reader’s fees. Read “How to Enter” for links to the order page. You will then receive instructions about submitting your script.

Selection process:  Submissions will be read by a team of readers who will create a long list. Scripts from the long list will be read by a select panel, which will then create a short list. The short list will be read again to select the best ten to be produced during the festival by a team lead by the writer. Writers who reach the short list will receive written feedback from the panel. The successful writers will be notified around Mid-November (actual date will appear here when it is finalised).

At this point, the successful writers will be asked to pay their production fee. This will pay for publicity (including a run of fliers for each individual production – something no other festival offers), venues, launch events and other costs. The production fee will be £295. Please be aware that you may incur further costs during the production which you may not recoup.

The writers will be invited to a number of workshops in Liverpool, which they will be expected to attend.

Successful writers are expected to produce their own plays. This will entail appointing a director and casting the play. You will be expected to work with the director through the process of rewriting. They understand that not every writer will be local enough for this to be practical. In such cases we will accept the appointment of a local producer. The Festival Company will assist in all these stages to help you stage the best production possible.

As Executive Producers, the writers are expected to establish a “production company,” which entails nothing more than selecting a name for your company of cast and crew. All agreements with the cast and crew will be made by this production company and not by Page to Stage. You will be guided through the legalities and provided with draft Fringe Agreement forms.

While the festival will retain a percentage (40%) of the box office takings, priority will be given to the writer recouping their production fee. If you don’t get your fee back, the Page to Stage Company doesn’t take its cut – simple.

Further details:  All entrants must read the Terms and Conditions thoroughly before submission. You will be asked to confirm that you have read and accept these prior to submission. If you have any queries or doubts you are encouraged to contact us using the contact form. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, which we encourage you to read first.

More details will be found on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/pagetostage and Twitter: @P2S_Festival

Deadline:  30 October 2015 at midnight (deadline extended)

Source: @P2S_Festival

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