Title of Show: _______________________________________________
Name of Playwright: ___________________________________________
Category (Check One): Drama ____ Comedy ____ Musical ____
Running Time (Circle One): 15 minutes 20 minutes 25 minutes 30 minutes
Number of Actors: Male ____ + Female ____ + Staff / Crew ______ = Total Participants ______
Number of pages in script: ______
Please
provide a brief synopsis of your play below (Please do not say “SEE ATTACHED”):
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact information:
Playwright’s Name:_______________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________________
State:__________________________City:___________________Zip Code:__________________
Telephone:______________________Cell:___________________Email:____________________
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE. FOR ADMINISTRATIVE USE ONLY.
A. 1.
B. 2.
C. 3.
D. 4.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
Please not that this one page summary is considered substantial information. You are not required to fill out any of this information. However, if you choose to do so, it will be helpful for us.
Title:_____________________________________________________________________________
Category:__________________________________________________________________________
Author:____________________________________________________________________________
Composer:_________________________________________________________________________
Lyricist:___________________________________________________________________________
Director:___________________________________________________________________________
Choreographer:_____________________________________________________________________
Company / Producing Organization:_____________________________________________________
Cast Members’ Names:_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
By signing below, I certify that I have read and understand this application and the General Application Information, and that the information that I have provided is true to the best of my knowledge.
Signature___________________________Print Name_______________________Date____________
PLEASE NOTE: That the mission of the Riant Theatre is to provide
a nurturing environment to develop new plays and outstanding artists. The Strawberry One-Act Festival is a
wonderful opportunity for the Riant Theatre to showcase one-act plays and offer
the theatre an opportunity to select one playwright and give them a development
deal to produce a full-length play.
Although the audience cast their votes to select the best play so it can
advance from the First Round to the Semi-Finals and then The Finals, it is the
Playwrights in the festival, the Artistic Director and the Riant’s Judges who’s
votes count the most in selecting the BEST PLAY at the Finals. At the Awards Ceremony and Performance the 4
Best Plays will be performed and the Playwright of the Best Play will
be announced and receive an AWARD of $1,500.00 (ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED
DOLLARS). In addition, at the
ceremony, awards of $150.00 (ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS) will be presented
to the Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
Some plays in the festival
will be selected for publication in the next anthology: The Best Plays From The Strawberry One-Act
Festival.
There is NO FEE to submit an
application and play for consideration to be in the festival. You may submit up to 2 plays for the
festival. A separate application must
accompany each play submitted.
If your play is chosen to
participate in the festival THERE IS A PARTICIPATION FEE of $300.00, which will help defray
some of the expenses such as the technical rehearsal and publicity. In addition each Playwright will receive 2
complimentary tickets to the Awards Ceremony and Performance and (1) one
ticket to the Launch Dinner Party for the Strawberry One-Act
Festival, which will also honor people for their outstanding contributions to
the Arts.
SUBMITTING YOUR SCRIPT
1) Please make sure your script
pages are bound and number;
2) On the cover of your script
please include the a) NAME OF YOUR PLAY, b) The Playwright’s name, c) the
Contact information of the Playwright [Address, Telephone Number & Email
address];
3) Include the character
breakdown in your script;
4) Include the Setting
(i.e. An apartment in NYC.) that your play occurs and the Time (i.e. The
present.);
5) If you would like to have
your script returned to you please include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope;
6) If you would like
notification that we have received your script please include a Self Addressed
Stamped Postcard.
The Strawberry One-Act Festival – Winter 2010 will be held at the American
Theatre For Actors, 314 West 54th Street, between 8th
& 9th Avenue, in Manhattan.
In order for you to participate in the festival you
must be available from February 8th through February 21, 2010.
The Festival will open Thursday, February 11, 2010.
During Round 1 (February 11 – February 14) of
the competition each play will perform once.
Each play that advances to the Semi-Finals
(February 15 and February 16) will perform once.
Each play that is selected by the Artistic Director
for the Wild Night (February 17) will perform once.
The Finals
(February 19)
The Awards Ceremony & Performance (February
21st at 1:00 p.m.)
