Notes After a Summer Retreat

On the evening I finished the meditation retreat the weather shifted to cool gray skies.  The rain started in the evening and continued through the night.

AFTER RETREAT

-On the first day out, it's raining. A lot. I love the rain and it's great to come out to a nice, fine cool downpour.

-I went down into the basement of the main house and grabbed my cell phone. After weeks of silence and wondering, I would now confirm my worst fears or highest hopes. I read my emails and texts like a starved child eats gruel.

-Turns out I didn't miss anything. 

-I talked to Retreat Master about "A Course in Miracles," nonviolent communication, and Charlotte Joko Beck's "Everyday Zen."

-Retreat Master went into town to visit the chiropractor. Her daughter drove and I went along for the ride. I to get out of the house. Surrounding land was covered in lush green grass, weeds, and wild flowers. The farm fields were high with a waving sea of summer corn. There were also a lot of grazing buffalo.

-After doctor office, we stopped at Butterfly World. The butterfly house wasn't open. The rain had driven all the butterflies to the stop of the ceiling net. Instead we walked around the garden and looked at the different plants and stone fountains

-The rain stopped the following day. I grabbed a canoe, paddle, life preserver and went out on the lake.  After a few minutes, I got back my stroke back and cut across the pristine water. I spotted a giant aluminum boat that had been abandoned on land with its front pointing into the sky. The people at Tree of Life main house told me that they've found canoes that are hundreds of years old that some times float up. The natives would sink them as a way to preserve their quality. They said after cold winter when the lake was frozen over, two canoes bob'ed to the surface after the initial thaw. Both boats were given to museums because they were over 400 years old when analyzed.  

- I gave the Retreat Master a book of Buddhist poetry as a gift of thanks. She handed the book over to little girl who lives in the house. Apparently, she communes with spirits and can 'see' into books. I'm skeptical but open-minded to the idea.  

-The little girl went into a trance or what I would assume was some sort of altered state (I'm no expert). She began gesturing, rolling her head around, closing and opening her eyes while holding the book. Her head started nodding. No sound came out of her mouth. In trance, she drew a picture of a ovoid circle with light rays beaming off of it. She handed picture to me. The circle looked like it could be an eye, or the heart chakra, or the universe, all three, or absolutely nothing. 

-Still in a trance, the little girl ran off and came back with a porcupine needle. She spoke for the first time saying 'be very careful. It's a porcupine needle.' I roll the needle around in my hand and then hand it back to her. 

-Still in a trance, the little girl ran off and came back with a sea shell. She handed it to me. I try not to over-think this 'symbol' but to just accept it as something lovely. In reality, the sea shell is actually very significant to me. 

-Still in a trance, the little girl ran off and came back with a pink crystal in the shape of a ring. She grabbed the book of poetry and opens it to an exact page. She put the shell and ring on two separate pages. I look down and see that the page is open to the only poem in the entire book that I've used in my work. Not only that but she has put the shell and pink crystal exactly on the two verses that I've quoted in my writing. I looked up from the verses and she's nodding her and pointing at me. I nod back at her. 

-When the little girl returns to her 'usual' state, there isn't much to say. I don't wish to intrude upon what just happened. I thank her. She wandered off to go play with something. 

-I cleaned the zen rock labyrinth. This took days of work. Some of the weeds are waist high, many are growing on top of a layer of dead weeds. I had no idea how or where to start. So I put a small rug down on the northeast corner, got down on my knees, found the smallest daisy weed there was, and I plucked it. I flicked the uprooted plant into a white gardening cart. 

-I surrendered to this garden process. What was just plucking a few weeds, turned into an obsession. Sweat is pouring down my shirt and sweat pants. I'm moving around the, dipping down, spinning around. I realize it must look like I'm dancing or a whirling dervish with both covered in dirt and filled with daisies. Weeds are flying out of the ground and into the cart. I have no idea what's going on. Hours pass. I lose myself in the process. I understand why people can fall in love with gardening and pulling weeds. 

-Someone stopped by the garden and gasped, 'WHOA!' I stepped back and looked. Nearly half the garden has been plucked clean of weeds. I didn't intend on doing that. I don't know what I intended by besides plucking a few weeds. I have experienced similar situations when working out, or playing my violin or writing. There is a submersion and the 'I' evaporates. It's just the action happening. 

-The weeds fly into the cart. I take several carts overstuffed with weeds and dump them by the lake in the recycling/compost area for gardening. A small mountain of green weeds accumulated. 

- The garden was 2/3 done. There was the southeast corner, which was untouched. It scared me for some reason. The weeds were different in that corner with purple flowers low to the ground and vines. I attack the over corners and areas of the rock garden. 

-The Little Girl stopped by the rock labyrinth eating a bag of chips. For some reasons I'm hearing the words 'about time you did something.' She sat on top of one of the main stone markers and watched. After a few moments she said, 'about time you did some work around here.'

-Little Girl pointed out the Southeast corner (the area I've avoided). "That's going to be really difficult." I nod, dreading that area as I continue working around it. She pointed up at the sky, "LOOK." I looked up and it's a morning dove serenely watching from a power line.

-I recalled at the beginning of this retreat, the black snake that slithered across my path and disappeared. Now a morning dove. 

-The cats from the house started to come out and lay in the rock garden now. The nuzzled their chins against the grey stones and nap for a few minutes in the space as it cleared up. 

-The next day, I'm discouraged and aching from hours of weeding. The southeast corner is hopeless. I'm feeling depressed. It occurred to me that I can just get on the ground and pick one purple flower. I slowly laid on the ground and pulled up a purple flower. It came up easily. I picked another and another. The vines have spider webs intertwined in them. I ripped them up from the earth and tossed them in the white cart. 

-The zen rock labyrinth is finally cleared. It has been done!!! There's still weeds and some vines, but it's possible to walk the entire path now. The entrance was at the southeast corner, where all the purple flowers I dreaded were. I walked through the entrance and took the path curving around in beautiful loops from the East, to the North, to the South, and finally West. The labyrinth's path grows more pristine as it moves to the center. I walked to the heart of the labyrinth. At the heart of everything was a large red stone with 4 crystal donated from the Dalai Lama. 

-I can now see the labyrinth in all its beauty and simplicity. Traveling from the four points to the center of the universe. For a moment a path has been opened.

-Lightning storms put on a fireworks display at night.

