New Play Festival
Archive: Visit the 2007 NPF page.
Archive: Visit the 2008 NPF page.
Archive:: Arlene Hutton talkback video - Sept. 13, 2008
Arlene Hutton |
Our 2008 NPF Playwright-in-Residence was Arlene Hutton, whose play Last Train to Nibroc was nominated for the NY Drama League Award. Her newest work, Letters to Sala, (featuring Shirley Sarlin) was read Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13.
Lee Blessing |
"The New Play Festival is a rare and valuable opportunity for young playwrights to find their plays and their audiences at one and the same time. My experience at Centre Stage was crucial in the development of my own script. In this festival, Centre Stage brings one of the most important elements of contemporary play development to the region."
Lee Blessing, NPF Playwright-in-Residence 2007
The winner of the 2008 New Play Festival was Adam Siegel. His play, The Legacy, received a full production to run at Centre Stage Jan. 15-24, 2008 (7 performances) with curtains at 8 p.m. A special admission price was established for this production of $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The winner of the 2007 New Play Festival was Stephen Kilduff. His play, The Uncurled Hand, will received full production to run at Centre Stage July 10-19, 2007 (7 performances) with curtains at 8 p.m. A special admission price was established for this production of $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The winner of the 2006 New Play Festival was Peter Snoad. His play, Guided Tour received a full production at Centre Stage June 7-16, 2007. The Greenville News described it as "a beautifully crafted work. The Beat called it "exuberant ... splendid ... poetic."
Talkback sessions for the four festival finalists take place immediately following the readings, making the festival a rare opportunity for playgoers to participate in the creative process that will culminate in a full production of the play chosen as festival winner.
Festival background: Each year, Centre Stage is proud to present its New Play Festival. Four to five finalists will be selected from submitted plays which meet the criteria outlined below. These selected plays will then be presented in a readers' theatre format which will be open to the public. Audience feedback is encouraged. The play selected as the most outstanding will receive a production at our theatre - most likely to be scheduled for the following season.
Submission Fee: There is no submission fee for the New Play Festival. The deadline for the 2008 festival has passed.
Guidelines and deadlines:
- Submission deadline for the 2009 NPF is Feb. 1, 2009. Scripts received after that date will be considered for the following year.
- Must be a full-length play without a prior full production.
- Send brief synopsis together with a bound complete manuscript. Please include a contact phone number and e-mail address on the play's title page page.
- The play must be at least one hour and thirty minutes in length, and no longer than two hours.
- Dramas, comedies and farces are all welcome. No musicals or plays for young people, please.
- Cast size limited to 6.
- Playwrights are encouraged to become familiar with our thrust space and submit plays that are suited to our physical space. A 360 degree view of the theatre is available here.
- Providing playwrights with the highest quality actors is a priority. Plays that can be effectively cast within our market will be considered favorably.
- Playwrights who are questioning whether or not their play is a good match for Centre Stage are strongly encouraged to contact Brian Haimbach at haimbach@hotmail.com before submitting.
- All plays that are not selected for the festival will be recycled. Please do not include any type of return postage. Please check our website by August 1st for announcement of current year's winners.
- All serious submissions are read by at least two readers. Please be advised that the following are not considered serious submissions:
- Screenplays or teleplays submitted as theatrical plays
- Obvious first drafts
- Plays with typos and spelling errors
- Plays that are not formatted according to industry standards
Notification: We appreciate you offering our theatre the opportunity to consider your work. Our New Works Coordinator screens submissions for eligibility and for content as they are received. The final selections will be made in early August.
Send manuscripts to:
Centre Stage - South Carolina
c/o New Play Festival
PO Box 8451
Greenville, SC 29604-8451