PRODUCING YOUR PLAY:
1) Each play must provide their
own Director, Cast, Stage Manager, Light Board Operator, Sound Operator and
Stage Crew. Your stage manager must be a
separate person who can attend production meetings and work independent of your
Light/Sound operator.
·
REMEMBER the Riant Theatre is not producing your show. We are presenting your show. If your play is accepted, producing your
show is your responsibility. You must
find space to conduct your own rehearsals.
The Strawberry One-Act Festival will provide you with One (1) technical
rehearsal, which will be for one hour in the theatre. All technical rehearsals are scheduled in the
order that plays will be presented in the festival. Therefore you will know if your show is the
first play to be presented in the Series of plays to be presented, as well as
which play is before your play and after your play. Each series consists of 3 to 4 plays. The audience attending a series will see all
the plays in that series and then vote after the last play is performed.
2) There will be a basic
lighting plot that all the plays will use that are in the festival. You will have access to a CD player. Any addition equipment that you need, i.e.
microphone, piano, etc. you must provide yourself.
3) FURNITURE: We have black chairs, black boxes in various
sizes (when all boxes are used they can make a full size bed, can also be used
to make a bar), a writing desk with chair, kitchen table with chairs or 2
stools, end tables and a coffee table that you can use. Any thing else you need you must provide
yourself.
4) RUNNING TIME: It is very important that you give us the
running time of your show. This is very
important in putting together each series.
The maximum running time for a play in the festival is 30
minutes. The minimum running time is
15 minutes.
5) Do you plan on performing
your show under a Guest Artist Contract under Actors’ Equity Association? Please note that there is a different between
an Equity Showcase and a Guest Artist Contract.
·
____ Yes ____ No ____ Will let you know upon acceptance.
6) If you feel that your play
is not appropriate for young audiences please let us know so that we are aware
of this. If there are things that we
need to consider when scheduling your show please detail them here:
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7) Please provide us with a Tag
Line (2 sentences maximum) that can be used to promote your play if it is
chosen for the festival.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
8) If your play is presented in
the Strawberry One-Act Festival will it be?
__ World Premiere __ New York
Premiere __ East Coast Premiere __ U.S. Premiere
9) Do you have all the
necessary rights to perform your show?
____ Yes
____ No, I will obtain the necessary rights on or before January 8, 2010.
10) Is this a published
work? ____ Yes ____ No
____ I own the Rights or have secured them from a publisher or licensing
company.
____ I will obtain the necessary rights from the publisher or licensing company
on or before January 8, 2010.
Please
make sure the Name Of Your Play is on the Top of Each Page of the Application.
Please
Mail Your Application and Play to:
The Riant Theatre
P.O. Box 1902
New York, NY 10013
Attn: Strawberry One-Act Festival (SOAF
Winter or Summer)
Please
keep these and instructions and a copy of your application for your reference.
RESEARCH:
The following question is for our own marketing
research, and in no way affects your application.
How did you hear about the Strawberry One-Act
Festival?_______________________________
____ Have you
participated in the Strawberry One-Act Festival before?
____ Have
friends who participated in the Strawberry One-Act Festival
before?___________________
____ Read
about it in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication. _____ Attended the festival in prior years.
____ Have
volunteered for the festival in prior years.
____ Other
(Please
describe):_________________________________________________________________
(Print and Save as a Reference)
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: You will need to keep the technical requirements for
your show very simple. There will be a
general light plot, with specials that everyone involved in the festival will
use. Sound is basic, you will have
access to a CD Player and a Cassette Player.
Storage space is limited so you should keep your props to a minimal. Since it is a shared space you must take your
props, set pieces and costumes away with you after each performance. Each play will have one cue to cue technical
rehearsal for (1) one hour in the theatre.
PUBLICITY: The Riant Theatre will
publicize the Strawberry One-Act Festival and coordinate overall press
relations, including interviews and critic attendance at performances critics
have chosen to review. You will be asked
to submit publicity photos & PR materials so that we can send complete
press packages to print and broadcast media.
You are responsible for publicizing your own show through your own press
releases, mailers, handbills, busking and/or posters. The more you promote your show, the larger
your potential audience. The Riant
Theatre will take publicity photos at your technical rehearsal at the theatre,
but you should also take your own publicity photos that can be sent to the
press before your technical rehearsal.