-Last night at Tree of Life, we all had dinner at the table. Quinoa burgers and salad. Someone decided that champagne was appropriate. Then for dessert they cut up strawberries, diced chunks of waffles, and melted raw cacao and chocolate. We drank champagne while eating strawberries and waffles with dipping chocolate.

- On the way back to New York we got lost. I woke up and our car was rising over the Hudson River Valley. We were in New York state. Usually you enter New York City through New Jersey. Unwilling to go back, we trudged forward. I said there must be a reason for us to take another route. We ended up driving down the Palisades Parkway. It's beautiful. Maybe that was our reason.

-Stench of sewage plant hits our noses as we crossed into the city. But we're home so it was fine. 

-

Notes Before a Summer Retreat

I arrived back in New York City this afternoon at rush hour.  It's been 25 days since I had seen the city. I was away in the woods of Pennsylvania on a meditation retreat. Surprisingly I wasn't frazzled or overwhelmed. But my eyes were constantly jumping around at all the shiny, sweaty, yelling, vibrant people bustling down the streets.

I was fortunate enough to finish another month-long retreat this summer. In my particular Buddhist tradition, there is no talking about the meditation experiences -whether they be amazing or mundane- that happen during the actual retreat. This is difficult for me because I write as a way of processing and remembering. The past two summers I've had to keep a private journal for my own thoughts and experiences in retreat.

There is, however, nothing wrong with talking about what happens before and after the actual retreat. Here are some notes on the before and after.

BEFORE RETREAT
-I passed by a Zen rock maze overgrown with weeds that was in front of my cabin. It bothered me that this was/is a holy labyrinth blessed by Dalai Lama and his monks and now it has been taken over by wild weeds and daisies. It felt like it was calling me to do something. But there was no time.

-On the way to the cabin a black snake slithered across my path. It appeared out of nowhere and seemed to disappear just as quickly. Afterward I asked the Retreat Master about snakes. She said they mean growth and power of some sort. I never saw that snake or any snake again.

-I get sick the first night there. I'm anxious and very nervous. My mind was racing with all the possible catastrophes that could happen. Coughing, sore throat, congestion, wheezing in my lungs. The wheezing would disappear and re-appear throughout, some times dependent on time of day or emotional state. I've decided not to take any medicine for the time being, although I've brought along aspirin. Not trying to be a hero, but interested in exploring further. If it gets too bad, I'll take medicine.

-The cabin has an unusual vibration/frequency thing going on in the air. I think I might be imagining this but I'm not sure. I go outside to check the electrical lines. Nothing appears out of sorts.

- I decided and then un-decided on where the altar was going to be, where my meditation seat was going to be, and where my bed was going to be in the cabin. I switched around the room a couple of times before settling on what seemed like something reasonable.

-I noticed that the cabin was surrounded by wild blueberries, black berries, and raspberry bushes. I've never seen so many berries growing naturally in such close vicinity.

-Ducks live and sleep in the grove beyond the trees. They sleep there at night. Apparently ducks snore and do some sort of quack-babble in their sleep (perhaps in duck REM sleep reliving some trauma or happy days).  A snoring duck sounds exactly like you think they would.

-I'm trying to catch a fly with a drinking glass. I accidentally chop it in half and feel sad. I set the glass down on a table and clean up. The frequency/vibration things intensifies in the air for a moment and then the drinking glass explodes. There was nothing in it, it was not on a hot surface, and all the other items surrounding the glass remain undisturbed. The empty, perfectly sculpted glass just exploded into a thousand different shards. And then my bed breaks! I apologized and purified for the 'fly chopping incident. Then I cleaned up the glass, replaced the bed with just two mattresses stacked on top of each other, and continued cleaning. I catch a few more flying insects and spiders that day. I am very careful and nothing gets chopped in half. The bed doesn't break again and no more glasses explode for the rest of the retreat.

-I have one last dinner with the retreat family in the  main house and then say goodbye to everyone. No more talking, sitting, or being with them until the end of the retreat.

- I went down to the lake and looked at all the lotus flowers blossoming along the muddy shores. I took two pictures and sent to my facebook.

-I can technically check my email and phone but can't even muster the effort on the last day before going in. I was also afraid of getting that 'one last email' about something that would haunt me into the retreat. Turned off the phone and put it in suitcase in the basement of the main house. Feel relieved.

sexy poetry GUEST BLOG by FC

Nuestros Cuerpos Como Banderas:

Your hands seeps down my stomach
like drops of water
HEAT....your eyes numb my toes
HEAT....your lips numb my convictions
Our bodies are flags, free as the wind
constricted freedom
Hanging from a pole
We can only dangle as far as our strings can reach.
Our sex is nationalism
Pledging Allegiance to our facades in the morning
Fucking our guilt out at night
Our bodies are flags,
Imagined Sexual Freedom.

By Fernanda Coppel

A dressing room orgy. GUEST BLOG.

I've always wanted to tell this story because it's one of the most inhumane things I have ever observed. And it really reminded me how inhumane we treat each other on a daily basis without acknowledgement. About four years ago I was a disgruntled employee of Urban Outfitters and I had to wear things like this:

 

 

to work! Attractive, I know. But besides wearing hipster clothing I was asked to do highly important tasks. I mean life changing chores such as standing at the front door for hours, saying "Welcome to Urban Outfitters" and folding those coveted pair of jeggings with a fake smile on my face. Sometimes I was sent to "man" the dressing rooms where I would hand out keys and tell people those skinny jeans looked really good on them (even if they didn't). 

One day a homeless man came into the dressing room with a stack of pants and T-shirts. He might have not been homeless but he seemed like he had been through a rough time (dirty/tattered clothing, alcohol breath, and smelling like he hadn't showered in a while). It was a busy night so I quickly opened a room for him and rushed to the next customer. The man thanked me and I saw that he was missing some teeth, but I still didn't deny him service. I mean people without teeth still need clothes too, right?

Well a couple of minutes later I hear groaning and moaning from the man's dressing room. I kept folding and tried to ignore it, I mean maybe he was having trouble putting on a shirt? Maybe he noticed the price tag and was groaning with disbelief at the how over priced most of the clothing in that store is.

A few minutes later I heard more intense groaning, but this time I realize that these are sounds of pleasure. Another customer asks me what is going on, so I walk over to the man's dressing room and see the clothing he was wearing is in a ball on the floor. This man is completely naked and he is masterbating in front of a full length mirror in the comforts of his locked dressing room.

