Mouths of Babes Theatre Company (MoB) Scotopia Festival 2025

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Deadline: November 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST

Mouths of Babes Theatre Company (MoB) is now accepting submissions for the Scotopia Festival 2025

APPLY HERE

About Scotopia Festival: Scotopia is an annual new works festival produced by MoB Theatre that welcomes both fresh voices and seasoned artists, providing a platform for bold, risk-taking theatre-making and fostering creative exchange across all levels of experience. The festival is a platform for original works that engage community and create social change. Scotopia shares innovative storytelling while providing opportunities for artists to experiment and collaborate.

Scotopia literally means “the ability to see in dim light or darkness.” Inspired by this definition, the festival illuminates stories that challenge perceptions, inverts societal norms, and sheds light on modern social issues. By engaging with diverse genres and forms, Scotopia creates an eclectic and thought-provoking series of events. MoB is currently seeking submissions. We wish to share diverse voices, and unique perspectives that align with our mission of producing meaningful, community-driven theatre.

While we are open to submissions from artists from everywhere and anywhere, we strongly encourage theatre-makers based in North Carolina and the Southeast to submit scripts and proposals. Only one submission per category will be accepted.

About Mouths of Babes Theatre: MoB Theatre is a grassroots, ensemble-driven company based in Wilmington, NC. Known locally for productions such as Wilmington Reconstructed; Out, NC; and Quilt Stories, MoB specializes in documentary theatre and new work development, with a focus on collaborative theatre-making that centers community voices and lived experiences. We are committed to creating theatre for social change, and Scotopia is one of the key events that drives our mission forward.

Submission Categories:

Ten-Minute Plays (For Ten-Minute Play Fest): A central feature of Scotopia, our 10-Minute Play Festival offers playwrights the chance to workshop material and see their work fully produced by MoB Theatre. We welcome 10 minute play submissions that explore themes of social justice, equity, community, and societal change. While all plays with these themes will be considered, we are particularly excited by bold, genre-blending works with unique inspirations. Consider material inspired by a specific theatre tradition or non-traditional forms such as commedia dell'arte, folk tales, kitchen sink realism, verse, ghost stories, magical realism, anime/manga, absurdism, and more!

Full-Length Plays (For Staged Reading): Scotopia is dedicated to developing new works through workshops and staged readings. We are seeking unproduced, full-length plays that engage with themes of social justice, equity, community, and societal change. For this category, we have a particular interest in works rooted in non-fiction narratives, oral histories, or documentary sources. Stories that illuminate real-life experiences and amplify overlooked or untold truths are especially encouraged.

Self-Produced Performance Proposals: We welcome proposals for experimental or devised works that move beyond traditional script formats. While we will consider any play that addresses social issues, we are particularly interested in innovative forms such as solo performances, performance art, devised pieces, immersive theatre, and more. Projects suited for non-traditional spaces are encouraged but not required. Proposals are ideal for emerging artists looking to expand their audience base or explore opportunities for developing and touring their work. Selected artists should be “show ready” for the festival. Venues will be provided, with limited rehearsal time, but production support will be limited. Participants will have the opportunity to present their work alongside other emerging talents, fostering a dynamic environment for collaboration, creative growth, and innovation.

Submission Requirements: In the submission form (above), you will be asked to submit a blind copy of your play (with identifying information removed), along with a current resume/CV and an Artist Statement of no more than 150 words. Submissions will be evaluated anonymously by a panel. Additional submission elements, such as artistic statements and resumes/CVs will only be taken into consideration in the final round of evaluation.

Confirmation: Selected works will be announced in late December, around or before December 20th

Self Produced Logistics: We offer to cover all venue costs. Tickets will be divided between MoB Theatre and the partnering artist, but the ticket split percentage will vary depending on the venue rental cost.

Festival Dates: Exact Dates TBD - Festival set to begin March 15th 2025 and will run through the month of March.

Festival Location: Various venues in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Zoom Q&A for Submission Process: Have questions? Want to learn more? Want to connect? Register here to sign up for a Zoom Q&A Session.

For any questions about the submission process, please contact our team at MouthsOfBabesTheatre@gmail.com with the subject line “Literary.” Contact name: Jordan Scott Hardesty, Literary Associate

We recognize and affirm each artist’s right to their own work. Submissions will be shared with a small internal panel, and files from submissions not accepted to the festival will be deleted.