Friday, June 24, 2011

KTA's 3rd Annual Roots of the Bluegrass Playwriting Contest

The Kentucky Theatre Association's (KTA’s) 2011 ROOTS OF THE BLUEGRASS playwright’s competition starts July 1. In addition to KTA's annual contest which is open to all Kentucky playwrights, the expanded version includes a new 10 minute play category for Kentucky high school and college students 22 years of age and under. The contest is free to all Kentuckians, including out-of-state residents, who resided in Commonwealth for a minimum of three years.

For the general competition, single or multi-act full length scripts are preferred. All genres will be considered (libretto, book or text only for musicals). Scripts should not exceed 120 pages. Plays that have had a fully staged production will not be considered.

The student category is limited to ten minute plays only, but students with full length scripts may compete in the general contest open to all age groups.

A cover or contact sheet with title, name and address must be included. The script itself should not include the name of the playwright, but it is helpful if the title is listed on each page.

Electronic submissions are encouraged in either a PDF or MS Word format. US mail delivered scripts must have a SASE if you wish it returned.

Semi-finalists will be announced in October. The three finalists in the general admission contest will receive staged readings and awards at the KTA convention in November. The winner will receive $150, 1st Runner-up $75 and 2nd Runner-up $50. Student finalists will receive plaques at the student awards ceremony that concludes the competition. The student winner will receive $100, 1st Runner-up $50 and 2nd Runner-up $25.

Electronic scripts and inquiries should be sent to bill.forsyth@att.net. Mail submissions should be sent to: Bill Forsyth, PO Box 24081, Lexington, Ky. 40524.

Final submissions date – August 31, 2011. Rules and guidelines can be found at: www.theatreky.com.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

No July Meeting

There is no July meeting of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc. Have a good summer; see you in August.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

EstroGenius-In-Progress to Feature Play by Trish Ayers

Trish Ayers' short play, "Painting the Egress," (written as part of a KFW (Kentucky Foundation for Women ) grant) has been selected to be read as part of EstroGenius-In-Progress in NYC on July 9th. If it is voted an audience favorite, the play will have a full performance in the fifth week of the EstroGenius Festival.

The Estrogenius Festival is an annual celebration of female voices, and is one of New York City’s largest women’s arts festivals. Estrogenius takes open submissions from around the world and is committed to providing opportunities to female artists in a variety of disciplines. For more information about the festival see http://www.estrogenius.org.

Trish Ayers is a member of the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Next Meeting of KPW

The next meeting of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop will be Sunday June 12th at the Highlands Kroger on Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY. The meeting will be from 2-5 pm in the public meeting room, 2nd floor, of the Kroger store. Please join us. All meetings are open to the public and anyone in attendance, member or not, may have a 10-minute or shorter work and critiqued. Meetings are open to anyone interested in the development of new works for the stage.

Membership in KPW is open to any Kentuckian, or any student of a Kentucky college or university. Dues are $10 per year for the program year September 1 - August 31. Join now-- just $10-- and get additional months of membership; join now and your membership will expire August 31, 2012!

For more information about KPW email us at ky.playwright@yahoo.com

If you would like to join send your check (or money order) to:
KPW
PO Box 55222
Lexington, KY 40555

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Fusion Theatre's Interview with Brian Walker

The following interview was posted by Fusion Theatre on it's web site. It has been posted here because Brian Walker is a member of Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc.

How did you hear about “The Seven”?

I heard about The Seven through my Dramatist Guild Resource Directory and it was also listed on The Playwrights' Center's website.

What was the impetus/basis/inspiration for writing the piece?

The inspiration for the piece is pretty straightforward: it came when I realized that I had not received my girl scout cookies from the little girl I had ordered them from three houses down and started seeing them being sold at the entrances of local grocery stores. I was convinced that someone in my neighborhood must have stolen mine as I told her she could just leave them in my door if I wasn't home. Days past but instead of going door to door to interrogate my neighbors, I wrote the play and my cookies arrived the next week; the little girl had the flu and was late getting them out, which, by that time, was fine by me because I had gotten a play out of it.

Is this play representational of your writing style? Is it similar to or different from your other plays?

This play is very representational of my writing style. I like writing plays where the audience doesn't know exactly where they should be laughing; or if what they're watching is even supposed to be funny, or maybe half the audience thinks it's funny and the other half of the audience is mortified. I like writing characters that are flawed in some way?and that really need something (whatever it?is...cookies even...) in order to get out of bed in the morning to face the world.

What is the role of the short work in your playwriting career?

The short play has been so instrumental to my writing career as it has given me the opportunity to really hone my craft while getting my work out there into the world. I love that short play festivals are so popular because for me there are so many moments, so many instances or people or situations that I think, 'that would make a good play' but there would never be enough time to write them all down into full length scripts. So I'm always writing short plays and I'm always sending them out. The ten minute play allows me the opportunity to get those impulses out there; even when simultaneously working on a larger project I may be blocked with or just need a break from.

What is your favorite play? Who is your favorite playwright?

My favorite play is A Bright Room Called Day by Tony Kushner because it makes me weep every time I read it and my favorite playwright would have to be Christopher Durang who just inspires me and his plays makes me laugh and think and want to have fun with my own truths.