 

I panic as the man really gets down and dirty with himself. 

I page my manager that there is an emergency situation that I can't explain over the walkie talkie. Meanwhile, customers clear out of the dressing room. Between this man's smell and the animal like sounds he's making, I'm surprised I stayed in there. 

But then, just at that moment, this homeless man reaches an astonishing climax like a nimble gymnast's dismount, the man screams mercy and jumps landing ass first in the stall. That's right. His hairy and unwashed butt landed in plain view and the man began snoring. He was spent.

My manager comes in and asks what all the fuss is about and all I have to do it point at the man's ass sticking out of the stall. My manager looks at me like this is a first and I ask what the hell we are supposed to do. He calls the security dude and they pound on the door until the man wakes up. He gets dressed in his own clothes and is escorted out of the store and asked never to return. 

After the homeless man is gone my manager comes back down to the dressing room and gives me a pair of gloves and a plastic trash bag. You can see where this is headed. My manager asks me to put any clothes found in the homeless man's dressing room in the bag and throw it away immediately. 

If you've ever worked in retail you know that most stores NEVER THROW ANY ARTICLE OF CLOTHING AWAY, NEVER. Damaged, previously worn, and unrepairable clothing is never discarded. Its always put back on the shelf as is and sold to another person who doesn't notice that the item is damaged and then when they try to return it they keep the money and give them store credit. Fucking retail industry!

Despite the fact that this man committed a lewd act in public, he was still a human being. He obviously didn't have another place to go and obviously needed some help and obviously had a mental problem or two. Yet, he was was treated like a criminal and everything he touched in the store was thrown away, as if the store needed cleansing from reality. A clothing store turned away a man who was in need of clothing which seems unethical to me. And then they trashed any clothing he might have used because his poverty stricken fingers touched them.

This homeless man stuck with me. And as I threw the clothing away, I reflected on the fact that I too am guilty of treating people in an inhumane fashion. One prime example is on the subway. Everyday I see homeless men and women sometimes giving them some change but most of the time turning the other cheek because I am tired or because they are annoying me on my commute. But my dressing room fiasco made me realize that all people deserve respect or at the very least acknowledgement that they are in fact human beings. This might seem like common sense but you would be surprised how often we forget this fact.

--Fernanda, guest blogging for Aurin while he is away.

I'm still getting f**cked by the movies.

My trip to the movies tonight to see "Savages" was like taking a tour of US pop culture.
The previews... the previews did all the work.

Take the Tour:
It's always a sea of Caucasian at the movies
1. The Watch: The new Ben Stiller movie has three white men and one brown guy RICHARD AYOADE, who is also English. The trailer proved that Ben Still is still funny and he doesn't have to tell anyone to fuck off. Of course, this movie preview was sandwiched in between two really intense movies, so the audience was ready for a laugh, someone could've picked their nose on the screen and we've all would've laughed a hearty laugh. This preview also proved that Vince Vaughn doesn't have to be talented to be cast over and over again. He just has to be a "regular" guy who doesn't keep in shape and, tells you to fuck off... I mean, as long as you're white, you can be that guy and get away with it. He didn't become a better actor over the years, he just got more comfortable being on camera.


Is there hope for brown people on TV?
2. The ads for the new cop show, "Elementary," which has a woman of color Lucy Liu and a Latino, Manny Perez in the cast kinda gave me the idea that perhaps there is hope yet for the brown people on TV, even if the main character is white? Who the fuck knows. Maybe the show will be good or maybe it will suck so bad it'll get cancelled after 4 episodes.

Maybe there is!
3. Denzel Washington is starring in a movie called FLIGHT. He plays a pilot who makes a miraculous landing after the aircraft he is flying malfunctions. He was also drinking the night before, so that gives the hero his underbelly, his complexity. I know why Denzel made this movie, I mean, "I know" as in, "this is my idea of this since I've been an actor for a while," it re-imagines Black men as: HEROS. And I love that. I love it. I want my brother to watch it so that he can see Black men in a different light from our typical nightly newscast where Black men just show up as they're being put in jail.


You can be whomever you want, as long as you can pay for it (and that's fine, I'm not hating)
4. Tyler Perry is straight and not in drag? And, um, Matthew Fox is scary?
In his new movie "Alex Cross," Tyler Perry plays a straight, happily married detective who hunts down a super vicious killer (yah, yah, nothing new there with that plot but I don't think that's the point of this movie), the vicious killer is none other than Matthew Fox. They tried to make Fox look scary in the preview, and some 14-year old will buy it because she will have never seen Party of Five... but I almost didn't recognize Perry... See, Perry is teaching me to see him in a different light: he, too can be straight and a cop. And you will root for him while you watch this movie. The movie is also named after his character so he IS REALLY drilling down the fact that he is the modafucking star of the film and that you will see him and ROOT for him as a straight, male cop! I got respect for that. Re-invent yourself, girl.

PS. the film also stars Edward Norton... He has a nasal, squeaky voice that really annoys me. He is only seriously wowed me in American History X, and I guess he agreed to be in Tyler Perry's reimagining of his public persona, so he gets 2 points, other than that, boooooooooring.

Ben Afflect still can't act
5. My partner thinks he was decent in "The Town," which he also co-wrote? In his new movie, "Argo," he stars as a CIA specialist who comes up with a "genius" plan to save some "Americans" (AKA more white people) trapped in Iran. I think he is also playing a Latino guy, Tony Mendez? Maybe the real guy was Spanish... but if he was in fact from one of the Americas, could they have just hired a Latino guy? Ben: I don't care whether you grow your hair out, you should've had a brown actor play that role. I hope Bryan Cranston saves the movie, go Bryan Cranston! (Breaking Bad's new season is beginning soon!!!!!!!!!!)

The scary white masculine thing still sells (but I agree, Jeremy Renner IS a really good actor)
6. I'm still scared of Jeremy Renner who stars in the Bourne Legacy... ah, I wish they had just left that alone. I liked Matt Damon in it. Anyway, I can't help but be a little intimidated by Renner after watching him in Hurt Locker.

At least some women get their 15 minutes on TV (this includes Glenn Close and not Lena Dunham)
7.  Closer, all white people again, well, at least it stars a woman and has been on for 7 seasons. And apparently there are only six episodes left. HURRY! Get your Kyra Sedgwick on!