The Riant will also hold a Press Conference / Launch Dinner Party,
where the press can meet all the participants in the festival and learn about
the plays. In addition, the Riant will
produce a FULL COLOR PROGRAM JOURNAL with Photos of the actors, directors and
playwrights in the festival.
EXCLUSIVITY: If you are accepted to
participate in the Strawberry One-Act Festival, part of our agreement prohibits
the performance of your show anywhere in New York City, New Jersey or
Connecticut anytime during the months of January and February. Performances elsewhere within our audience
area greatly impact ticket sales to the Strawberry One-Act Festival and the
desirability of your show (as do reviews).
Please keep this in mind when accepting other invitations to perform
your show during these months.
NETWORKING: The Strawberry One-Act
Festival is a wonderful place for talent to network and be considered for new
projects. Just think at every
performance your work will be seen by other playwrights, directors, and
actors. Casting directors, agents,
theatrical and film producers often attend the festival. Some plays in the festival have been optioned
to be made into short or feature films.
The Strawberry One-Act Festival is a great place to be seen and be
heard.
PLEASE NOTE: The goal of the Riant
Theatre is to provide a nurturing environment to develop and showcase new
plays. We pride ourselves in providing a
platform to present diverse, exciting, ground breaking new works that capture
the pulse of innovative theatre. We
enjoy the wide range of talent that we have been able to provide a stage for
artist to present new works; from actors on Broadway to Off-Broadway, from
Film, Television, new comers to seasoned professionals. We take several factors into consideration
when deciding to accept a play into the festival. Subject matter, creativity and freshness are
also important factors. Talk to us in
your cover letter and let us know why you feel you need to be a part of the
Strawberry One-Act Festival. Having no
video, reviews, or resume to speak of should not stop you from applying.
THE AWARDS CEREMONY & PERFORMANCE: Besides the Awards Ceremony, in which the 4 Best
Plays are performed and the winning playwright of the BEST PLAY receives
$1,500.00 and the opportunity to have a full-length play developed by the
Riant, with the possibility of a production deal. In addition, Awards and prizes of $150 are
given to the Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Every playwright in the festival will receive
2 complimentary tickets to the Awards Ceremony.
ACCEPTANCE: All applicants will receive
acceptance status notification (i.e. accepted, alternate, or declined). Notification of acceptance status will begin
to be email (preferred) or mailed on or by November 15, 2009. At this time you will receive a Release
Agreement to participate in the festival and you will have until November 24, 2023
to sign the agreement and mail it to us along with your $300 participation fee,
in the form of a certified check, cashiers check or money order. International applications must make payments
by bank money order in US funds, collectible in a US bank. No personal or company checks will be
accepted.
Your show may also be selected as an
alternative. Alternatives will begin
being moved onto the participants list on or about November 30, 2009.
RESPONSIBILITY:
If
your show is accepted into the festival, you be required to produce your show
and you will be told which Series your play will be performing in. We are NOT producing your show, we are merely
presenting it. Round One (1) consist of
1 performance. If your play advances to
the semi-finals, the finals and the Awards Show, your play may do a total of 4
performances. Even if your play does not
advance to the Semi-Finals it may be given a second chance by the Artistic
Director to perform in the Wild Night, in which (2) plays will receive a chance
to win a spot to compete in the finals.
You or your producing organization must hire your own cast, crew, and
staff, secure your own rights, and run your own rehearsals, etc.
SCHEDULING: Each festival showcases
between 30 to 50 one-act plays. Round
One (1) each play in the festival will perform in a Series. Each Series has 3 to 4 plays in it. The entire program will run 90 to 105
minutes. Show times Monday thru Friday
are at 7:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. Weekend
shows start as early as 1pm and as late as 9pm.
As plays move from Round 1 to the Semi-Finals we will keep in mind to
give everyone an equal chance to perform at an early or late show. Please keep in mind when you are striking or
setting up your show, another show is also striking or setting up. The change over between shows is a few
minutes. Minimalism rules. Regarding props, if you don’t use it you
probably don’t need it.
TICKETS: The Strawberry One-Act
Festival tickets will be available for sale online at the Riant Theatre’s
website at www.therianttheatre.com.