Appalachian Center for the Arts commission for Vitality Touring Theatre Company

Website

Deadline: March 25, 2024

The Appalachian Center for the Arts is looking for playwrights to create new plays for our Vitality Touring Theatre Company, which brings shows related to health and wellness to elementary schools through colleges/universities in Kentucky and nearby states.

We're looking to commission playwrights for the following topics and age groups:

1) Opioid addiction - high schools (9-12)
2) Smoking/vaping - middle/high schools (6-12)
3) Self-confidence - elementary schools (K-5)

Shows should be approx. 30 min. for elementary schools and 60 min. for middle/high schools. We'll consider musicals as long as we're able to use recorded tracks; let us know if you're submitting as a musical writer/writing team.

We're also open to pre-existing shows for young audiences that fit with the theme of health and wellness.

Shows should require a maximum of four performers.

We're looking at a writer's fee of $1,000-$2,000/script for commissions (depending on length), and paying royalties for existing scripts.

Our goal is to have scripts available for performance during the Spring 2025 semester if at all possible.

2 ways to submit:

1) Email tours@theapparts.org with a resume/C.V. and a minimum 10-page writing sample. (Feel free to send an entire play.) State in your email which topic(s) you're interested in. We'll follow up with our shortlist of writers by the end of the month to ask for brief pitches of how you would proceed with a story. (If you have a TYA play in progress on one of these topics, feel free to add any materials related to that play. We're happy to sign any paperwork you provide stating that those materials belong to you and will not be used in the development of another play.)

2) Submit any pre-existing TYA plays on these topics (or other health and wellness topics) to tours@theapparts.org, along with your royalty rate for performances. Please send demo tracks for a musical.

No restrictions of any sort on eligibility. If you have a connection to Kentucky/Appalachia, please let us know in your submission email.

Learn more about our current Vitality touring season at https://theapparts.org/vitality-theatre-touring-company.

Please contact Br. Christian Matson, Ph.D., Tour Coordinator, at tours@theapparts.org or (646) 724-1635 with any questions.