HorrorMedy still sells (add Asians and Kung Fu)

8. Eli Roth's new movie The Man with the Iron Fists directed by RZA (co-written by RZA as well) seems promising. Lots of AsianExploitation and shit you'd see in a Tarantino movie... plus Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu (of course), but at least it knows what it is and who their fans are (see below for the Savages run down).

They'll keep feeding us shit as long as we eat shit
9. And, then Ice Age number 47 should be coming to your screens soon.

There were some other previews but I don't remember them. A few minutes later, after some cheesy AMC thing about shutting off my cell phones and the animated cartoons from Ice Age Number 47 telling me to shut my face, the movie began:

SAVAGES
Let me tell you one thing about Savages, it doesn't KNOW what genre it is, and those in the cast who think they know (Benicio del Toro , Salma Hayek, and John Travolta) rock that shit out. The others (Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, and Aaron Johnson)  don't know and kinda suck in it. Well, Taylor Kitsch was sorta convincing. Allow me to illustrate the genre confusion: Blake's character gets kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and while she's in captivity, she asks "can someone give me a salad! I get pizza all the time" and she also asks to get high... "you know, the thing we're all getting killed for?" um... you're gonna die, who cares if they feed you shit or caviar (which is sorta another line in the movie)... And, really? You wanna get high? The entire theater laughed out loud when she uttered the salad request, but I'm pretty sure we were supposed to be concerned for her character's well-being.
That failed.
Benicio also made all of his lines funny (his whole characterization was funny)... and Salma played it a bit over the top (as she does) and funny and so did Travolta who all seem to think this was a fucking comedy. Oliver Stone, was this a comedy? A slap in the face? Who the fuck knows.

PS. Also, Blake's character gets passed around between the two guys but at the end, she learns that three people "can't love each other equally."
(Shaking my head. Shaking my head.)
I left the theater with a tummy ache from my Nestle Bunch Crunch (because I just needed more sugar in my life) and with an ache in my heart for the movies... the women parts suck, the women parts mostly go to girls like Blake Lively (who just need to take an acting class and learn to pick better scripts), and I guess, maybe... I really shouldn't have any hope.

That was my fucking night at the movies.
At least the tickets were free.

-Tatiana
(Guest blogging for Aurin while he is away at Silent Camp.)

My Mom is HOT.

The last time I visited my family I wasn't pissed off, which is generally a good sign. I felt something in between cautious (that I wasn't pissed the fuck off) and  feeling alright; I felt like I went to do something there and it got accomplished without a hitch, without a fight. I think that meant I had a good time. Or something like that.
As my 14-year old brother rolled my suitcase from the airport's garage to the ticketing booth, I felt... neutral. My mom walked behind my brother, dressed in a tight, long, black skirt and a blouse that hugged her torso. I looked back just to make sure I wasn't walking too fast for her. Not because she's not an agile woman but because I still remember the times she slapped me across the face, as a teenager, when I lied or did something wrong. I guess I'm always watching over my shoulder when I'm around my mom. I'm always trying to make sure I'm not fucking up. That's probably not healthy and probably a sign that I still need therapy.
She had no make up on and her hair was freshly washed.
Before coming to airport I helped her color her hair. My mom has long, curly, jet black hair that is constantly threatened by grays daring to spread from the roots to the ends. But she's not letting age win: "Fuck no," or whatever her war cry against aging is. She exercises almost every day and eats healthy, so at 50-something years old, she actually weighs the same as me (120) and has less cellulite. But that's not what I saw when I looked back.
Well, first of all, when I looked back, the first take I did was to make sure she wasn't too far behing.
The second take I did was because her siren-like figure caught my eye.
In an 8-second span, I saw her marvelously (is that a word?), sinewy black hair drape over her shoulder and her hips move in perfect cadence with her torso. I checked her face out and she didn't look 50-something, she looked 40. And hot. Like really, really hot, beautiful.  God-beautiful.
I looked away because I felt shame, not because I thought my mom was marvelously beautiful but because I used to think she was ugly.
Yah, back when I was kid, someone called my mom "ugly," and I let them because I thought so, too.
My eyes watered and I had to exhale really slowly to fight those guilty tears.
I didn't have time to process right then at there because before I knew it I was standing at the American Airlines line waiting to check in my bag and she and my brother were right there.
And then I had to go through security and take off my shoes and be padded for bombs or whatever the fuck they think someone leaving Nashville, Tennessee would carry.
It wasn't until I was almost in New York when I thought again about my dumbass ideas of beauty. How, when, what gave me the right to ever think of my mom as ugly? JESUS, did I ever really look at her?
I'm a stupid person.
And this is not about some silly feelings of guilt... I mean, my mom has had a pretty challenging life. Somewhere in her early-30s she had a motorcycle accident (because she used to ride a motorcycle/A.K.A. being "fierce") and the doctor told her she'd probably never walk again. But she did, just fine. In her late 30s she moved from South America to the US, had no one here, and then got her masters in education and is a teacher here, the same profession she had in our other country.
No one can say she's not one hell of a fighter.
No one can say she's not self-made.
No one can say that she's not heart-breakingly beautiful.
God, it's taken me so long to realize that. Why does it take, some of us dumb creatures, so long to see beauty in the people who are closest to us?
We admire the beauty "out there," but what about the beautiful people who raised us?
Who slapped us in the face when we lied?
Who taught us that honesty is more important than not looking like an asshole? (I mean, if you're worried about not looking like an asshole, maybe you are behaving like one.)

Those people who teach us the most important lessons in life don't always look beautiful to us.
Is this because they make us see the truth in our actions?
Because they put a mirror to us and say "Look! Really look."

I finally looked mom, really looked.

 -Tatiana
(Guest blogging while Aurin is away at Silent Camp).

GET WHAT YOU WANT: July 2012

This is a monthly list of playwright and theatre grants, competitions, commissions and jobs.

1.
Red Shirt Entertainment
Deadline: July 6th

Go to http://www.redshirtentertainment.com for submission form

Red Shirt Entertainment is looking for 10-minute plays for rooftop series. Each playwright can submit forms attached. Play gets performed on fabulous rooftop theatre area on 23rd Street. Playwrights get introduced to Redshirt community, marketing team, be honored at reception following, and receive a $100 honorarium.

Play should have between 1 and 4 characters, run ten minutes, not be a musical. 8 plays will get selected.

