Theatre Odyssey

Bringing plays to life

Call for Student Plays!

by

STUDENT PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL
Theatre Odyssey invites students (grades 9-12 or home-schooled equivalent) to submit original scripts for possible professional production.
January, 2013 will mark the first Student Playwriting Festival produced by Theatre Odyssey. The submission process is quite straight forward:

  • Under performance conditions, each submitted work will fall within 10 minutes production time. A 60 second grace period is allowed (performance time = 9 to 11 minutes).
  • Students in grades 9-12, or home-schooled equivalent, during the 2012-2013 school year are eligible.
  • Work must be original.
  • Three readers chosen from the Sarasota/Manatee theatre community and having no connections to any local school will read each submission and give each a numerical score.
  • Plays receiving the top 6 scores will be produced for the public in January, 2013.
  • Adjudicators, again not associated with the local school community, will select one play from the six Festival participants in January as “Best Play.”
  • The student playwright of the winning play in January will receive a $300 cash award.
  • The school represented by the winning playwright will hold a trophy or plaque listing the winning play and author for one year. This award will be circulated each year (like the Stanley Cup) to subsequent winners’ schools.
  • The winning play from the Festival in January will automatically be included in the 8th annual Theatre Odyssey Ten Minute Play Festival for professional playwrights in April, 2013.

How to enter a play:
1)    The student playwright should submit one copy of each play he or she is entering for consideration to Preston Boyd, 301- 27 Street West, Bradenton, FL 34205.
2)    Deadline for submissions is October 15, 2012.
3)    The playwright’s name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address should be on the COVER PAGE ONLY. All subsequent pages of the script should contain NO identification of the playwright or the school they attend. To ensure autonomous judging, readers will NOT know whose play they are reading.
4)    Criteria for scoring submitted plays can be checked on our website.
5)    All playwrights will be notified of choices by November 15, 2012. Original copies will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self – addressed envelope.
6)    Stage directors from the Sarasota/Manatee community will be selected to direct the six chosen plays for the Student 10 Minute Play Festival in January, 2013. Venue to be announced.
READER’S CRITERIA:  Three readers will evaluate each play entered into the festival. They will score the play based on the following judgments: 1) Can this play be produced by Theatre Odyssey based on the number of characters, the scenery demands, and the appropriateness of the subject.  2) Strength of the plot. 3) Strength of dialogue. 4) Strength of characters. 5) Fits into ten-minute format.
Part of Theatre Odyssey’s mission statement aims to “Encourage, challenge, and inspire actors and writers.”  Recognizing the need to explore educational possibilities, a student playwriting opportunity is an important project.