Readers Theatre

One-Act Play Competition

TNP Readers Theatre “Evening of New Plays” contest is an annual event designed to give playwrights an opportunity to have their one-act plays presented to an audience in a staged reading.

Eligibility

Entries must be one act, non-musical, and no longer than 30 minutes. We suggest that the cast not exceed seven characters.

Writers may submit only one play.

Each play must be the writer’s own original work, not an adaptation, and not commercially published or produced, though it may have been work-shopped or presented in staged readings in other locations than Southwest Florida.  A submitted play also may have been entered in an earlier “Evening of New Plays” contest one time, so long as it was not an earlier Finalist.

Submissions are accepted from January 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2021.

How to Enter

Playwrights must follow the instructions for play submission or the play will be rejected. 

All submitted plays must follow our Standard Playwrighting Format. Plays can be submitted by mail OR electronically.

• If mailing a hard copy, playwrights must submit three copies of their play to “An Evening of New Plays 2020, The Naples Players, 701 5th Ave. S., Naples, FL 34102.

A title page with the name of the play, synopsis, and list of characters must be attached to each script.  A separate page, giving the name of the play, the name of the playwright, and all contact data should accompany the scripts but not be attached to them.** This is to help assure anonymity during the judging process.

• Plays may also be submitted electronically as PDFs to: readerstheatre@naplesplayers.org.

**If submitting electronically, one PDF should be the playwright name and contact data, the other PDF should be the play with title page, etc.

Scripts may not be revised for purposes of this competition once they are submitted.

Judging

Entries may be funny, sad, scary or smart, be about character or ideas; certainly may shock, surprise or amaze, and may be in any genre. Strength of characterization, writing style, dialog, and plot are among judging criteria.

Authors retain all rights and give performance rights to The Naples Players for “An Evening of New Plays” and limited readings in other venues, including possible outreach and electronic media.  Finalists and other submitters will be notified by October 31, 2021.

Performance/Awards

Finalists will receive staged readings of their plays, presented in the Tobye Studio on January 23, 2022.  A reception follows for all in attendance.  Finalists each may receive a $100 performance royalty and two complimentary tickets. The plays and playwrights will be publicized in The Naples Players’ web pages, social, community and national theatre media, event calendars, flyers, programs, TNP playbills and e-mail “blasts” to select lists.

World Premiere Play Development

Once a year, The Naples Players produces a staged reading of a previously unpublished full-length play. The writer selected will work one-on-one with Jessica Walck, Associate Artistic Director, to develop and hone the unpublished work for a stage reading at the end of the season. These plays have the potential to be featured as a fully developed show in the Tobye Studio Theatre in a following season with full creative support from the staff of The Naples Players.

Previously developed was the sell-out smash hit comedy June & Jason’s Survival Guide to Divorce written by Southwest Florida’s own Laura Larusso. In a 14 month process Jessica and Laura worked closely to make the sitcom-style play ready to be produced in the 2018-2019 season. Through numerous revisions, cuts, late nights, two staged readings, and five weeks of rehearsal June & Jason’s opened to a resounding positive response from Naples audiences.

For information about any previously developed work or to submit a full-length play, contact Jessica Walck, Associate Artistic Director, at  jwalck@naplesplayers.org.