You can email play and submission form to info@redshirtentainment.com or drop off/mail it to 18 W. 23rd St. 4th Floor, NY, NY 10010

For information about how to submit a play please email: info@redshirtentertainment.com


2.
NJ Playwrights Contest 2013 (and 2014) - Plays and Musicals
Deadline: July 13th

The University Performing Arts Department of William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ announces the Ninth (and Tenth) Annual NJ Playwrights Contest. This project helps bring new playwrights and composers and their work into focus in the community, the region and the state of New Jersey. This contest is open to New Jersey residents only. This contest has both a musical and a non-musical component. Each component consists of two phases. First, three plays and three musicals respectively will be selected for staged-readings from all entries received by July 13, 2012. (Each finalist receives a small honorarium.) Second, one winner in each category will receive a production in the very flexible Hunziker Black Box Theatre. In addition to the full production, the winners receive an honorarium commensurate with his/her level of participation. Submissions should include: a cover letter, stating availability of the author for participation in the process and the performance history of the play or musical; a one-page synopsis of the play or musical; and a resume of the playwright and/or composer. NO PLAYS or MUSICALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AT THIS TIME. Unless specified, all entries will be considered for both the 9th and 10th contests.

Readings for the 9th Annual NJPC will be in December of 2012. The winning play and musical will be presented in the spring of 2013.

Readings for the 10th Annual NJPC will be in February of 2013. The winning play will be presented in December of 2013 and the winning musical in June of 2014.

Submissions should be emailed to TheatreSeries@WPUNJ.edu or mailed to Theatre Series, H 105-B, 300 Pompton Rd., William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, 07470. 
 Scripts & music (including a piano score) and author interviews will be requested later this summer.

http://www.wpunj.edu/wplive/programs/njplaywrights.dot 



3.
Sandbox Poetry and Dance
Deadline: July 20th

In October 2012, Sandbox will present its latest ensemble collaboration, Beatnik Giselle, a play combining Beat poetry with the classical ballet Giselle.  In conjunction with this production, the company is also facilitating a collaborative performance project to bring together local writers and dancers.

DETAILS

Sandbox is seeking poetry submissions that can be given to volunteers from the Twin Cities dance community, who will use the poetry as their "music" in creating original dance pieces.  All the pieces will be performed in a showcase on October 20 at the Southern Theatre in Minneapolis.  This is an exciting opportunity to not only have your work performed for an audience, but to participate in cross-genre collaborative creation.

Submissions must be able to be read aloud in under five minutes.  There is no limit to style or subject, and writers may make submit up to 3 different works.  All submissions must be received by Friday, July 20.

Please send entries and/or questions to Sandbox Theatre representative Derek Lee Miller at miller.dereklee@gmail.com.


4.
Yale Drama Series
Deadline: August 15th

The Yale Drama Series is seeking submissions for its 2013 playwriting competition. The winning play will be selected by the series' current judge, award-winning playwright John Guare. The winner of this annual competition will be awarded the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, publication of his/her manuscript by Yale University Press, and a staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater.

There is no application form or entry fee. Please follow these guidelines in preparing your manuscript:

1. This contest is restricted to plays written in the English language. Worldwide submissions are accepted.

2. Submissions must be original, unpublished full-length plays written in English. Translations, musicals, and children's plays are not accepted. The Yale Drama Series is intended to support emerging playwrights. Playwrights may win the competition only once.

3. Playwrights may submit only one manuscript per year.

4. Plays that have had professional productions are not eligible. Plays that have had a workshop, reading or non-professional production are accepted.

5. Plays may not be under option or scheduled for professional production at the time of submission.

6. The manuscript must begin with a title page that shows the play's title and your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address (if you have one), page count and (if applicable) a list of acknowledgments; a second title page which lists the title of the play only, a list of characters, and a list of acts and scenes.

7. Plays must be typed/word-processed, page-numbered and in standard professional play format. A brief biography may be included at the end of the manuscript, on a separate page, but is not required.

8. Do not bind or staple the manuscript.

9. Send the manuscript to Yale Drama Series, P.O. Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040.

Submissions for the 2013 competition must be postmarked no earlier than June 1, 2012 and no later than August 15, 2012.

Do not send the only copy of your work. Manuscripts cannot be returned after the competition. If you wish receipt of your manuscript to be acknowledged, please include a stamped, self-addressed postcard.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS:

Electronic submissions for the 2013 competition must be submitted no earlier than June 1, 2012 and no later than August 15, 2012.

If you would like to submit an electronic copy of your manuscript please email submissions.yaledramaseries@yale.edu with your request.

Upon receiving an email request for submission, we will send an email reply to the sender requesting a secure file transfer form be completed which will allow the electronic submission.

Both PDF/Word document submissions are accepted. PDF submissions are preferred but not required.

Please go to http://www.adobe.com if you need assistance converting a Word document to a PDF.
The Yale Drama Series reserves the right to reject any manuscript for any reason.

5.
Urban Stages Emerging Playwright Award

Established in 1986, Urban Stages' EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT AWARD has been presented to the best of new, innovative playwrights whose works speak to the whole of our society. Urban Stages' on-going mission is to develop and produce new, exciting multi-cultural works that are issue-oriented.

The Guidelines
WHEN TO SUBMIT
Submissions are received throughout the year. Finalists are first included as part of the Urban Stages fall or spring reading series. The award is then announced in the spring. Plays that are finalists are presented as staged and workshop readings. These readings are a collaboration between playwright and director.

AWARD
A cash prize of $500 (in lieu of royalties) will be awarded to the winner. There will also be a staged production of the play in New York City. Urban Stages reserves the right to withhold the prize and not declare a winner if no play of merit is found. Before production of the award winning play, a contract will be signed between the playwright and the company. This contract is approved by the DRAMATISTS GUILD.

ELIGIBILITY
Full length plays are preferred. Submissions are open to playwrights in the United States. Plays may have been developed elsewhere, but never produced in New York City. There is no limit to submission. Subject matter and character variations are open.

GENRE
We prefer full length plays for submission. No translations or adaptations. On RARE occasions, Urban Stages will consider exceptional musicals and one-act plays that fit our mission. We do; however, consider plays for younger audiences for our outreach program.

CAST SIZE
Cast size is limited to no more than nine actors.

TO BE INCLUDED WITH EVERY SUBMISSION
A biography and/or author's history of the play, character breakdown, and brief description or synopsis of the play.

SUBMISSION FORM
All scripts must be firmly bound. No changes or revisions accepted after submission. No double-sided pages.

