Here’s a quick link to an interesting post at Mr. Excitement News on script submission guidelines for smaller theatre companies. Check it out here.
Further questions:
Do most small theatre companies have firm script submission guidelines? What works? What doesn’t? Any tips?
UPDATE:
More further questions:
What works for playwrights? How do you prefer to send your scripts (email or hard copy via snail mail)? Do playwrights prefer sending PDFs or Word documents? What is the minimum response you expect from the theatre company? Other than having the company produce a full production of your script, are there any secondary benefits a playwright can hope for when submitting a script (workshop, reading, feedback, etc.)?
I prefer email, and usually as a pdf (because it’s safer, everyone usually has adobe and more importantly, pdf’s cannot be altered, I send screenplays as that as well) . . .
Some prefer hard copies, I know . . . I know they’re easier to read, but email saves paper and time, I think.
Turnaround time, shoot, usually I’d just like to know that it got read . . . most of the time, when I send a script, I never hear back from them, heh . . . I think it gets put on a pile and never opened, is my suspicion.
But I think 4 to 6 weeks is reasonable for a script, once a request is put out and unless it’s sent out without warning.
If I ask if I can submit a play and the okay is given, a few months is understandable.
I think it a company believes it’s going to take a year or so, it’s better for them simply not to accept scripts until they get caught up.
hey josh,
i totally agree. everybody has adobe so pdfs are legit. that’s how actors get their sides..for a brief period i was in charge of first reads for a big rep company in the states. they only took hard copies and the pile was gynormous. convinced me that a blind submission would have as much chance of getting a show produced as just leaving copies randomly on the subway.
Much thanks for the feedback Joshua. Praxis Theatre is in the process of refining its submission guidelines and info like this helps a lot.