NEW JERSEY
WRITERS PROJECTTHE 2010 NEW JERSEY YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS
CONTEST AND FESTIVAL
** NEW **
READ AND POST ON THE
NJ YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS BLOG HERE
ABOUT THE CONTEST & FESTIVAL
For 27 years, the New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest has been deepening the writing experience for young writers by providing detailed feedback from theatre professionals about students' plays. For the 5th year in a row, winning plays will be presented during the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival, a partnership between Playwrights Theatre and Premiere Stages at Kean University.
Through a series of rounds, a team of readers may select plays from each division to be honored as statewide winners. These plays will receive a staged-reading performance by professional actors during the Festival in May 2010, at Kean University. This is certain to be a must-see event!
For information about the Contest, please contact Jim DeVivo, Director of Education at Playwrights Theatre, (973) 514-1787, ext. 14 or jdevivo@ptnj.org
Plays are accepted in the following Divisions:
Elementary (Grades 4-6)
Junior High (Grades 7-9)
High School (Grades 10-12)
Rewrites (Grades 10-12) [learn more]
Podstages (Grades 10-12) [learn more]There may be up to four winners in the Elementary, Junior High, and High School divisions; and one winner in the Rewrites and Podstages divisions. Winners in the divisions open to grades 10-12 receive a New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education, cosponsored by the NJ Arts Education Partnership and the New Jersey Department of Education. Winning playwrights who individually write their play (i.e. without a co-author) may be eligible to receive a scholarship to attend Camp Premiere, the summer theatre program at Premiere Stages.
All winning playwrights receive Certificates of Achievement. A statewide press release will publicize these student awards.
Winning playwrights will be contacted around March 2010. Winners must be available to meet with a director/dramaturg for a scheduled script session prior to the Festival rehearsal period.
Playwrights Theatre reserves the right to not award a winning play and/or reduce the number of winning plays in any category. Festival programming is subject to available funds, and Playwrights Theatre reserves the right to cancel the Festival should those funds not be available. The Governors Awards are issued by an independent agency, and Playwrights Theatre cannot guarantee whether that agency will issue awards in any given year.
Premiere Stages reserves the right to not award scholarships, or to limit the number awarded, for any reason.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE CONTEST
How the Contest Works
First-round readers receive a packet of plays and select those that will advance to the next round. This reading process continues until there are a given number of scripts remaining in each division. These final scripts are sent to a panel of theatre professionals and/or Playwrights Theatre administrator. The Panel reads each script and meets to discuss each play and potentially select winners for each division. Two first-round readers provide written feedback to each playwright.
Judging Guidelines
We hire professional theatre artists to read each play at every stage of the Contest. Readers may judge play submissions based on the following criteria:
PLOT: How is the story structured? Is it well developed? Does the action build?
DIALOGUE: Are the characters distinct? Do they come to life? Is the dialogue consistent with the characters?
CHARACTERS: Are they engaging? Have depth? Do they grow or change? Do they have a strong want/ need that propels the action of the play?
CONFLICT: Does it drive the play? Does it challenge the characters? Does the playwright keep the tension building?
DRAMATIC PREMISE: What is at the core of this play? Does it motivate the characters? What is the playwright trying to say?
ORIGINALITY: Does the play deviate from television/movie structure? Is the story fresh? Is the style different?
Tips for Preparing Your Script
We encourage plays that challenge ideologies and storytelling structure, and are non-traditional and inventive.
Structure and style are up to you; however, you are strongly urged to use discretion. Some plays may be referred to a school administrator, parent, or other responsible adult in the event that a reader, or Playwrights Theatre staff member, feels a particular play is in need of such attention.
Proofread and edit your play before sending.
Be certain it is in the correct format. You can see examples of the correct format on the submission guidelines page.
GO TO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
REWRITES DIVISION
(Grades 10-12)
This division is an opportunity for students in grades 10-12 to submit a revised version of a script submitted to a previous year’s NJ Young Playwrights Contests. One winner may be selected. Entries to the Rewrites division must adhere to the submission guidelines, plus the following:
Submit the original version of the script - CLEARLY MARKED "ORIGINAL"
Submit the revised version of the script - CLEARLY MARKED "REWRITE"
Be sure each version is clearly marked on both the file name, and the first page of the script.
PODSTAGES DIVISION
(Grades 10-12)
This division is an opportunity for students in grades 10-12 to submit a new script in the format of a radio play. Entries to the Podstages division must adhere to all submission guidelines, plus the following:
Submit the written version of the script as an MS Word document or PDF document
IMPORTANT: The radio play script must be unique. It cannot be a reformatted version of a play submitted in another division, or to a previous year of the NJ Young Playwrights Contest
Winners in this division will have a live radio play reading of the script, and a possible recording on the Playwrights Theatre Podstages website.
ABOUT PREMIERE STAGES
Premiere Stages is committed to serving the cultural needs of the Kean University campus community and the northern and central New Jersey regions through the production of premiere Equity productions, professional development and training programs and the cultivation of emerging artists. In a time when the majority of theatres are producing revivals, Premiere Stages is committed to ensuring that emerging artists are afforded the opportunity to have their work developed and produced in a safe and nurturing environment. Premiere Stages strives to be the ideal professional university program, actively engaging and enhancing the specialized training programs at Kean University while embracing and serving a culturally diverse audience, children-at-risk, and a broad pool of local artists.
Premiere Stages' commitment to developing new theatrical voices begins with our many Education programs. The Premiere Stages Play Factory includes in-school playwriting residencies for students in elementary through high school; the Musical Fun Series, touring productions for youth brought to Kean University, and Camp Premiere, a two-week intensive playwriting program in the summer for high school students.
