GayFest NYC
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:
OCTOBER 31, 2009
Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, producers of Gayfest NYC, are
now accepting submissions for the Fourth Annual Festival of New Plays
and Musicals to be presented in New York City in Spring 2010.
Three to five new works (plays or musicals) will be selected for
fully-produced Main Stage productions with Actors' Equity Association
casts and professional directors and staff personnel. Additional new
works will be chosen for presentation in the Festival’s Studio Reading
series if one is scheduled, or for readings throughout the year. Each
Main Stage production will receive between 6-15 performances.
Young and emerging writers as well as experienced and professional
playwrights and composers are encouraged to submit their work. It is
not necessary to be Gay or Lesbian to submit a play, but the work
submitted should deal with LGBT characters or issues in some literal
or metaphorical way.
The goal of Gayfest NYC, a not-for-profit arts organization, is
threefold: to develop new plays and musicals that will have a life
outside the festival, on other stages and in other media worldwide; to
expose a large and diverse audience to fresh, exciting new theatre
works; to develop new voices who will be valuable storytellers about
LGBT issues, thereby adding to the already diverse texture of the
theatrical landscape.
Since its inception, over 300 plays and musicals have been submitted
for consideration, coming from as far away as Australia and New
Zealand. To date, Gayfest NYC has produced seven plays and one musical
as Main Stage productions and four plays in the Reading Series.
Gayfest NYC is committed to sharing its gifts with the next generation
of LGBT Americans and monies raised through ticket sales and other
specialized fundraising efforts are used to provide scholarships for
students of The Harvey Milk High School, a fully-accredited New York
City public high school focusing on the educational needs of students
who are in crisis or at risk of physical violence and/or emotional
harm in a traditional educational environment. Since 2007 Gayfest NYC
has presented twenty-three scholarships to graduating seniors and has
initiated and financed elective programs, including this year’s
professionally-taught Playwriting class that became one of the most
popular elective programs at the school. HMHS students also work for
school credit as Interns in the Festival.
Log onto our web site at GAYFESTNYC.com for more information and to
read about our previous festivals.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please remember that scripts must be original and ready for production.
1. GENRE: All submissions must be original, unpublished, full length
works dealing with LGBT characters or issues. Legal clearance of
materials not in the public domain is the full responsibility of the
playwright. Librettos and musical scores must be complete, not merely
in developmental form. Plays or musicals do not need to have a
contemporary setting.
2. RESTRICTIONS: Plays and musicals must be full length and may have
no more than three settings and a cast of up to ten actors. There are
no restrictions on subject matter but salacious or unsavory material
will not be considered for presentation. Playwrights may only submit
one script per year unless requested to do so by the producers.
3. ELIGIBILITY: If your play or musical had an Equity showcase
production in the past year or if you are planning an Equity showcase
within one year after the Festival, the work is ineligible for
acceptance. If this work has been produced in a New York City theatre
with more than 99 seats, it is also ineligible
.
4. REQUIREMENTS: On the title page, in addition to the title of work,
please include author’s name, address, phone number and email address.
If a musical, please make sure the CD or cassette of the score is
properly marked as well. Also include a biography and/or author's
history of the play, character breakdown, and brief description or
synopsis of the work.
5. PROCESSING: Please include a processing fee of $20.00 with your
submission to cover duplication and distribution of materials to our
Literary Committee. Checks or money orders (only) should be made
payable to Gayfest NYC, Inc. Do not send cash.
6. RETURNS: If you would like your script returned, include a
manuscript size self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage
affixed. Please do not include loose cash, stamps, labels or metered
postage. If no S.A.S.E. is included, your script will be recycled. You
will not be contacted unless we are interested in your script.
7. SUBMISSION FORM: Scripts must be typed, with pages numbered,
securely bound (no binder clips) in a soft cover, in standard
professional manuscript format. No disks or electronic submissions,
please. No changes or revisions accepted after submission. No
double-sided pages.
8. HANDLING: All submissions will be handled with care, however
Gayfest NYC assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged scripts.
Please retain a copy of your manuscript.
9. AWARDS: In lieu of royalties, playwrights of a work chosen for a
Main Stage production or Reading Series presentation will be awarded
$100 plus a certificate of acceptance. In exchange, Main Stage series
playwrights agree, in consideration for the above payment and in
exchange for Gayfest NYC producing and presenting the Play, to grant
Gayfest NYC sole and exclusive right to develop the Play and produce
and present it in any media now known or devised hereafter, for a two
(2) year period beginning with the date of the first public
performance of the Play in the 2010 Festival. Reading Series
playwrights agree to these provisions for a term of one (1) year. A
letter agreement outlining terms will be signed prior to production.
10. OTHER BENEFITS: Playwrights will be invited to attend rehearsals
and join in the collaborative process. Playwrights will receive four
(4) tickets for the opening night performance of their production and
two (2) tickets to all other Gayfest NYC presentations during the 2010
season. Due to limited resources, Gayfest NYC cannot cover the cost of
travel or housing for selected playwrights.
11. SUBMISSION REVIEW: It usually takes three to five months for us to
read and process submissions. We ask that you please do not call or
email our offices in the interim to inquire on the status of your
submission.
12. WHERE TO SUBMIT: Mail two copies of your script and (for musicals)
two copies of your score (on CD only) to: Gayfest NYC, Inc., One River
Place, Suite 917, New York, NY 10036.
IF WE ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR PLAY OR MUSICAL,
WE WILL CONTACT YOU BY PHONE OR EMAIL