SUBMISSION REVIEW
It usually takes two to six months for us to read and process your script. We ask that you please do not call or email our offices in the interim to inquire on the status of your play.

PLAYS RETURNED
The play should be accompanied by a manuscript size SASE with appropriate postage. If there is no manuscript size SASE, the play will not be returned. Please do not include loose cash, stamps, labels or metered postage. A SAS Post Card should be included if you want acknowledgment of arrival. If you do NOT want your manuscript returned, but want a response letter of our decision, include a #10 SASE. If no SASE's are included with your submission, it will be discarded at time of rejection. If we are interested in your play, we will contact you by phone or mail. Please include the name, address and phone number of author on the title page.

HANDLING
All scripts will be handled with care, but Urban Stages will not assume responsibility for lost or damaged scripts. RETAIN A COPY OF YOUR SCRIPT.

WHERE TO SEND
Please send manuscripts to:

Urban Stages
555 8th Avenue, #1800
New York, New York 10018

6.
Sante Fe. Performing Arts Playwright Competition
Santa Fe Performing Arts Playwright's Competition was developed to support American Playwrights. The competition is not merely a competition of words, but a venue for recognition and a demonstration of appreciation - truly a celebration of the writer's contribution. SFPA and many other theatre companies around the country with similar programs, support playwrights and ensure the future of American Theatre. Without the writers, the actors would have nothing to say. Submissions are limited to unproduced new American plays and must be postmarked by the first of September of each year. Send play synopsis and character break-down via email or to our mailing address (found at the bottom of page). Full scripts upon request only.
 office@sfperformingarts.org


7.
Theater Three Festival of One Act Plays
Deadline: Sept 30th

Festival of One-Act Plays
.
Submission Guidelines
Only unproduced works will be accepted.
Plays that have had staged readings are eligible.
No adaptations, musicals, or children's plays.
Cast size maximum: 8.
Length: 40 minutes maximum, no minimum.
Settings should be simple or suggested.
Playwrights may make multiple submissions.  They need not be made under separate cover.
Please do not submit works that have been previously submitted.
Scripts must be postmarked by September 30.
Please submit a cover letter, a synopsis, and a resume along with one copy of the play. Cover sheet of play should have title, author, author's address, author's telephone number, and author's email address (if available). Plays should be neatly bound or stapled on the left-hand corner (no loose pages and no binders, please). All submissions must include a standard SASE for correspondence. Or, if playwrights wish to have their works returned, an appropriate SASE must also be included.
Selected plays will be presented for 10 performances. Playwrights will receive a small stipend.
Plays should be submitted to The 14th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays, Attn: Jeffrey Sanzel, Artistic Director, THEATRE THREE, P.O. Box 512, Port Jefferson, NY 11777-0512. We do not accept electronic (email) submissions. Please do not call or stop by the theatre.
Final selection of plays will be in late 2010.

8.
Warehouse Theatre (in London)
International Playwriting Competition
Deadline: July 31st

http://www.warehousetheatre.co.uk/
Through the International Playwriting Festival the Warehouse Theatre has discovered and launched the career of a host of successful writers and it has also had much success in transferring plays to the West End and other London theatres, and touring both nationally and internationally. Entries are now being accepted. Go to website to fill out form and for details.


9.
The David Calicchio/Marin Theatre Company Emerging American Playwright Prize
Deadline: August 31st

Norton J. “Sky” Cooper established the Emerging American Playwright Prize award at Marin Theatre Company in 2007 in honor of David Calicchio’s lifelong career as a playwright and in support of Marin Theatre Company’s commitment to the discovery and development of new and emerging American playwrights. The Calicchio Prize will be awarded annually to a professionally unproduced playwright for a new work that shows outstanding promise and a distinctive new voice for the American theatre. The play selected as the Calicchio Prize winner will receive 2 public staged readings at Marin Theatre Company as part of the theatre’s annual New Works Series. The playwright will receive a $2,500 award, as well as travel and accommodations for the MTC rehearsal period (25 hours).

GUIDELINES
Plays must be full-length in comedy, drama, etc. Musicals, translations, adaptations, individual one-acts and any play previously submitted for the Sky Cooper or David Calicchio Prizes are not eligible. Collaborations are welcome, in which case prize benefits are shared. Playwrights may not have received a full-scale, professional production of the submitted play, or any of their other works, prior to submission. Plays and playwrights that have had workshop, reading or non-professional productions are still eligible. Playwrights must be citizens of the United States. Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year. If you plan to also submit your play to the Sky Cooper Play Prize you may do so but it must be the same play.

Submission is a two-phase process.
Phase I: Submit a two-page maximum abstract of the play including title, character breakdown, brief story synopsis and playwright bio or resume. Also include 10 pages of consecutive sample dialogue. Literary agents may submit full scripts of their client’s work. All abstracts and dialogue samples will be read. From these, selected manuscripts will be solicited for Phase II by October 1. Due to the high number of submissions, not every playwright will receive a response to their Phase 1 submission. Do not send a manuscript with or instead of the abstract. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be read. Due to the high number of submissions we cannot return any Phase I materials. If you would like notification that your submission was received, please send it with a SASP. Electronic submissions are accepted in Word or PDF format only and paper copies must be sent to MTC if requested. Please NO PHONE OR EMAIL inquiries.

Phase II: All manuscripts that have been solicited after Phase I will be read. Manuscripts should be neatly typed, securely bound and have the playwright’s name, contact address and phone number clearly visible on the front page. No solicited manuscript will be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope with adequate postage.

All final selections are made by Jasson Minadakis, Artistic Director of Marin Theatre Company.

Submissions are accepted between July 1 and August 31 (postmarked).

Address all submissions to:
The David Calicchio/Marin Theatre Company Emerging American Playwright Prize
Marin Theatre Company
397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Or electronically to davidcalicchio@marintheatre.org


10.
NEXT ACT NEW PLAY SUMMIT
Deadline: July 16th

Capital Repertory, Albany, NY
Submissions are now being accepted for Capital Repertory Theatre’s NEXT ACT NEW PLAY SUMMIT

Next Act! is an expansion of Capital Repertory Theatre’s commitment to the development of new work, and is designed to complement the Upper Hudson Valley’s recent and future growth explosion in the fields of research and technology.  The summit will directly reflect the theatre’s mission, “to create meaningful theatre generated from an authentic link to the community.”  Next Act! takes place November 2nd thru 4th, 2012 and will feature readings of two never-before produced plays, and special events throughout the weekend.

