York College of Pennsylvania's Theatre Program Seeks Play Submissions for 2021 JL Smith New Play Festival

York College of Pennsylvania's Theatre Program is seeking play submissions for its inaugural 2021 JL Smith New Play Festival. Both 10-minute and full-length plays can be submitted through by Friday, March 12th and five 10-minute plays and one full-length play will be selected for virtual performance; with playwrights being notified by April 1st if their script has been chosen. The festival will take place via Zoom on Thursday, May 6th and Friday, May 7th and in addition to performances, playwright Charly Evon Simpson will give a keynote on Thursday night. Cash prizes will be awarded for the audience favorite 10-minute play and to the playwright of the chosen full-length script.

Both student and professional playwrights are urged to submit a 10-minute play with five plays selected for virtual performances and a cash prize given to the audience favorite. Full-length plays will only be accepted from Pennsylvania playwrights with one receiving a cash prize for excellence. The five 10-Minute plays will be performed on Zoom on Thursday, May 6th and the winning full-length play will be featured on Friday, May 7th. All submissions are due by Friday, March 12th uploaded here. Due to a focus on accessibility, there is no entry fee for the contest.

The festival is made possible thanks to a generous, multi-year donation by Mr. JL Smith, the husband of York College President Pamela Gunter-Smith and a former professional actor in the Atlanta region as a part of the Evolve fundraising campaign. The scripts will be read and chosen by a diverse team of readers including Pittsburgh-area playwright T.J. Young, the Production Manager of the Dowd Theatre in Monroe, NC Seth Werner, and Rebecca Etzine an MFA Director located in Baltimore. The New Play Festival is being produced by Theatre Major Kyle Rossi as a part of his Senior Capstone, and any and all questions should be sent to him at his email address: Krossi3@ycp.edu

The York College Theatre Program is taking this multi-year step celebrating new work and supporting Mr. Smith's goals for the festival. They are also excited to support new playwrights whose work has rarely or never been performed before, including the works of local playwrights. For this year, they look forward to performing these new works on Zoom; a safe environment where audiences can still enjoy local theatre from the safety of their own homes. More information will be forthcoming about links to join and watch the festival.