O'Neill Calls for Playwrights Conference Applicants

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has announced the start of its Open Submission Process for projects to be considered for development during the 2011 National Playwrights Conference.  Plays from applicants for the National Playwrights Conference will be accepted from Monday, September 20 through Friday, October 22, 2010.  Early submissions are strongly encouraged.
 
The National Playwrights Conference, led by Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg, supports playwrights during the creation and development of new play projects. The authors of selected works will be awarded a residency for the entire month of July 2011, within which there will be a professional rehearsal process and two script-in-hand public readings.  A stipend, housing, meals, and transportation are provided for each writer selected for this month-long residency.  Any play of any length or genre is eligible; however, to be included in the conference, the work must remain unproduced through July 31st, 2011.  

Open Submissions is a key element of the National Playwrights Conference mission to develop diverse voices and new works for the American Stage, requiring neither agent submission nor previous experience.  The O'Neill typically receives 800 scripts for consideration.  The plays are sent to readers across the country. The work is read blindly and this anonymity allows the O'Neill's volunteer readers to focus on each writer's voice and story, rather than a recognizable name or previous accomplishment. The O'Neill takes its mission for the discovery of new work and artists to heart.  The leadership team at the O'Neill and the National Playwrights Conference is committed to the Open Submissions policy. This means that the majority of plays developed will be drawn from this pool each summer.  Invitations or collaborations will be in the minority, but will always be a part of the mix, as they help launch conversations with a larger national field.
 
The submission fee is $35 dollars and covers the costs of the process itself.  In an effort to reduce the overall cost of applying, NPC will also accept electronic submissions this year.  This offers the playwright the chance to save time and money on paper copies and postage.  We believe a paperless process is also the responsible choice for the environment.  We will continue to accept applications through our standard hard copy application process, as well.  Visit http://www.theoneill.org/prog/plays/playapp.htm for an application.  Please direct any questions about the conference to Martin Kettling, Literary Manager, at (860) 443-5378 ext. 227 or email litoffice@theoneill.org.
 
The National Playwrights Conference, the O'Neill's flagship program, was founded in 1964. Playwrights shaped the Conference from its very inception. When founder George C. White first gathered a prominent group of emerging writers to discuss their needs, the result was the O'Neill model ? a place where playwrights can focus entirely on the development of their plays without the pressures of commercial production. More than 650 plays have evolved through the National Playwrights Conference.
 
Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference since 2005, noted, "It has been a significant year for us at the O'Neill. In addition to winning the Regional Theatre Tony Award, the National Playwrights Conference will see six projects developed in our program make their world premieres in the 2010-2011 theatrical season.  This conference belongs to the playwrights, and it is our responsibility to assemble the most effective working teams to be able to further these works toward eventual production.  Our submission window is always an exciting time, and we look forward to our 2011 season."
 
The O'Neill continues to build an endowment to support the Open Submission Process. Initiated in 2006 with donations made in honor of O'Neill playwright Wendy Wasserstein, interest income helps support the submission and selection process. For more information about the O'Neill's Wendy Wasserstein Fund, please call (860) 443-5378 ext. 213 or email theaterlives@theoneill.org
 
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and America's only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theater, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence.
 
The O'Neill is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater.  The O'Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and major regional theaters.
 
 
O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, the Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute ? which conducts semester-long intensive theater training, and a six-week summer program, Theatermakers.
 
In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates Monte Cristo Cottage as a museum open to the public. Childhood summer home of Eugene O'Neill, the Cottage is a National Historic Landmark.
 
Along with its Tony recognition, the O'Neill has also received the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence, and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org

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