First Stage Youth Theatre
Playwriting Competition Guidelines


Plays are to be one (1) ACT ONLY and must be limited to no more than 20 minutes. Good rule of thumb is 1 page = 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

ALL WORKS, INCLUDING TITLES, MUST BE ORIGINAL – NO ADAPTATIONS
Scripts based on original ideas are highly encouraged.

Scripts must be unproduced and unpublished.

Collaboration is permitted up to 2 co-authors.

Plays can be of any genre or style with one exception: NO MUSICALS PLEASE. Limited funds and personnel make musicals difficult to produce.

Try to keep it simple. Sets, costumes, props, and other technical elements may be suggested in the actual production, due to limited resources.

Parent participation should be limited to grammatical and format scrutiny only.

All submissions must be typed in English, DOUBLE SPACED, on plain white 8 1/2” x 11” paper.

All submissions MUST be firmly bound.

Except for the cover page, each page of the script must contain the TITLE and be consecutively numbered.

Name of Author(s) should appear on the COVER PAGE ONLY.
There should be no reference to author(s) within the script’s content.

Cover page should contain the following information:

Name
Address
Telephone Contact
E-Mail (Optional)
Age
School
Class

DEADLINE IS JANUARY 15th, 2010 for submission to the theatre professional screening committee. Plays can be submitted to the main office at both Madison Middle and High School or be mailed to:

First Stage Youth Theatre
P.O. Box 426
Mars Hill, North Carolina 28754