What is your next playwriting venture?

In the last week I have just completed a full length play, CAGE (or the other side of tomorrow) which is about a society which eats its criminals instead of incarcerating them. Plus it's a love story. And there are dancing cows. I'm hoping to begin submitting it this summer.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you so much to FUSION Theatre Company for producing my play and sharing my voice with this community; it is such an honor to be included with the other six playwrights and have my work brought to life by this group of artists.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Wordsmyth Theater is Accepting Scripts for 2012 Reading Series

Wordsmyth Theater is now accepting One Act or Two Act plays for a New Play Reading Series for 2012. Six plays will be selected, with one slot reserved for a Houston, TX playwright and another slot reserved for a Spanish/English bilingual play. Each selected playwright will be paired with a director and cast. The play will then be read in front of an audience and the audience will be invited to stay after for a moderated discussion of the play.

Submissions must meet the following criteria:

1. Play must not have been produced.
2. Play must not have had a public reading in the Houston area.
3. Submission must be received on or before July 31, 2011.
4. Submission must be a minimum of 40 pages long and have a minimum run time of 40 minutes.
5. Submission must be in .doc, .pdf or .rtf format.
6. There should be no playwright identifiers anywhere on the script.
7. Only one play per playwright per submission period.
8. No musicals, children's plays, or one-person plays.

Please go to our website at www.wordsmyththeater.org, and then click on the play submissions tab.

Thank you!

Wordsmyth Theater Company is a Houston-based playwright’s theater dedicated to the development of new theatrical works from formative stages through full production. Through workshops and readings of plays with directors, dramaturgy and performers at various stages, as well as through lectures, seminars, classes and web resources, Wordsmyth aims to provide playwrights with a wide range of assistance in realizing their artistic vision.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Fusion Theatre's Bio of Brian Walker

Our own Brian Walker is one of seven playwrights to win Fusion Theatre's The Seven 10-minute Play Contest for his play Neighborly Do's and Don'ts. Below is the biography currently running on the New Mexico' theatre's web site. Congratulation's Brian!

Brian Walker (Neighborly Do's and Don'ts) is the artistic director of Louisville, Kentucky based Finnigan Productions. He has written and produced several full length plays in the Louisville area, including: Smoke this Play, Great American Sex Play, dirty sexy derby play and ZOMBIE!. He is the creator and co-producer of Finnigan’s Festival of Funky Fresh Fun, an annual 10-minute play festival celebrating independent theatre artists in the Louisville area. His short play, Paradiso Airlines, was part of 2009’s Actors Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program’s 24-Hour 10-Minute Play Festival. His short play, Purple Cool-Aide Cult from Purpletown, was an official Play-Lab selection at 2009’s Great Plains Theatre Conference in Omaha, NE. His full length play, The Kings, was part of the Juneteenth Legacy Theatre’s 2009 Juneteenth Jamboree at Actors Theatre of Louisville and part of the 18th Annual R. Joyce Whitley ARENAfest Festival of new plays in Cleveland, OH in May 2010. His short play, Jupiter’s Moons won the jury prize and the audience favorite award in March 2010 at Bellarmine University’s Anything Galileo 10-Minute Play Festival. His short play Linda & Kirk & the Mouse Incident was selected for Theatre Southwest’s 5th Annual Reader’s Theatre Festival in Houston, TX in March 2010, Appetite Theatre’s Bruschetta Festival of short plays in Chicago, IL, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s The Late Seating; both in October 2010, The Kentucky Playwrights Workshop New Play Festival in Lexington, KY in November 2010 and Louisiana State University’s Out-fest 2011 in Baton Rouge, LA in March 2011. His short play Latch/Gem was a semi-finalist in KNOCK magazine’s 2010 International Play Contest. His short play I had to meet you like this (here) (one more time) was selected for Stage-Q’s Queer Shorts 6 in Madison, WI and The Ringwald Theatre’s Gay Play Series both in June 2011. Brian was awarded the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Emerging Artist Award for playwrights by the Kentucky Arts Council in July 2010. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild, The Playwrights’ Center, The Kentucky Theatre Association, The Kentucky Playwrights Workshop and the Theatre Alliance of Louisville

Friday, June 3, 2011

Ten-Tucky 10-Minute Play Festival

The Bard's Town Theatre is seeking submissions for both it's Ten-Tucky Ten-Minute Play Festival and it's 2012 Mainstage season. While it embraces comedies and dramatic pieces, they look in either case for plays that focus on engaging characters, honesty, and a love of words. Their space is intimate, and thus necessitates plays with which the audience will "connect."

• Plays should not have received more than 1 professional production in the Louisville, KY area.
• Playwrights may submit up to 3 scripts.
• Submission period ends June 15 annually.
• Plays should be properly formatted, and should be no more than 10 minutes long. (If the play has had at least a reading, the playwright should know).
• All genres accepted; however, plays with advanced technical requirements and/or intricate musical needs will have a lesser chance of being selected.

• Questions should be directed to Doug Schutte, doug@thebardstown.com.