PlayPenn accepting applications for its 2015 new play development conference

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The 2015 conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA from July 7 – 26 at the Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. Invited playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a director, dramaturg, designers and Philadelphia-based, professional actors over a 20 day period that allows for 29 hours of rehearsal and staged reading time along with ample time to reflect and write.

Beginning September 2, PlayPenn will be accepting applications for its 2015 new play development conference; we are pleased to request your full length, unproduced script for consideration. Please review the guidelines carefully and completely before making application. Application materials will be accepted between September 2 and September 30, 2014. Your application must be uploaded and complete by September 30, 2014 or it cannot be considered.

Currently, PlayPenn is not considering musicals or plays for young audiences.

The 2015 conference will be held in Philadelphia, PA from July 7 – 26 at the Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. Invited playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a director, dramaturg, designers and Philadelphia-based, professional actors over a 20 day period that allows for 29 hours of rehearsal and staged reading time along with ample time to reflect and write. The work will be preceded by a three-day pre-conference retreat (July 7 – 9) that will help in laying the collaborative groundwork for the development time ahead. Playwrights will have the opportunity to hear their plays read aloud in three distinctly different scenarios: 1) by collaborating artists during the retreat; 2) in a first public reading before an audience after 3 rehearsals; 3) in a second reading at the end of the process before an audience. The two public staged readings are intended as a part of the process, giving playwrights an opportunity to measure the efficacy of their work and to provide an opportunity to gauge the work ahead. PlayPenn will provide travel for casting for both writer and director, travel to and from the conference, housing, per diem and a stipend.

Applicants should be aware that we are a development conference rather than a festival or showcase for new work. The distinction is important and meaningful to us in the current climate of the increasing commercialization of play development. We work to avoid participation in what has become known as “development hell” by fostering an environment in which risk is rewarded and honest assessment is provided and encouraged. TO THAT END, WE FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF THE TEXT. THE MID AND END-OF-CONFERENCE READINGS ARE INTENDED TO PRESENT A GLIMPSE INTO HOW THE TEXT LIVES OFF THE PAGE RATHER THAN HOW THE PLAY MIGHT BE STAGED IN PRODUCTION.

TO APPLY, CLICK HERE

Please follow the instructions to upload your play into our system.

Because the database identifies you through your registration, NO NAME SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON ANY DOCUMENT, INCLUDING YOUR RESUME. Please submit the following:

1. An original script in .pdf format with no identifying information (no name anywhere on the document). Applications that are submitted in non-pdf format will not be considered.

2. Your current resume (pdf) (no name on the document)

3. A casting breakdown and the number of actors required (pdf) (no name on the document)

4. The play's development and production history (pdf) (no name on the document).
Plays that have had readings are eligible.
Plays that have been produced or that have been through an extended development process are not eligible

5. An articulation of your goals for the development process using the resources offered by PlayPenn. (pdf) (no name on the document). Please be specific with regard to what aspects of your text you would like to focus on during the course of the conference.

PlayPenn does not accept applications by agents.

Your application must be uploaded and complete by midnight September 30, 2014 or it cannot be considered.