Capital Rep is particularly interested in scripts that showcase world events as they impact the individual and society, highlighting the common threads that bind the American culture together in a world that is defined more and more by diversity.  The theatre will give preference to character driven scripts that showcase technology’s impact on humanity.

Multi-cultural and ethnically diverse plays welcome. Comedy and Drama welcome! (Please do not submit plays about the theatre.)

Eligible plays can not have been previously produced, though previous readings are allowed.  No more than 7 characters.  (Please do not submit works in which actors play multiple roles, unless it is a device used to illuminate generations.)  No musicals.


11.
The New Theatre Project New Work Series

The New Work Series is an opportunity for playwrights to have their work read at any stage of the plays journey. The scripts will receive minimally staged productions before an audience and feature a talkback. We have accepted all of our submissions for the Spring New Work Series but are always accepting submissions to be considered for next Series.

New work will be considered from local (Ypsilanti, MI ) and non-local playwrights. Any work having already received a production must be seeking further development or open to the possibility. The New Theatre Project will also consider short plays, incomplete work, work based on classical texts, music with the possibility of a theatrical staging, or any otherwise unconventional work for the stage (dance theatre, performance art, etc.)

Playwrights are asked to submit a 10-page script sample, character listing, and a synopsis. Any additional materials that may help us understand the piece will also be accepted, though please keep them brief and concise.

Script submissions must be emailed to keith@thenewtheatreproject.org. Requests for full-length scripts will be emailed shortly thereafter.


12.
Brain Trust Theatrical*

Brain Trust Theatricals is looking for bold, new character-driven plays to make up its inaugural season.

To be considered, please send a play synopsis, full character list, and a ten-page script sample. Plays still in development are welcomed. Please note that while we are not producing children’s theater, each play in our season will have an educational outreach component. For this reason, plays with extreme sexual content will not be considered.

Script submissions can be sent to

Elizabeth Schwartz at BrainTrustTheatricals@gmail.com

or snailmail to:

330 W 45th Street
Lobby H
New York, NY 10036


13.
NEWvember New Plays Festival call for submissions
Deadline: August 1st

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Inaugurated in 2011 as a co-production of Tangent Theatre Tivoli and AboutFACE Ireland, NEWvember is a festival of rehearsed readings of new plays that takes place over four days at the Carpenter Shop Theatre in the historic village of Tivoli in upstate New York.

CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSIONS

submitted plays should be previously unproduced (we will consider plays that have had readings before but are still in development)
plays should have a cast size of 2-8
plays should have a running time of 30-120 minutes
we will only accept one submission per writer
we ask that the writers of the chosen plays attend the reading of their play towards its further development and to be present for a post-reading Q&A with the audience. We will provide $50 towards travel (the equivalent of a return Amtrak trip from NYC to Rhinecliff) as well as local accommodation in Tivoli
there is no fee for submissions
 while we are open to all styles and subjects, our companies do have a preference for narrative and character driven stories

PROCESS OF SUBMISSION:
In submitting your play, please include:
the play as a PDF, with the title page listing the name of author as a separate file (to aid our blank reading process)
a 3-line synopsis of the play
a bio of the writer
in an email to submissions@NEWvemberfestival.com

SUBMISSION DATES:
Submissions will be accepted from June 1st 2012 to August 1st 2012.

Please note that these dates will be applied strictly and any submissions made outside these dates will not be considered. The six invited plays will be announced in October.

CASTING: Please note – the chosen plays will be read by an ensemble of actors, each performing roles in multiple plays in the festival. While we will endeavor to provide the best match of cast for each play that is read, in terms of characters’ listed ages/ethnicities, we also need to form an ensemble to best cover the entire range of the festival’s program. We appreciate our playwrights’ understanding of our ensemble-based casting.


14.
The Disreputables are now accepting submissions of short works for SLUT*
Deadline: July 31st

The Disreputables are now accepting submissions of short works for SLUT, a festival of staged readings and discussions inspired by the political climate of 2012 - in particular, the string of controversial legislation (dubbed the “War on Women”) which serves to hinder a woman’s right to privacy, choice, and safety. SLUT is the first installment of the UNmute! Reading Series, a season-long project aimed at raising the volume on stifled voices. We are seeking original plays, musicals, and monologues from 1-30 minutes in length. SLUT will be presented in the Washington, DC metropolitan area in October 2012.

All submissions will be accepted via email, and must be accompanied by a cover page containing a brief synopsis and professional bio. Please visit www.disreputables.org for full guidelines. No submissions will be accepted in hard copy form, with the exception of short musicals presented with an accompanying CD. We are not accepting translations or adaptations. Only one submission per writer is allowed. All plays must be submitted in a single document, formatted in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. All scripts must include
 page numbers.

Submissions are open to all writers in the United States, with or 
without representation. For playwrights represented by credited agents or managers, we prefer
that you submit your work through your representation. To ensure your script is accepted, we encourage you to submit your work as early as
possible. The submission period ends July 31, 2012. More details are posted at www.disreputables.org, so please review them for answers to any questions.


15.
Chrysalis Theater Company*
Seeking Full Length Comic Drama with Female Characters

Chrysalis Theater Company is seeking a new play to produce this fall. They are a small company based in New York City. They are looking for a new play that has not been previously produced in New York. A comic drama with a strong emotional core with female characters in their late 30s/early 40s with no more than 5 characters is desired.  The ideal length of the play is between 90 min and 2 hours. The play will be produced at the 4th St. Theatre in downtown Manhattan in November of this year.

DETAILS

The playwright will receive a small stipend. This is a showcase production.
Please send a short bio and your script to adinataubman@aol.com.

16.
Playwrights Horizons Seeks Writers
Deadline: rolling

Playwrights Horizons accepts unsolicited manuscripts of full-length, original plays by American authors.  As to our tastes, we try to remain open to as wide a variety of different styles and approaches to playwriting as possible.  We are a writer’s theater and we truly believe that, in principle, there are as many styles and worldviews as there are playwrights.  We are looking for distinctive, accomplished, original theatrical voices.

