Marin Theatre Company is Accepting Submissions for Two Prizes

Marin Theatre Company Director of New Play Development Margot Melcon announced today that MTC will be accepting submissions for the 2015 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize from July 1 - 31, 2014 and for the 2015 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize from August 1 - 31, 2014.

Now in their eighth year, Marin Theatre Company's new play prizes continue have an open submission process with no application fee. After receiving nearly 1,000 submissions last year, there will be two major changes to the annual awards, which are managed by the artistic staff of MTC, a mid-sized nonprofit professional theater based in Mill Valley, California. First, there will be separate submission periods for the two prizes. Second, the Sky Cooper Prize now requires a professional recommendation - a short note from an agent or theater professional (director, artistic director, university professor or similar colleague) with whom the writer has worked with in the past and who will recommend their submission based on the quality of the writer's previous work.

Complete submission guidelines, online application form and FAQ's can be found online at http://marintheatre.org/productions/new-plays-program/new-play-awards/.

The Sky Cooper New American Play Prize celebrates the work of the American playwright and encourages the creation of bold, powerful new plays for the American stage. MTC awards the Sky Cooper Prize annually to an outstanding unproduced play written by either an established or emerging American playwright. The winning play receives a developmental workshop and two staged readings as part of MTC's New Play Reading Series and is also considered underoption for a full production as part of the theater's annual main stage season. The playwright of the winning play receives a $10,000 award.

The David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize honors David Calicchio's lifelong career as a playwright and supports MTC's commitment to the discovery and development of new and emerging American playwrights. MTC awards the Calicchio Prize annually to a professionally unproduced playwright for a new work that shows outstanding promise and a distinctive new voice for the American theatre. The winning playwright receives a $2,500award. Their submitted play receives a developmental workshop and a staged reading as part of MTC's New Play Reading Series.

Previous Sky Cooper winners include The Way West by Mona Mansour, Seven Spots on the Sun by Martín Zimmerman, The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter, 9 Circles by Bill Cain (winner of the 2011 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award),Sunlight by Sharr White and Magic Forest Farm by Zayd Dohrn, many of which received their world premieres at MTC. Previous David Calicchio winners include Year of the Rooster by Eric Dufault, Light by Meghan Kennedy, That Good Night by Andrew Dolan, Lidless by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Carthage by Emily Schwend and Blood / Money by A. Zell Williams, all of which received staged readings through MTC's New Play Reading Series.

The Sky Cooper Prize and Calicchio Prize are made possible through the generous support of Norton J. "Sky" Cooper.

David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize Guidelines
• Submissions will be accepted from July 1 - 31, 2014.
• Submissions must be unpublished, original full-length plays in any genre.
• Musicals, translations, individual one-acts and any play submitted in a previous year for the Sky Cooper or David Calicchio Prizes are not eligible.
• The submitting playwright may not have received a full-scale, professional production prior to submission (plays that have had a workshop, reading or non-professional production are eligible).
• Playwrights must be citizens of the United States.
• Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year; you may submit the same play for both prizes.

Sky Cooper New American Play Prize Guidelines
• Submissions will be accepted from August 1 - 31, 2014.
• Submissions must be unpublished, original full-length plays in any genre.
• Musicals, translations, individual one-acts, and any play submitted in a previous year for the Sky Cooper or David Calicchio Prizes are not eligible.
• The submitted play may not have received or be scheduled for a full-scale, professional production prior to submission (plays that have had a workshop, reading, or non-professional production are eligible).
• Playwrights must be citizens of the United States.
• Only one submission per playwright is allowed each year; you may submit the same play for both prizes.
• For the Sky Cooper prize, the submission is required to include a professional recommendation.

PHASE I: Submit a completed online submission form and 10 pages of consecutive sample dialogue. Agents may submit full scripts of their client's work. Please do not send full scripts for Phase I unless via an agent or professional representation; unsolicited scripts will not be read.

PHASE II: Selected submissions will be invited to send full scripts for Phase II.

All scripts will be read by a member of the Marin Theatre Company artistic staff. Please do not send more than the requested materials. Do not send videos, CDs or DVDs. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Due to the high number of submissions, not every playwright will receive a response to their Phase I submission. No materials will be returned. Winners will be chosen from among submitted and solicited scripts; final selections are made by Jasson Minadakis, Artistic Director.

ABOUT MTC
Founded in 1966, Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area's premier mid-sized theater and the leading professional theater in the North Bay. We produce a six-show season of provocative plays by passionate playwrights from the 20th century and today in our 231-seat main stage theater, as well as a five-show Theater Series for Young Audiences in partnership with the Bay Area Children's Theatre in our 99-seat studio theater. We are committed to the development and production of new plays by American playwrights, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes productions of world premieres, two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards, readings and workshops by the nation's best emerging playwrights and membership in the National New Play Network. Our numerous education programs serve more than 6,000 students from over 40 Bay Area schools each year. MTC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

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