THEATRE BC,
the parent organization of community theatre in British Columbia since 1932,
is proud to announce entry details for the
21st
Annual Canadian National Playwriting Competition
The 'Deadline for Entry' (postmark) is Monday, July 20, 2009.
( entries accepted after April 15,
2009 )
Canadian professional and non-professional
playwrights are invited to enter
original, un-produced stage plays in
the Full Length and One Act
categories. A third, Special Merit category is offered at the jury's
discretion and may be a runner up in either category or a script of particular
style or subject matter deemed to have production potential and warrants
the New Play Festival process. Up to seven Finalists
will also be chosen.
Submissions are made under pseudonyms to
maintain the impartiality
of the Competition.
The jurors, at no time, have any idea where the entries originate.
There are no restrictions on subject matter, setting
or number of entries by any playwright, but each must be made separately
under different pseudonyms. The Competition is not open to Musicals.
See complete Competition details on the
official
competition brochure linked here (PDF format)
On this
page:
Written
Critiques Offered / New Play
Festival
Selection
& Announcement / Special
Requests / Rules
& Entry Requirements
Competition
Objectives / Cash
Awards & Categories
Written
Critiques Offered
THEATRE BC offers the option of a written
critique for any Competition
entrant for an additional fee. Critiques are prepared by jurors over the course of the
Competition and returned following announcement of the winners and finalists.
All of this fee is paid to the juror preparing the critique.
Written critiques (300-500 words
approximately) are for
ENTERED SCRIPTS ONLY
and as requested at the time of submission.
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Theatre BC's New Play Festival
The Competition's popular New Play Festival
component is held in Kamloops, BC in early April each year and features workshop sessions
for the Winners & Finalists of the Playwriting Competition.
Re-Working Sessions on the three category-winning plays
feature one-to-one script development with a professional dramaturge
and up to 14 hours of workshopping
with actors registered for this unique training opportunity.
Staged Public Readings of the winning scripts are presented on the closing day.
The Competition's Finalists will each be offered a 4-hour Round Table Reading session
with a professional dramaturge and actors scheduled over the weekend.
For more information, visit the New Play Festival website.
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Selection
& Announcements:
- Professional directors, actors and playwrights are
confidentially and independantly identified to serve as jurors to determine up to 10
Finalists. Each Finalist will receive a compilation of juror's remarks.
- Identities of the Jurors remain unknown to each other and
confidential until the winning scripts and Finalists are decided and announced nationally.
- Winning playwrights will be contacted directly by Theatre BC
shortly thereafter.
- By entering the Competition, playwrights
are thereby declaring their availability for Theatre BC's New Play
Festival in Kamloops, BC, during April 2010. Travel and accommodation will be arranged (and
provided for the three winning playwrights) by Theatre BC.
- Presentation of the Cash Awards will be made at the
conclusion of Theatre BC's New Play Festival.
- Playwrights will be expected to prepare and supply copies of
the final draft of their winning script for deposit into Theatre BC's script
library.
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Special
Requests:
- Playwrights must submit one copy only of each entry. DO NOT
SEND YOUR ORIGINAL!
- Please notify THEATRE BC of any changes in your mailing
address or phone numbers.
- Please forward copies of articles or newspaper stories
regarding the Competition and/or production of your entered play.
- Winners and Finalists are required to credit "THEATRE
BC's Annual Canadian National Playwriting Competition" (and the year) on the title
page of the script's final draft.
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Rules
& Regulations:
- Open to all professional and non-professional playwrights
resident in Canada.
- Entered plays must be original, unproduced (at
time of postmark), professional or amateur Canadian stage plays submitted in English.
Musicals are not eligible. New plays having received a workshop or reading without a full
public production (professional, student or community theatre) are
eligible but must be so noted in an accompanying cover letter outlining the circumstances,
date, audience, etc.
- Plays of ethnic origin are welcome but must be submitted in
an English Translation for adjudication. Workshops will be conducted in English.
Untranslated scripts cannot be accepted as no provisions can be made to offer equal
treatment.
- First-time stage adaptations of work from
another medium are welcome but must be so noted on the scripts title page
and will be considered for the special merit category only.
- Scripts must be typewritten or word-processed, double-spaced
between speaking parts, printed on the front side of an 8.5" x 11" page only.
They do not need to be bound, however pages should be numbered. Scripts should include a
list of characters.
- Plays previously selected for prizes or honours in
this or any other competition are not eligible. Re-submitted non-winning or
non-finalist scripts in this Competition are acceptable.
- By entering this Competition, playwrights are thereby
declaring themselves available to participate in the New Play Festival.
- Submissions must be made under a pseudonym or
"pen-name". There are no restrictions to the subject matter or the number of
entries by a playwright, however a DIFFERENT pseudonym must be used for each
entry.
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How to Enter &
Request a Critique:
Please follow these steps
carefully:
- A Title Page bearing only the a) Play Title;
b)Playwright's pseudonym; and c) Category of entry must preface the script.
Please ensure a cast list is included.
Any appearance of the Playwright's true name, initial(s) or
other identifiable signature, logo or mark on the script itself will disqualify the entry!
- The Entry Fee is $40.00 per
play, regardless of category. The Critique Fee is an
additional $25.00, if requested, and paid at the time of submission.
Entrants wishing to have their scripts returned following the Competition are asked to
please include $10 for postage, envelope and handling costs. Fees may be paid in one cheque
or money order payable to ‘Theatre BC’ or by VISA or Mastercard. NOTE: Entries
received with post-dated cheques will automatically be disqualified.
- Accompanying each entered script must be:
-The completed entry form (see PDF version)
-Cheque for full payment, unless paying by credit card
-A separate sheet of paper on which you must write:
a) the Play Title
b) your Pseudonym
c) the Category entered (Full-Length or One
Act)
d) Playwright's true name, mailing address,
phone numbers and email address
e) A two or three line synopsis of the play and
a brief bio of the playwright for announcement purposes and
f) Previous workshop(s) or reading(s) info, if
applicable.
Mail to:
Theatre BC's Canadian National Playwriting Competition
PO Box 2031
Nanaimo, BC V9R 6X6
pwc@theatrebc.org
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Competition
Objectives:
The objectives of the Competition are:
- To stimulate the development of new Canadian plays,
including works from all cultural backgrounds;
- To draw public attention to this development;
- To provide access to a developmental
opportunity for Canadian playwrights, and;
- To encourage the production of Canadian plays by
professional and non professional theatre companies.
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Cash
Awards & Categories:
Three scripts will be selected from the following
categories:
A. Full-Length Category: $1,000 Cash Award
Playing time of at least 75 minutes and no more than 120 minutes;
B. One Act Category: $750 Western Canada Theatre
Cash Award
Minimum continuous playing time of 25 minutes and a maximum of 75
minutes;
C. Special Merit Category: $500 City of Kamloops Cash Award
An open category at the discretion of the Jury. May be a runner-up in
Category A or B, or a script of a particular style or subject matter that is deemed worthy
of the workshop process and with production potential.
Up to ten finalists will be selected by the Jury including
the three Category-winners: Full-Length, One Act and (if applicable) Special Merit. Each
Finalist will receive a written compilation of jurors' remarks. |