As a rule, we do not produce non-musical adaptations, translations, children’s theater, screenplays, musicals without original scores, one-acts, plays of chiefly biographical or historical nature, or topical “issue” plays.  Playwrights Horizons does not produce plays that have already received New York City productions. We are not a theater that prides itself on being grounded in naturalism, realism or “method” acting.  We therefore tend to shy away from psychological family dramas and from relationship sitcoms that we feel are more suitable for television.  We respond primarily to plays with a sure command of language and a clear dramatic action that truly use the resources of the theater.  Ultimately, of course, tastes are subjective and we are just not the right theater for certain plays.

If you wish to submit a play, please include a complete manuscript (we dislike synopses and dialog samples, but will consider them if submitted), bio, resume, and any other print supporting materials (e.g. reviews) that might help pique our interest in you and your work.  We do not accept scripts via email. Due to the small size of our staff and the sheer number of scripts we receive, we are only able to accept one script at a time from the same author. If you would like your script returned, you may also include an SASE.  Thanks in advance for your patience while we process your script; our typical response time is 6-8 months.

Play submissions should be sent to Adam Greenfield, Director of New Play Development. Musical submissions (script and CD) should be sent to the attention of Kent Nicholson, Director of Musical Theater.

Our mailing address is:
Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036

COMMISSIONS

We award 4-6 commissions a year. We choose the recipients from a group of writers whose work we already know and wish to encourage. The best way to become a candidate for a commission is to start submitting your work.


17.
Three Roses 2012
Deadline: monthly ongoing

Three Roses Players is very supportive of NEW WORKS and hard working playwrights! We produce at least 6 new one act plays per month.

The Writer Speaks where the plays see our stage for the first time in a four performance run. The audience scores the plays and the top two move into The Writer SpeaksWinner's Circle, where the winning playwrights send us another 2 one acts and we choose 1 from the 2 selections.

THEN these four plays enjoy another four week fully produced run!

ONE ACT PLAYS
20 pages or LESS
3 CHARACTERS OR MORE
NO more than 2 SCENE BREAKS/ Vignettes
Light props, sets, costumes
Has not been produced in Southern California in the last 12 months
No concurrent productions in Southern California
Local CA Playwrights must attend at least ONE performance (you receive a comp)

DEADLINES are the 10th day of the month prior to the theme month.
Selected plays will be notified by mid month prior to the theme months.

PLEASE SPECIFY THEMES IN YOUR COVER LETTER, THANK YOU!

AUGUST 2012
Non-theme month, submit any subject.

SEPTEMBER 2012
Non-theme month, submit any subject.

OCTOBER 2012
GOBLINS, GHOSTS and GHOULS OH MY!!
Send me your spookiest and scariest!

NOVEMBER 2012
CELEBRATE THOSE THAT MAKE THE GREAT SACRIFICE FOR OUR SAFETY AND OUR FREEDOM.
Positive, uplifting, enlightening stories about these heroes open our eyes to what that sacrifice really means to their families and friends.

DECEMBER 2012
HOLIDAY BLISS OR IS IT?
Tales about that obligatory time of year, from shopping malls to airports to that holiday family dinner, how do you survive it?

PLEASE SUBMIT IN WORD or PDF FORMAT TO:

3rosesp@gmail.com

I look forward to reading your work!
Maggie Grant
ARTISITIC DIRECTOR
www.3rosesp.com


18.
Yes Festival seeks full-length plays
Deadline: Sept 30th

Scripts must be standard sized, legibly typed, and bound. Standard Dramatist Guild form is preferred. Submissions (ONE per playwright) must be full length and should include a one-page synopsis and a cast list with brief character descriptions.

A play may not have had a previous professional or university production. Scripts are not returnable (unless specifically requested and accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope).

-Enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard if you wish the project director to acknowledge receipt of your script.
-in deciding which play to submit, a writer should know our actors will be students ranging in age from 17-30. Some faculty members or guest artists may be available for the festival. However, a play with especially strong demands for mature character roles would not be as likely for selection as one of equal quality with roles for young adults.
-Musicals with small orchestra demands will be considered. Musicals should be submitted only if a vocal score and piano conductor score is available.
-A Y.E.S. entry form must accompany a submitted script - see this flyer (PDF Format.)


Northern Kentucky University
Sandra Forman,
Project Director
NKU Y.E.S. Festival of New Plays
Department of Theatre and Dance
Nunn Drive
Highland Heights, KY 41099

-Selections will be made and winners notified no later than December 31, 2012. Returnable scripts will be mailed back after the winners have been notified.
-An honorarium of $500 will be awarded to each selected playwright as well as travel expenses and housing while attending the festival.
- it is important that selected playwrights be available to visit the festival about a week before opening so their visit can be arranged to include late rehearsals and the premiere of their play. Festival dates are April 11-21, 2013. The visiting dates are at the discretion of the festival. Playwrights and the directors of their plays will participate in one post-show question-and-answer session with the audience.
-in addition to the three plays selected for full productions, one script may be selected for a staged reading during the festival. The playwright of this script will also be brought in for late rehearsals and opening.


19.
Living Theatre Reading Series
Deadline: ongoing

Judith Malina and The Living Theatre are seeking scripts from New York playwrights for the theatre’s readings series. Seeking scripts of all lengths and in all styles - except realism. Interested in politics, philosophy, timeless issues – not romance.

 Also seeking scripts of any length and style about famous playwrights (e.g. Ibsen).

Readings are staged in the Living’s Theatre’s space on the Lower East Side. Email scripts to: stevecapra@newyorkcritic.org


20.
One Act TV Play
Deadline: July 1st

The Playwrights Project Original “One Act Play Competition” - We are in our 16th year, and our winning plays have received multiple awards, from both national and international film festivals in the professional categories. TWO winning plays will be Cablecast on Public Access Television, Channel 20 (Cablevision) and Channel 37 (Verizon FIOS) and other Public Access Stations in various locations around the country. A Showcase is held with a Q & A with the actors, director and playwrights. The guidelines for submission are as follows: Original, Fifteen minutes in length, limited to three or four characters and one set – no children. Multiple submissions are welcome! Scripts will not be returned! Winners will be notified by PATV and posted on the website. Submission entry deadline is July 1, 2012. Submit typed manuscript to: The Public Access Television Corporation, ATT: “Playwrights Competition”, 1111 Marcus Avenue, Suite LL27, Lake Success, NY 11042. Prizes will be a professional production of the two winning plays and $100.00 to each author. This project is supported in part by North Shore Community Arts Council, and Astoria Federal Savings Bank.


(*= don't know the history or background behind this theatre company)